My Brother's Keeper, Books 2 & 3 by Adrienne Wilder

This is book two of three. All books are full-length novels and must be read in order. All books are available now.

The My Brother's Keeper Trilogy

The town of Gilford has a Big and Terrible secret hidden in the ground.
Infecting those it touches.
Exploiting their darkness.
Consuming their souls.
It’s hungry. It’s vile. It’s evil.
And it wants out.

Book Two: Rule Four and Five

A new chance at life comes in many forms: For Jon it’s a family made with Ellis and his brother Rudy. For Ellis, it’s Jon, who has brought the outside world into the protective life he’s built for his mentally disabled brother.

Together they have discovered true happiness and what it means to be loved.

Then one perfect disaster after the other pushes Jon’s resolve to its limit and Ellis over the edge. If they have any chance of saving what they’ve built both men must face their deepest fears.

It’s a test Jon thought he’d already passed and one Ellis never imagined he’d have to face. The journey will forever change who they are and redefine who they were meant to be.

It has to happen.
And all things happen for a reason.

You are killing me here Ms. Wilder. I thought I had a handle on this book and what I could expect from book one. I kind of knew that the VERY BIG thing that happened was going to happen, but I thought you would wait until book 3 before you punched me in the gut. But oh no! You just had to go there in Rule Four and Five. Despite you ripping my heart out and making me run for the box of tissues, I loved reading this book.

Rule Four and Five is a continuation of the story that began in The First Three Rules. The book begins with Jon moving into Ellis and Rudy’s home. It was great to see how the three adjusted so easily and quickly to one another’s presence – a family formed. The relationship continues to develop between Ellis and Jon and it’s absolutely beautiful. It’s also hot as all get out when they manage to get some alone time. What Ellis lacks in experience, he makes up for in enthusiasm and all signs point to him being an excellent student of all things Jon.

But alas, their happiness cannot be allowed to continue uninterrupted and Lenny shoves his evil, hateful, bigoted presence back into their lives and proceeds to wreak havoc upon their lives. As if that alone were not enough, he makes multiple strikes against the trio and keeps getting away with it. Be prepared to be frustrated beyond all belief. Even knowing that I was reading a work of fiction did not keep me from getting infuriated and harboring murderous thoughts for a fictional character. Excellent job Ms. Wilder. I look forward to starting The Final Rule momentarily.

Ellis and Jon need answers.
What is there to understand?
Why does it have to happen?
And what reason could ever justify losing those you love?

If only there was a simple answer. But the more questions they ask, the farther they must travel into the darkness and the things they see are not human, or even possible.
They are, in fact, Big and Terrible.

The plague is rising in Gilford. To stop it from spreading Ellis will have to embrace his destiny and Jon will have to let him go. Both men must be willing to lose everything in order to save the innocent.

It is, after all, rule number six.

The Final Rule is the conclusion of Ellis, Jon, and Rudy’s story. While I cried when the INCIDENT occurred in Rule Four and Five, it was nothing compared to the emotional rollercoaster I was on in this book. I spent the last 30% of The Final Rule a blubbery mess. My eyes are killing me and my nasal passages hurt. I’ve used more tissues in the last 2 hours than I have in the previous month. Despite the fact that I am going to be an exhausted mess in the morning, this book was so worth the read. Correction – this series was worth the book hangover I will be suffering from tomorrow.

In the light of all that happened in book two, the relationship between Ellis and Jon continues to intensify and deepen. Again, there are major hurdles they must overcome and I would be lying if I didn’t admit that there was a moment or two when I questioned whether or not their relationship was going to survive. But in the grand scheme of things, the relationship between two men is miniscule when compared to the war between good and evil.

Ms. Wilder has written a series that is so intense that it sucked me in to the point that at times, I completely forgot about the supernatural elements within. Those elements were much more present, or at least more visible, in this installment in the My Brother’s Keeper series. As much as I would enjoy reading more about all of the characters that were introduced in The Final Rule, it is indeed a stunning conclusion to the trilogy. Ms. Wilder has done an excellent job in crafting a series that kept me fully engrossed in the books. I look forward to reading more of her work.

   

Georgia bred and born, Adrienne Wilder spent most of her childhood exploring fantastical worlds hidden in her own back yard among tall grass, and shadowed kudzu tunnels. When she was not dragon hunting, she spent most of her time, reading, writing, drawing, and digging holes.

Currently Adrienne lives in Dahlonega, GA where she shares her home with a variety of dogs and one cat. She still spends most of her time, reading, writing, drawing, and digging holes. Although now she calls the reading "research," the drawing "artwork", the writing "books," and the holes "ponds" and "gardens".

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