REVIEW: Burn by Maya Banks

In Burn (Breathless #3) by Maya Banks, Businessman Ash McIntyre is powerful, rich, successful and exudes charm. He may seem laid back around the ladies, but inside he hides an intensity and need for dominance, for control. He is not, however, used to being the third wheel in many situations. Now that his best friends, and business partners, Gabe and Jace have found their soulmates, Ash is left on the sidelines. He honestly couldn’t be happier for them, though. They are his family, and even though they are not blood related, they have formed a bond much greater than he has ever had with his own parents and siblings. Ash and Jace especially have been a formidable pair for years, engaging in casual threesomes with lovely ladies up until Jace fell almost instantly for Bethany. Now Ash is on his own socially and it gives him a chance to tap into that dominance he’s been keeping at bay for a while.

“This woman did it for him. He had no explanation for why. He barely knew her, but he knew he had to have her. Knew he would have her. Knew they were going to be tangled up and that he had no desire to extricate himself. “

Ash spots an intriguing young woman in the park while out clearing his mind one afternoon. She’s concentrating on a sketch when he approaches and startles her. He’s intrigued to find out that it was him she was sketching and notices the jeweled collar she’s wearing. He wonders if she’s a submissive. Through their brief conversation he learns just enough to entice him to pursue Josie. He knows he wasn’t the only one to feel the electricity in the air between them. Ash begins to research Josie and have his security follow her to ensure her safety and find out how he can “bump” into her again. The opportunity presents itself to help her out financially without her knowledge. He arranges for them to meet and they have a life-altering dinner together. Ash is so taken with Josie that he pushes her to agree to enter into a relationship with him and to become his submissive. But he guarantees her that he will not be like her former Dom Michael. Ash will give her everything she ever needs and will ensure her safety and, yes, love her.

“But as he guided her toward his bedroom, he acknowledged that he didn’t want just to own her body. He wanted to own her heart. And while he would possess her body in short order–as he’d already possessed her once–it would take much more effort and time to own the parts of her she held most dear. Her heart, mind and soul. He wanted them all. Wouldn’t settle for anything less than all of her. Now he just had to convince her.”

After Josie agrees to think about taking his offer, he doesn’t hear from her for a few days and begins to worry that he should have pushed harder for her to answer him right away. When he finds out that it’s due to her being assaulted by Michael, Ash loses his mind, filled with fury. No one hurts his loved ones and gets away with it. He makes the decision to move Josie into his apartment immediately and have security watch over her while he deals with her former Dom. Ash does everything in his power to take care of her and treats her with the utmost respect. He’s never felt so possessive and fallen so deeply for someone before and it’s a new world. He and Josie realize their personalities fit together perfectly, and also find they are exceptionally well matched in the bedroom. Ash shows her that even though he is intense and gives in to his dominant side, he also cherishes her and enjoys giving back to her in every way he can. But when Josie learns of a few details Ash skimmed over regarding the beginning of their relationship, he’s in danger of losing her forever. And then when a scorned former business associate chooses just that moment to try to teach Ash, Gabe and Jace a lesson by trying to harm Josie, Ash has to make some tough choices to save her life.

“But the thought of being with Ash, of belonging to him in the sense he was talking about, scared her. He was overwhelming in every sense of the word.
‘I think you know I want you, Josie. I certainly haven’t made it a secret. The question is whether or not you want me and what I can give you. But you also need to think about all I would take. Because I take a lot. I give more, but I take everything.'”

Josie Carlysle couldn’t help sketching the gorgeous man who was standing, deep in thought, while she was sitting in the park. There was something so intense in the emotions playing across his handsome face. The moment he walks up to her and begins to speak, she feels such an incredible spark between them that it takes her by complete surprise. Josie is embarrassed when he figures out that she was drawing him, and that he also recognizes the significance of her collar. Her Dom Michael is certainly not as intense as Ash appears to be, and even though she’s been with him a while, she knows their relationship isn’t going to last. Ash makes his interest in her clear and speaks about a type of relationship she has only dreamed of before. She ends up breaking it off with Michael after thinking about what Ash said, and is more than a little annoyed that she can’t get him out of her head. They bump into each other and she haltingly accepts his offer for a date. He notices Josie isn’t wearing the jeweled collar any longer and expresses his need to enter into a relationship with her. He promises her it will be extremely different than how Michael treated her and that she would be the one to benefit. Josie can’t believe how badly she wants to accept his invitation but takes a day to think about it. She is attacked by Michael the next day for ending their relationship. When Ash finds out, he goes into alpha male role and moves her into his apartment, under lock and key. Things actually progress better than she could’ve imagined and Ash turns out to be everything she’s ever wanted in a lover and boyfriend. Just when things are looking up, Josie uncovers something Ash neglected to mention when she moved in and she feels it threatens her independence. She has to decide if it’s worth ending their new romance or if she’s just overreacting to the situation.

I have to say that Maya Banks didn’t disappoint with book three in the Breathless trilogy! I completely enjoyed reading about Gabe and Jace in the previous two books, but I think Ash’s story just might be my favorite one out of the bunch. I felt like he and Josie fit together well as a couple, her creative side balancing his highly focused business mind. And even though their relationship took off at warp speed, it worked perfectly for their situation. I really liked that even though Ash seemed like the most laid back of these three powerful businessmen, he is really the most intense and demanding, proving that looks can truly be deceiving. As always with Maya’s writing, the love scenes were scorching hot and this one delved a bit into the Dom/sub world without being overbearing. Definitely check this out if you love sexy alpha males with good intentions and strong beautiful women who fall head over heels in love…but on their own terms.

Book Info

Publisher: Berkley Trade  Release date: August 6, 2013 | Series: The Breathless Trilogy (Book 3)