BRAM— My best friend's little sister--that's all Claudia Bliss is to me. My head keeps trying to convince my heart, but both know it's a damn lie.
It's her face I see every time I close my eyes. It's her lips I long to kiss. It's her touch I crave in the dark. She's the one I love... but wanting Claudia is wrong.
She's been like a little sister to me since the day she was born. Now, everything between us is changing--including the special bond we've always shared. It's stronger than ever... and becoming something so different. Something so hot. Something so forbidden.
My little dove is growing up. Doesn't matter how wrong it is, I can't stop wanting her.
I will have her.
CLAUDIA— Bram Windsor. I have loved him my entire life.
For years, I was nothing more than one of the boys to him. Owen's little sister. The pest who tagged along everywhere the boys went. But now, everything has changed.
I've grown up and it's time Bram sees me for what I am. A woman. A sexual being who wants him. A virgin more than ready to give herself to him.
I don't care what our friends or family say. I love him and everything about being together feels right.
I will have him.
***Note from Georgia-- Sweet Torment is a 33k+ word standalone novella. It is a rewrite of a 12k word short story previously published as Cherry Popper under the pen name Jade Sinner and is no longer available for purchase. HEA. No cheating. No cliffhanger.
This was a sweet and sexy romance with the older brother's best friend trope.
Bram has spent his entire friendship with Claudia's brother looking out for her. She was always the annoying little pest that followed the boys everywhere they went, but she was never a pest to him. He always loved her...until he finally saw her in a different light. It took one summer away to come back to a 17 year old Claudia that's stunning and he realizes that his love for her has taken on a whole different meaning.
This was a cute, albeit fairly forgettable story. The pacing was too quick to be believable. I struggled to really feel the connection between the H/h. They go from older brother's best friend to instant love in the span of one look. Yes, I get that they have history. But that history was spent as friends and Bram has been a bit of manwhore that freely admits at the beginning of the book that he doesn't do connections. On the one hand, you see why Claudia is different. On the other hand, it's tough buying their super quick connection.
While it was an enjoyable read, I wished for more development and less sex (which almost overwhelmed the last half of the book). Yes, it was a cute story but nothing I'd come back to.
If you're looking for a quick and steamy read, this will certainly fit the bill.
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
Claudia Bliss is a 17 yr. old high school senior who feels she's loved her brothers best friend Bram her entire life. He's just graduated college & moved back home to start a new job. Claudia hasn't seen him in about five months & has missed him terribly. She's always felt he just see's her as Owen's little sister, just one of the boys who always tagged along. She doesn't want him to see her as a kid anymore, but as a woman. To finally notice her & think she's desirable. She wants to be his in every way. It's what she's always wanted.
Bram Windsor is s 23 yr. old guy who is starting his life after college. He returns home to Lynchburg, Tennessee and is stunned when he see's his best friend's little sister. Little Claud is all grown up & breathtaking. She's all woman & sexy as hell. He was six years old when she was born & has known her most of his life. He's always felt protective of her & they've shared a special bond through the years, but lately everything between them has been slowly changing. He's always loved her in some way, but it's evolved over the years. He knows she's forbidden & off limits to him, but he can't stop fantasizing about her daily, & imagining all the things he wants to do with her, but knows he never can.
-It's her face I see every time I close my eyes. It's her lips I long to kiss. It's her touch I crave in the dark.
-I could lose everything by admitting my love for this girl. And yet I'm willing to risk it all for her.
-This is all I've ever wanted. Him. His heart. His love.
Suddenly Bram & Claudia are put in a situation where they are thrown together. Being around each other so often, neither can resist the pull between them. Soon it doesn't matter how wrong it is, Bram can't stop wanting her, & decides he will have her, but nothing can happen between them till she's 18. Can they fight their intense lust for one another when things feel so right between them. What will their friends & family think? Are they prepared to risk it all for love?
ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review
Georgia Cates is no stranger when it comes to romance with heat and raw emotions but in her newest release, Sweet Torment, she take readers on a fun, sexy fast paced first love forbidden romance!! With so many romance books saturating the market, I think it’s fun to get lost in a quick story that is predictable and yet sweet and sexy. And in Sweet Torment we get all three plus the forbidden best friend little sister trope that I know most readers love.
Claudia Laine Bliss has grown up. Everything I’ve ever felt about her suddenly feels new and different. And it scares the shit out of me.”
Claudia Bliss has always loved her big brother’s best friend, Bram. She wanted him to be her first everything but she knew that he always considered her as the little sister. Or did he.
Bram Windsor never saw Claudia as the little sister. In fact, he started to develop deep feelings for her. He knew he should stay away since he was 23 and she was 17 years old and still in high school. But when he returns home from graduating college early and completing his Masters, Bram can no longer deny his attraction and feelings for Claudia, as he soon realizes that she was no longer a girl but a woman.
Claudia has grown up. The desire to have her is making me fucking miserable; every inch of her sweet little body is calling out to me.”
As Bram and Claudia can no longer deny their feelings for one another, they soon began to have a secret relationship. Well aware that he wants to do right by Claudia, he never crosses the line with her sexually and waits till she turns 18 to take her virginity and be with her legally. But what happens when Claudia’s secret is exposed and her brother finds out of their secret relationship, will Bram lose his best friend? And will Claudia be forced to choose between her family or Bram?
Like I said earlier, this book was just a fun sexy read. I enjoyed this novella that Georgia Cates gifted her readers. It checked off all the elements that I loved. Forbidden Romance. Check. Best friend little sister trope. Check. Sweet and entertaining. Check. What more can you ask for in fast paced forbidden happily ever after romance. So what are you waiting for and go click Sweet Torment.
P.S. I most definitely hope Georgia does decide to write novellas for Owen and River.
SWEET TORMENT by Georgia Cates was a quick, fast paced little novella! I jumped right into the story of Bram and Claudia and couldn't put this book down until I found out how these two ended up.
Bram has the hots for his best friends little sister. And when I say little, I mean he is 23 and she is 17. Claudia has been in love with Bram for all of her life and has been waiting and biding her time until she could make her feelings known for him. The problem is, she is not legal!!! Also, Claudia's brother Owen will freak out but Bram is willing to take that chance, as he quickly learns that this thing he has for Claud is not just a random passing fleeting attraction, he tells her how he feels and they immediately start hiding the time they spend together. Bram will not have sex with Claudia until she turns 18-he wants her to know that she is more than just one night stand.
There was very little character development with the two mains, and the idea that these two were head over heals for one another was a little hard to believe. I understand these two have had a special bond from the time they were younger, but I still found it difficult to attach myself fully to the story. It seemed a little far-fetched to me.
I still enjoyed the read and the hurtles these two went through to maintain their relationship-I almost wished this was a full length novel so we could see more from these two.
To quote another review this is a novella that will melt your heart and your kindle. I loved it! it was super steamy and romantic and it had all my favorite tropes: virgin heroine, smitten hero plus pregnancy and lots of kids! This is a new author for me but I am now her fan!
A little taboo. Age gap and best friends little sister.
Claudia and Bram have known each other for years. They've always had a special connection. Nothing gross, just a bond that has kept them tied together. When Bram starts to realize his connection with Claudia could be perceived as odd he distances himself from her. Needless to say they end up coming back together and things get pretty interesting.
This was a quick and fun read. Well written and kept me wanting to turn pages as quickly as possible. It's a novella, but it felt like a pretty meaty story. If you love alpha males who want to claim their woman... then look further. This book is alpha to the max!
