Burned

3.75 stars--BURNED is the third instalment in Christina Phillips’ contemporary, adult VIKING BASTARDS erotic, MC, romance story line. This is attorney Jasmine ‘Jas’ O’Brien, and Viking Bastards’ MC vice president Tyler ‘Ty’ Jenson’s story line. BURNED can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Told from dual first person perspectives (Ty and Jas) BURNED follows the rekindling romance between twenty-seven year old Florida attorney Jasmine ‘Jas’ O’Brien, and thirty-year old Viking Bastards MC vice president Tyler ‘Ty’ Jenson. Ten years earlier, a then seventeen year-old Jasmine O’Brien disappeared without a trace, leaving a heart broken and reeling Tyler Jenson in her wake. Fast forward to present day, wherein a more hardened and mature Jasmine O’Brien returns to LA to bury her mother, a woman she hasn’t seen in close to ten years. Rekindling her relationship with the only man she has ever loved was never in the plans, but plans are meant to be broken. What ensues is the rekindling relationship and romance between Ty and Jas, and the potential fallout as Jas prepares to return to Florida; and Ty discovers the truth about Jas’s disappearance, years before. Jasmine O’Brien’s return to LA came with too many memories of the past for both of our leading characters. Tyler Jenson struggled to forget the woman he would always love but ten years without Jas meant their second chance relationship came with unresolved anger and emotional issues. Jasmine hated the secrets that led to her escape ten years earlier, secrets that would have destroyed Ty, and the ‘family’ he loved. The relationship between Ty and Jas is one of second chances; a rekindling between two people torn apart by demons of the past, a past mired in secrets, betrayal, loss and pain. The $ex scenes are numerous, intense, erotic and aggressive- the unrestrained and angry sexual situations are countered by the knowledge that ten years of unanswered questions had yet to be resolved. We are reintroduced to several members of the Viking Bastards MC including Zach and Grace (Hooked # 1), and Gage and Amelia (Payback #2), as well as Ty’s parents Angie and Jett Jenson. BURNED is a story of loss, deception, secrets and heartbreak. The world building follows the rekindling relationship and the ever-present sexual tension between our leading couple, as the MC took a backseat to the second chance romance. The premise is dramatic; the romance is dark, edgy and intense; the characters are broken and energetic. BURNED is a dramatic and intense look at two people who have struggled to remove on from the past.

Wow! I really, really enjoyed the heck out of this book! Jasmine left L.A. ten years ago and has now returned due to her mother’s death. When she runs into Ty her heart yearns to reach out to him but it’s obvious that he’s still carrying anger over their past. Both of them recognize that they need closure and after an intense, sexy night, they agree to continue their one night stand on through the week until Jas has to leave again. Ty never fully understood how Jas was able to walk away from what they had. He understood the premise of it, and the reason she gave, but there was always something that niggled at the back of his mind. Hurt and anger obliterated those thoughts until pieces of the puzzle begin to fall back into place with her return. I totally got why Ty felt the way he did. Thinking their love was a forever kind of thing, he was heartbroken when Jas left. With her in his life again, even temporarily, he’s struggling to remember the past and that what he’s feeling now may not be what she’s feeling. Jas was completely broken when she left and there’s so many layers as to why she made the decision she did. This is a well-paced read, very well written, and sprinkled with a bit of angst but not the kind to knock you on your bottom. The MC lifestyle isn’t predominate but plays as a backdrop well out of sight. It was a very enjoyable read with plenty of steam and a hero that you will love to watch rise up from his past to secure the girl of his future. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley and Entangled Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

**Received ARC from NetGalley for a fair and honest review** Burned is the 3rd book in the Vikings Bastards MC series. This book can be read as a standalone, but I'm of the opinion you don't get as much out of it when you don't know the other characters. That's just my opinion though. I really enjoyed this book. It is my favorite hands down of the three books. I really enjoyed Ty and Jas, at the beginning I was a little hesitant about my opinion on Jas, but as the story went on I feel like I understood why the author wrote the story the way she did. I know that's vague, but I would be giving spoilers away if I said more. I did have one issue with the book, , in order not to give anything away I will unfortunately have to be vague again. Jas went through some stuff when she was 17, because of it she up and left her home with her mom in LA to go live with her dad in Florida. She never got over Ty so she never really dated or anything, then goes back to LA because her mom dies and things go back to how they were almost as if no time has passed and nothing happened. I understand she gets therapy, but the way it unfolds leaves questions in my mind about would someone that went through some stuff behave like that... Ok.... so that aside, I really enjoyed the story, and had a hard time putting it down. Was a fast enjoyable read. Great chemistry between the characters, lots of good emotional strife in the book. Enjoyed the character development. All in all I really enjoyed and can't wait for the next book in the series. Great book. Hope this helps! Happy Reading!!!