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carladelgado's review against another edition
I finished this book in one sitting. It lured me in and then stabbed me in the back. *sigh*
caseroo7's review against another edition
2.0
Review originally posted at Ramblings From This Chick
Let me start off by saying that I hate having to do this. I have really enjoyed previous books from Adriane Leigh, and she is such a nice person. That being said, this book was nothing like I expected and sadly it wasn't for me. I was so excited to read Beautiful Burn after I first heard about it, and teacher student forbidden romance stories are definitely one of my guilty pleasures. While I did finish this book, I had a lot of issues with it. I would recommend that if you don't want anything spoiled that you go ahead and stop reading. I don't think it would be fair to say I had problems and not give examples of what didn't work for me, and that could lead to some parts of this story being revealed that readers might not want to know about going into the book.
Auburn Lawrence and Reed West have always had a special connection since they first met. They share a love of reading and writing and can spend hours together just talking. But while they have always felt a pull towards one another, they have never been able to admit their feelings or take a chance on something because Reed was her teacher. Three years pass without them speaking or seeing each other until Auburn returns home over the summer to take care of her sick grandmother. She decides to take a writing course, and Reed ends up being the one in charge. As Auburn and Reed grow close again, their connection seems to be stronger than ever as though they have spent no time apart. But with the age difference as well as him having been her teacher, things still aren't easy for them. They can't fight their feelings though, and soon their summer is filled with passion and they find themselves desperate for one another. But the closer they get, the more there seems to be standing in their way.
I didn't understand Reed other than to say that he was a guy who wanted what he wanted, and was out to take it. He had his sweet and kind moments, and I honestly thought that he did care about Auburn. But he also strung her along while he wouldn't divorce his wife. Yes, the entire summer they are pursuing the connection and passion between them, he is married and won't get a divorce. He and his wife were separated and had been for awhile, yet he wouldn't divorce her and kept telling Auburn that it wasn't the right time for him which didn't make any sense until the end of the book. I honestly thought that he was never going to leave her, and I couldn't make any sense of his actions. Auburn was a bit weak in that she just seemed to put up with it. She let him call all the shots and keep her a secret, and every time she would even think of putting up a fight she would almost instantly relent and give in. She came off as a bit of a doormat and I didn't get it. I also felt that while they had attraction and chemistry and clearly shared a lot in common, that I just didn't really feel the love between them. They had a connection, but it just felt superficial. I think that is because I feel like we really didn't get to truly know either of these characters. They were flat and didn't really seem to have any depth to them at all. I wanted to know more about them, and I just don't feel like we ever got that.
Another issue I had was that it is billed as a teacher student romance, but yet they aren't really teacher and student. He taught her when she was in high school but now they are both well over legal age. She is 21 and turns 22 during the book while he is stated to be 28. She goes to college and is home over summer break where she enrolls in a writing course. The writing course doesn't actually seem to be for credit though or a grade, so to me it just didn't feel like their relationship was as taboo or forbidden as the author was trying to convince us of. Honestly I thought the bigger problem was the fact he was married rather than the age or teacher/student aspect.
I also will say that I had a huge problem with the ending. I know that this is Adriane Leigh's story to tell and that a lot of people will find the ending heartbreaking yet beautiful. But to me, it was unsatisfying and it made me mad. I felt like I had wasted so much time and emotions getting to this point where things would finally turn around, only to have the rug pulled out from under me. The silver lining in the ending felt too little to me while my heart was still lying on the ground from where the author had just ripped it out of my chest and discarded it. I read romance, and I want a happy ending. It doesn't have to be perfect, but for me this one took me by complete surprise and I didn't find it happy at all. I think had I known what I was getting into with this story that I probably wouldn't have read it. It was sad, and felt like a ton of angst and hype for nothing. I never expected things to go the way they did, and I really felt like this was so different from the blurb and what I had been lead to believe this was about. Clearly there are plenty of others out there that felt differently about this book with the higher ratings that I have seen, so you may still want to give this one a shot. But honestly I just couldn't get over all the issues that I had with this story and then the ending pretty much destroyed all the good that I had felt about it. It was nice that this was told mostly from Reed's POV though, even if I did feel like we missed out on getting to know Auburn better because of it. I am sure that I will read more from Adriane Leigh in the future since I have liked other books by her, this just wasn't the one for me.
