Rough & Tumble by Rhenna Morgan

Live hard, f*ck harder and follow only their own rules. Those are the cornerstones the six men of the Haven Brotherhood live and bleed by, refusing to conform to society's expectations, taking what they want and always watching each other's backs.

A self-made man with his fingers in a variety of successful businesses, Jace Kennedy lives for the challenge and he always gets what he wants. From the start, he sees Vivienne Moore's hidden wild side and knows she's his perfect match, if only he can break it free. He will have her. One way or another.

Vivienne's determined to ditch the rough lifestyle she grew up in, even if that means hiding her true self behind a bland socialite veneer. Dragging her party-hound sister out of a club was not how she wanted to ring in the New Year, but Viv knows the drill. Get in, get her sister and get back to the safe, stable life she's built for herself as fast as humanly possible. But Viv's plans are derailed when she finds herself crashing into the club's clearly badass and dangerously sexy owner.

Jace is everything Vivienne swore she never wanted, but the more time she spends with him, the more she starts to see that he loves just as fiercely as he fights. He can walk society's walk and talk society's talk, but when he wants something, he finds a way to get it. He's proud of who he is and where he came from, and he'll be damned if he lets Vivienne go before showing her the safest place of all is in the arms of a dangerous man.

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Book 1
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Viv and Jace are a strange couple. This is an insta-love story and despite my not liking insta-love stories, this one wasn't too bad. I liked the "other" aspects of the book.

Jace is trying to help Viv jump start her career – she is running her own party planning business. What she doesn't know is that Jace has several businesses and connections and once he's seen her, he will do anything he can to break her tough exterior and get her to come and play with him.

Viv has had a difficult life. She has created this illusion and doesn't let people see past her facade. Then you have her sister – who I despised right from the beginning. She is this simpering, helpless, drug addicted slob. Viv is constantly picking up after her sister's messes and when Jace sees that, he fixes the problem.

This book has plenty of mystery because you don't ever really know who's after them. There is a somewhat satisfactory ending, but I do hope that the other players in this book receive their own story too.


Kris – ☆☆☆☆
First book in a new-to-me series called Haven Brotherhood. I really enjoyed this story, the Haven boys are interesting and complicated alpha males. This story is about Jace Kennedy, one of the founding and first members of the Haven Brotherhood. It doesn't seem as if the guys are an MC, although Jace does own a motorcycle. These guys in the brotherhood just have each other’s backs like a family. And family is something Vivienne doesn't know much about. Only having her flaky, drunken sister who needs Vivienne more every day to bail her out of tight spots, Viv doesn't have anyone but herself to rely on. She's stuffed her wild child way down deep and is trying to be the responsible person for her sister, Callie. Another midnight call from Callie to pick her up from a bar and Viv runs into Jace, the owner of the crazy nightclub, Crossroads. Jace is a bad boy to the n'th degree, a nightclub owner who has scars earned from a life lived hard. Not what Viv needs in her little world of responsible. But the chemistry can’t be denied. The two really do spark on the page and Jace is a perfect, dirty talking, sexy alpha man. Overpowering, overbearing, overprotective, and hot as hades, I enjoyed his character a little too much. Jace pulls Vivienne out of her protective shell and the two really light it up. I really liked the rest of the Haven crew and will definitely be wanting to hear their stories. Happy to find a new series of hot men to melt the cold winter blues away.


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆
The Haven Brotherhood, at first glance, is made up of less than desirable members of society. They are infamous rather than famous, and yet are slowly making inroads into legitimate society.

Neither Jace or Viv has had an easy life, both growing up fast and hard in different ways. Jace has taken what he learned in the school of hard knocks and has parlayed that into a business empire, with his Brothers, that if were widely known, would cement their legitimacy in Dallas society. Viv, on the other hand, has decided that the only way to succeed in this life is to tamp down any wayward or wild thoughts and live a staid life. The only crinkle in Viv's life is her drugged addled sister, Callie.

There were lots of things I loved about this book and some that I didn't. I would have loved to have learned more about Viv's backstory, how Callie wound up in Dallas with Viv, and why she decided to hide her true colors behind a wall of beige.

The insta-lust that Jace has for Viv seems natural, but the exceeding patience he has with her does not. Jace seems like a man who goes after what he wants and Viv was portrayed as being very needy and dependent with sudden bursts of vitality.

The Haven Brotherhood is off to a good start and I'm hoping that a little more backstory will be explained in book two.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is the first book of a new series, and I am really pleased to think that there will be at least five more to come! Inevitably there has to be a degree of world building in a new series, but this does it in a very fluent and natural way.

The beauty of this book is that the leads are both string-willed, intelligent, and interesting people. Jace is a man who has made his family and values that above all standard laws. He and his brothers live by their ethics, and are incredibly successful in their endeavours. Privacy is highly valued, and their loyalty is to each other before all else.

So, when Jace first sees Vivienne collecting her drunk sister from one of the Haven clubs, he cannot believe the affect that she has on him. Never one to even consider chasing a woman before, he cannot let her walk away. When he discovers her 'secret' room, he has no chance of ever forgetting her.

Vivienne has reinvented herself and achieved much more than one would have ever expected, but she is in need of more event contracts. When a very generous offer comes, with the big alpha string attached that she first saw at a club, she has to decide how much she wants her dream. Experiencing Jace taking her apart, she isn't really sure she made the right choice.

These two have so much delicious chemistry that smoulders along waiting for the fuse to light. The mix of verbal sparring, stubbornness, and the realisation of being able to trust someone are revealed as the story develops. I loved it all.

