Brothersong: A Green Creek Novel (Green Creek, 4)

What am I going to do now? This series rocked my damn world. I am staying forever in Green Creek. I belong with this pack. The attachment is so real. The pages were so family found driven and I think that’s the thing I love most about this series.

Gavin? 💜. He just installed himself on my supernova list. But if you dared to ask who’s my favorite of them all, you would never receive an answer back. You don’t choose here. I’ll miss this family so damn much but we came full circle. What a beautiful journey. I’ll never recover.

May our songs be always heard!

packpackpack.

Carter • Gavin…♾️.

….

“It was a forest so alive, so untouched.”

.

“Always Carter. Heart. His heart. It went—Thump, thump, thump. Thump, thump, thump. Tricky heart. Makes me forget everything else.”

.

“I like you.”

….

It's always bittersweet, reading the final installment of a series. Reaching that end, knowing the story can only continue in your mind. Brothersong is the end for Green Creek, at least in written form, and what an end it is.

I don't know, if asked, if I could rank the four books in this series by which I liked most. There're aspects of all that I loved so much. The first felt powerful to me, because it was the beginning. We met Ox and Joe and Carter and Kelly and Elizabeth and so many others. Brothersong felt the same. It felt profound, because it was the end, and we had to say goodbye to these wonderful characters who've burrowed into our own secret hearts.

There was a lot of good in this book. It felt more light-hearted, even though there were still monsters to face and obstacles to overcome. But, whereas the middle two books were heavy, this one did not have that feel to me. And I was glad for it, because I think we needed the reprieve here at the end.

Carter, how I love him. One of my favorite characters. I like his humor and his goofiness, even though he's dumb. Like, dude, really? You're going to run off alone and repeat the same mistakes? But he fights for Gavin. And, oh Gavin. I love him, too. I'll always think of him as wolf first. I loved him as wolf, and I loved him as human, when we finally got to hear some of those grumpy thoughts in his head. Secretly sassy, that one.

Their dynamic was riveting. From the beginning, when Gavin first appeared, before we knew his name, I loved them together. Their give and take. My only complaint, and yes, I suppose I do have one for once, is that I felt they were rushed. In a way, I understand it, because in the plot, everything is rushing toward the end. We know things with Livingstone must come to a head. But, it felt like there was an unnecessary pressure there for Carter and Gavin, and I didn't like that. That being said, once they do succumb to that call that's years in the making, it's beautiful.

We know shit's going to hit the fan. And it does. And it's great and terrible. So many things come back to Ox, as they always have. There was a long moment (okay, thirty whole minutes) where there were just tears leaking down my face. I kept rubbing them away, but there were always more. TJ Klune, you have a way with emotion. I've said it time and time again, but it's a gift. You make me feel -so much-. And it's like a sucker punch in the heart, but then you fill us back up.

Apparently, I have a lot to say about this one. Just a couple more things. Elizabeth, I love her. She's fierce and loving and lovely, and in a way, she's the thread that binds everyone together. Thank you for writing such a kick-ass female character. Ox. You stupid amazing man-wolf. I can't hate you. Green Creek, you're really something. It takes a village. And Joe, I liked what happened to/for you. It felt right, even under the crap-tastic circumstances.

And lastly, what was on page seventy-six? C'mon man, the curiosity is killing me.

So long, lovely creatures. I'm going to miss you for now, even though I know you'll stay up here (taps head), and even though I know I'll visit again in the future. TJ Klune, you are a treasure. Thank you for this treasure. Brothersong, sing us home.

