Two Halves, One Brian

Initially published 01/29/26 after reading the Kindle Unlimited ebook. Updated 03/09/26 after receiving the remastered ALC from NetGalley.

This is book 3 of the series. For our summary and review of the previous books, click the links below!

• Psycho Shifters, book 1
• Psycho Fae, book 2

Book Stats

• Book 3 of the Cruel Shifterverse series
• Audiobook ALC from NetGalley 🖤
• Format: ebook (Kindle Unlimited) & audiobook (NetGalley)
• Chapters: 46
• Pages: 464
• Length: 14 hrs 11 min
• POV: 1^st person, mostly from Sadie’s POV. Occasionally from one of the other main characters.

Book Rating

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/ 5

Summary & Review

Jasmine Mas took us back into the chaotic world of Sadie and her men, Jax, Ascher, Cobra, and Xerxes. This time, the group is in the beast realm, where we just learned at the end of book 2 that Cobra is the son of the alpha mafia don of this realm.

Right away, the group is brought before the don, where Cobra is informed that in the next 3 months, he will be required to bond and form an alpha pack. He must also pass the Mafia initiation trials, as he is the heir and must prove he is strong enough to lead.

Well Sadie, Jax, Ascher, and Xerxes all refuse to let Cobra go through the trials alone, so they join in the fun (if we can call it that). Aran stays behind with Jax and Sadie’s sisters.

For the first initiation test, the alphas and Xerxes are hung from chains and tortured to see if they’ll reveal any information about the don or Cobra. They’re told if they answer the questions, they’ll be freed.

After the first test, the group is taken to Xerxes’s mansion, as he’s filthy rich, where they can recover and wait for the next tests to begin. The don occasionally comes by and during one visit, he gifted Jinx a ferret, who is a bit of a rascal. Also during his visits, he explains that there are 3 trials in total – the first was the hardest to pass, the second is the most painful, and the third is the most revealing. But he doesn’t give any other hints as to what the trials will consist of.

We learn that all half-breed females, while rare, are rumored to be appearing in different realms and are on the city’s most wanted list. If found, they’re to be brought to the don. We also learn that the new fae queen is “missing” and it’s assumed that she was kidnapped by a woman with a severely scarred body. Thankfully, Aran had previously gifted Sadie a ring to glamour away her scars.

The don informs the group that they will start meeting with other alpha packs so they can decide which ones they want to join. Cobra shuts that down immediately, stating he will bond with the alphas and omega present. The don agrees and they initiate the bond. However, he stops when it’s Sadie’s turn, claiming she can’t join. Cobra needs to be able to produce an heir, which only female omegas can help with, and they won’t like the competition of another woman in the pack. This, as expected, causes problems within the group.

The second initiation test is a fight club. Each initiate must survive 100 matches and maintain consciousness in order to pass. Each round also gets more difficult, with stronger and more skilled competitors.

For the third trial, each initiate must capture someone on the city’s most wanted list and present them at the Equinox Ball in 2 days. The criminals must be brought in alive. Since the group isn’t familiar with the city and its most wanted list, the don recommends the Ortega brothers. There are 5 of them, one for each initiate.

In order to catch them, the group decides they’ll need to infiltrate the Ortega brothers’ black ribbon club, a BDSM club. Little did the group know their visit was expected and back at the mansion, Aran and Walter, Xerxes’s butler, were gunned down.

During the Equinox Ball, the don sends out 5 omega females to the group so they can decide which one they’d like to bond with. Also during the ball, there were some betrayals that led to Sadie losing a finger, Dick’s reason for abusing her in the past, and who “the numb” actually is.

There’s a lot that happens in the last couple chapters of this book, which I won’t spoil, but it’s definitely a chaotic and fun read.

I only gave this one 4 stars because while I enjoyed it, I didn’t love it like I did the first 2. It was still a great read with some wonderfully hilarious quotes.

I gave 3 chili peppers because while there weren’t a ton of scenes where the characters were actually intimate, there were a few and they were rather descriptive. One was a BDSM scene at the club and all group members were involved. So based on how descriptive the scenes were, I went ahead and bumped this up to 3 peppers instead of 2.

Update (03/09/26): The audiobook added so much to this story. It was remastered, but the main plot remains the same and it was just as enjoyable (if not more so) via audio. This book has a great cast of narrators: Mollie Stark, Teddy Hamilton, Jeremy York, Jaime Lincoln Smith, Tyler Donne, and Stella Ripley. Together, they all brought this story to life and it was phenomenal.

Reading this book was a wonderful adventure but if you tend to enjoy audiobooks more definitely get this one!

Favorite Quotes

• It’s rude to point out when someone’s having a mental breakdown. We all have them.
• Wow, a woman can’t even have a dramatic moment in the rain without a man ruining it for her. Classic.
• Yes, I was turned on by a thumb. This was a new low.
• A perverted ferret was the final straw.
• I wish I were hearing voices. My life is so boring.
• What could I say? The small-dick men smelled my potent female stench and got all hot and bothered. “Hot” as in overheated by rage; “bothered” as in embarrassingly worried about how to detach my head from my body.
• Preoccupied with mentally eviscerating the men, I didn’t watch where I was going and walked into a wall.
• He had a knife fixation, rage issues, trauma, and an inability to express his emotions. But didn’t we all?
• The romance books I’d loved to read growing up had made men sound way less dramatic than they really were. Highly upsetting and unfortunate for women everywhere.
• I narrowed my eyes as I weighed the merits of wallowing in a pity party and holding his words against him for the rest of his life, or forgiving him. It was a close one. The former definitely won out.
• Everyone is so sensitive these days. I only choked him a little. You just can’t do anything anymore. It’s ridiculous.
• Exactly. Like okay, I’m not perfect. Sometimes I smother people in my sleep. It happens.