Novel Review: Burn (The Breathless Trilogy, #3) by Maya Banks

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: Erotica/Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Berkley (Penguin)

Release Date: August 2013

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ash, Jace, and Gabe: three of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the country. They’re accustomed to getting anything they want. Anything at all. For Ash, it’s the woman who changes everything he’s ever known about dominance and desire...

When it comes to sex, Ash McIntyre has always explored his wilder side — extreme and uncompromising. He demands control. And he prefers women who want it like that. Even the women he’s shared with his best friend, Jace.

But Jace is involved with a woman he has no intention of sharing. And now even Gabe has settled into a relationship with a woman who gives him everything he needs, leaving Ash feeling restless and unfulfilled.

Then Ash meets Josie, who seems immune to his charms and his wealth. Intrigued, he begins a relentless pursuit, determined she won’t be the one who got away. He never imagined the one woman to tell him no would be the only woman who’d ever drive him to the edge of desire.

The Cover:

I don't really mind this cover. I like that it's not embarrassing, I even think it looks good--the splash of color in contrast to the white looks nice. I just don't think it represents the book very well. I think the title works for the book, and the cover represents the title, but I don't think it really shows what to expect from the book.

Quotes:

• "'It’s important to me to be independent and able to provide for myself even if that’s not what I end up doing. But I want that choice. I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror and know that I have value. That I can support myself and make my own choices.’” (Paperback, pg. 294)
• "'Love isn’t perfect,’ Mia said. ‘We’ve all made mistakes. Gabe, Jace, me, Bethany. And now you and Ash. It’s not supposed to be perfect. It’s what you make it. And you can make it really special, Josie.’” (Pg. 304)

Review:

I have not read any of the other books in this series, but I have read quite a few of Banks’ other books. I’ve enjoyed most of them.

I was looking forward to the D/s elements of this book. And I did quite like those. Ash and Josie jump into it rather quickly, and it was hot. The sex was nice. And I enjoyed the two of them together, for the most part.

But Ash was controlling in a not-good way, a little too over-the-top to my liking. He controlled more than I think Josie wanted him to, and it did help that when Josie found out about some of it, she did something about it. She made him see what he’d done and why it was wrong. But then there was the way that Ash took care of the men who’d harmed Josie, and that seemed like too much. It was violent and controlling in a way that made me uncomfortable, especially when everyone seemed to just accept it without any consequences. It’s actually made me wary of reading the other books in this series.

We saw a lot of the characters from the previous books, and so that did quirk my interest to read their stories. There was also a scene with Josei hanging out with the girls, and that was hilarious and adorable.

Also, the way Ash talked some of the time really bothered me. It didn’t happen every time he talked, but a majority of the time he did, he took out the subject (I think? at least, the first word) of the sentence, over and over again. I’m pretty sure it was mostly just him, but after a while it just started to drive me crazy.

I did mostly enjoy this book, although I wanted to enjoy it more. Some of it left me a little uncomfortable and unhappy, but I did enjoy a bit of it, including the smutty stuff. I do still look forward to reading more of Banks’ books, though.