Burn (Bayonet Scars, #5)

by Jc Emery

[Cocktails and Books]

This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books

If there was one brother that has been a mystery, it's Ian. I was excited that he was finally getting a book, because I wanted to find out just how he felt about all the things that have gone down with the club since the Mancuso mess. Ian's family has been rocked to it's core, but Mancuso definitely left his mark on Ian.

BURN starts 14 months prior to Mancuso's fall, where we discover Ian has been trying to help a very broken Mindy try to move past her kidnapping and rape. For a man that's quite harsh with everyone else, it was surprising to see just how gentle he could be with Mindy. And as she embraced her anger, how much the real Ian came out.

Ian's not an easy man. He's tormented by what happened with his mother and Mancuso, vowing to kill the man and ease his mother's pain. He purposefully keeps himself away from his brother and sister, Alex and Michael, mainly because of who their father was. You could tell he wanted more, especially with Alex, but he wasn't sure how to separate them from their father...regardless of the fact they shared a mother. The only time he seems to ease up a bit is with Mindy. He makes her feel safe. She accepts him for who he is and what he does (even if that drives him crazy).

Mindy finds a different version of herself with Ian. She's terrified of everything when BURN opens, but she slowly starts to reclaim her life. It's hard for her, but Ian gives her something to start fighting for. She proves to herself and to everyone else just how strong she is. And proves to Ian, that despite his darkness they belong together.

I enjoyed BURN, but I wanted more dialogue between the characters. We spent a lot of time in Mindy's head and to a lesser extent, Ian's. As great as it was to understand their inner turmoil, it felt like we were missing something. I needed the interaction and to read those conversations, rather than knowing they were interacting with someone or a situation but live inside the characters head. Even with that, JC Emery does a great job over moving the over-arching Mancuso theme forward. I look forward to the day we get to that downfall.

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