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A review by kevinscorner
The Lost Memories of Callum Brecker by Marilyn Bordelon
4.0
The Lost Memories of Callum Brecker is a gay Mafia thriller with a twist. Callum Brecker cannot recall a year of his life after a traumatic incident seven years ago during his senior year in high school that resulted in one of his stepbrothers going missing and the other dead. But when he has a chance encounter with a vaguely familiar man, things start to shake loose. Ambrose Romano is the heir to a prominent member of the Mafia family. When he accidentally meets up with the boy who meant so much to him all those years ago, he accidentally on purpose trigger’s Callum’s memories.
First and foremost, I think it’s important to disclose that this is an incomplete story and ends on a cliffhanger with none of the mystery revealed yet. The summary above describes the first quarter to a third of the book, then the story jumps back to a seven years ago when Callum and Ambrose first meet and races towards the “incident” but ends right before it happens. It’s a bit frustrating when I didn’t even realize this was a first in a series so it’s best to know what you are getting into.
The first part of the book set in the present sets up the mystery of Callum’s missing memories quite well (although it does require some suspension of disbelief at the sheer unlikelihood of it). But once the book got to the flashback part, it started feeling like the mafia story I was expecting. It’s a bit dark with violence and murder, but not overly descriptive or gratuitous.
The slowburn romance between Callum and Ambrose was indeed that—slow and smoldering (but with very little spice). I really liked Callum as a character, with his childhood trauma and fear of being a burden playing a large role in how he is as a teen living with his step family. I really enjoyed the dynamic he has with his step brothers Meanwhile, Ambrose struggles with the role he is forced to play in his criminal family as well as having to hide his sexuality. When things start to heat up despite Callum’s obliviousness and Ambrose’s restraint, the book manages to keep on teasing by ending it right there.
The Lost Memories of Callum Brecker delivers a slowburn Mafia romance that is in desperate need of its sequel.
Merged review:
The Lost Memories of Callum Brecker is a gay Mafia thriller with a twist. Callum Brecker cannot recall a year of his life after a traumatic incident seven years ago during his senior year in high school that resulted in one of his stepbrothers going missing and the other dead. But when he has a chance encounter with a vaguely familiar man, things start to shake loose. Ambrose Romano is the heir to a prominent member of the Mafia family. When he accidentally meets up with the boy who meant so much to him all those years ago, he accidentally on purpose trigger’s Callum’s memories.
First and foremost, I think it’s important to disclose that this is an incomplete story and ends on a cliffhanger with none of the mystery revealed yet. The summary above describes the first quarter to a third of the book, then the story jumps back to a seven years ago when Callum and Ambrose first meet and races towards the “incident” but ends right before it happens. It’s a bit frustrating when I didn’t even realize this was a first in a series so it’s best to know what you are getting into.
The first part of the book set in the present sets up the mystery of Callum’s missing memories quite well (although it does require some suspension of disbelief at the sheer unlikelihood of it). But once the book got to the flashback part, it started feeling like the mafia story I was expecting. It’s a bit dark with violence and murder, but not overly descriptive or gratuitous.
The slowburn romance between Callum and Ambrose was indeed that—slow and smoldering (but with very little spice). I really liked Callum as a character, with his childhood trauma and fear of being a burden playing a large role in how he is as a teen living with his step family. I really enjoyed the dynamic he has with his step brothers Meanwhile, Ambrose struggles with the role he is forced to play in his criminal family as well as having to hide his sexuality. When things start to heat up despite Callum’s obliviousness and Ambrose’s restraint, the book manages to keep on teasing by ending it right there.
The Lost Memories of Callum Brecker delivers a slowburn Mafia romance that is in desperate need of its sequel.
First and foremost, I think it’s important to disclose that this is an incomplete story and ends on a cliffhanger with none of the mystery revealed yet. The summary above describes the first quarter to a third of the book, then the story jumps back to a seven years ago when Callum and Ambrose first meet and races towards the “incident” but ends right before it happens. It’s a bit frustrating when I didn’t even realize this was a first in a series so it’s best to know what you are getting into.
The first part of the book set in the present sets up the mystery of Callum’s missing memories quite well (although it does require some suspension of disbelief at the sheer unlikelihood of it). But once the book got to the flashback part, it started feeling like the mafia story I was expecting. It’s a bit dark with violence and murder, but not overly descriptive or gratuitous.
The slowburn romance between Callum and Ambrose was indeed that—slow and smoldering (but with very little spice). I really liked Callum as a character, with his childhood trauma and fear of being a burden playing a large role in how he is as a teen living with his step family. I really enjoyed the dynamic he has with his step brothers Meanwhile, Ambrose struggles with the role he is forced to play in his criminal family as well as having to hide his sexuality. When things start to heat up despite Callum’s obliviousness and Ambrose’s restraint, the book manages to keep on teasing by ending it right there.
The Lost Memories of Callum Brecker delivers a slowburn Mafia romance that is in desperate need of its sequel.
Merged review:
The Lost Memories of Callum Brecker is a gay Mafia thriller with a twist. Callum Brecker cannot recall a year of his life after a traumatic incident seven years ago during his senior year in high school that resulted in one of his stepbrothers going missing and the other dead. But when he has a chance encounter with a vaguely familiar man, things start to shake loose. Ambrose Romano is the heir to a prominent member of the Mafia family. When he accidentally meets up with the boy who meant so much to him all those years ago, he accidentally on purpose trigger’s Callum’s memories.
First and foremost, I think it’s important to disclose that this is an incomplete story and ends on a cliffhanger with none of the mystery revealed yet. The summary above describes the first quarter to a third of the book, then the story jumps back to a seven years ago when Callum and Ambrose first meet and races towards the “incident” but ends right before it happens. It’s a bit frustrating when I didn’t even realize this was a first in a series so it’s best to know what you are getting into.
The first part of the book set in the present sets up the mystery of Callum’s missing memories quite well (although it does require some suspension of disbelief at the sheer unlikelihood of it). But once the book got to the flashback part, it started feeling like the mafia story I was expecting. It’s a bit dark with violence and murder, but not overly descriptive or gratuitous.
The slowburn romance between Callum and Ambrose was indeed that—slow and smoldering (but with very little spice). I really liked Callum as a character, with his childhood trauma and fear of being a burden playing a large role in how he is as a teen living with his step family. I really enjoyed the dynamic he has with his step brothers Meanwhile, Ambrose struggles with the role he is forced to play in his criminal family as well as having to hide his sexuality. When things start to heat up despite Callum’s obliviousness and Ambrose’s restraint, the book manages to keep on teasing by ending it right there.
The Lost Memories of Callum Brecker delivers a slowburn Mafia romance that is in desperate need of its sequel.