REVIEW: The Way We Burn By, M. Leighton

Irresistible attraction. Unimaginable danger.

I knew from the moment Noah Williamson walked into the diner that he was haunted—deeply haunted—but I couldn’t resist the lure of him. He was gorgeous and fascinating and mysterious, and like a delicate moth to a brilliant blue flame, I was drawn to him. Drawn to his fire.

But if I’d known about his job, about what happened to his wife, I’d have run the other way. Before I got caught up in the red-hot blaze of his life. Before everything in my world got burned to the ground.

It’s too late to run now. I hesitated and that was it. I fell. I fell for him before I knew there was danger in loving him.

Noah once told me that this is the way we burn—together or not at all. At the time, I didn’t know what that meant.

Now I do. 

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Review

“I make a point not to notice men, especially gorgeous/dangerous/catnip ones, but Noah even got my attention.”

It has taken me a considerable amount of time to sit down and write my review with this book, which is weird because with anything I have read from Michelle I can easily write down my emotional journey and how much I loved it. This time Michelle threw a curveball at me and what a curveball it turned out to be. This story was everything I needed and wanted and so much more. Michelle Leighton created something special with these characters and I am so glad to have gone on this journey even if I was skeptical. I had faith in Michelle and the stories she tells and it paid off.

                “But maybe it’s time I take the leap, take the big risk. Risk another fall just in case I learn to fly”

If any of you have read a M. Leighton book then you know that she can create some special characters. Poppy and Noah are no different. Poppy is a deep and complicated character. The best part is, is that you don’t even know it. Michelle gave Poppy so many layers that after each one is peeled back you can’t help but love her even more. Poppy has so many sides to her and so many sides that she isn’t aware of until Noah brings them out of her.

“I have a feeling that if things progress between Noah and me, it’ll happen like a hurricane. A deceptively calm, shockingly intense, all consuming hurricane. It’ll creep up out of nowhere and hit me hard and fast. It will be relentless. And I will be wrecked.”

Noah, what can I say about Noah? At first he was the source of my skepticism. Usually, for me, I hate when a main character has a deceased significant other. It’s weird I know but it’s a storyline that just doesn’t speak to me. Michelle was able to make me rethink everything. I loved Noah. Noah is quiet, reserved, and oh so mysterious. Not only to Poppy but us as the reader. Noah is fierce when it comes to what he wants and those he loves. We don’t really know much about him for the first half of the book but once Michelle starts peeling back those layers we see the real Noah. The broken, tortured, fierce, loving, all consuming Noah.

“Because I’m yours and you’re mine. Forever. We’re written in ink. Tattooed inside each other, in the only place that matters.”

The Way We Burn is a story unlike any other we have gotten from Michelle. I know she went outside of her comfort zone in writing and then releasing this book and I will be the first to say that I am so glad that she did it. The story grabbed you from the minute you opened it and didn't let you go. I can’t even say at the end because I am still thinking about it days later. Be ready for something new and brilliant from Michelle that still has the writing that long time fans have come to love. The Way We Burn is everything you want and nothing you would expect. Be prepared for captivating soul-burning romance and kindle/paperback-dropping twists. This is a story that will stick with you. Be prepared and go in blind. It’ll be worth it.

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RELEASE DAY: Spend the Night (Episode #3) By, Elizabeth Lee

We're celebrating the release of SPEND THE NIGHT, Episode 3 by Elizabeth Lee! Check out the excerpt below!

Blurb:

All games must eventually come to an end…

Hannah's new reality is that someone is stalking her. Aggressively. The only question now is who. Fingers are pointed and accusations are made as every clue leads to her down another twisted path of questions without answers. Her feelings for both 

Carter and Trent cloud her judgment as the investigation delves deeper into her personal life and into her heart. Carter’s past is a mystery and Trent has every reason to try and make her seem crazy. Her loss would be his gain after all.

Hannah will have to choose, but making the wrong choice will cost much more than a broken heart.

Everyone has a motive.

But only one of them has a plan.

Expect the unexpected in the thrilling conclusion to the Spend the Night series.

Excerpt

He walked around the chair he'd been leaning on and took a seat in front of my desk.  I expected him to lean back and assume an arrogant position of detachment, but instead he rested his elbows on my desk like he was anxiously awaiting a quick response from me.  I felt my brow furrow as I tried to read his expression. 

“What do you want me to say?” I finally spoke. His lips formed a seam and I watched him sigh.  “Do you want me to beg you to stay? To ask you to be with me instead of marrying her? Because I'm not going to make that mistake again,” I added. “There’s nothing between us besides a business relationship. You made that perfectly clear when you left me alone and in tears for the umpteenth time.” 

I'd done some serious soul searching since our last interaction and, slowly but surely, I was seeing that Trent Crawford was not the right man for me.

“I would never expect you to beg, Hannah,” he confessed. “I just wanted to let you know.”

“Well, thanks, I guess.” When he saw that I was unaffected by his words, he let his back fall against the chair.  “Does that mean that you are backing out of the running for C.O.O. or are you still planning on stealing that from me too?”

“It's not that simple, Han--” he started, but quickly changed the subject. “Exactly what else did I steal from you?”

“Oh, I don't know. My sanity for one thing.”

“You know that I never set out to do that.” As much as I didn't want to believe him, I did.  A fact that pissed me off. I had every reason to believe that the game he'd been playing was intentional. “If it makes you feel any better, I feel the same way. Like I'm losing my mind when I'm around you. I think we've both let our emotions get the best of us.” 

A week ago I would have spoken up and tried to get him to see that the way we felt around each other was more than coincidence—that it was the universe's way of telling us we should be together, but the universe was apparently off its meds.  For whatever reason, Trent was still marrying Alison this weekend and nothing I said was going to change that.

“This is why I have to go,” he reiterated. Staring into his eyes, I knew just how easy it would be to climb across that desk and get him to put his hands on me. To kiss me. Hell, to probably even get him to clear it off and have sex with me. But, I knew that it would just end with him walking away.  It seemed to always end that way with us.

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Author Bio:

Born and raised in the middle of a Midwestern cornfield (not literally, that would be weird), I’ve spent my entire life imagining stories. Stories where the right guy always gets the right girl, first kisses are as magical as they are on the big screen and anything is completely possible if you believe.

Although this journey began years ago, it recently took on a whole new life. After years of devouring hundreds of Romance, YA and New Adult novels, I had an epiphany... I should write a book. And I did it!

If I’m not reading, writing, enjoying drinks with my amazing group of girlfriends or chasing around a sarcastically funny kid, I’m probably watching television shows that were created for teenagers, while my husband teases that I’m too old to watch them.

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