**ARC Provided by Between the Sheets Promotions**
Let me start off by saying that I hate having to do this. I have really enjoyed previous books from Adriane Leigh, and she is such a nice person. That being said, this book was nothing like I expected and sadly it wasn't for me. I was so excited to read Beautiful Burn after I first heard about it, and teacher student forbidden romance stories are definitely one of my guilty pleasures. While I did finish this book, I had a lot of issues with it. I would recommend that if you don't want anything spoiled that you go ahead and stop reading. I don't think it would be fair to say I had problems and not give examples of what didn't work for me, and that could lead to some parts of this story being revealed that readers might not want to know about going into the book.
Auburn Lawrence and Reed West have always had a special connection since they first met. They share a love of reading and writing and can spend hours together just talking. But while they have always felt a pull towards one another, they have never been able to admit their feelings or take a chance on something because Reed was her teacher. Three years pass without them speaking or seeing each other until Auburn returns home over the summer to take care of her sick grandmother. She decides to take a writing course, and Reed ends up being the one in charge. As Auburn and Reed grow close again, their connection seems to be stronger than ever as though they have spent no time apart. But with the age difference as well as him having been her teacher, things still aren't easy for them. They can't fight their feelings though, and soon their summer is filled with passion and they find themselves desperate for one another. But the closer they get, the more there seems to be standing in their way.
I didn't understand Reed other than to say that he was a guy who wanted what he wanted, and was out to take it. He had his sweet and kind moments, and I honestly thought that he did care about Auburn. But he also strung her along while he wouldn't divorce his wife. Yes, the entire summer they are pursuing the connection and passion between them, he is married and won't get a divorce. He and his wife were separated and had been for awhile, yet he wouldn't divorce her and kept telling Auburn that it wasn't the right time for him which didn't make any sense until the end of the book. I honestly thought that he was never going to leave her, and I couldn't make any sense of his actions. Auburn was a bit weak in that she just seemed to put up with it. She let him call all the shots and keep her a secret, and every time she would even think of putting up a fight she would almost instantly relent and give in. She came off as a bit of a doormat and I didn't get it. I also felt that while they had attraction and chemistry and clearly shared a lot in common, that I just didn't really feel the love between them. They had a connection, but it just felt superficial. I think that is because I feel like we really didn't get to truly know either of these characters. They were flat and didn't really seem to have any depth to them at all. I wanted to know more about them, and I just don't feel like we ever got that.
Another issue I had was that it is billed as a teacher student romance, but yet they aren't really teacher and student. He taught her when she was in high school but now they are both well over legal age. She is 21 and turns 22 during the book while he is stated to be 28. She goes to college and is home over summer break where she enrolls in a writing course. The writing course doesn't actually seem to be for credit though or a grade, so to me it just didn't feel like their relationship was as taboo or forbidden as the author was trying to convince us of. Honestly I thought the bigger problem was the fact he was married rather than the age or teacher/student aspect.
I also will say that I had a huge problem with the ending. I know that this is Adriane Leigh's story to tell and that a lot of people will find the ending heartbreaking yet beautiful. But to me, it was unsatisfying and it made me mad. I felt like I had wasted so much time and emotions getting to this point where things would finally turn around, only to have the rug pulled out from under me. The silver lining in the ending felt too little to me while my heart was still lying on the ground from where the author had just ripped it out of my chest and discarded it. I read romance, and I want a happy ending. It doesn't have to be perfect, but for me this one took me by complete surprise and I didn't find it happy at all. I think had I known what I was getting into with this story that I probably wouldn't have read it. It was sad, and felt like a ton of angst and hype for nothing. I never expected things to go the way they did, and I really felt like this was so different from the blurb and what I had been lead to believe this was about. Clearly there are plenty of others out there that felt differently about this book with the higher ratings that I have seen, so you may still want to give this one a shot. But honestly I just couldn't get over all the issues that I had with this story and then the ending pretty much destroyed all the good that I had felt about it. It was nice that this was told mostly from Reed's POV though, even if I did feel like we missed out on getting to know Auburn better because of it. I am sure that I will read more from Adriane Leigh in the future since I have liked other books by her, this just wasn't the one for me.