My emotions are on a rollercoaster! This final chapter was more than I could have imagined. I love this cast of characters so much that the story feels real. Gavin, Gavin, Gavin! The man that my heart wept for and I grew to love and adore. What a twist of fate that he is Gordo’s half brother and how their father created such a web of selfishness, anger, hate, jealousy and destruction that backfired into becoming a beast. I wish TJ Klune would write the story of Thomas and Livingstone! That would give so much additional clarity to their actions. This story had my heart racing and my palms sweating because I knew there was a battle coming and this pack had been through so much loss that I was afraid of what more would be lost. I never expected the ending that came. I never knew what Ox, Joe and the witches had planned and because this was Carter’s story, Joe nor Ox had a POV. I screamed in my head at Carter for his blindness where his feelings for Gavin were concerned. I think TJ made him too clueless in that regard. No one goes through what Carter did to find Gavin, if not for the love of a mate. Gavin was the wounded soul that everyone ached for. He’d lost so much and was left on his own after the death of his caretaker. He eventually asked an Alpha to give him the bite, but was left to be an Omega on his own because of the hurt and anger in him that was seen by the Alpha that bit him. It angered me that Livingstone was so angry about the loss of his side chick, that he never cared enough to take care of their son after her death. He didn’t care enough about Gordo to take care of him after the death of his mother either and she was his wife, but he latched onto Robbie and used him for evil intent. What a mind blower! I wish there was more about how his mind worked and came up with his final scheme! Final thoughts: the book is amazing, worth every moment it takes to read it and it probably takes a second read through to absorb all that is learned. It’s a must read!

I've waited a couple of days since finishing this book to write this review because it makes it seem more final and that it really is over and because I needed to find the right words to describe how much I loved this book.

I knew going in that this book was going to rip my heart out and hopefully stitch it back together again, and I thought I was prepared, but I wasn't. Not even close. This book had me all in my feels and I'm now in a massive book hangover because I can't get it out of my head.

This author somehow makes you feel like you are part of this pack (packpackpack) and makes the reader laugh and cry every other page. I became so invested in these characters that when they hurt, I hurt; when they are crying happy tears, I'm crying happy tears. The writing is so unique in its style that it really helps put you in Green Creek with the Bennett pack.

And then there is Carter and Gavin: OMG. That's all I can say. These two are precious and I loved them so much! My heart broke for both of them at different times for different reasons and I will protect these two at all costs. It was also nice to see Gavin acclimate and discover himself and become part of this pack.

This book was a wonderful bookend to a series that has become one of my favorites of all time and I will be pushing this series to everyone I know. It is so much more than a paranormal romance, it is a beautiful story of love, family, and acceptance and I cannot recommend this whole series enough!

I've added this Werewolf series(4 book collection) to my limited "Best Ever" collection. Green Creek is definitely a place I'd love to visit. Gordo and his pack of mechanics; Rico, Chris, Tanner, and Ox, would try to find that hidden rattle in my truck, Ox would say, hi, hello, come eat this Sunday...it's tradition and I'd help Lizzie, who sings and sways, and peels potatoes, prepare the food and smile as I watch out the kitchen window at Kelly/Robbie, Ox/Joe, Carter/Gavin, Jessie/Dominique and all the townies prepare the tables while oldies play on an old radio. You don't have to be gay to enjoy a book so well written that you can see and hear and smell (if you're wolfish) the many gay people in these stories. These books don't focus on sex they focus on the beauty of deep abiding friendship, love of family, related or not, deep evil that cares about greed, torture, hatred, and power and the acceptance of all people. Bravo TJ Klune, keep up the great works.

This is the final book in the Green Creek series. The beautiful, exciting story of Carter and Gavin was the perfect ending to the Bennett family saga. TJ Klune is a master storyteller. His books are always so well written that the characters seem to exist outside the pages of their story and as readers, rather then simply reading two dimensional words on a page, we are invited spectators at an outside window, hands cupped around our faces, just watching real people live their lives. This book is no exception, the characters have dimension, they experience growth, and they have full realistic personalities. Gavin and Carter’s love story started in the previous books as an unconventional one - a wolf shifter stuck as a wolf and a shifter who easily shifts between man and wolf. The book begins where Heartsong left off - Gavin has left with Robert Livingstone in order to save Carter and Carter, being a martyr, starts after Gavin alone leaving his pack, including his brother/tether Kelly, behind. The overriding theme of all the Green Creek books is family, is packpackpack. So of course the pack will be part of the story, the journey of Carter and Gavin, and the evil that is Robert Livingstone. Despite being a darkish fantasy, there is also light here, goodness, hope, love, and redemption. Like the other books in this series, along their journey, Gavin and Carter also deal with their individual issues without magically making them vanish. The storyline is rich with emotion including tender moments, hilarity, mundane life snippets, violence, and tense scenes. It gives you all the feels - horror, anger, love, sadness, resignation, and annoyance. This book wraps up all the storylines and while I will miss the pack, I am not worried about unresolved issues. All is well in Green Creek and with the pack.

