This is a well written flawless story with a hot and arrogant alpha, and a feisty female, with great secondary characters, which all leads to an entertaining, sexy, and crazy read. I was intrigued and hooked throughout and look forward to reading more about these Brody brothers!

Great read! It sucks you right into the drama. Ryland is an alpha male who knows what he wants and he wants Celia. She just doesn't know it yet. Celia feels like the town leper and can't get out of town fast enough.
The writing is great and it's told in bot Celia and Ryland's POV. It can be read as a standalone.
I'm looking forward to the next Brody story.

Branded is the first novel I've read by Stacy Gail, it's also the first novel in her Brody Brothers series, but I'm afraid to say, I won't be coming back for seconds. For a number of reasons, which I'll enumerate, I could only give this novel 1 star.

The two primary characters in this novel are Celia Villareal and Ry (Ryland) Brody. As the novel opens, Celia, who is pursuing a career in advertising, marketing and public relations, is on the phone with a friend telling her that her current freelance job will pay her enough money to finally leave her hometown of Bitterthorn, Texas and move to a large city, like Dallas. Apparently, for the past six months, not a bachelor in town will even look at her, let alone speak to her, and Celia is convinced that the cold shoulders treatment she's been receiving is the result of her drunken behavior at her 21st birthday party, in which she grabbed the butt of Ry Brody, made a ridiculous comment, and he didn't appreciate it. He called her a naughty child and publicly spanked and humiliated her, and she believes that he's the reason all the single men in town are actively ignoring and avoiding her.

Then, out of the blue, Ry contacts Celia and offers her a job promoting his new line of high-end, organic beef. The fee he offers her for this job is just too good to turn down, and since Celia knows that living in the city is going to be costly, she reluctantly agrees to take the job. Although she usually deals with her clients on-line, Ry insists that she come out to his expansive Green Rock Ranch and give him 24 hours, to get a feel for what he's trying to do, and convince her to accept his job offer. So far, so good--his reasoning seemed plausible. However, he insists on discussing this offer over dinner, and his efforts to get her to agree to take the job were nothing short of vulgar--comments about her fine ass and great legs certainly wouldn't have convinced this reader that he was after anything more than her body. His further explanation that her six months of shunning was all planned to get her past her "Brody worship" was equally offensive.

The next thing you know, Ry, who's totally ignored Celia for the past six months, since the birthday party incident, won't leave her alone, and he goes from being sweet and charming to being over-the-top, mega-alpha, aggressive and controlling, and he won't leave her alone. Meanwhile, Celia who has been crazy about him for years, doesn't know what to make of his sudden about-face and while flattered by his attention, she is waiting for the other shoe to drop--and there lies the problem, the other shoe never does drop.

Suddenly, Ry, who barely knows Celia and has barely even spoken to her except during their dinner out, considers her his property, and can't get enough of her. I'm sorry, but this reader just wasn't buying it, or him and his overbearing, over-possessive, controlling and stalker-like behavior. Quite frankly, I found him rather creepy, and, at first, so did Celia, until he proved himself to be, "a rock star in the sack." Give me a break!

While I could understand Celia's physical attraction to the handsome rancher, how was he suddenly and irrevocably in lust/love with her? These two characters barely know each other, and, after the 24 hours Ry had Celia agree to spend on his ranch, they spent far more time having sex and thinking about having sex, than conversing and learning about one another. The other quirk I found irritating was the fact that Ry ends every statement and/or question with, "yeah?" Who does that?

The only thing about this novel that I found to be at all realistic and somewhat believable was the small-town rumor mill, although even that was over-the-top as well. Ry's behavior was simply too immature (and he's 8 years Celia's senior) to be believed, and I lost count of the number of times his statements resulted in me rolling my eyes and gritting my teeth. Ry's often mentioned belief that he and his brothers have all been victims of "Brody-worship" was one more reason to roll my eyes, and I will admit to strongly wanting to not finish reading this novel, finding the plot (of lack thereof) ridiculous and childish. However, since I voluntary agreed to read an advanced reader copy of this novel, I persevered to the HEA ending, but, in my opinion, I felt that was over-the-top too, and this is one novel I simply cannot recommend.

