Saturday, May 21, 2016

Review -- Burned By a Kiss

Burned by a Kiss
The Star Canyon Series - Book One
By Tina Leonard
Publisher: Diversion Books
Release Date: May 3, 2016






Former Navy SEAL Santana Dark never quite forgot that graduation kiss with shy, nerdy Emma Glass. Now he's home, ready to help his siblings work the family ranch following their father's mysterious death and wondering if there's still a spark between him and Emma. It doesn't take long to discover that there is but before they can explore it, a meeting with his father's lawyer delivers devastating news that leaves the Dark siblings reeling...and homeless. How can Santana explore any type of a relationship with Emma when he no longer has anything to offer her?

Veterinarian Emma Glass worried and wondered about her best friend's brother during his years abroad. She'd always had a crush on him and that unexpected graduation kiss gave her plenty to think about during the years he was gone from Star Canyon, New Mexico. Emma has a good life taking care of the animals of Star Canyon but it sure would be nice to have someone to share the lonely nights. Now that Santana's back, it's clear there's plenty of sizzle between them and she's more than ready to explore it. Feelings between them grow but between the tortured nightmares of his time in Afghanistan and everything he thought he knew about his family shattered, does he have anything left to give sweet Emma beyond fun between the sheets?

I always enjoy a Tina Leonard story and Burned by a Kiss is no exception, with its western setting, family dynamics, and touch of magic. I like the Dark family and am looking forward to getting to know them better in future books. There's also the mystery of their father's death that, apparently, will play out over the course of the series. Burned by a Kiss is the first book in the series and a lot of time is devoted to world building and setting foundations for the main characters of the series. While it's important to the overall story arc for the series, there were times when I felt the main romance of this book was sacrificed in favor of "setting the stage" for the series. I really liked Santana and Emma and wanted more time with just the two of them. But that complaint aside, I'm intrigued by all of the main characters as well as the mystery and am looking forward to more visits to Star Canyon.

~PJ


2 comments:

  1. I enjoy reading Tina's books. Will have to look into this series.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds good, although I'm not so sure about the romance part.

    ReplyDelete