Review - Burn Me by Shelley Watters

When Katrina Hale's brother dies in a house fire, she's determined to prove she's stronger than everyone thinks she is. But grief can do strange things to a person and Katrina knows all too well how the death of a loved one can change a person. As the romance in her current relationship fizzles, she focuses on her work and fights the undeniable attraction she has for Greyson Neal.

Firefighter Greyson Neal is the type of guy girls dream about. But Greyson isn't interested in other girls. He wants the one woman he can never have: Katrina. As the two struggle with their feelings, Kat must choose between her career and her heart, and fight to keep them both when an arsonist threatens to take it all away

This is the third time I've read Burn Me by Shelley Watters. I had the privilege of being a beta reader for this particular project many moons ago and I will say it's only gotten better with each read (and come on, who doesn't love the cover?).

Kat is a firefighter who thinks she has something to prove and she's dating Eric, a not so wonderful boyfriend but oh-so-gorgeous. It just so happens that Eric is the brother of Greyson, who may just be that-much-more-gorgeous and who totally has a thing for Kat. It doesn't hurt that he's the tall dark and handsome type. But it DOES irritate Kat that he seems to feel the need to protect her. She's perfectly capable of taking care of herself thank you very much. Most of the time, anyway.

Being that this is a brand new book, I can't really go in to detail on the plot without giving SO much away. So I will leave it with what I have and let you read it and figure the rest out.

I totally dig that Kat is a firefighter. She's strong, independent, and doesn't expect anyone to protect her or fight her battles for her. She worked hard to make it to where she is and she's not going to let anyone or anything stop her from staying right there.

Greyson is the poster boy for hot and sexy and absolutely fantastic. Sure, he may have what Kat calls "Knight in Shining Armor Syndrome", but at some point in almost every woman's life, there has to have been some (even if just teeny-tiny-itty-bitty-miniscule-fleeting) part of them that wished for such a man to just sweep them off their feet and ride off in to the sunset with them. It bothers Kat, but to the reader it shows that he's got a good heart and that he wants to protect the ones that he loves. Noble right?

The story was exciting. And as I said before, it's gotten better each time I've read it. The tension between Greyson and Kat at times was so thick you could cut it with a knife. There were moments when I wanted to shake Kat and scream at her to stop trying to rationalize and for the love of God to use her heart instead of her thick skull to think with, but she was fantastic. Greyson was equally as pigheaded and stubborn at certain points, but both characters were pretty endearing.

Though there were definitely some moments in the firehouse that would have warranted some sexual harassment awareness training, for the most part the chemistry between the firefighters Kat worked with were great friends. I'm not sure if they all saw her as an equal, but even if they didn't, they treated her that way.

We are not wanting for action with this story. I don't see how you could be with a novel about firefighting badasses. Know what I mean? From car accidents to steamy shower scenes to burning buildings to stolen kisses to stalkers... there's always something to keep you on your toes with this book. I can guarantee that if you read it, at some point you'll think you have it all figured out. But you're wrong. Very, very wrong. Loved the twist at the end. I don't think Kat and Greyson did, but I did.

If you're in to steamy romances or books with strong female leads or hot sweaty firemen.... this is the book for you. I'd recommend adult only since this has some very VERY mature instances in it, but ladies (and hey, maybe some gents too), I think this will end up being one you can't put down.

Review - Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

S. J. Watson makes his powerful debut with this compelling, fast-paced psychological thriller, reminiscent of Shutter Island and Memento, in which an amnesiac who, following a mysterious accident, cannot remember her past or form new memories, desperately tries to uncover the truth about who she is—and who she can trust.

My daughter had scarlet fever. Sunday night I had to go sit at the pharmacy and wait for her medication to be filled. The man behind the counter told me it would take 35 minutes so I immediately knew I needed to go find a book to read. There were a lot of books but the one that really stood out to me was Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson.

It's a story of a woman who' s been told she's been in a horrendous accident that's robbed her of her memory. But not just the memory of who she was and is and anything about her family... she's unable to remember anything from one day to the next. She falls asleep at night and then wakes up the next morning remembering absolutely nothing from the day before. With the help of a well meaning Dr. Nash and a secret journal she's been hiding in her closet (that he calls to remind her about every day) she starts getting her memory back in flashes. She writes down what she remembers and the next day when she's forgotten again she goes back and reads her previous entries.

That's when she finds out that things just don't add up. Someone is lying to her. And she can't tell if what she's seeing is memory or fantasy. She doesn't know if she's fabricating some of her memories because she desperately wants them to be real.

I don't normally read this type of novel. I'm more in to the paranormal and fantasy stuff. Maybe with some historical fiction thrown in there. But I'd seen the movie Memento and it was one of those movies that really screws with your mind and this book seemed to be just like it when I read the description so I had to grab it. I was not disappointed.

It's hard to imagine what life would be like if I couldn't remember any of it. Would I wake up not knowing my own children. Not knowing my fiance or my family. Being told what was going on and who everyone was and having to rely solely on the word of other people to get through the day. But that's just what Christine has to do. Rely on everyone else (in this case it's her husband and her doctor mostly) to tell her who she is. Only there ends up being miscommunications and unfortunately some of her memories get twisted.

The book was definitely suspenseful. I kept waiting for her to get this big revelation and suddenly remember everything and it was SO painful to have to read that she'd continuously woken up just as she had the day before. Completely blank. It was hard to formulate theories because every time I thought I had one I got the rug pulled out from under me and had to start fresh and try to come up with another one. It was a complete page turner.

It directed emotion well. I felt sorry for who the author wanted me to feel sorry for, I was angry at who I thought I was supposed to be angry at... and then the book took this huge hair pin turn and chucked a curve ball at me at the same time. Magnificent read.

There are some things in this book not suitable for anyone under the age of 18. And some things in this book that could trigger unhappy things in others. So I would recommend this for adults only. But I absolutely suggest you pick this one up if you see it at the store and give it a go. I'm really glad I did.