One drunken night changed her world so much she was desperate to leave her little town. Secretly in love with Ry she still feels regret for that one night. When a business proposition comes up she is hesitant to spend so much time with the man who fuels every desire she has ever had. What does he have planned? I laughed throughout this book and definitely want to learn more about those infamous brothers.

Branded is a sexy and complex romance. It is the 1st book in the Brody Brothers series. It is also a spin off from Ms. Gail’s Bitterthorn, Texas series. Celia grew up in a super small town, always having had a crush on Brody Brothers. On her 21st birthday, Celia gets drunk and grabs the butt of one of the eldest brothers; Ry. Ry then turns around and embarrasses the heck out of Celia. After the incident no males in their town will so much as look at Celia, making her believe she’s a complete pariah. Ry finds out Celia is planning to move out of their small town to get away from the dirty looks being thrown her way he decides to hire and do what he has always wanted to do----claim her as his. Ry and Celia have this push/pull relationship, and Ry is very much an alpha male. I loved the heat and steam, the angst and drama, the sweet and the sassy. This is one book that will captive you from start to finish. I will say at times Ry can be a bit overbearing and there are times that he needed to be smacked for how he treated Celia but the ending was beautiful.

My Rating: 4.5 stars *****
“I received an advanced copy of this book from the author at no cost to me."

I really admire an author that can take a character I really dislike and rehabilitate him/her through the story. Stacy Gail did just that with her hero in Branded. I took an instant dislike to him and almost set the book aside. The heroine is stellar, an engaging and connectable character. Ms. Gail peeled back the layers on the hero slowly, and I was rooting for him by the end of the book. Branded is the first in a series, and I am looking forward to the coming stories. There was plenty of passion, a fast paced story and engaging characters (especially strong secondary) in Branded, and that bodes well for the series.

Ryland Brody, rancher billionaire and total alpha will stop at nothing to get what he wants. And, what he wants is Celia Villarreal. He’s bossy and domineering and tends to give orders rather than ask Celia what she wants. Oh, and he’s about as sexy as can be.

Celia is smart, sassy and independent. At one time, she would have been right on board with Ry’s plan, but after she made a fool of herself by grabbing his butt when drunk, she was ostracized by the town. Now, she’s also had just about enough of small town life to take a job in the big city.

When Ryland offers Celia a job creating a marketing campaign for his ranch’s newest endeavor, she can’t refuse even though she wants to. The money is her ticket out of town. But with Ryland’s attention and declarations that she is his, she’s reconsidering her move to the big city!

The closer they get, the more Celia considers staying, however, when Celia discovers why she was being ignored by most of the town, she’ll need to decide if she can forgive and forget or if she’s ready to leave it all behind, including Ry for good.

Branded was definitely a sassy and steamy romance. Celia is a true sweetheart who is really struggling trying to understand why people she used to be friends with started ignoring her. She knows she made a fool of herself, but she didn’t think it would be enough to turn her hometown against her. She a loyal friend and goes out of her way to take care of those she loves. She doesn’t deserve what’s happening to her.

Ryland is super dominant, and, in my opinion, he’s a bit stuck up acting like he’s completely irresistible to womenkind. His bossiness and refusal to take no for an answer from Celia made him a bit of a difficult character for me to warm up to, even if it was because he had good intentions, although he eventually won me over.

I can’t deny that this couple has sparks flying, and their interactions are always entertaining. If you love a sassy woman and her dominant man, you’ll love Branded. 4 stars!

Who doesn’t love a good, sexy cowboy? Ryland Brody is exactly that and more. He’s always gotten what he wants, when he wants, and doesn’t really take into thought what anyone else thinks. When Celia Villarreal has a few too many drinks and makes a fool herself Ryland takes it into her own hands and teaches her a lesson. Too bad the attraction between them is still there.

Did I like Ryland? Nope, not really. He was cocky, obnoxious, and selfish. Although, he was good to Ceclia, when he wanted to be. I don’t think he realized how he was acting, how his actions made a difference to those around him. I hated how to had to rid her of the Brody worshipping before he could be real with him. What the heck… rid her? Brody worshipping? Isn’t that something that true love should control, that he should trust her to be able to handle? He never really redeemed himself to me and I was left with a semi-sour taste in my mouth about him.

