A review by popthebutterfly
The Lost Memories of Callum Brecker by Marilyn Bordelon

4.0

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Lost Memories of Callum Brecker

Author: Marilyn Bordelon

Book Series: The Lost Memories of Callum Brecker Book 1

Rating: 4/5

Spice: 1/5

Diversity: Japanese descent character, Demisexual MC, Gay MC, Gay characters

Recommended For...: romance, mafia romance, LGBT, MLM

Publication Date: December 18, 2022

Genre: Mafia Romance

Age Relevance: 16+ (language, violence, murder, grief, death, parental death, homophobia, romance, child abuse, child neglect, drug abuse, torture, sexual content, religion, underage alcohol consumption, alcohol consumption)

Explanation of Above: There is a lot of cursing in this book. There are scenes of violence, including gun and other weapon violence, torture, murder, and death. There is grief displayed in the book as well as parental death mentioned. There are some scenes of homophobia and the book discusses coming out a little bit. There is romance and some small mentions of sexual content. There are mentions and small scenes of child abuse and neglect. There is one scene showing drug abuse, mentions of underage alcohol consumption, and one scene of alcohol consumption. There are a couple of mentions of Christianity and one scene with a prayer shown.

Publisher: Spectrum Publishing

Pages: 310

Synopsis: Twenty-five year old Ambrose Romano happens across someone from his past, an individual who had once meant the world to him. When that person doesn’t recognize him at all, Ambrose makes it his mission, against his better judgement, to help him remember.

Twenty-four year old Callum Brecker cannot recall an entire year of his life. When he comes across an alluring man who insists that they know each other, he feels a renewed curiosity of the past. Despite being warned to stay far away from him, Callum can’t help but follow Ambrose, determined to uncover his lost memories.

Embarking on this journey proves to be exciting and dangerous. Through it, Callum learns that he inadvertently got involved with the Mafia and that he fell in love with the son of a prominent member. People close to him were hurt and he even committed a heinous crime to protect the man he was falling in love with.

Now he has to decide—is it worth it, after all, to travel into the past? Is it worth it to remember the person he was?

Review: I thought this was a fun little beginning to a great series. The book is in part a Mafia Romance and in part a thriller. The book revolves around our MC Callum and their memory loss. They’ve lost a year of their life. Our other MC is Ambrose, who is the former boyfriend of Callum except that Callum doesn’t remember them anymore. The book explores their relationship in a past/present format and the reader sees how they started their romance and where it was headed in the end. The book is Duel POV and does well to discuss coming out and finding yourself.

However, I did wish that some of the world building and character development was a bit more fleshed out. The book felt a little confusing at times with the back and forth method as well.

Verdict: It’s good! I recommend if you’re looking for a non-erotic Mafia Romance.