Jilted: Jaren

The Foster Brothers, Book 1

By: Nora Phoenix

Narrated by: John Solo

Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's Summary

USA Today best-selling author Nora Phoenix kicks off a new contemporary gay romance series with the story of a tattoo artist who finally has a shot at winning the heart of the one man he never thought he could have.

Years of pining.

Years of keeping his distance. 

Years of lusting after Jaren, the one man Reid couldn’t have.

Because Jaren is straight.

Worse, he’s engaged to Reid’s sister. In other words: He’s off limits. Impossible.

But a day before the wedding, she calls it off, leaving Jaren with nowhere to go.

So what’s a man to do? Well, offer Jaren a place to stay, of course. 

A shoulder to cry on. 

A bed to sleep in. 

And maybe someone to share that bed with?

Jilted is the first book in The Foster Brother series, a contemporary MM romance series about four men who chose to be brothers. It has hurt/comfort, found family, bisexual awakening, first-time gay, and a guy who finally realizes that what he wanted most was right in front of him the whole time.

©2022 Nora Phoenix (P)2022 Nora Phoenix

Wonderful Story & Listen🎧 Enthralling & Heartfelt

Nora Phoenix continues to wow me with another amazing novel and a wonderful start to a new series. I love how much heart she puts into her books and how her words give you all the feels and make the emotions pour off the pages and into your heart. Her characters are realistic, easy to relate to and connect with, they are easy to like and care about too. Each book in this series will feature a different Foster brother, I loved the camaraderie between the brothers and the backstory of how they wound up becoming brothers, brought together by life circumstances, having them bond and have each other’s backs to get thru hardships and horrible situations, forming a brotherhood and becoming each other’s family. This first book is Jaren’s story, and it is the day before he is supposed to marry Bridget, he is staying at a hotel to keep with the tradition of not seeing the bride before the wedding. But it turns out the wedding will not happen, Bridget calls it off and instead of her delivering the news to Jaren, it is her brother, Reid, who comes to deliver the news. Jaren did not even think Reid liked him, but he had it all wrong, Reid liked him in more ways than he should like a straight man. Jaren put a lot of money into this wedding and this cancellation is going to cost him more, his place to live and possibly his job. Reid hears him out and is a lot more understanding than his sister. Jaren accepts his offer to stay at his place and the two become good friends and when Reid confesses his feelings, he is happy it does not scare Jaren away. This is a beautifully written and plotted romance between two fabulous characters, a gay man who is confident in his own sexuality and a straight man who is accepting and found it easy to fall in love with him. I loved how everything played out in this book, and I am looking forward to hearing the rest of the brothers’ stories. Nora Phoenix, thank you for another amazing story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 And for the amazing narration, John Solo is an entertaining storyteller and a versatile voice artist. He has a complete understanding of the character he portrays, gives each a voice that is a perfect fit for that character’s persona, sounds believable in every role he plays and just as I picture the character to sound. I love how he takes each role and makes it his own, also love how much heart he puts into his work as he captures the character’s emotions, projects them into his performance and has you feeling every single one. Thank you for another fabulous listen.

Story or narration?

This just didn’t work. Not sure why all the male characters voices are portrayed as soft and gentle. Hard to know if the story was meh or the narration made the story meh.

Know Yourself

I love the way the Jaren learns that he hasn't really been himself and needs to discover who he is. Of course his self discovery is full of surprises. I also like how Reid is there to support Jaren from the beginning as he comes to understand what is really going on.

not my favorite

I was very underwhelmed with this book. The narration didn't help.

I didn't understand why Reid was sent to tell Jaren the news at the beginning. Jaren's self-discovery was very fast and not reflective at all...seemed a bit forced.

I did like the brothers' story and how close they are but I don't know that I'll listen to or read the rest of the series.

Falling for your ex's brother

There's nothing worse than being dumped the night before your wedding. And by the brides brother!! Jaren gave up his condo to move into the new home his soon to be wife bought so he has nowhere to go. Reid, the brides brother, feels bad and offers to let him stay at his place. What Jaren doesn't know is Reid has had a thing for him for years. I liked how their relationship developed. They formed a friendship first. They got to know each other. I wish there had been a little more drama or anger around the fact that the bride waited until the before to cancel or the fact that she sent her brother to do her dirty work. Oh, another thing I liked about the story is Jaren's family. He grew up in the foster system. His family is made up with others who were in the system. They love each other so much. John Solo was amazing as usual. Loved his narration of this book.