Celia could have been a strong character. She did call Brody out many times on his actions but she let it go way too many times. She had the mentality that this was just how a Brody was raised and that he couldn’t help it. I wanted her to freak out on him, put him in his place, not forgive and forget so quickly. He knocks on the door, breaks the door down, and she swoons at his feet. UGH!

I really wanted to love these characters, I wanted to be invested in their lives and be happy when they found the HEA but it just didn’t happen for me.

4 Star review Branded (The Brody Brothers #1) by Stacy Gail

Stacy Gail is a new author to me and this book is about Ryland Brody and Celia Villarreal.

Ry was an arrogant jerk, but he grew on me slowly. Celia got on my nerves a bit with her constant harping on her behaviour towards Ry at her birthday party; we kept hearing about it and it got a little frustrating at times.

I can only imagine the loneliness that Celia was feeling as she slowly realised that people in her home town were avoiding her and treating her as though she had the plague.

Celia has always had a bit of a crush on The Brody Brothers and when Ry offers her a job that could ensure her dream of moving to the city, although hesitant at first, she decides to take the job.

There was certainly a great deal of emotion and angst in Branded, throw in the sizzling chemistry between Ry and Celia and you are in for a ride.

The story was well written and the characters were strong. The supporting characters were just as interesting and I look forward to reading more from Ms.Gail

I want a Brody!! What a fabulous start to a new series with amazing writing and beautifully crafted characters. This story about a generational ranching family with lots of family drama, tragedy, success and growth is witty, funny, sexy and truly wonderful. Ryland as the oldest brother of the ultra rich, ultra sexy, the boys all the girls want is so Alpha and bossy and protective and swoon-worthy it's ridiculous. What a great hero! He's met his match in Celia. I love her! She is spunky, smart and not easily swayed by Ry's good looks and wealth. She thinks she is out of his league and after an embarrassing encounter Celia wants nothing to do with Ry but he's having none of that. She tries but he is not one to be ignored or dissuaded from what he wants. He's relentless! When she finally succumbs to his charms they are explosive and steamy. This is a true romance with all the drama and intensity that goes with a new love. I can't wait for the next Brody brother.

I finished the book hoping that the MCs changed. They didn't. I don't know if the author was going for an alpha man going after his girl or what. He came off as a scary controlling dick. Seriously, he doesn't want anyone, even his own family, to look or talk to her. And she thinks this is okay. Whatever, I didn't enjoy this book. Maybe if he had changed just a little bit to not being such an ass.

I loved this book!! When the book ended I wanted more. Celia grew up in a small town where everyone knows your business. Everyone knew she lusted after all of the Brody brothers at one time or another. She made a little drunken mistake and all of a sudden she was treated like a pariah. Ryland was just the right amount of alpha for me. He is bossy with a capital B. Once Celia grabbed his butt he knew he had to make her his. Once he heard she is leaving town he makes her an offer she can’t refuse, even though she knows she needs to. Will they let bygones be bygones and move past the “incident”?

I had to DNF this book, and I'm really sad to say this, because I subsequently read three of the books from Stacy Gail's House of Payne series and they were TERRIFIC!! Truly fantastic, and one of them easily made it onto my 2018 Favorite Reads of the Year shelf ( Steele ).

Here though, I just could not get into it and Celia annoyed me. It didn't make sense to me why Ry was SO into her—there wasn't any reasonable explanation for some amazing connection or anything like that. I also found the whole "incident" pretty ridiculous; I tried to put myself in the mindset of if I were in a small town where word traveled fast and everyone knew each other ... but yeah, it still didn't really fit. Gail needed a big incident to cause the tension between the characters in the beginning, but the one she decided on seemed really silly to me.

Although this is her most recent book, it felt more immature and childish than the House of Payne books I've read; normally an author develops forward, but with this book she seems to have gone backwards. The characters weren't compelling or three-dimensional and there was just way too much of a New Adult feel to it. Again, so disappointing after the fabulousness that was the House of Payne (or technically—before the fabulousness, since I read this one first).

I've loved her other books so much that I will definitely give the other books in the Brody Brothers series a chance, but I'm very wary. If the entire series has this tone and feel to it, then none of them are going to be winners with me.

This review is of an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Some changes and/or edits may be made to the final published version.

