Monday, December 10, 2018

Combust by K. Bromberg ~ Review




From New York Times Bestselling author, K. Bromberg, comes a new standalone book. Just how hot will firefighter Grady Malone turn up the heat?

Songwriter Dylan McCoy has been burned.

By her boyfriend she found in her bed... with someone else.

By the contract she signed that obligates her to work with him until the songs for his new album are complete.

By her agent when she asked Dylan to keep their breakup on the down-low.

When she finds herself in Sunnyville, she refuses to let her new roommate burn her too. Still... a rebound has never looked so good.

That’s her first thought when she sees firefighter Grady Malone. Sexy. Charismatic. Unapologetic. He’s a man who carries his own scars — the ones on his back, the survivor’s guilt on his soul, and the fear in his heart.

When an unexpected visitor puts their roommate status to the test, will their undeniable attraction burn out, or will they both take a chance and play with fire?










 I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Cuffed,  and was excited to read this one.   But I found that I enjoyed this one MORE than the first.

Okay, lets get this out of the way.  There is this scene pretty early on that had me stunned.  That did not just happen.  Grady?  Really?  You did not just encourage her to do that.  I was sure he would stop her.  He didn't.  And I wasn't sure I could read on.  BUT WAIT.  I won't spoil it but I will say that it wasn't what I thought.  It moved the story in a way nothing else would have.  AND I ended up loving this one more that the first book.

Grady.  Oh Grady.  He's a broken man that puts on a great face.  A sexy face, actually.  Just meeting him, you'd never know the pain inside him.  But Dylan doesn't just meet him.  She's staying at his house trying to get over the dumb jerk of a rock star boyfriend while writing said rock star new songs.  Yeah, she's not pleased about it either.  But that's why she's not in LA, why she's retreated to a friend of her brothers for some much needed time away.  And let the house party begin.

I love Dylan.  She's so real to me.  Broken from a betrayal and with lots of self-image issues, she just wants to finish these songs and move on with her life.  Away from Jet the jerk.  But the studio knows she's the Jet whisperer.  She's the only way the album will happen.  So she's stuck.  And she needs the money.  So.  But the thing about Dylan is that she sees Brokie.  She gets him.  Weeks of living in the same house creates a contention between them.  A little faking it (I love that part) brings the sexy into the picture and then the growth begins.

These two heal each other.  As they see each others pain, they try to help the other see who they really are.  It's a great healing experience for the reader as well.  People are way too hard on themselves.  They accept the petty comments/actions of others and magnify that a 100% to become their own negative self-image.  But when you clear the lens and see what's real, surprise is there.  That's the best part of this story.

Yes, there are amazing sexy times.  Yes, there are ups and downs.  Yes, there are great characters that I connected to.  Yes, those characters make some much needed growth.  Yes, there is an amazing story that I loved.  But the most important thing about this book is the self-image overhaul that happens.  Such a nice, refreshing change from the average romance stories.  A step above, that's what this one is.

Can definitely be read stand alone, this one is by far my favorite.




                                       

1 comment:

  1. This sounds so good! I need to get going with this author. Great review!

    ReplyDelete