This was the perfect ending for the Bennett Pack. As with all the previous books this one was such a rollercoaster of emotions, one minute you are in the verge of tears and the next you're laughing till your stomach hurts. I did love Carter and Gavin's love story, while it wasn't just the main focus of the story I did feel how much these two characters care for each other (even when one tries not to show it cough Gavin cough) and that they (mostly Carter) would wade through dark waters just to make sure the other knows they're not alone but that someone has their back. I did also love how Carter didn't care that Gavin was a man instead of a woman, he just went with the flow even if he had many moments of questioning how the be with a man and how it seemed that every time he had a conversation with someone it circled back to him not knowing what to do exactly in the bedroom. My favorite parts of this book happen to be when he asked Joe and Kelly for advice and the lovely book they gave him to help. I also loved that this was written in Carter's POV instead of following the other books and being written in Gavin's (not that I would have objected to that because it would have been different and just as interesting) because we got to see first hand the relationship between Carter, Kelly and Joe instead of just having an outside persons account. I loved their bond with each other and seeing it through Carter's POV was also the best decision because he's the older brother who has been the protector since each of his younger brothers were born. If we saw their relationship between them through one other boys I kinda don't think it would have been as impactful and not because they didn't love the others as much as Carter does but because Carter always thought the responsibility of being the protector as his job. Beyond the bond between the brothers I loved the bond between the pack and even the people of Green Creek, I loved how they created a family between each other and that they stood together throughout all the hardships that came their way throughout these many books. Overall this was such a great conclusion to the Green Creek series, while I'm sad it's over I'm also glad that these characters finally got the peace they've been fighting for since the very beginning.

I FEEL SO OVERWHELMED. Emotionally drained? This is just what happens when I binge-read this entire series in a week. Do I recommend binge-reading this series? Maybe take a break in-between books and don't be like me. Because that is a LOT all at once.

This review won't reveal any major spoilers, but just in case, I'll put spoiler tags in my review! If you don't want to know ANYTHING about the book before reading it, why are you here? Please come back and read this review later. <3

Trigger warnings for graphic violence, death, murder, mentions of emotional abuse, mentions of physical abuse, and mentions of torture.

This series means a lot to me. And to see everything coming full circle is like a kick to the feels. Wolfsong was the first TJ Klune book I ever read. I first read it early 2017 because I heard so many good things about it and I was knew to romance books. Gave it a try, and I guess you could say the rest is history? From reading a boy who was told he was going to get **** all his life and watching him be another boy's candy canes and pinecones, epic and awesome...to seeing the man he is today in Brothersong. I JUST HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS.

Oh. You thought this book is about Carter and the timber wolf? Don't worry, because it is! And even though this book wraps up the entire series, it does give Carter and the timber wolf their moment.

Is it safe now to talk about the timber wolf's name? Because I do want to talk about THAT. GAVIN. Son of Robert Livingstone. Brother to Gordo Livingstone. That was quite of a thing to find out. I love Gavin with all my heart and I cannot WAIT for people to read this book and draw all the fanart for him. I NEED IT.

I will say overall, Ravensong was one of my favorites (maybe my #1 of the series) because of Gordo. Gordo is my favorite character. He's has a grumpy exterior but he's a real softie at heart. He basically became Ox's older brother and father-figure at the age of 24??? Who DOES that? Gordo, that's who. So, it's really no surprise that Gavin quickly became one of my absolute favorite characters while reading this book.

I think my one quibble with this book is that there's a lot of...talking. Carter talks a lot. You know, Gordo and Gavin? Not big talkers. A lot of other characters talk for what feels like too much and it sometimes did feel like the story was dragging. Just a bit. I did re-read all these books by audio, even the shorts (thank you, Kirt Graves, we don't deserve you!) so going into this as an e-book was a shock to the system I guess? What are big chunks of words where people are just talking? Save Elijah, I don't remember all these long discussions/monologues from characters and that's what some parts of this book felt like, before we REALLY got back into the action. So that's really the only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5. I might up it after listening to the audiobook for this book, but as of the time of this review, it is what it is.

