I received this book for free from my own shelves in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: my own shelves
Burn
by
Erin McCarthy
contemporary romance in eBook edition that was published by Amazon Digital Services on January 5, 2016 and has 155 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include High Stakes, My Immortal, Bit the Jackpot, An Enchanted Season, Fallen, The Taking, Bad Boys of Summer, Bled Dry, Flat-Out Sexy, Sucker Bet, Hard and Fast, Hot Finish, When Good Things Happen to Bad Boys, First Blood, Slow Ride, The Chase, The Night Before Christmas, Out of the Light, and into the Shadows, Jacked Up, A Date with the Other Side, Heiress for Hire, Bad Boys in Black Tie, True, Seeing is Believing, Believe, Shatter, Sweet, Gone with the Ghost, Murder Drama with Your Llama
First in the South Beach Bodyguards romance series and revolving around the bodyguards of Miami Security. The couple focus is on Isabel Rodriguez and Ryan Harris.
My Take
It’s the trope of both characters attracted to each other, but neither knowing it. Each, of course, has their own reasons for believing it cannot be…he doesn’t deserve her…she’s not good enough… Yadda, yadda, yadda. with a lot of whining on both sides.
Burn is using first-person dual point-of-view, which was fine. It didn’t make it any more believable. The chatter is all about the attraction with almost nothing about the reason why Isabel ended up at Ryan’s. The trouble she’s in. And the “trouble” is just stupid.
In a weird way, I was getting tons of mixed signals. Supposedly Isabel has amnesia, but its not very obvious after the initial start. Supposedly she’s a virgin, but Isabel sure ain’t actin’ like one. McCarthy doesn’t work this at all. It’s more as if this was one of McCarthy’s early books, before she got the hang of writing. We learn almost nothing about the “supporting” characters.
In fact, I thought I was in high school with this. It’s all tell, tell, tell…full of tropes, no depth, no character development, no real drama or tension. Just…just…just don’t go there. Do not pass GO. Do not pick up Burn. It’s a waste of time.
The Story
When bodyguard Ryan Harris finds an intruder in his apartment, he’s shocked to realize it’s his former stepsister, Isabel Rodriguez. Naked. In his shower. Estranged from his father, he’s only met Isabel a few times, but he’s seen enough to be distracted and unnerved by how gorgeous she is…wet and two feet away from him. And did he mention naked?
But Isabel insists her name is Julia. It’s either a con or a case of amnesia. Either way, he can’t lay a hand on his stepsister… or can he? The rules have never stopped him before, and they’re not about to now.
The Characters
Isabel Rodriguez is Ryan’s stepsister; the one with amnesia. Julia is her drunk name. Kim is Isabel’s mother who had been briefly married to Mickey. Buster is Isabel’s white fluffy dog. Brandy is her best friend; her drunk name is Mary Kate.
Ryan Harris is a bodyguard with Miami Security, one of his dad’s less shady companies. Mickey Harris is his wealthy father.
Wester, Jax, Kellen, and Alejandro are more bodyguards employed with Miami Security and friends with Ryan. Romeo was Kellen’s cousin.
Juan Carlos is Isabel’s current boyfriend.
Katie is either Ryan’s first or he was her first. I can’t tell.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a black-and-white photograph of a naked Ryan lying on top of a black-bra-clad Isabel, kissing. The author’s name is in blocky black at the top with the title at the bottom in a vivid purple, parts of various letters charging off.
The title is what Ryan and Isabel do, Burn in silence. Gawd, I wish…