One moment can change everything…

Celia grew up in Bitterthorn, loved her hometown, but now she counted the minutes until she couldn’t wait to leave! One drink too many, one moment of misguided courage and she was invisible to every man in town. After a lot of tears and a lot soul-searching she was saving her pennies and leaving the minute she was able. Yes, she had been hung up on the Brody brothers, Ryland especially, but she knew when to cut her losses. No more! Brody on the other hand, in spite of or because of his man-whore ways, was clueless until… He realized the best thing for him was going to slip through his fingers if he didn’t step up…

“Ry was fast becoming her addiction…”

While much was made of THE INCIDENT, the catalyst that started them on their romantic path, it was the chemistry between these two characters that really worked for me. Celia’s sadness, Brody’s wariness, every pang of sorrow, every jolt of desire was easy to feel as the author easily let me in to share their deepest feelings and emotions. I struggled at times with Celia’s single-mindedness and Brody’s less than endearing attitude but that didn’t mean I couldn’t be schooled on why things were the way they were. I ached for Celia who felt each slight so deeply. And Brody’s family history? I may have shed a tear or two seeing, hearing, how he and his brothers survived their embattled childhood.

When these two got on the same page their chemistry was electric, the sparks high and hot!

“You’re not tagging along. You’re half of this. Half of me. And I’m half of you.”

Brody redeemed himself – thank goodness! – and the epilogue made my heart very happy. So much happiness and love in these pages. Happy, happy sigh… ~Diane, 4 stars

*3.5 stars*

This author is one I've heard good things about and I know there are quite a few of her books on my TBR list. So when I read the blurb four this book I decided to give it a go. I had also heard early chatter that this was a good possessive hero book - which is right up my alley!

The author painted a realistic picture of the goings on in a small town. The plot was unique
and the characters were all interesting. Although I did enjoy the book the were several times I shook my head mentally at both Celia and Ryland. Her because she couldn't figure it what was going on after she started seeing Rye and him for crossing the fine line between Alpha and possessive and just being a controlling a*hole. It left me feeling annoyed at times. By the end though I was satisfied with the way things turned out.

I am intrigued by the other Brody brothers who we didn't really get to know too much outside their back story and would probably give the next book a try to satisfy my curiosity...

Reviewed on behalf of 3 Degrees of Fiction Book Blog.

In this book, we read about Celia and Ry story. Celia is thinking about moving from hometown because she doesn't see the future or a possibility of having a boyfriend since she made a fool of herself on her birthday. And all the sudden the one who humiliated her in front of the town is very interested in her job and her as a person. A quick hot read between great characters. easy lovely story enjoyable to read.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly.

Branded is a cute not quite instant love romance written by a new to me author. The book centers around Ryland Brody, Bitterthorns golden cowboy and Celia a fun loving , sassy woman whose had a secret crush on The Brody Brothers. While I enjoyed reading the book it needed more of a storyline

Celia makes a “mistake” 6 months ago that sets her world in a tailspin. Feeling unwanted and unloved she’s desperate to get away from Bitterthorn but Brody makes an offer she can’t refuse.

Ryland needed a push and with what Celia pulled a few months ago he’s going after what he wants. He’s a sweet, sexy cowboy that won’t take no for an answer. The relationship grew from friends to lovers. As I mentioned before it was good but it didn’t have much of a storyline .

This won’t be the last time we see this couple as Ryland has a few brothers that are also going to be looking for a HEA. I’m hoping that there will be a little more substance in the next books.

3.5 stars

“Branded and boldly bossed”

I received an Advance Reader Copy for BRANDED (Brody Brothers) written by Stacy Gail and voluntarily reviewed this book. One drunken move made on one of Bitterthorn, Texas’ highly prized and single Brody brothers, Ry, instantly made Celia a hot topic of this small town’s gossip, one she can not longer live down and actually cannot wait to leave town once and for all - as soon as she can afford to.

So when said object of her focus comes to her with a proposal she simply cannot refuse because it will be the coup-de-grace of her graphics campaigns portfolio, she has to just work out a way to avoid this insufferably bossy and rough-edged man and do her work to promote the new line for his family’s Black Angus cattle ranch.

