{Five Brothers by Penelope Douglas} Dark Romance Book Review

My second ever Penelope Douglas read was a resounding success and I think I am officially a fan. Five Brothers began in a disturbing way which almost had me cease my reading, but then I remembered it was but written words on paper, and my pearls were still intact around my neck. Clutched though not ripped in scandal. Only kidding, I don’t wear those kinds of pearls. Wink wink, nudge nudge. I’m joking. I swear, this author is rubbing off on me. 

I found Five Brothers to be a delightful game of guess who, and even got my fiance on board with immediate guessing when I read him the blurb of the highly unusually named brothers. As a side note I did in fact guess the correct one, however I would be lying if I said I wasn’t second and third guessing myself the entire way through. This to me is the hallmark of a good murder mystery, except here we replace murdering with slayin’ of the puss. I will also say that said slayin’ caused me to blush and kick my feet in delight, especially when he exited the room with that breeding kink one liner. I was in the bath at the time of reading this and nearly drowned.

Let’s put aside my exquisite sense of humour and cut to the serious stuff. This novel captured some heavy topics extremely poignantly. Pen Douglas did not shy away when she wrote about depression, suicide, broken families and found families. My heart broke several times reading this. I adored the brothers, who were so unique to one another and fundamental in our FMC Krisjen’s growth. It was a novel that highlighted the facade within which the wealthy hide behind, and championed the outrageous, empathetic and daring personalities of the middle and lower class individuals who live beyond the tracks. Despite Krisjen being raised in wealth, she is ironically bereft, and must seek out her happiness, pleasure and that feeling of coming home on the other side of town with the Jaeger brothers. 

This was a great contemporary read for 2025, and is a top contender for me. It spoke to serious topics whilst also delivering intense spice and fun. I can only hope all of Penelope Douglas’ novels are as excellent as this was. 

Love, R&R

• Dark romance
• Contemporary 
• Dubcon
• 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5