My Fiancé's Brother, Book 2

A Love Story That Left Me With More Questions Than Answers

Some books break your heart because of what happens. Others frustrate you because of everything left unsaid. This one managed to do both.

Spoiler Alert — Major Plot Details Ahead

Book Review | Romance, Drama, Heartbreak & Unanswered Questions

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ — 3/5 Stars

Some books leave you with a book hangover because you cannot stop thinking about how beautiful the story was. Others leave you staring at the final page, wondering how on earth the author expects you to move on with so many unanswered questions.

Unfortunately, this book did a little of both.

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: This review contains major spoilers from Book 2 of My Fiancé’s Brother by Odette Stone. If you haven't read it yet, consider yourself warned!

Well, That Wedding Went Down in Flames!

Let's talk about how this book starts because, GOOD LORD, what an opening!

Emily and Matt are supposed to be getting married. You know, the whole happily-ever-after moment where the bride walks down the aisle, everyone cries happy tears, and two people promise forever.

Except Emily has a little announcement to make.

She's pregnant. With Jackson's baby.

Yes, you read that correctly. Her fiancé's brother.

And just like that, all hell breaks loose.

Matt goes absolutely ballistic, and Emily is left standing at the altar alone. Talk about starting a book with a bang! From that moment forward, Emily's life becomes a whirlwind of humiliation, heartbreak, judgment, and emotional turmoil. And while I knew this relationship would come with consequences, I don't think I was prepared for just how much Emily would have to endure. But here's the thing: the drama wasn't my biggest issue with this book.

Jackson was

Or, more specifically, how Jackson was written.

Emily Against the World... Including Her Own Husband?

Throughout this book, Emily goes through an unbelievable amount of emotional turmoil just to be with Jackson. She's humiliated, harassed, judged, and repeatedly made to feel like she's the problem. It seems like no matter what she does, she cannot catch a break. And then, just when you think things cannot get any worse, we discover Jackson has an ex. Enter Harper. Oh, Harper.

Let me tell you, this woman had me wanting to climb straight into the pages of this book and have a few words with her myself. Harper is wicked, manipulative, and entirely too comfortable inserting herself into situations where she has absolutely no business being. But here's where my frustration really begins.

Harper wasn't the only problem. Jackson's behavior toward Harper was an even bigger one. I understand that Jackson has trauma. I understand he's emotionally guarded. I understand he has a past that has shaped who he is. But understanding someone's trauma does not mean excusing every hurtful thing they do. And Jackson? Sir, you had some explaining to do.

Jackson, We Were Rooting for You!

Let me make something clear. I was on Jackson's side in the first book.

I wanted him and Emily together. I wanted to understand this complicated, brooding, emotionally unavailable man. I wanted to see him find love, heal, and finally allow himself to be vulnerable. And I truly believe that was what Odette Stone was trying to accomplish. Unfortunately, I think the execution fell short.

Throughout Book 2, Jackson is portrayed as stoic, emotionally detached, and, at times, downright careless when it comes to Emily's feelings. There were moments when I genuinely questioned whether this man even cared about his wife or their baby. And that is NOT the feeling I wanted to walk away with. I can appreciate a morally complicated character. I can appreciate a man who struggles with vulnerability because of past trauma. In fact, those are often some of my favorite characters.

But there is a difference between a man who struggles to express love and a man whose actions make his love nearly impossible to recognize. For much of this book, Jackson crossed that line for me. And because we never get inside his head, we're left trying to figure out whether he's emotionally damaged, deliberately cruel, completely oblivious, or some combination of all three. That is a pretty big problem when he's supposed to be one-half of the love story we're rooting for.

The Harper Situation? Absolutely Not.

I cannot even begin to explain how frustrating it was to read about Harper's interactions with Jackson. There were moments when Emily had to stand there and watch Jackson share interactions and moments with Harper that were clearly painful for her. Yet Emily couldn't even engage in a conversation with another man who was simply being nice without it becoming an issue. Excuse me?

So Jackson can have his moments with Harper, but Emily can't have a normal conversation with another man? Make it make sense. And then there were the times Jackson would go off with his group, leaving Emily feeling excluded and alone.

I understand that couples need independence. I understand that people have friendships and lives outside their marriages. But when your pregnant wife is already struggling, being judged, and trying desperately to find her place in your world, wouldn't you want to make her feel included?

Wouldn't you want to reassure her? Wouldn't you want to make sure she knew she mattered? Instead, Emily repeatedly felt like an outsider looking into Jackson's life.

And I felt that pain right along with her.

The Ultrasound Incident Would Have Been My Breaking Point

Now, THIS is where Jackson really lost me. He missed their baby's ultrasound.