I did cry my eyes out reading this book. At first I was like, this is FINE, I can DO THIS. But when have I ever made it to the end of a Green Creek book without ugly crying? The answer is never and that wasn't going to change now. It really doesn't help that every mention of Thomas Bennett makes me cry. What I didn't fully realize going into this book is that Carter is the oldest and what all that means. Out of all his brothers, he had more times, years, with his father. Not much, but enough? As the oldest, he's not the alpha. Joe is. Carter's relationship with Thomas Bennett? UGH MY HEART.

I am really, really, REALLY happy the one person I thought had the greatest chance of being killed off survived this book. Like, SO HAPPY. I was so worried, and I've been worried for months now. I wouldn't have been surprised if it happened, but I would have been absolutely devastated. Maybe I should send an email thanking TJ for not going down that path.

That doesn't take away that this book is action-packed like all the ones before it. There is one moment where I was thisclose to giving this 1 star if it ended badly but everything works out okay in the end. Gotta love authors that make you question if they're still a Romance series or not.

Carter and Gavin. I love them. Just two bros. Acting like bros. Their dynamic is wonderful and heartbreaking but also hilarious. These two guys... <3 And just an aside, if you all are wondering if there are sex scenes? I don't know if this is going to be a spoiler, but it's not fade to black and I 100% thought TJ was done writing sex scenes? SO IMAGINE MY SURPRISE. And I know this is going to seem like a random question, but if you're a gay guy with a particular book from the 70s, what is on page 76??? I guess if you know, you know.

So we know that at the end of Heartsong Gavin was leaving notes for Carter and I have questions about that. Where did he get envelopes, paper, and pen??? Was he...naked...when he left these notes for Carter? I'm just asking the important questions here.

I don't know if you all know, but I'm one of those chaotic people who flips to the end of the book first so I KNEW what was coming at the very end. I KNEW. But still. When I flipped over to that section, (you'll know it when you get to it) it was still a punch to the feels and it was just a lot. I am emotionally drained from reading this book, but in a good way. We all need a nice cry every now and then.

Should we talk about Robert Livingstone? He's a bad man. Even from years past, what he put his wife through, what he did to Gordo, he's not good by any means and I think what he did to Gordo at such a young age counted as abuse. At first I felt bad for him and what he lost. But after thinking some more about it, I think Robert Livingstone just wanted it all. He wanted to have his wife and Gordo. But he also wanted his tether and Gavin on the side. It was selfishness and greed that made him think he could have it all and not suffer the consequences. Abel and Thomas Bennett aren't perfect by any means, but Robert Livingstone is a real doozy. Even after all these years, he still thinks he can have Gavin, and that he can even have Robbie. He never deserved his children and the kind-hearted, wonderful people they turned out to be. Thank you for your sperm donation, but these two men grew into lovely people without him and I'm glad they found their way back to the Bennett pack.

This book is about brothers and Carter's relationship with Kelly and Joe, Gavin and Gordo. There's so much I can say about this series and the characters. I can just go on forever about them. Know that TJ did right by the characters and their stories and this book is a beautiful and welcome wrap-up to these characters. Am I greedy and also want just ONE! novella or short where there is ZERO angst where everyone is happy from beginning to end. Yes. I want that. But for this series, the Bennett pack, Brothersong is the ending this series deserved.

Is there a hint of what more could come after Brothersong with another character in a possible spin-off series? Yes! But you'll have to read this book to find out! I admit, I was half-convinced while re-reading the previous books that we were going to wind up with a vampire spin-off but eh. After reading this book, maybe not. What can I say? I love my shifter books but I also have a soft spot for vampire romances.

I love this series really more than I can say. This has been a journey filled with wonder and heart, and introduced me to an author who has quickly become one of my absolute favorites. So I will end with this. Thank you, TJ Klune for writing this series and introducing me to all your books and your characters. Thank you for introducing me and helping me discover myself with your asexual characters who feel so real and who know they can be loved. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Thank you to the author for giving me an eARC for review.