BURN
by JC Emery
Release Day: July 23
Tragedy cuts deep. Revenge burns deeper.
The blood of their enemies coats the leather of
their cuts and a trail of bodies lie in their wake, but the Forsaken Motorcycle
Club isn't done yet. Carlo Mancuso still needs to pay for his sins. Nobody
knows that more than Ian Buckley, the Treasurer for Forsaken.
Ian prefers his pleasure mixed with pain and he's
only ever at peace when he's doling out justice. Convinced that he's too
unstable and sadistic to take an old lady, he keeps his trysts, like all of his
relationships, brief and anonymous. But with his club at war, and the stakes
being so personal, Ian's feeling the events around him more deeply than he
expects.
Mindy Mercer is the sweet daughter of Fort
Bragg’s most respectable cop. At least that’s how the town sees her. Very few
people know the Mindy who hides her tracks and battles her cravings by lying to
everyone around her. She thinks she has control of her addiction until she
suffers an attack that leaves her searching for a way out of her own personal
hell.
Mindy has never been more desperately in need of
a savior and Ian has never seen a more beautifully destroyed creature in his
life. Their attraction is intense, but their damage is extreme. Some scars
never heal, and some people never get better.
Love is never more painful than when it can kill
you.
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!
What I say: If you follow the blog or my reviews you'll probably be aware of my love for biker books. From the moment I started the Bayonet Scars series, I've been looking forward to reading more about Mr. Mysterious and Sinister aka Ian.
If you're familiar with the series then you'll be aware it covers some pretty dark and adult topics (and a lot of sexy times). It should be noted that BURN isn't for younger readers.
The book follows Mindy and Ian across a larger period of time than we often get with contemporary romances and it picks up roughly around the time of the events seen in book 3 REV. Yes there is some overlap but it's not a rehash of old ground. This needed to happen to allow readers to experience Mindy's ordeal. I'm also going to reiterate that BURN does deal with some extremely troubling events, including the aftermath of violence and rape -therefore it may be a potential trigger for some.
Mindy is broken. She's survived something so horrific and dark that she doesn't know how to put herself back together. This is where Ian comes in; he's one of the very few people she trusts. Some of Ian's past has been hinted at in previous books, but in BURN we get to really understand the reasons for his darkness and sinister appeal.
I have to admit I wasn't the biggest fan of Mindy's (in REV) and was pretty judgemental. This was mainly because of her past and the way she had treated Holly. But after what happened to her I wasn't sure how she'd ever be able to move on.
Yes, BURN is dark and there are many heartbreaking moments for both Mindy and Ian. There are also lighter moments and times where I saw a very different side to both of them.
This series really has developed and improved with every new book. I liked the earlier books but the grittier and raw pain demonstrated in BURN really drew me into their story. Now I'm impatiently waiting for the big war with Mancuso - I wonder what the fallout will be?!
4 Stars in my Sky!
Author Spotlight:
As
a child, JC was fascinated by things that went bump in the night. As they say,
some things never change. Now, as an adult, she divides her time between the
sexy law men, mythical creatures, and kick-ass heroines that live inside her
head and pursuing her bachelor's degree in English. JC is a San Francisco Bay
Area native, but has also called both Texas and Louisiana home. These days she
rocks her flip flops year round in Northern California and can't imagine a
climate more beautiful.
JC writes adult, new adult, and young adult fiction. She dabbles in many
different genres including science fiction, horror, chick lit, and murder
mysteries, yet she is most enthralled by supernatural stories-- and everything
has at least a splash of romance.
Excerpt:
“You ride?”
I shake my head. He turns his face toward mine
and waits as though I haven’t answered him. Maybe he thinks I haven’t. I guess
I’ve been silent too long because he squeezes my hand and continues to stare at
me with searching eyes. I shake my head again and this time he sees it and nods
his head in return. He drops my hand and climbs on his bike. He nudges the
kickstand up and holds the bike upright. He has a helmet in his outstretched
hand.
“Wear this, then climb on like I did and place
your feet here,” he says and points to a cylindrical black peg that juts out of
the bike. “Don’t drop your feet and let your body lean into the turns.”
He’s patient with me as I stand here and psych
myself up. I’ve had maybe a fantasy or two about a sexy man on a motorcycle,
but until Ian it was just that—a passing fantasy that went as quickly as it
came.
With his pointer finger, he summons me forward
and sets the helmet on the tank between his legs. His eyes aren’t kind exactly
and they’re not dark and sexy. They’re something else that I’m desperate to
place, but can’t. I close the distance between us and stand before him. Slowly,
he reaches out and brushes a lock of hair from my face and tucks it behind my
ear.
