Brooke, the conclusion to Ronie Kendig’s Metcalfes series is here, and it’s a doozy! Here’s what you need to know:
Prioritizing career over family cost Brooke Metcalfe Mulroney everything—her relationship with her siblings, her marriage, her children. Written off by her family, she delves deeper into her work. Until a life-altering moment offers a chance at something she didn’t know she wanted—redemption. But her self-centered ways nip at her heels as she goes on the lam to do what she knows is right.
Former Special Forces operator and founder of MiLE, Cord Taggart wages war on human trafficking by taking the violence to the wicked, determined to never again let an innocent die because he did nothing. But maybe he’s bitten off more than he can chew this time as he works to track down New York City high-powered attorney Brooke Metcalfe, who is MIA. Then there’s her brothers who have threatened to chase him into the afterlife should he fail.
Tricky are the hours as Cord negotiates many battles: freeing the captives, demolishing the Trench that has made millions off the skin-trade industry, and his growing, deep-rooted feelings for the bombshell in her highfalutin tower. Brooke must put her life—and heart—in the hands of the thick-skulled operator.
Wow. Just, wow. Brooke is a heartstopping finale to the Metcalfes drama, and it’s absolutely perfect.
It’s obvious that Kendig wrote Brooke with great concern for the victims of trafficking and with great respect for those in the military and organizations dedications to their rescue. The line between showing the brutality these people endure and what we as readers need to have in our minds is razor sharp, and Kendig walks this line with care. Kendig has written a story that will entertain us while engaging our hearts with this issue and will implore our souls to help.
On that entertainment side, Kendig has woven this entire series seamlessly into the military universe that she has created. With exciting, hunky men from previous series’ brought forward into this one, any Kendig fan will immediately fall in love – and appreciate the glimpse into their lives now. The love story is written with signature Kendig steaminess, and the best part for me is always how she shows how exciting kindness and respect can be. It did seem as if certain characters were able to throw off the trauma they endured very quickly, but that does help the plot move along. Even so, it is all done with respect and done well.
This book isn’t all about entertainment, though, and Kendig provides both information about the reality of human trafficking in the story, as well as about organizations who work to fight it at the end of the book. This is important, because if you read Brooke – and especially if you’ve read the whole Metcalfe series – you won’t be able to move on to your next book. You’re going to need to know more. You’re going to want to know how you can support the people like Cord and Brooke. You’ll want to know where the real MiLE organizations are, and Kendig shares her connections here.
One thing to note is that the style of this book differs from the rest of the series. It’s not written chronologically; instead, the story starts in the middle of the action and then italicized flashbacks fill you in on what has happened up to that point. This is done extremely well; it’s not only hard-hitting, but it draws out the suspense perfectly.
I’ve long been a fan of Kendig’s books, so I’d recommend that you start at the beginning and work your way through. I’d also say that Brooke is one of her best, though; so if you’re new to her books, grab the whole Metcalfe series and settle in. You’re in for an amazing ride.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. All opinions are my own.
