a moving story that takes you along and sweeps you up in all sorts of emotional places.
you need to know what you are getting into here so read the triggers or things included. it wont be for some. and thats ok.
the characters in this book were all so captivating though. i was gripped to each on. put them all together in a whole book and i couldn't put this one down for a second. and they all learnt. they all took something from what they went through. there was so much they gave to each other and took from each other too.
i could feel Taryns story with my whole heart. i felt like i could feel her heart in pain too. Quinn did such an amazing job with her. it was so raw and endearing all at once. you might want to shake her or hug her but you always wanted to follow her and root for her, and when she needs them. there are two people who will step up and step up some more. she needs them. they are there. and they might just need her too.
the tension throughout this book simply pours from the pages. in all aspects it just feel fraught with it, like electricity,
there is so much care in this book though. both in how the characters hearts feel and support and protect but also in how Quinn handles the story and the people she writes.
you feel like all these could be little birds all cradled by the other and you just feel completely like Quinn has you in the best hands. she doesn't give in to shock story lines nor to preaching or judgemental ones. she just writes a vivid and emotional turmoil of a book.
the world building was also incredible in this book. i could feel the location, i could almost build a set with how much i could picture where Quinn took me. the colour, the feelings it all slotted together to really take you right into the centre of the book and the story involved.
the emotional river this book takes you on is next level.
i was absolutely sat still for almost the whole book, lol. a cup of tea was an interruption but that is it. i needed to know where this was heading. and then where it would end. i couldn't picture how our characters would be at the end of the book and that propelled me through it all the more.
this was a first of its kind for me and im so glad i got to read it. and at least i now know who the author Quinn is. because what a stunning writer she appears to be.

Review of Little Bird by Quinn Marlowe
* * * * *
A naughty forbidden MFM romance that will have you hooked and wanting more from this author after being served with this spicy grumpy/sunshine, stepfamily romance.

Taryn's landed herself into some trouble - not her fault of course. Already stuck under the thumb of her mother's latest powerful underworld husband, she yearns to escape. With her father long gone, and little in the way of friends who can help her flee, she turns back to the memories and the family she once had.
Gabe, her handsome stepbrother and first lover.
Gunner, her stepfather who loved her like she was his own.
Their happy home in their small town surrounded by nature and snow and freedom.
Only, it's no longer the safe haven she once knew.
Feels shift from resentment to unwanted desires. A bond that was once family spins to something forbidden. As danger looms closer and their home is threatened, will Taryn leave them feeling abandoned again for their safety?

Absolutely fabulous saucy read.
GIVE. ME. THE. NAUGHTY.
Tons of drama. Tons of chemistry. Action that is just going to have you spinning in circles and wanting more form this growing series. The resentment from Gabe and Gunner towards Taryn is gobsmacking, even if the actions of two young teens years ago is what started to have the family first be torn apart. Taryn's mother is wicked, and her late loving father is something that is really carried with our FMC. Lots of memories to look into, feeling the shift of how a step-family figure turns into a lover.
Already a possible new romance developing for what may come, and I am very interested. Sign me up!

Little Bird pulled me in right from the start. Taryn’s return to Hawke’s Wood feels both comforting and unsettling, and I loved how the story captures that mix of nostalgia and change. The snowy mountain setting is so vivid you can almost feel the cold air and hear the crunch of boots in the snow — it makes the whole book feel immersive and alive.

What really stood out for me were the relationships. The dynamic between Taryn, her stepfather, and stepbrother is complicated, messy, and full of tension, but also surprisingly tender at times. It’s the kind of story where you’re constantly torn between wanting to shake the characters and wanting to hug them.

There’s plenty of drama and spice, but underneath it all is a story about belonging, survival, and finding connection in unexpected places. By the end, I felt like I’d been on an emotional journey right alongside Taryn — and that’s what makes this book so memorable.

With thanks to Quinn Marlowe, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.