I liked this for the most part. I was completely in until they actually hooked up. It wasn't bad, just a little too easy. One big issue I had was that he used the word "Bae". I'm sorry but no. My sister who is 8 years younger than me says that and I'm always on her case about it. Haha. But seriously the rest of the time he uses words that sound much older so it didn't work for me. Ignoring that word, this was a short sweet read.
HOLY MOLY! This book is SCORCHING HOT! I'm pretty sure my kindle was close to overheating a few times. The sexual tension was crazy thick, the character connection was there from the minute Claudia jumped into Bram’s arms and it only grew to the point of being super EXPLOSIVE!
Sweet Torment moved fast and is one hell of a thrill ride. Georgia took the trope, best friends - little sister and made it sexy, forbidden and WILD!
Georgia did a great job of making Bram a desirable and swoony alpha male! Claudia was fearless and sassy. Together they are obviously meant for each other. I would have LOVED way more story in this, but as it was a novella what I got was enough!
A super smutty, forbidden romance between a shocked H, who suddenly realizes his lust for his best friend's little sister, whom he has watched grow up. There is enticement, seduction, romance, kinky lovemaking, confrontations, drama, breeding and HEA.
Things I liked were -the H waited for the h to turn legal before banging her -Grade A anal -Lactation porn -Bred HEA
Things that made me icky -Deliberate impregnation because he didn't want her to leave him..I would have been fine if it wasn't for her education purposes
I this book was hot as hell! Bram and Claudia *swoon*. Friends to lovers. I absolutely love this story! As with all Georgia's books, Sweet Torment has instantly become a favorite.
So Georgia Cates wrote a sweet predictable story with Sweet Torment. And that's not a negative thing. It is what it is. There's nothing really that stands out in this story or makes it edgy. It's just a sweet romance between two people. It was quick and fun and very low on the drama, so props for that. Do I wish that maybe the age gap would have been a tad longer?, well yeah, then it would be have been dirty and we all how much I like my dirty ;) LOL
But seriously, enjoy this quick afternoon read. I know I did :)
Best friend forbidden little sister trope that was meh! It was written well so no problem there. Just not much different from any others. Hot and steamy and includes a five year difference in age between Duke and "Little Dove" (the name he calls her way too often and I hate it!). He's 23 and she's 17, a virgin and a senior in high school. Some of it was a bit out of reach for me to really grab on and get with the program.
Sweet Torment was a cute novella full of heat, sweaty hot sex and a lot of happy moments. And though the author didn't make us work on how the events would go, the book was still enjoyable.
Whoa, this virgin-for-you forbidden romance will fog up your Kindle screen. There was a whole lot of sexy and sweet build up in this fast paced novella. I almost wish this was a novel, but this novella packed a lot of heat and heart. I'm still fanning myself, and I think I need a cigarette after this one.
✓ young virgin heroine ✓ alpha male ✓ possessive male ✓ babies ✓ pregnancy ✓ no cheating
Well, Georgia Cates has been a favorite author of mine ever since I read her Beauty series. Since then she has come out with several different books. Some I've loved just as much as the Beauty series, others have just been ok for me. This one is right up there with the Beauty series, almost, since it was just a novella and Beauty was a 3 book serial.
In this little novella we get a tale of forbidden love. The heroine, Claudia, is the little sister of Owen, Bram (the hero's) best friend. They all grew up together. For Bram there was always something special about Claudia. He always loved her, knew there was something about her. That love changed to something different, to a passionate love when she was older and close to turning 18. (This bothered me a bit because as I've said before, my step-daughter is 17.) However, I've read many historical books with a young heroine so I accepted it, because, hey it's fiction. :)
Bram and Claud admit their love for one another early on in the story (it is a novella). The rest of the story is them struggling to wait until she is 18 before they consummate their relationship. They have quite a few smexy scenes leading up to their first time.
Of course, the brother finds out, which leads to an intense scene but it was short and didn't take up too much time.
The ending was great with an epilogue I loved. I'm a sucker for pregnancy stories and babies!!! This one had plenty of those!!
