Taking all three short stories together this is probably only a 3 star book but I'm going to rate it 4 stars because I loved the character of Dagger so very much. He was awesome. His story was the most delightful retelling of Cinderella I've ever read.I wasn't a fan of the third story in the book. I felt the author was pushing it trying to make a previously unlikeable character sympathetic. But that didn't detract from the fun of the first two stories. I admit that having all the characters named after weapons/tools was sort of iffy for me (for the same reason I hated the Princess in Final Fantasy IX being named called Dagger) since it started sounding silly in my head, but this anthology did have a series of rather enjoyable m/m romances, so.Anyway, this contains 3 stories, each one is about a particular brother in the Rapier family.Dagger, the stepbrother, is a Blacksmith's apprentice who is in love with one of the smithy's regular patrons, Tan. This first tale plays out the Cinderella trope and was quite cute.Epee, older stepbrother, is a scholar turned duelist in an effort to win the love of Lord Sharp, a man he's been pining over for 9 years, and who once declared that he can only love someone who can best him in 1000 duels.Sabre is the eldest brother, and is somewhat the villain in the first 2 stories so I was a bit surprised he got his own chapter. Anyway, his actions in the first 2 stories are rationalized since he's the POV character in his story so you kind of end up sympathizing with him a bit. I did like Lash, though. His irreverent, good-natured audacity was a perfect foil for all of Sabre's scowling and glaring.This was an enjoyable anthology. For those who want more of the brothers, there are some free extra stories on the author's website which I also read and enjoyed. Sadly, none of Dagger and Tan, but if you like Epee/Sharp and Sabre/Lash, the extras are nice little additions.
What do You think about The Rapier Brothers (2010)?
I thought the last one ended kind of abruptly, but I really liked all three stories.
—sophapops
My personal favorite would be the eldest brother love story. ❤️
—vicky
I really wish Sabre had gotten a longer story. Ah well...
—Crystal
