Welcome to my stop on Colette McCormick’s Not My Brother’s Keeper blog tour!

My review…..

Not My Brother’s Keeper is an extremely compelling family saga. It’s told from the different perspectives of two brothers, Robert and Tom, who are a little over two years apart in age and quite alike in looks, but looks only.

Robert does a runner after finding out his girlfriend, Michelle, is pregnant.

Tom is there to support Michelle as she is naturally distraught and over time they become close.

Each chapter alternates between Robert and Tom and we share sixteen years of their very different lives as they move on in very different directions.

Robert is a very selfish character. Robert’s priority is Robert and he always manages to fall on his feet. He does think of home occasionally, but doesn’t miss them enough to actually call. Then for some reason, sixteen years after leaving everyone behind with only a brief note and no indication of where he has gone to, he decides to make contact. He is totally not prepared for what has happened since he left and wonders if there is any chance they could be a family again?

Tom is a lovely character and I’m not at all surprised Michelle eventually falls for him. He might look like his brother, but he couldn’t be any more different. His animosity towards Robert is totally justified and his insecurities make him even more endearing. The anger and fear he feels when Robert returns suddenly is very believable and in the end he still proves himself to be the bigger man.

Their mother is as you would imagine a mother to be. She naturally defends Robert and his disappearance devastates her. I could totally empathise with her, but I could also totally understand his father’s reaction. In his eyes Robert should be completely ashamed and he was no longer any son of his.

I was hooked from the very beginning and I found myself rather compelled by the brother’s stories. When I had to do real life stuff, rather than read, I found my mind wandering, wondering which way the story might go. I couldn’t wait to read the next chapter. This is a thoroughly enjoyable read and one I will happily recommend.

Many thanks to the author & publisher for my review copy.

My brother. Not my responsibility.

Robert and Tom are practically identical – same height, same hair, equally good looking – but Tom never had the same confidence as his older brother, and for that reason, he is in awe of him.

When Robert’s girlfriend, Michelle, tells him that she’s pregnant, Robert disappears leaving Tom to clean up his mess. As Tom spends time with Michelle, reassuring her that she is not alone in this, the both begin to fall in love.

Sixteen years later, without warning, Robert comes home and Tom has to find the courage to stand against the brother he idolized.

About the author…..

Colette was born and raised in Sheffield and remains a ‘Yorkshire lass’ at heart despite living in County Durham since the 1980’s. In 2013 Wergener’s Granulamatosis caused her kidneys to fail which meant she needed regular dialysis sessions. However, after 18 months on dialysis, and totally unexpectedly, her kidneys ‘woke up.’ She is now living life to the full and when she is not writing she is working as a charity retail manager. Colette loves cooking and has been threatening to write a cookery book for years. She also loves gardening and walking the dog but has no plans to write about either of those things. She has been married for almost forty years and has two grown up sons.
She would like to publicly thank the NHS in general and the marvellous staff of ICCU, Ward B28 and the Renal Unit at Sunderland Royal Hospital in particular. Without their skill, care and attention none of this would be possible.