Book Review: Burned by Callie Bardot

Scorching Heat Book 1

Jackson has two passions: fighting fires and Blaire. One love is deadly and unpredictable while the other is sweet and innocent. Except that Blair has a past that is far from innocent and it is catching up to her in ways she never expected. Even worse, Jackson’s heroin-addicted brother threatens to destroy their relationship more than any fire ever could.

Fighting fires is something Jackson knows how to handle—he has trained for it and can face down any threat with a clear head. Opening himself up and being vulnerable in a relationship is another matter entirely and he isn’t sure how to be totally honest with Blaire about his own rough childhood. When Blaire narrowly escapes a fire that Jackson discovers was started by his own brother, he must choose—turn his back on his brother or lose the only woman he has ever loved.

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My Review:

It took me a while to really get into this book. My first impressions of the characters were that Jackson was almost too perfect and Blaire was some kind of cross between a lunatic and a b!tch. I wasn’t liking her very much. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was only scratching the surface of these characters. They’re both so much more complex than I can even describe. Though my opinion about Blaire carried through for just about the entire book. She’s so well written that the guard she had up against Jackson was also keeping me out. I wasn’t seeing what made her so special to him. The frictions in their relationship make for a very angsty story. And the intrigue of their colliding pasts ratchets up the dramatic tension. Because I wasn’t immediately pulled into their world, this story was a slower build for me. But once the action got rolling, I wasn’t able to put the book down. I’m now very interested to know the stories of the other brave first responders Jackson works with. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author.