Let that sink in. His pregnant wife was trying to reach him, and he refused to look at her messages. But somehow, he had time to read Harper's?

JACKSON. ARE. YOU. SERIOUS?!

Because I would have absolutely lost my mind. This wasn't some insignificant disagreement. This was a moment involving his child. A moment Emily should not have had to experience while feeling abandoned or unimportant. And the fact that Harper's messages seemed to receive attention while Emily's were ignored made the entire situation even worse. Which brings me to another issue.

Why did Jackson save Harper's text?

Why didn't he delete the messages?

Why didn't he firmly tell Harper to stop contacting him?

Did he confront her about her behavior?

Did he defend Emily?

Did he put an end to Harper's attempts to hurt his pregnant wife?

WE DON'T KNOW! And that's exactly my problem.

Maybe Jackson had reasons. Maybe there were conversations we never saw. Maybe he was handling things behind the scenes. But how are readers supposed to know that when the author doesn't give us enough information? We're left to fill in the blanks ourselves, and unfortunately, those blanks do not always paint Jackson in a flattering light.

Emily, Girl, Please Stop Crying... But I Get It

Now, before anyone thinks I'm putting Emily on some kind of pedestal, let's talk about her too. Emily was whiny. Extremely whiny. And the crying? Goodness gracious, this girl cried A LOT. There were definitely moments when I wanted to reach into the book, hand her a tissue, and tell her to stand up for herself. But here's the difference.

As frustrating as Emily could be, we understood why she was hurting.

We were inside her head. We knew her fears, insecurities, and emotional struggles. We understood how Jackson's actions affected her.

Did I always agree with her reactions? Absolutely not.

Did I sometimes wish she would grow a backbone and stop letting everyone walk all over her? Without question. But at least I could follow her emotional journey.

With Jackson, we didn't have that luxury. And that brings me to my biggest criticism of this entire book.

The Single POV Was a Huge Mistake

I genuinely believe this story needed dual points of view.

Not because every romance needs dual POV. Plenty of incredible romance novels are written from one perspective. But when one of your main characters has such significant trauma, emotional walls, and questionable behavior, readers need some way to understand what is happening beneath the surface. That doesn't necessarily mean giving us his internal thoughts on every page.

A skilled single-POV romance can still reveal another character's feelings through dialogue, body language, meaningful conversations, and subtle emotional clues.

But in this book, even Emily's internal thoughts often left me more confused.

Instead of providing insight, they created additional questions. Instead of helping me understand Jackson, the storytelling sometimes made him appear even colder.

Instead of feeling the depth of his love for Emily, I was left wondering whether he truly appreciated what she was sacrificing to be with him. And that is heartbreaking because I genuinely wanted to love Jackson. I still want to love Jackson. But I need to understand him first.

Odette Stone, Please Give Us Jackson's POV!

This is my official plea to Odette Stone.

PLEASE GIVE US JACKSON'S SIDE OF THE STORY!

Whether it's a companion novel, a novella, or a collection of bonus chapters, I truly believe Jackson deserves his own perspective. And based on reader discussions and Facebook posts I've come across, I'm far from the only person who wants this.

Readers have been asking for more insight into Jackson for years. I understand the hesitation that can come with revisiting an existing story. Maybe there's concern that readers won't want to experience familiar events again or that a companion book won't perform as well.

But I genuinely believe those concerns underestimate how much readers want answers. Other authors have successfully revisited stories from another character's perspective, and those books can offer an entirely different emotional experience.

Because here's the thing:

Jackson's POV wouldn't simply be the same story repeated.

It would be a completely different emotional journey.

Think about everything we could finally understand.

• His time in San Lucas: What actually happened when Emily hung up and they went to the bar together ? What was he experiencing emotionally? What conversations took place that Emily and readers never witnessed?

• His runs: What was going through his mind during those moments when his ex was appearing all the time? Was he processing his trauma, running from his feelings, or avoiding responsibility?

• The text messages: Why did he keep Harper's message? Did he ever confront her about how she treated Emily? Did he tell her to stop? Did he look at the inappropriate photos?

• His time back in Virginia: What happened after he was intimate with Emily? What was he thinking? How did he process their relationship and everything that followed? Why did he buy a ring if he never wanted to marry?

• His trauma: How did his past affect his ability to communicate, love, trust, and be present for Emily?

• His feelings about becoming a father: Was he afraid? Excited? Overwhelmed? Did he struggle to believe he deserved a family?