Not having had a lot of relationship guidance growing up, Ry and his brothers have had to take matters into their own hands to get through their childhood. None came out unscathed, all banding together tighter for their experiences. Contrary to what Celia thought, Ry was not the only one affected by the Drunken Birthday Episode at The Spot that night - there was something about her that made him sit up and take notice. And once again, he finds himself having to take matters into his own hands regarding this sassy, fiery girl he decides he now wants in his life. So when Ry finally opens the tap for his feelings for Celia, she soon realizes she is the lucky sole source of his special brand of Brody loving! Great HEA to their story.

Looking forward to reading the stories of the other Brody brothers as well!

After reading the synopsis, I was excited to read this book, and all was going well with the story and I getting along nicely, until Ry makes his first appearance. I'm going to be truthful here and say that I don't like him. At. All. It's one thing to be cocky, if you can also be humble at times, but it's a whole other ball game when you're just flat-out arrogant that's the vibe I got from Ry. He comes across as pretty heavy-handed (and not just what happened all those months ago at Celia's party), but with her in general, and I just didn't like it. There's nothing more sexy than an alpha male, but Ry passed that exit on the highway and ended up on the corner of Controlling Avenue and Domineering Street.

But! Once it was revealed why Ry did what he did, I understand his behavior. Doesn't mean I agree with it because I don't, but after he explained the reasons and rationale, it made sense. Even after that explanation, he's still a bossy man, but seeing him in a different light kinda changed my feelings for Ry into something a bit more tolerable. I actually liked the other characters in the story, and its seems this story is based in the same town as Ms. Gail's previous series, so I don't know the back stories on some of the secondary characters. I felt bad for Celia and the way she was being ostracized by the residents of Bitterthorn, although I thought the reaction to the events of the party was definitely over the top, but once that last little bit of knowledge has been shared with Celia (by an unlikely source), it all fell into place. Should Ry have said something before Celia found out? Of course! But then Celia wouldn't have had that heartfelt talk with Pauline and realized her true feelings for Ry. And I gotta say, the epilogue was hilarious! I'm looking forward to reading more about the Brody Brothers in future books.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Lee’Anne – ☆☆☆☆☆
5 stars isn't even enough – I loved this book! Ry and Celia's story had me sucked in from the very first chapter and now that I've finished, I'm left wanting more!

Celia grew up in a super-small town, always having had a crush on the Brody brothers. At her 21st birthday celebration, Cel gets drunk and grabs the butt of one of the eldest brothers, Ry. Ry embarrasses Cel and after the incident, no males in their town will so much as look at Celia, having her believe she’s a complete pariah. When Ry finds out Celia is planning to move out of their small town to get away from the dirty looks being thrown her way, he decides to hire her... and claim her as his.

I'm not sure bossy is a strong enough word to describe Ryland. He pretty much dictates his and Celia’s life from their very first encounter. Though I really did love this book, there were a few parts that I was so frustrated with. It seems like every time Ry was trying to explain something he'd keep telling Celia "you're not hearing me" and it made me want to jump into the book and punch him. Plus, he's overwhelmingly bossy at times, it's hot most of the time but others it was just... a bit much. Other than that though, the author does such a great job not only keeping this book steamy, but it has a terrific and interesting storyline as well. It left me definitely wanting more of the Brody brothers.


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
Not your typical romance. Both Celia and Brody have trust issues and they have to learn to trust each other in order for any relationship between them to work.

Ry is high handed and tends to order instead of ask. Celia is wanting to get out of their little town because she's tired of being the town pariah. Celia doesn't take orders very well so they each must learn to compromise.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆
This is the first in a new series, and it sets the scene for the future books, but maybe not quite quickly enough for me to really appreciate this one. I do now understand why Ry is such an idiot with Celia, but I was close to giving up a few times in anger. I still have my reservations, but at least more understanding. So, if you feel the same, just give him a chance, and then another, and possibly a third!

I like strident, take charge men in stories, and the cowboy category regularly fits the bill, but the line is clearly one which can be crossed into arrogance and offence, and this fell over the line at times. Even when Ryland was given Celia's viewpoint, he gave a reason which excused him, rather than really vowed to change to support her.

Although I had a mainly negative reaction to his character, I am really glad I read this book, because it did make me conscious of just where my push points are. Interestingly, Celia managed to maintain a strong personality even when he was being an idiot, and for one so young she did stand up for herself. I would have been in Dallas in a flash!