ARC Review: BURN SO BAD by J.H. Croix

Lucy

Levi drives me crazy, and not the good kind of crazy.
He’s smoldering hot and so d*mn sexy, it’s dangerous.
He’s a hotshot firefighter and nearly sets my on fire whenever he’s around.
Perhaps it’s an occupational hazard.
He teases me every chance he gets and tempts me to let down my guard.
I certainly don’t need a man.
But Levi’s more than a man. He’s a man on octane fuel—pure, raw, primal masculinity practically oozes from his pores.
One night of weakness, and I tumble into the flames.
It’s more than lust. It’s how I feel when I’m with him—safe and protected. I never want to let go.
I might get burned if I’m not careful.

Levi

Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and hate can always turn into love.
Or at least lust.
Lucy hates me. She especially hates how much I want her.
And sweet h*ll do I want her.
But she can’t be bothered to even give me the time of day.
I should give up the chase, but I can’t.
It’s more than a spark between us, it’s a bonfire.
Fate rolls the dice and lands Lucy right where I want her.
She needs my help, and I need her, every inch of her lush curves.
One taste, and I’m lost. I’ll do anything to have her and to hold her.
To make her mine.

*This is a steamy, full-length standalone romance with a guaranteed happily-ever-after. No cliffhangers. Nothing but steamy romance & HEA!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2mNTGgu

(FREE with KU)

REVIEW

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really struggled with this book, which was a total bummer because I really enjoyed the story for the most part and it was written so well. But I just couldn’t stand Lucy, the main chick. I think she’s one of my most hated heroines yet.

I’m serious. There were times when I understood where she was coming from, felt compassion for her irrational fears, and sided with her on a multiple of issues. But the way she was with Levi, for the most part, aggravated me to no end.

This story was relatively easy so you can imagine how great my ire was when I’m using ‘kill you’ gifs. And why was my last nerve shot? Because Levi was freaking amazing! J.H. Croix, I’ve never read from you before, but with Levi, you gave me utter perfection. He was sexy, smooth, funny, charming, understanding, considerate, and a gosh darn heroic fire fighter. C’mon!! So yeah, I’m a little upset that this man tower of awesomeness got a bum deal. His counterpart didn’t treat him with the respect I felt he deserved and for that I’m upset. Even in the end, I wasn’t Lucy’s greatest fan but I’m a huge supporter of all things Levi, so I’m not going to figuratively shoot the chick. I’m just not anywhere near to liking her.

In the end, you’ve got a sweet romance that was low on angst, high on Lucy’s drama, had an adrenaline-pumping bonus of firefighting action, with heaps of sexiness and likeable side characters thrown in. I’m a mixed bag of emotions over it and I’m trying to find a balance. While it’s obvious that Lucy and I will never be friends, I want to be permanently attached to Levi. He’s the reason I rated this story the way I did because he was everything.

Release Date: January 18, 2018 | Genre: Contemporary Romance | Dual POV - 1st person | Heat: 4 out of 5 | Standalone