I’m doubling up today because there are just so many wonderful releases that have happened in the past couple of weeks. So our second feature today is Jane Henry’s latest addition to her Bratva world, Beyond Measure. Like the last book, this one takes place in the US. In fact, we met Tomas in the last book. He is the pakhan of the Boston Bratva, and is a good friend of Nicolai’s. This is his and Caroline’s story.
So, Tomas is busy doing all kinds of Bratva-y things, which was causing him stress. One of those things is dealing with a prick in San Diego named Aren, who owes him money but doesn’t want to pay. When Nicolai tells Tomas that what he really needs is a wife, and it just so happens that Aren has a beautiful little sister, the guys come up with a plan. That plan gets Tomas on the phone so that he can set up with Aren to marry his sister, Caroline. Aren is just all too glad to make that happen. So, off to Atlanta goes Tomas.
Meanwhile, in San Diego, Caroline is just trying her damnedest to stay away from her brother and his best friend. There is never anything good for her when the two of them show up. This time, when they show up, Aren tells her that she’s leaving immediately to go get married. She’s dragged onto an airplane, without being able to pack or to say goodbye to anyone, and shipped off to Atlanta, where she will meet her groom and get married. That day. Yeah. She gets taken to Nicolai and Marissa’s apartment, and she is married by Stefan, all before she even learns her groom’s name.
Tomas is a good man, as pakhan go, but I think that he is kinda confused sometimes. I understand him wanting and needing respect due to his position. I mean, he is a big deal, and he does deserve that respect within his group. And I’m not even going to argue about Caroline giving him that respect, because she should. But I think he’s kinda confused in his head about how he should feel and how he should act, which leaves Caroline all kinds of confused and unsettled. Remember, her entire world has just changed in so many ways, and she’s already very unsettled and unsure.
Caroline has gone through so much. She’s so much braver than I would be. I don’t know that I would be able to stand up for myself like she does. She’s stubborn AF too, and frankly, I tend to respect anyone with that kind of stubborn. Unless, of course, it’s my son when I need him to do something, but that’s a whole other story. That stubborn has served her well over the years, so I don’t blame her for sticking to it. I also think that she has a more realistic view of what the Bratva is than some of the other wives do, just because of the way that she’s had to see it.
I really like Ilya, and I hope that we see more of him over the next books. I think that he really matured over the time of this book.
Ugh, I knew I didn’t like Andros.
OK, that’s all for this one. Go check it out! Happy reading!
In Between the Pages 