• His relationship with Emily: When did he truly realize he loved her? What did he think when she was hurting? Did he understand the damage his actions were causing? Was he scared when she took off and he could not find her for the night? The book mentions they had no idea that he was married to somoene else that wasn't harper, but his friend when Jackson was injured said they used to make fun of him about looking at the ultrasound so much. This does not make sense as no one knew about Emily. You would think that they would know Harper was not pregnant by him.

These aren't minor details. These are the emotional pieces that could completely change how readers interpret Jackson. Imagine reading the ultrasound scene from his perspective. Or seeing what happened when Harper contacted him. Imagine finally understanding what was going through his head when Emily felt like she was losing him. Maybe we'd discover things that redeem him. Maybe we'd find out he was struggling more than we realized. Or maybe we'd learn that some of his actions really were as selfish as they appeared. Either way, at least we'd finally KNOW. And that's what readers deserve: enough emotional context to understand the characters they've invested their time and hearts into.

Trauma Explains Behavior. It Doesn't Automatically Excuse It.

One thing I want to emphasize is that I appreciate authors who explore trauma and its lasting effects. Not everyone processes pain the same way. Some people shut down. Some become emotionally distant. Some push away the very people they love because vulnerability feels terrifying. That is real, and it deserves to be represented in fiction. But there is a responsibility that comes with writing emotionally complex characters. If trauma is going to play such a significant role in someone's behavior, readers need to understand that connection.

Otherwise, what should be a layered, complicated character can come across as simply cold, selfish, or cruel. Jackson needed more emotional development on the page. He needed moments that allowed readers to see the man beneath the walls.

He needed opportunities to demonstrate that Emily and their baby mattered to him.

And most importantly, he needed accountability. Because loving someone doesn't erase the hurt you've caused them. And having trauma doesn't mean your partner should be expected to endure endless emotional pain without reassurance, communication, or change.

So, Did I Actually Like This Book?

Here's where things get complicated. Yes. I actually liked this book a lot.

Despite all my frustration, I was invested. I cared about Emily. I wanted to understand Jackson. I was emotionally involved enough to get angry, question decisions, and desperately wish certain scenes had played out differently. And that says something about Odette Stone's ability to create characters readers care about. If I didn't care, I wouldn't be sitting here writing an entire review about how badly I want answers.

But loving the potential of a story and feeling satisfied with its execution are two very different things. For me, this book had the potential to be an easy five-star read.

The drama was there.

The emotional stakes were there.

The complicated relationships were there.

The foundation for an unforgettable romance was there.

But the missing emotional context kept it from reaching that level.

This could have been a five-star, proudly-displayed-on-my-bookshelf kind of book.

Instead, it's a four-star read that left me feeling like a crucial part of the story was missing. And that honestly makes me sad because I wanted so much more for these characters.

My Final Thoughts: Please Don't Leave Readers With More Questions Than Answers

I don't need every romance to be wrapped up in a perfect little bow.

I don't need every character to be flawless. And I certainly don't need every question answered in a way that makes everyone happy. But I do need the emotional journey to feel complete. When readers spend two books investing in a couple, they deserve to understand the foundation of that relationship. They deserve to see why these two people belong together. They deserve to feel the love, not just be told that it exists.

And when an author chooses to write from a single point of view, especially with no plans to provide the other character's perspective, that makes emotional clarity even more important.

Don't make readers do all the work of proving that a character loves someone. Show us.

Give us the conversations.

Give us the subtle gestures.

Give us the accountability.

Give us the emotional growth.

And when you introduce complicated situations, don't leave important conflicts feeling unresolved. Odette Stone, I truly hope you consider giving Jackson his own book or novella. Not because I want to criticize your work, but because I believe there's a deeper story here that deserves to be told. I want to see Jackson through Jackson's eyes. I want to understand the man I rooted for in Book 1. And I want to finish this series feeling confident that Emily didn't fight so hard, endure so much humiliation, and sacrifice so much of herself for a man who couldn't fully show up for her.

Until then, I'm left with a romance I enjoyed, characters I cared about, and an ending that still doesn't feel emotionally finished.

My final rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

One missing star for all the missing answers.

And Jackson?

Sir, you still owe us an explanation.

Let's Talk, Book Lovers! 📚💕

If you've read My Fiancé's Brother Book 2, I NEED to hear your thoughts!

Were you still Team Jackson by the end, or did his behavior completely change how you felt about him?

Did Harper make you as angry as she made me? Was Emily too emotional, or was she justified in how she reacted? And most importantly, would you read a companion novella told entirely from Jackson's point of view? Because I know I would!

Let's discuss in the comments. Different opinions are always welcome here. That's what makes our little book community so much fun.

Happy Reading!