“Tell me where you’re at,” he says quietly. He
tucks my hair behind my other ear as well. I let out a soft, unintentional
sigh. I barely hear the question—or order rather—and instead have all my
attention focused on his touch. Being able, and even wanting, to be touched is
such a wonder. “Tell me I help.”
There’s such a vulnerability about him in this
moment as his fingers lightly weave through my messy hair and he’s asking for
reassurance. My breath halts in my lungs. I both loathe and love the sound of
his plea. I didn’t even know he was capable of this. Ian is always so strong
for me that I think I sometimes forget that he’s human.
“I need you.”
Other books in the series:
Ride:
Death
comes in Armani. Salvation comes in leather.
Principessa to the Mancuso crime family, Alexandra knows a thing or two about
living outside the bounds of the law. Suffocated by the future her father has
laid out for her, she makes a choice she can't take back, changing the entire
trajectory of her life.
Thrust into the dark and dangerous world of the Forsaken Motorcycle Club for
her own protection, Alex finds herself faced with the last thing she needs
right now: the man of her dreams. He’s sex in leather, the devil incarnate, and
one hell of a kisser. But he’s also off-limits. Ryan Stone can be her friend,
but he’s forbidden to be her lover.
Third-generation Forsaken, Ryan knows nothing other than life on two wheels,
and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He enjoys the many privileges that come
with the patch, and the only laws he recognizes are the ones set-forth by his
club. That is, until who he wants more than anything isn’t allowed on the back
of his bike —or in his bed. Balancing his desire for her body, and need to keep
her safe, Ryan tries to keep Alex at a distance. Finally having made a choice
for herself, she’s done hearing the word “no” and will push boundaries even
Ryan himself doesn’t dare cross.
Love is never more tempting than when it’s forbidden.
Thrash:
Loneliness
suffocates the heart. Acceptance breaks down walls.
As a Lost Girl to the Forsaken Motorcycle Club, Nicole Whelan knows how to
party. She’s not cut-out for relationships and her life is way too complicated
for anything more than casual encounters. But one night when she falls into
Duke’s bed at the clubhouse, he sees something in her that he can’t let go
of—no matter how many times she tries to run.
Having been left to raise her teenage brother, Jeremy, she’s already got her
hands full and isn’t looking for anymore complications. But Duke’s just watched
his best friend fall for the only girl he couldn’t have, and then almost lose
her so shortly after, shaking him to his core. Faced with his own loneliness,
he’s more determined than ever to break down Nic’s walls and show her that he
can be good for her; but he’s got a bad track record and she’s got a bad
temper. Changing his ways isn’t easy when he’s not sure what he’s even changing
for.
The violence and turmoil are at an all-time high, and Forsaken is in a
vulnerable place when a twist of fate breathes new life into the club. It’s a
much-needed beacon of hope for the embattled biker family, even if everyone’s
not exactly on board. With Duke and Nic’s relationship already on shaky ground,
and something even more important at stake, the Forsaken Motorcycle Club will
fight like hell to keep their family together and whole.
Love is never more precious than when it’s new.
REV:
With
the looming threat from the Mancuso Crime Family, the Forsaken Motorcycle Club
is preparing for a war that could destroy them. Grady, the club’s
Sergeant-at-Arms, knows that love makes you weak, and he has zero interest in
adding to his liabilities– especially now. He’s already got his teenage
daughter who keeps him on his toes and a beef within the club that could
fracture his relationship with a fellow brother for good.
For Holly Mercer, her life is finally getting on track and the last thing she
wants is trouble from her hometown’s resident outlaws. Keeping her nose clean
is easier said than done, when suddenly she finds herself embroiled in club
business. Holly might like the idea of being with a real-life bad boy, but even
being in the same room with tough-as-nails Grady flusters her.
When Holly inadvertently finds herself on Mancuso’s radar, she has two choices:
trust that Grady will protect her, or continue to refuse the club’s help. Both
roads are dangerous, but only one has the chance to damage her beyond repair.
Love is never more dangerous than when it can destroy you.
CRUSH:
Young
love is always perfect. Until it's not.
Cheyenne
Grady is a total daddy's girl to her bad-ass father, the Sergeant-at-Arms of
the Forsaken Motorcycle Club. She's funny, and kind, and she just wants that
deep, earth-shattering love like her dad has with her school secretary, Holly.
But Cheyenne's been looking in the wrong direction, because the only good that
can come from the way she looks at Jeremy Whelan is a lesson in heartbreak.
Jeremy
always wanted to prospect for the Forsaken Motorcycle Club and wear the same
patch as his father. When a life-long dream becomes reality, Jeremy realizes
that the outlaw lifestyle is not for the faint of heart. Nor is it easy on
relationships. He wants to be a good man, but temptation is everywhere.
Cheyenne
is beautiful, and strong, and exactly what Jeremy could have forever. As long
as he doesn't screw it up.
Love
is never more powerful than the first time.
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