The Step Dare by Riley Hart and Devon McCormack (Peach State Stepbros #3)

It's time for Taylor and Brenner to stop teasing and start dating... until their parents announce they're getting married to each other?

From The Step Dare blurb:

TAYLOR

 

I'm the quiet one.

At a party, I'll be sipping from my Solo cup, hanging by my much chattier best friend Brenner.

Easygoing, all smiles, and hot as hell, Brenner always has his pick of guy or girl by the end of the night.

I do fine, but I don't trust easily, so he's one of the few people who really knows me.

We do everything together—studying, playing video games, and occasionally, ridiculous dares.

Like this latest dare.

I've always considered myself straight, but recently, I've been curious.

And what better way to explore this uncharted territory than with my bi bestie, who, given his long list of satisfied hookups, I know will do the job right.

I expected it to be good.

I wasn't prepared for how it would leave me hungry for so much more, needing Bren to show me what I've been missing out on.

What is it they say? It's always the quiet ones...

 

BRENNER

 

What's that saying...never met a stranger?

That's me. I'll talk to anyone, anytime.

It's how Taylor and I became friends, and I'm thankful for that every day.

He's my chill, zero-effs-given, video-game-loving bestie.

Whom I'm now hooking up with.

It's just fun, but then our parents drop the bomb on us that they've been secretly dating.

Oh, and they're in love and getting married in just a few months' time.

As hot as the idea of him being my stepbro is, we agree we should stop our little...extracurriculars...because what if it comes between our parents?

But keeping our hands to ourselves proves easier said than done.

I've become addicted to Taylor, and he to me.

What our parents don't know won't hurt them, right? And it's not like this means anything.

Only...the more we mess around, the more I realize it does.

What started out as just a good time has become so much more, but with everything that's at stake, do we stop now, or do we dare take a chance on what's happening between us?

 

Content Warning: The Step Dare is a steamy, low-angst romance, but it contains content that some readers may find triggering, including discussions about grieving the loss of a parent and the loss of an infant.

 

*The Step Dare can be read and enjoyed as a standalone.

Jacqueleen the Reading Queen's review:

"𝗧𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲❟ 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗼'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚｡ 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗲'𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱❟ 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁｡"

This was so freaking cute. Almost zero angst to speak of. Just a best friends-to-lovers with a wonderful family thrown in. Yes, you heard that right. Taylor and Brenner may have been raised by a single parent with different back stories, but both cared deeply about their sons. Brenner and his Dad were so adorable. I loved how his Dad would just shake his head when Brenner would spout something wild per usual. You could also tell how close Taylor and his mum were, especially as they both had lived through the trauma of dealing with Taylor's biological father together in the past.

The whole relationship between Taylor and Brenner started due to Taylor's curiosity about being with a guy. And of course, Brenner being Brenner is going to volunteer to introduce his bestie to the joys of man-on-man lovin. I don't think they started off thinking it was going to lead to them falling head over heels, but from the start it was easy to see there was the potential.

"𝗛𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗜'𝗺 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸❟ 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝘁｡"

The only thing standing in this couple's way was the fact that their parents have recently fallen in love and their worries that it would cause an issue. Both Brenner and Taylor love their parent and don't want anything to stand in the way of their happiness. It was bittersweet because though it was lovely to see such caring family members, it also made things tougher for their relationship. Don't worry, Taylor and Brenner can't stay away from being with one another for long. They started off with such a strong bond I don't think anything would have been able to come between them in the end. These two were solid and so was their sweet HEA.

P.S. CANT WAIT FOR THE FRAT BROS spin off!!

Heather's review:

Besties to lovers is a one click trope for me, and the only angst is navigating their new relationship as step-bros after they finally figure out they're into each other.  I've absolutely adored this series and I have to say that this final book is probably the cutest one.  Sweet, steamy and not even a family drama to deal with, it was a great way to wrap up the series...

While it can be read standalone, the previous couples from the series enjoy their cameos and it does set up the spinoff series.

The Step Dare is currently available as an audiobook, e-book, hardcover and paperback, and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription