Three.  That’s all it took.  Whereas some books use series, some use chapters, and some use pages of text, Reyolds began this book using three powerful, long sentences to get his point across.  Using his artistic talent, Jason Griffin grabbed those words and he chopped and stretched them.  Inserting his special touch, Jason manipulated those words, until he was left with a book that is equally part art and poetry.  To fully appreciate it, I read through it a few times.

It's the combination of art and verse that grabbed me.  The erratic use of language spread across this book, I thought for sure, it had to be more than three sentences for its message was worthy of a novel. I couldn’t help but feel the emotions this young man was experiencing and identify with his frame of mind.  Where is everyone?  Where was his own family?  His mother was physically glued to the TV, his father boxed in another room coughing, his brother lost inside his video games and the telephone was connected to his sister’s ear.  But, really where were they?  He’s looking for a sign in these individuals as his world spins relentlessly.  There’s too much going on and not enough solid answers, as the state of the world, the pandemic and his own world changes.  Why won’t his parents change the channel?  Why doesn’t anyone change the channel? An excellent hard-hitting question.

The contrasting use of color, the edgy images that spread across the page with the limited use of language allow this book to tap into your soul.  I felt energized yet also saddened as the truth this book conveyed hit me. This is not a book you should rush through but slow-down, appreciate those three sentences and the art that surrounds them.  Make sure you read Reynolds and Griffin section in the back of the book titled, “Is Anyone Still Here?”  I highly recommend this book.    

Title: Once Burned
Series: Night Prince #1
Author: Jeaniene Frost (Narrator: Tavia Gilbert)
Genre: Paranormal Romance - Urban Fantasy
Publisher: HarperAudio
Release Date: June 26, 2012
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 8 hours and 25 minutes
Source: Bought

 

 

 

Angela

I was born and raised in Northern Indiana. I’m an outdoor sun loving reader living near San Fransisco. I’m a mother, wife, dog owner, animal, and book lover. I’m the owner, reviewer, and mind behind Angel’s Guilty Pleasures. My favorite animals are horses & dogs. As for reading I love all things paranormal & urban fantasy. My favorite shifters are dragons!

This is the one that gave me that "Daaammmnnnn!!!...I love this story" feeling.

There was just a whole lot here that pushed the right buttons for me. Diego is a character who I'm pretty sure has shown up on the fringes in most of these books as he's one of the regular bartenders at 'The High & Tight' but it really wasn't until 'Going Overboard' book #5 that we saw any real interaction with other characters from him. He was Dalton's best friend and they have a bit of a history and Diego also has a bit of a history with the navy. A history that's left him angry, frustrated and bitter.

Diego's problems are multi-faceted but for the most part things stem back to his time in the navy, his green card and his immigrant status. I think this part of the story for me was a bit easier to get through because one I'm was born in Canada so natural citizen and two born in Canada so no prior knowledge of U.S. immigration laws which allowed me to avoid the mental conflict of what the story contained vs what I maybe knew to be fact.

For me Diego's issues were used as a representation of the issues that immigrants can face more in response to the challenge of trying to achieve citizenship in another country more so than as realistic reflection of those challenges. 

For me one of the things that I enjoyed most was seeing Diego work through his feelings about the navy and how it contributed to his situation and come to terms with the events of his past so that he could try to build a future.

Captain Mark Thomass is in a very different place in his life and he's had a very different experience with the navy. Mark's career in the navy is winding down and he's getting ready to face retirement when he suddenly finds himself receiving a divorce, a promotion and a ship to command...one would think it was Christmas. Marks a navy man through and through and if the navy's taught him anything it's how to deal so for him...while the divorce may have been a surprise the promotion and the ship were the solution to the dilemma that it created allowing him to move to Anchor Point and start over.

"Once Burned" was a story of opposites attract and starting over. Diego and Mark are two very different people with very different lives and experiences leading to two very different outlooks on life and the navy. Outlooks that more often than not clashed when it came to...you guessed it...the Navy...oh and baseball...come on you didn't really think they'd cheer for the same team now, did you?

I loved the back and forth between these two men as they each found themselves stepping back to look at situations from the other's perspective and found themselves questioning how they thought and felt about things and coming to the realization that more often than not the solution to a situation didn't come from being right or wrong but from compromise.

For me there was a lot of growth for both of these men and sometimes it seemed like one step forward and two steps back but that's a feeling that I think most of us have felt at one time or another in our lives so it was very relatable.

I think this probably would have been a solid 5 star read if the ending had been filled out just a tiny bit more. Compared to the rest of the story I felt like it held a bit of a rushed feeling to it and I admit it I would have liked a bit more happy together Diego and Mark but all in all I connected really well with this story and with Nick J. Russo on board once again for the narration it was a very solid 4+ story and one that I plan on enjoying again in future.

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An audio book of "Once Burned" was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Hello Readers! Today we are going to visit a fire dragon shifter who hides his scarred disfigured body from the world. Enjoy and don't forget to add Burned by J.K. Harper to your shelves!

Dark, dangerous dragon shifters who just need true love...

Fate brought them together--but their love may be a double-edged sword

Fire dragon shifter Ash Connolly is a horrifically scarred man. Burned in a terrible accident years ago, the reclusive billionaire sentenced himself to a life of solitude. Yet when he meets a beautiful, sword-wielding woman, he's tempted to bare his soul in hopes that she will see the aching man beneath the grotesque, broken beast.

Tasked with repairing a priceless manuscript, geeky rare book conservator Teagan Lambert is dumbstruck by its mysterious, sexy owner. A thousand illicit cravings smolder in her dreams, but an extraordinary man like Ash would never notice a clumsy, inexperienced bookworm like her. Even so, she longs to reveal to him the fierce passion in her soul.

But Teagan is about to discover a dangerous hidden world filled with ancient magic, oracles of destiny, and a stunning dragon shifter man who tempts her skittish heart. A world in which even as the blazing passion between them illuminates a destined shared story, a deadly enemy plots a final ending...

Burned in a terrible accident years ago, fire dragon Ash Connolly hides from the world, but he’s tempted to bare his soul when he meets the sword-wielding Teagan Lambert. When Teagan is with repairing a priceless manuscript, she is dumbfounded by its sexy owner and even though she longs to reveal the passion in her soul to Ash, she knows that an extraordinary man like him would never notice a clumsy, inexperienced bookworm like her. But when a deadly enemy plots a final ending to Ash, Teagan is drawn into a dangerous hidden world with the stunning dragon shifter who tempts her heart.

This dragon shifter romance is sweet, exciting and full of passion. The heroine is goes through a wonderful transformation from insecure to a bubbly and strong and the hero overcomes the emotional trauma of his past which really adds depth to this sweet but emotional romance. Ash and Teagan have some electrical chemistry and their relationship is full of passion, surprises and excitement.

The fast paced plot keeps readers glued to the pages with lots of suspense as Ash tries to reclaim his horde and his strength and of course as Teagan discovers this hidden and dangerous world of dragon shifters. The story is further enhanced with deadly excitement as a stunning twists puts Teagan in danger and an unknown their foe plots the final ending of Ash and Teagan’s romance. Readers certainly won’t find a dull moment in which to take a break during this exhilarating romance.

Author's Book Page - http://www.jkharper.com/books/dragon-mates/burned/

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31395428-burned

BookLikes - http://booklikes.com/burned-gavin-d-j-harper-j-k-harper/book,14004749

BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/books/burned-by-j-k-harper

Riffle - https://www.rifflebooks.com/books/1047258

GBooks - https://books.google.com/books?id=Km2bvQEACAAJ&dq=j.k.+harper+burned&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiFos7n8oziAhVCMawKHZ14BosQ6AEIKjAA

Burned is the 3rd book in the Dragon Mates series.

Dark, dangerous dragon shifters who just need true love

Author - http://www.jkharper.com/books/dragon-mates/

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/series/179729-dragon-mates

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0742JQMK7?ref=series_rw_dp_labf

1 Dazzled
2 Thrilled
3 Burned

AVAILABLE in print or ebook

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0741MY2ZF/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl1&tag=jkha0d-20&linkId=92737752c17e27c789ae7fb92f6b1e54

A-UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0741MY2ZF/?tag=harperbooks-21

A-CA - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0741MY2ZF

A-AU - https://www.amazon.com.au/d/B0741MY2ZF

B&N - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/burned-jk-harper/1129408017?ean=9781973982487

J.K. Harper writes about paranormal romance because really fun. She lives in the rugged, gorgeous canyon country of the Southwest, which is a great place to let her imagination run wild.

Website - http://www.jkharper.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JKHarperAuthor

Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/jkharperauthor/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/_JKHarper

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5610652.J_K_Harper

Amazon - http://amzn.to/2fSoA7B

BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-k-harper