Beneath the Burn

4.2 stars

One of the reasons I am drawn to dark romance is because I want to get into the brains of the characters. The other reason is that I try and see why authors write what they do. I mean, how so they come up with the idea. This author is one of those that I question. She seems so sweet in her picture. Yet, there is a beauty to her stories. No matter how dark or even atrocious the crime is. I love how she manages to create characters that can heal and overcome, even in unconventional ways.

My heart hurt for Charlee. Yet, it also cheered because she never lost her drive or gave up hope. Jay. Sweet lord this man is an unlikely hero but a hero he was. He had lived through his own hell and that might be why these two had the connection show more they did.

I wanted more of a resolution in regard to Roy. It seemed to easy after everything. Still, this was a good book. show less

I had prepared myself for a dark read. The things that were done to both Charlee and Jay were unimaginable horrors. But even though some of the subject matter was dark Charlee and Jay were such beacon’s of light they shown so brightly throughout the book that the good over powered the evil.

Charlee Grosky was sold by her father to a man to pay for his gambling debts. That man was a very powerful and rich man that had sick perversions. He held Charlee captive from 16-18 before she managed to get away from him. For the next four years she was on the run and always fearing he would catch up with her. During her time away she was running a tattoo shop and met a man who wanted a tattoo that had just as many scars on the inside and outside show more as she did. Even though they knew each other for only an hour they both left a profound impression on the other. That same night Charlee was recaptured again and taken back to hell.

Jay Maynord cannot stand the human touch from the trauma he went through as a child. He’s the singer in a band that was just starting out when he met Charlee that night and he didn’t go into freak out mode when she touched him. He decides he wants to be a better man and eventually come back to her and writes songs about the woman who touched him both physically and emotionally which shoots the band to stardom. But when Jay later tries to find Charlee and cant he throws himself into self medicating and sex.

This was a long book full of the ups and downs of two tortured souls. They do find each other again 3 years later after Charlee escaped from her captor again and both try and conquer their demons with each other along with trying to stay a step of ahead of Roy while on tour with the band. There are some scenes that may make some squeamish. The things Roy did to Charlee where sick and turned her into a masochist but Jay’s wiliness to give her what she needed and her open acceptance of his demons made for a beautiful dark romance. show less

I started reading this book on the plane back from our holiday, and I can honestly say that it was another good holiday read. I was not expecting to like the story as much as I did, and although it was a bit formulaic it was an entertaining read and I liked the main characters.

A romantic thriller of Jay and Charlee who met by chance and then again a few years later. The story evolves around of their "issues" (mildly stated) and what they endured as individual's and how they came back together giving each other strength, support, and total love to overcome (Roy) and what still was ahead. This was graphic involving abusive situations which I was not prepared for. It left me on the edge but I couldn't put it down and very glad I didn't.

I loved the characters and the plot. There wasn't a dull moment. Sometimes a dark book just focuses on being dark. This book shows love and strength. Excellent on all accounts.





toni


FangirlMoments and My Two Cents

Wow, that was a late night, couldn't put this story down.