Review: Rent Free by Lani Lynn Vale (Carter Brothers #5)

September 02, 2024

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Give Me Books Promotions.

Rent Free is the fifth book in Lani Lynn Vale's Carter Brothers series from Lani Lynn Vale, and here we have Atlas Carter, twin of Auden (Clap Back). Just like his brothers and parents, Atlas works for the Dallas Police Department and a member of the SWAT Team. His protective instincts are a given, so when a woman runs towards him stating that she's just escaped the evil clutches of a serial killer, helping the supposed victim was natural for Atlas. Soon enough, Sage Solomon becomes a fixture in his life, and she gives him no reason to doubt her when she starts telling him tales about her older sister, Pepper, and how terrible a human she was and is. When he crosses paths with Pepper whenever he visits Pie Hard, he doesn't even bothering his disdain for and mistrust of her. But it seems Atlas is absolutely clueless when it comes to the enigmatic woman behind the bakery's counter. He also has zero idea that she, along with her parents and brothers, know what kind of person Sage is. When Atlas finally learns the truth, will it be too late for him to make amends to the woman who has slowly but surely worked her way into his heart?

I admit it--I was a tad frustrated with Atlas. The guy was protective, but for someone who works in law enforcement, you'd think he wouldn't have taken Sage's accusations against Pepper at face value. The youngest of Solomon siblings was a true blue sociopath. Pepper had the patience of a saint, both when it came to her manipulative sister and to Atlas being a smidgen slow on the uptake. But when Atlas FINALLY saw the error of his ways, I had to tip my hat off because he stopped hesitating to show Pepper how much she had come to mean to him. Of course, Atlas's family were clearly on Team Pepper because they weren't naively blind to Sage's machinations. I just love the bond the Carters have, and those that become part of that family through marriage are never left out. Funnily enough, it was while reading this book that it dawned on me that the female main characters in the Lani Lynn Vale novels that I have read don't just go through the wringer--they're put through the gauntlet and then some by whoever the villains are in their respective stories. But happy endings are always guaranteed, and just like the books before it, Rent Free is one heck of an engrossing read that I thoroughly enjoyed and it receives four stars.

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Read my reviews for the Carter Brothers series: