Blog Tour Review: Burn by JC Emery

If there was one brother that has been a mystery, it’s Ian.  I was excited that he was finally getting a book, because I wanted to find out just how he felt about all the things that have gone down with the club since the Mancuso mess.  Ian’s family has been rocked to it’s core, but Mancuso definitely left his mark on Ian.

BURN starts 14 months prior to Mancuso’s fall, where we discover Ian has been trying to help a very broken Mindy try to move past her kidnapping and rape.  For a man that’s quite harsh with everyone else, it was surprising to see just how gentle he could be with Mindy.  And as she embraced her anger, how much the real Ian came out.

Ian’s not an easy man.  He’s tormented by what happened with his mother and Mancuso, vowing to kill the man and ease his mother’s pain.  He purposefully keeps himself away from his brother and sister, Alex and Michael, mainly because of who their father was.  You could tell he wanted more, especially with Alex, but he wasn’t sure how to separate them from their father…regardless of the fact they shared a mother.  The only time he seems to ease up a bit is with Mindy.  He makes her feel safe.  She accepts him for who he is and what he does (even if that drives him crazy).

Mindy finds a different version of herself with Ian.  She’s terrified of everything when BURN opens, but she slowly starts to reclaim her life.  It’s hard for her, but Ian gives her something to start fighting for.  She proves to herself and to everyone else just how strong she is.  And proves to Ian, that despite his darkness they belong together.

I enjoyed BURN, but I wanted more dialogue between the characters.  We spent a lot of time in Mindy’s head and to a lesser extent, Ian’s.  As great as it was to understand their inner turmoil, it felt like we were missing something.  I needed the interaction and to read those conversations, rather than knowing they were interacting with someone or a situation but live inside the characters head.  Even with that, JC Emery does a great job over moving the over-arching Mancuso theme forward.  I look forward to the day we get to that downfall.

[rating-report]

“I like talking to you. I want to get to know you.”

“What’s the point in getting to know me when you’re just going to end up hating me eventually, anyway?” This is why I don’t want to bond with her. I don’t want to let her in and to love her the way Ma does, the way Michael does. Even Ryan loves her and I’ll be damned if Pop doesn’t love her too. She’s squirrelly like that.

“I can’t hate you. If I can’t hate my father, then I can’t hate you either. I won’t ask you not to hurt him, and I can’t tell you how I’ll feel when he dies because I don’t know how I’ll feel. But I can tell you this— he stole you and my mother from me. My father hurt you, and he hurt me in a different way. He hurt Michael too, but he might be too proud to admit that just yet. Carlo Mancuso has his family and I have mine.”

She takes a step closer and reaches out, grabbing my arm. The tears she was holding back slide down her cheeks as she stares up at me.

“I don’t like violence and I hate to see people get hurt, but no matter who I am today, I was a principessa, a Mancuso. I understand the need for justice and deep down I know that this war goes back further than last year and that it was only a matter of time for my father to get what’s coming to him.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” I find myself saying. My chest aches and my jaw is tight. I reject the emotions that make me weak and force myself to think about anything but how good it feels to get this gift from her. “Every year on your birthday, we have a party. It used to be just me and Ma, and then when Pop and Ryan came around, they’d join in. It was always just something we did. Ma never wanted to forget either of you, and she made sure I never could. I don’t want to hurt you, but I have to make this better for her.”

Other Books in the Series

Ride Blurb:

http://amzn.com/B00G7T94IW

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 Blurb:

http://amzn.com/B00HRKLQ0E

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 Blurb

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 BLURB

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.