Published Works
Tattoo Girl
“In direct prose, both unflinching and lyrical, Stevens explores many of the themes that made his first book so compelling: the ideas of human cruelty, salvation, and insanity's grip on the collective unconscious are set against a circus backdrop-and the result is a twisted coming-of-age story filled with the surreal horror of David Lynch." -Booklist, March 15, 2001
“...another violent, atmospheric, and suspenseful tale from Stevens. This time, though, Stevens has eschewed the surrealism that figured so prominently before to create a more cohesive, tightly drawn story... [An] intelligent, poignant, and vividly imagined page-turner.” -Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 2001
“Tattoo Girl is as much about being sad as it is about being terrified, and there Stevens has worked a charm that will keep you in your seat and reading, even when you’d rather not, even when you wish for something to break the spell.” -Washington Post Book World, March 18, 2001
The Circus of the Earth and the Air
"In his ambitious first novel, Brooke Stevens creates a tale as illogical yet weirdly irresistible as a dream. It's a questing allegory worthy of any medieval knight. But it's also an unsparing examination of the kind of helplessness and emotional breakdown that can follow an overwhelming loss...Stevens has created a work of page-turning intensity and strangeness that's nearly impossible to put down."
--Lisa Jensen, The S.F. Chronicle
"A sweeping allegory of lost love and the quest for self-discovery and inner fulfillment, this debut novel by Brooke Stevens is nothing short of astounding. Arcane, enigmatic, disturbing yet wondrous, the tale plucks the fine line between reality and illusion like a string on a banjo."
--Roy Richard, The Boston Herald
Kissing Your Ex
"A mesmerizing tale of the many ways to get it wrong on the way to getting it right, Kissing Your Ex makes you remember the perfection of your first love and regret everything you've ever done to tarnish that memory." --Rachel Cline, Author of What to Keep
“...Stevens deepens what could have been a formulaic story with sharp insights into marital intimacy and independence, while a heart-pounding conclusion raises questions about how love happens and the incomplete versions of the truth." --Booklist
"Kissing Your Ex is a phenomenal novel . . . Stevens has written a close to the bone story that I think anyone who has ever had a great love will relate to . . . Go and buy Kissing Your Ex, an extraordinary novel of love. It has my highest of recommendations." --Romance Reviews Today (A Perfect Ten)