Sometimes I’m reluctant to start a book because I know once I start, I won’t stop until I’m done. I’ve been holding off on Burn for Me for that reason. I was right. I could not put it down. I was in the middle of reviewing the 4th Sandman Slim novel when I started reading Burn for Me. GAH!
Two quibbles. One – the cover is awful. I couldn’t bear to post it. Ignore it and read the book. Two – I hate the intro before the prologue. I hate, hate, hate that kind of introduction. Tell us in the story. Let us figure it out as it goes on. Once past the cover and intro, I LOVED the book.
Burn for Me is the first of an urban fantasy series set in an alternate reality present day Houston. A lot is familiar, but people who can do magic are real, and power goes hand in hand with powerful magic. Nevada Baylor is not in the power elite. She’s a low level PI, the primary breadwinner for her family, and as such is cautious about her safety. Because she is low-level, she is considered expendable when a crazy powerful fire mage goes on a rampage and his family wants him brought in safely. Nevada has to choose between trying to do the impossible or her family being tossed out of their home.
Conner “Mad Rogan” Rogan, another crazy and powerful mage, gets involved to find his young cousin who is tangentially involved. Rather than a meet cute, Conner starts by kidnapping Nevada. She ends up working with him by necessity while trying to stay as far away from him as possible.
I love Nevada. She is complex and competent without being a complete badass like Kate. Nevada’s family is interesting and I look forward to seeing more of them. I’m not sold on Mad Rogan yet. The story though, is assured and well paced. I could not put it down and was sorely tempted to cancel my afternoon plans to write this review. But for a better and more thorough review, read Malin’s review.