Perfect start 😋😍

What could be the biggest heartbreak of his life turned to be the biggest blessing 😉
It is a great start to the new series with excellent writing of Nora Phoenix only added by narration of John Solo...loved this book and looking forward to the next one 🤩👍

sweet beautiful story

New author for me. I loved the story. It was a sweet, slow burn, low angst, no drama, beautiful, adult story. I easily listened to this in one sitting for an enjoyable afternoon. The rest of the brothers seem interesting and can't wait for their stories.

The narration was excellent by pro John Solo.

Heart Warming

This series features four men who were once foster kids. They met at a group home and, without foster parents, decide to take care of each other. Each book is about one of the brothers falling in love.

It’s the night before Jaren and Bridgid’s wedding. Reid, Bridgid’s brother, is forced to deliver the news that she is calling off the wedding. Not only does Jaren lose the love of his life, he has no place to live because he sold his apartment to pay for his half of the wedding and the furniture she picked out for their shared condo she gets to keep. To make matters worse, her father owns the company she and Jaren work for; now he’s out of a job.

Jaren’s foster brothers are as supportive as possible. But after seeing him sleep on his brother’s couch, Reid talks Jaren into temporarily moving into his apartment. Jaren starts confiding in his new roommate and realizes he hasn’t been honest with himself or his fiancé.

Reid confesses his long standing feelings for Jaren and allows Jaren to decide what he wants on his own timeframe and terms.

Heart warming. Excellent narration!

Great

This was so go. I enjoyed the storyline it was interesting and enjoyable. The characters are a great match. This was a first time with a little hurt / comfort and John Did a stunning job with the this story. Amazing Listen.

not for me

This is my 2nd book by this author (1st was so-so for me) and I've realized it's just not a love match. I wondered if it was the vocal performance that I had an issue with, but based on other reviews of the ebook it's the story. The characters speak and act like teens, not like 30 something adults. There are other elements that just don't make sense. Uncle.

I am voluntarily reviewing a complimentary copy of the audiobook.

sweet and heartwarming

A great start to a new series, I loved volume one and listened to the audiobook in two days.
Jaren and his three brothers are interesting characters with a messy childhood. They met in foster care, support each other and are there for each other.
Just before his wedding, Jared thought he was happy, only to find that everything turns out quite differently. The bride's brother brings him the cancellation of the wedding and Jaren is left with nothing.
Reid ask Jaren to move in with him and the two getting to know each other was totally sweet. Reid had been in love with Jaren for a while and Jaren is comfortable in Reid's company. It's a slow burn romance with lots of emotion and honest communication. Reid, Jaren and his brothers were very likable to me. The story is told alternately from Jaren's and Reid's points of view, allowing the listener a deep insight into their emotional world.

The story is well written: it is about trust, about love and friendship, about bi-awakening, but also about a difficult past and about deep feelings. Lovely and heartwarming.

John Solo did a good job bringing the characters to life. He conveyed the emotions well and he found the appropriate voices for the different characters.

I can't wait to listen to the next volume in this series!

Sweet, sexy and so much care!

Loved this book so much - Jaren has spent so much of his life doing what he thought he was supposed to that he didn’t realize what he wanted. Reid thought he could never have what he wanted - when they finally get the space and time to figure things out together the magic truly happens! John Solo delivers another fantastic performance - there is a reason he is one of my fav narrators! Add in an amazing author and you have a 5 star combination!

Sweet romance with great narration

Nora Phoenix has given fans a really wonderful intro to this new series starting with Jaren and his ex-fiancee's brother, Reid, who just happens to have been admiring Jaren from afar for years. The day before the wedding Jaren is left with no fiancee, no home and no money so Reid steps up and offers him somewhere to stay.
It's a forced proxiity, bi-awakening romance between to sweet men. It's a friendship that grows strong quite quickly with Jaren showing more of himself to Reid than he did to his finacee and he quickly realizes that there is more to his comfort and friendship. Reid is quick to be honest with Jaren, though, telling him how he feels for the younger man but also making sure that he knows there is no pressure for anything considering all the recent changes and Jaren never being with another man.
Jaren's foster brothers are an interesting group. We don't find out much about them but they are a really close group having survived foster care together and I think they'll make for some good stories in the rest of the series.
This made for an easy listen as the character and relationship development slowly progresses through the book. John Solo's narration brings a good about of emotion and individuality to all involved in the story.

Loved

I loved this new series and I really felt for both Jaren and Reid as we get to follow them through their change in relationship and chemistry. I can’t wait for the next book.
John did a brill job in narrating.

Jaren 💙

Jaren is left at the altar. Reid is the bearer of the bad news. Jaren should be enraged but he is a very forgiving man. I like that in him, plus his heart being in the right place. I enjoyed the closeness with his foster brothers, that is thicker than blood. Reid gets what he has been longing for. It’s a sweet romance with a little heartbreak and a too forgiving accountant. I can’t wait to listen to the rest of the series. Great narration by Mr Solo.

Not so straight

I loved Jaren's story ❤️ At first I felt he took the break up a little too easy but getting to know and understand him, it all made perfect sense. The trust issues born of a tough childhood first with a hoarder mother and then being in the system for so long was nicely dealt with. Reid's patience and understanding meant that Jaren was able to open up to him and let the real Jaren come out - in more ways than one!

All the little easter eggs and cute references along the way was great!

John Sole did an amazing job as usual - though he needs to learn how to pronounce Mads Mikkelsen's name 😆

loving this new series

I enjoyed the characters and story. I love the reflection Jaren had after being left at the alter.

Wonderful Story & Listen🎧 Enthralling & Heartfelt!

Nora Phoenix continues to wow me with another amazing novel and a wonderful start to a new series. I love how much heart she puts into her books and how her words give you all the feels and make the emotions pour off the pages and into your heart. Her characters are realistic, easy to relate to and connect with, they are easy to like and care about too. Each book in this series will feature a different Foster brother, I loved the camaraderie between the brothers and the backstory of how they wound up becoming brothers, brought together by life circumstances, having them bond and have each other’s backs to get thru hardships and horrible situations, forming a brotherhood and becoming each other’s family. This first book is Jaren’s story and it is the day before he is supposed to marry Bridget, he is staying at a hotel to keep with the tradition of not seeing the bride before the wedding. But it turns out the wedding is not going to happen, Bridget calls it off and instead of her delivering the news to Jaren it is her brother, Reid, who comes to deliver the news. Jaren did not even think Reid liked him but he had it all wrong, Reid liked him in more ways than he should like a straight man. Jaren put a lot of money into this wedding and this cancellation is going to cost him more, his place to live and possibly his job. Reid hears him out and is a lot more understanding than his sister. Jaren accepts his offer to stay at his place and the two become good friends and when Reid confesses his feelings he is happy it does not scare Jaren away. This is a beautifully written and plotted romance between two fabulous characters, a gay man who is confident in his own sexuality and a straight man who is accepting and found it easy to fall in love with him. I loved how everything played out in this book and I am looking forward to hearing the rest of the brothers stories. Nora Phoenix, thank you for another amazing story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 And for the amazing narration, John Solo is an entertaining storyteller and a versatile voice artist. He has a complete understanding of the character he portrays, gives each a voice that is a perfect fit for that character’s persona, sounds believable in every role he plays and just as I picture the character to sound. I love how he takes each role and makes it his own, also love how much heart he puts into his work as he captures the character’s emotions, projects them into his performance and has you feeling every single one. Thank you for another fabulous listen.

Recommend

I love Jaren and Reid, although at times I wanted to pinch both of time.
This is a bi-awakening story, although I think Jaren had a little inkling that he wasn’t all straight.
I love all the brothers. Can’t wait to hear their stories.

One thing that resonates with me is the quote, ‘GOOD THINGS IN LIFE ALWAYS AT A RISK AND IF YOU DON’T TAKE A RISK YOU’VE NEVER LIVED.’

Jaren’s description of the loft reminds me of the tv show Tiny Homes and makes me feel like I want one as well.

I enjoyed this book so much I can’t wait for the the next book in the series.

Nora did an excellent job as always with her characters, giving us the readers some need to know information and quotes to live by.

John knocked it out of the part.

Thank you

Great start!

Always when I listen to Nora’s books I feel the respect she has towards her characters. I love that! This is a sweet story with an unexpected, uncomfortably embarrassing start. The relationship develops slowly and carefully, but in a short amount of time, towards a strong bond!

John is acting with his heart! He has already set the characters for the whole series and will keep that consistent through the series!