Cannot wait for the next one to come along – I do hope Ms. Morgan is busy writing it!


Mary – ☆☆☆☆☆
I have to say I fell in love with Jace and Viv, they are both strong and strong willed, but will protect family until the end. This story will pull you in and keep you there until the end and leave you wanting more. Good thing there is more to come from the other brothers of the Haven.

Vivienne Moore has tried to be more than her past and live her life in the here and now and the proper way. And yet again she has to rescue her drunken sister, Callie, from another bar or party. This time it’s at a club where she sees a man, no a god without his shirt on, he is what fantasies are made of. She just wants to get her sister, no trouble and be gone. But that would be too easy.

Jace Kennedy looks the part of the bad boy and he is. He fights for what is his, what he wants, and he protects his family. When he sees the beauty across the hall rescuing the drunk girl, she is all he thinks about. And it is more than just for a hookup. He has to learn more about her.

Viv and Jace will go through a lot to be together, her insecurities just might be the biggest problem. Can he show her his real self without scaring her off? Will she accept the Haven as part of her own? Will the Haven accept her as part of the family?

This is a first for me from Rhenna Morgan and I have to say that I have found a new favorite author with this series. And Zeke's story will be out in April, I can't wait.


Sarah – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars

This is an exciting story about two people who have chosen to leave their pasts behind while building better futures for themselves. Event planner Vivienne is determined to make her business work, but her sister’s drug problems make her life very difficult. Jace has made a better life for his chosen family, but his history with a corrupt politician has put them all in danger.

The connection between Jace and Vivienne is slow and full of angst. The attraction is instant but she doesn’t trust easily and he only trusts his Haven family. Vivienne learns to trust Jace when he comes to her rescue (and even to her sister’s rescue). In turn, Jace supports Vivienne and her career.

I liked the brotherhood element of this story and the slightly greyish morals held by the brothers. The action and suspense is exciting and I enjoyed unravelling the layers of secrecy that surround Jace’s life and the motivations for his actions. At times this is a sexy read but the focus of the story is more on the drama, romance, and action than on the sex.

My concern with this book is the sexual politics. It’s a simple romance and I probably shouldn’t look at it too carefully but I’m getting really tired of female romance writers who normalise misogyny. Initially, Jace’s attentions feel more than a little stalkerish (breaks into her home, checks her computer history, sits outside her home watching her…). Jace is good looking and wealthy, but he’s also that scary sort of alpha male – fun to read about in fiction but I’d hope any woman would call the police if he pulled any of his surveillance/kidnapping/stalking behaviour in real life. I find it easier to appreciate this type of leading man in shifter and vampire stories but the secret brotherhood with the secret compound where the women are kept out of sight (usually in the kitchen) is more than a little bit creepy – especially without any sort of supernatural explanation. Women in this story are quickly divided into the usual two groups – good girls and whores. The men can play with the whores without damaging their own reputations but the whores will never be good enough for them to date. Or marry. Or meet their mothers. Urgh. Please.

If you ignore the sexual politics, this is an exciting story with some great action scenes and a sweet romance. It is well written and the characters are well crafted. I just couldn’t quite overlook the antiquated gender roles or the underlying misogyny in this story.


Shannan – ☆☆☆☆☆
The men within the Haven Brotherhood don't always follow the rules. They do what needs to be done in order to get results. They all put their brothers and family above all else. Jace has never been a man to chase a woman, but after seeing the way Viv came to rescue her drunken sister, he can't get her off his mind.

Viv has never let anyone see who she really was. She's kept that part hidden until she meets Jace. He wants to see all her scars, but she doesn't know if she's ready to open up.

The chemistry is combustible between Jace and Viv. They are sexy and sweet and just a touch of dirty.

Ms. Morgan is a new-to-me author and I absolutely can't wait for more from her. I fell in love with the world she created. I'm dying to see where she takes these characters within this series.


Lee’Anne – ☆☆☆☆
This is an enjoyable read!

Vivienne spends her days working her butt off to get her event planning business off the ground and her night dragging her sister out of one bar after the other. Enter Jace Kennedy and his Haven brothers. Jace is an alpha male billionaire who will do anything to protect his family. Jace has an enemy in Paul Reener, a local politician who uses the bulk of his airtime to trash talk Jace and his many businesses. When Jace realizes that he wants Viv in his life, he hires her to help him clean up his public image… and the two are undeniably perfect for one another.

This book is filled with angst and sexual frustration, it makes for a very fast-paced read. I love all the “Haven Brothers” and I look forward to seeing where Rhenna Morgan takes this series next! I was marginally disappointed at the beginning to discover this isn’t really an MC romance, but it’s an awesome read nonetheless!

Rhenna Morgan is a happily-ever-after addict—hot men, smart women and scorching chemistry required. A triple-A personality with a thing for lists and an almost frightening iPhone cover collection, Rhenna’s a mom to two beautiful little girls and married to an extremely patient husband who’s mastered the art of hiding the exasperated eye roll.

When she’s not neck deep in writing, she’s probably driving with the windows down and the music up loud, plotting her next hero and heroine’s adventure. (Though trolling online for man-candy inspiration on Pinterest comes in a close second.)

She’d love to share her antics and bizarre since of humor with you and get to know you a little better in the process. You can sign up for her newsletter and gain access to exclusive snippets, upcoming releases, fun giveaways and social media outlets on her website.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Rough & Tumble (Haven Brotherhood #1) by Rhenna Morgan to read and review.