I highly recommend this one for anyone who enjoys the things I checked off above. :)
Oh and for the first time, that I can recall, Cates wrote about some back door action, but it was quite tastefully done.
Fave:
♥ "Claudia is my heart. My everything. I will never do anything to hurt her.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
A super sweet first love romance full of love, love, love. Bram and Claudia have known each other their whole life and one day it just happens. These two are smoking hot and full of sexual chemistry. A really fun and quick read.
I just loved GC Sin Trilogy so when I seen this one and read the idea behind it sounded a bit reminiscent of the series. My only hesitation was the word Novella in the title but if you look at the print length it shows 456 pages. I have seen this happen before and it usually means spacing is different or something like that either way I went for it. So with that in mind the book goes to about 26% on my Kindle and there is actually another book that follows by Cates called Tap. My rating does not reflect my misconception more so my overall believably of the novella working for me. The length does rip some of my enjoyment that I experienced with the Sin Trilogy. It did help that Claudia and Bram have known each other so long. It saves the author time of convincing her audience of their bond. I missed watching that with this one. Claud has an overprotective brother who is also best friends with Bram.
You know this from the book blurb so that isn't a surprise but more detailing on B&C's relationship could have only helped strengthen my love for the couple. Maybe I'm just too old to get the angle on their relationship but I didn't feel as strongly drawn in with them. He was protective and possessive but two months prior to seeing Claud for so long he's out man whoring and his friends all know and expect no less from him. They all seem cut of the same cloth, refusing to grow up. Claudia changes the way Bram feels things he once believed seem different and she becomes his everything. Once that has been overcome and the couple confess how they feel it is the pair fighting their hormones and waiting until after her 18th birthday. I really think the couple needed more time to make the reader fall truly in love with the idea of them. It was all very simple with minimal conflict or any kind of competition. She is willing to do anything to please him and he is 6 years older and wants to protect her.
Bram also set such high expectations for Claud. While he bounced around with 15 or more woman in his 23 years of life he twinges because she tried kissing another man. She is in love with Bram and because she is so young he looks at her like his little sister. It's painful to see him carry on with other woman so she reacts as any woman would and wants to know if what she feels is real. His reaction to me was hypocritical considering that was all she did, no touching or anything but a kiss. Him sharing his remorse for all his prior activity would have made him look better to me. This is a modern based book you'll know that because even though our h is a virgin she doesn't carry herself as one with Bram. She talks a little dirty at times and that too took some of the sweetness, imo, I wanted to see from the lovers. I still like the dedication the two had for the other and that there were no other scenes with Bram with anyone other than Claudia. A past lover appearance to cause some conflict would have helped make the book a bit more intriguing. Even another on Claudia's side would have been nice than he could have showed that alpha/ possessive side but that was not that kind of book. She did have 7 different guys wanting to take her to prom and the guy who she planned to go with is clearly nothing more than a friend. There is an epilogue that showed 5 years later and I liked seeing that. Love seeing the mini Abraham and his inquisitive nature was not fully supportive of the new babies choice of names. All I could think of is Tonto's horse from the Lone Ranger. Still I want to try to continue forward with Tap and see how my experience goes there. Enjoy!
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book.**
A surprisingly wonderful novella!
Bram has returned home from college, ready to start working and leave the college party scene behind him. Then he comes face to face with his best friend's little sister. A girl who isn't so little anymore and invokes feelings in him that are better left alone. Yet, he can't help but see his dove in a different light. A much sexier light.
Claudia is elated when Bram finally looks at her like she's always dreamed he would. As more than his friend's sister. As a real woman, with needs and a plan to make him hers. But even if she could convince him to give their attraction a real shot, Bram won't follow through until she turns eighteen. And even then, there's the small problem of their relationship putting a wedge between Bram's friendship with Claudia's brothers.
I love forbidden love tropes. It's one of my not-so-guilty pleasures. This is the best friend's sister theme and boy is this a steamy read with a few surprises along the way. The romance was both sweet and spicy. I fanned myself several times, gasped more than once, and smiled for pretty much the entire story. It was a really fun book.
That being said, I know there will be people out there who won't like the fact that the heroine is so young. I think we tend to forget that girls were voluntarily and happily marrying at younger than seventeen/eighteen for centuries and only recently has the average age for marriage risen. In this book, there is no actual sex that happens before the girl comes of age, yet there are lesser activities that some may still frown upon.
I'm not one of those people. Why? Because I remember what it was like to be a teenager and this story couldn't have been more believable for me. In fact, I was one of those who married young, at nineteen, and had my first child at twenty. I also had my third at twenty-four and my husband is 3 years older than I am. I'm still happily married after eleven years. So this book reminded me a lot of myself at that age and my own choices were very similar.
Even though this was definitely a novella full of sensuality, there were also lots of hints of sweetness and some humor sprinkled throughout. Bram surprised me for being able to hold out for so long. I could totally understand Claudia's frustration, too. She was a young woman on a mission, though. I was rooting for the both of them.
I think this could have been a full-length novel if the author had tossed in a few flashbacks of our couple's childhood. We hear mention of how Bram was protective over Claudia as she grew up, but I would have liked to see that, too. And I would gladly read more chapters featuring this couple.
In closing... I will absolutely been reading more from this author. Five sweet suns!
Going into this novella I knew there was a bit of an age difference (6 years to be exact) between Claudia and Bram. I also found out that Claudia was a 17 year old high schooler and Bram was a 23 year old grown man. Both of these things don't really bother me. In fact that was something that drew me to this book originally. I've read books with similar scenarios and even though Claudia was a little annoying with her obsession over Bram, to the point where she is changing her appearance and spending months learning how to cook his favourite meal, that is the behaviour I would consider acceptable for a 17 year old towards the man she has had a crushed on forever.
This book for me was too insta-love and some of the sexual terminology just wasn't sexy to me.
I think I'm pretty open minded when it comes to romance books. I mean I've read and loved books with some pretty taboo subjects. But what I wasn't so enamoured with was the way Bram, to me, came across as a sexual predator. For me this had very little to do with their ages as such. Had Claudia been of a more similar age to Bram I think I would have still felt the same. Bram came across like he was being a gentleman, telling Claudia they had to wait until she turned 18, but the way the book was written, even though I'm pretty sure Claudia was meant to be fully consenting to this relationship, I just felt that as the adult in the relationship Bram had a duty towards Claudia and her future and by the end I felt his actions were in no way responsible and all about his own sexual gratification. I simply felt nothing but repulsion towards Bram. Even the first time he and Claudia had sex, I felt it was more like one pump and a squirt. It just took the sexiness right out of it for me.
This book, I felt, could have been beautiful and sexy, but the author has obviously tried to concentrate on the sex and eroticism and for me that just didn't work and sadly counteracted any good things I could be saying about this novella.
* A review copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review *
~ 5 Little Dove Stars ~
Georgia Cates always knows how to deliver an excellent story. This book was no different.
I love her storylines and she always delivers lovable characters. Her books always suck me in and I never want them to end.
Sweet Torment is a standalone novella told in Dual POV. It's a forbidden Friends to lovers story. What makes this story forbidden is the age difference between Claudia and Bram. I love that it felt natural between these two friends and that Georgia waited until Claudia was of legal age. She made Bram a responsible male which is truly refreshing for a 23 year old Hero.
So what happens when you fall for your Best Friends little sister and she isn't quite 18 yet?? Well read Sweet Torment to see how Bram and Claudia handle it. This was a sweet, sexy and entertaining Friends to lovers story. It's a quick read but it lacked for nothing. I thought the storyline was well thought out and the characters were very well developed. The flow and pace of this story was spot on. Even though this is a novella, nothing was rushed.
I would love to see Georgia write another book for Owen (Bram's BFF & Claudia's brother) and for Rivers (Owen & Bram's BFF). I think they could each have an interesting story to tell.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a forbidden Friends to lovers story. If you are a fan of Georgia's books already you don't want to miss this gem!!!
OMG I cannot believe it has taken me until now to read this book. It’s a little taboo but oh so cute, fun and hot!
Claudia is Owen’s little sister and followed her brother and his friends River and Bram around, whereas her brother and River always treated her like the annoying little sister she was. Bram always treated her with care and looked out for her. These two characters has a special bond with each other. Its years later and Claudia is all grown up much to Bram’s surprise he cannot believe how much she has changed and the feelings he has for her are definitely not brotherly.
Claudia has loved Bram for as long as she can remember and now that he has settled back in town and she’s all grown up there is no way that she is not making her move. He is everything that she has always wanted all she has to do now is convince Bram that they are meant to be together and he will not push her away.
This is a new author for me and I can promise you that it will not be the last book of hers that I read. It’s a great quick read that’s got an alpha male ready to claim his woman. I am hoping that Owen and River also get books….
I've been on a bit of a bother's best friend to lovers kick lately so I was super excited to get my hands on Sweet Torment. It's certainly sweet and although Bram and Claudia have known each other forever, it still felt a bit insta-love for me. You'll understand why when you get to that point.
For the most part, I really enjoyed Bram. He's got a dirty mouth and is possessive over Claudia. He wants to do the right thing when it comes to them and the sweetness in him melted my heart. However, there were a few slang words and/or phrases that he said that made me roll my eyes and honestly put me off a bit. I just felt that someone his age shouldn't be saying something like that and if they are, they need to stop. That's just a personal preference but it annoyed me.
Overall, I feel like a lot of people will really like this sweet novella. It's got your happy ending with a sweet romance and a virgin who saved herself for her brother's best friend. For me, I didn't fully connect to both Bram and Claudia in order for me to feel that passion but I think people will enjoy their story.
*ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review*
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review for Stephanie's Book Reports.
This is a novella that will melt your heart and your kindle.
Claudia and Bram have known each other since they were little. He is five years older than her so she has always been around. He is her brother Owen best friend along with Rivers. Claudia was always tagging alone and Bram was always more aware of her feelings than Owen or Rivers. Now out of college and back in town with his Master's degree things just might be changing for Bram and Claudia. She has been in love with him her entire life. Is now there chance or will Bram's friendship with Owen stand in their way.
I loved this novella. It is the perfect mixture of sweet and heat. I am a firm believer in soulmates. You could meet the one your meant to be with in your childhood. The trick is to wait and be sure that it is what both of you want. Do not miss this novella. I think it is one all believers in true love will adore.
This was a cute and quick romance between brother best friend and his little sister.
Bram was 6 years old when Claudia was born and always saw her as a little sister. He did however always felt a bond to her. Claudia on the other hand always loved Bram and that feeling kept growing the older she got.
Fast forward couple years he's now 23 and she's two months away from turning 18 when she made her move and told Bram exactly how she felt. He tried his hardest but didn't do anything with her until she was 18.
Her brother at first overreacted but couple minutes later was over it and her parents accepted their relationship but with conditions. I enjoyed the read especially the epilogue.
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book.
What a fun, quick, hot read for the summer! Grab this one when heading to the beach or lake! You will not be disappointed.
This book is hot but Georgia found a way to make it sweet too. I love GC's characters and Bram and Claudia are another set I fell in love with. Bram is hot and motivated while Claudia is sassy and full of life. The perfect balance for each other. Their love for each other bled off the pages.
This is a novella but don't let that scare you off. Georgia was able to pack quite a story in this short book without it being overwhelming. And now I need Owen and Rivers' stories. Owen and his mystery girl have me intrigued.