**ARC Provided by Between the Sheets Promotions**
ladiinay's review against another edition
4.0
Heartbreaking
This book was just ok . Originally I was going to rate this story 3 stars . Great story and I must say I really loved the characters . However the underlying problem I had with this was Auburn and Reed's relationship many years ago .
Beautiful Burn is told from the narrative of Reed West , a high school teacher . At the time of the books opening he is teaching a summer writing course . Enter Auburn , she is a dark haired dark beauty who wins the heart of our Mr West . Mr West himself is currently in the process of an ugly divorce with his ex wife . It's obvious throughout the story and in the beginning there is lingering chemistry between these two from when Auburn was his high school student . It is never stated why or how their romance started back then and this is where the story is just empty for me . It becomes hard to understand WHY are these two so in love ? Just from simply knowing each other ? They hangout a lot and drink together and finally end up sleeping together . I can only assume this was their first time and back in high school there was a lot of teacher student flirting going on . Their chemistry was hard to flow with and many parts I felt myself forcing myself to read through this . It seemed very very repetitive . The steamy scenes seemed the same each time . Class then sex , sex then class is what mostly happens and this book moves through their summer fairly quickly . Fairly quick read and moves at a quick pace . Character development is just ok .... he and his ex wife Mel (who we really don't see much of we just know she exists in his life) ? Him and Auburn ?
The ending . Big shocker . I teared up and had to walk away for a moment before I finished the last few pages . I gave this book four stars for the big ending and raw emotion . Overall , this was an ok read ....
This book was just ok . Originally I was going to rate this story 3 stars . Great story and I must say I really loved the characters . However the underlying problem I had with this was Auburn and Reed's relationship many years ago .
Beautiful Burn is told from the narrative of Reed West , a high school teacher . At the time of the books opening he is teaching a summer writing course . Enter Auburn , she is a dark haired dark beauty who wins the heart of our Mr West . Mr West himself is currently in the process of an ugly divorce with his ex wife . It's obvious throughout the story and in the beginning there is lingering chemistry between these two from when Auburn was his high school student . It is never stated why or how their romance started back then and this is where the story is just empty for me . It becomes hard to understand WHY are these two so in love ? Just from simply knowing each other ? They hangout a lot and drink together and finally end up sleeping together . I can only assume this was their first time and back in high school there was a lot of teacher student flirting going on . Their chemistry was hard to flow with and many parts I felt myself forcing myself to read through this . It seemed very very repetitive . The steamy scenes seemed the same each time . Class then sex , sex then class is what mostly happens and this book moves through their summer fairly quickly . Fairly quick read and moves at a quick pace . Character development is just ok .... he and his ex wife Mel (who we really don't see much of we just know she exists in his life) ? Him and Auburn ?
The ending . Big shocker . I teared up and had to walk away for a moment before I finished the last few pages . I gave this book four stars for the big ending and raw emotion . Overall , this was an ok read ....
kayla_llbr's review against another edition
DNF @ 30%
The characters weren't consistent, the transitions between scenes were choppy and confusing, and the story isn't enough to keep me invested. Don't let me put you off to this, as a few of my friends are loving it, it's just not for me.
*ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review*
The characters weren't consistent, the transitions between scenes were choppy and confusing, and the story isn't enough to keep me invested. Don't let me put you off to this, as a few of my friends are loving it, it's just not for me.
*ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review*
babblingchatterreads's review against another edition
4.0
Auburn Lawrence was in West Reed’s English class in high school where they had gotten to know each other but nothing more progressed but a student/teacher relationship. Auburn and West crossed paths 3 years later in a summer class that he was teaching. As they get reacquainted feelings resurfaces but the technicalities of being together is a risk that they have to consider.
“My point in all this was…” I interlaced our fingers as I spoke, “story isn’t about place, Its not about the climax or the resolution; it is about the emption that connects all of us.”
This was more than another love story. It gave you an overall perspective of their situation and whether to finally give into their feelings was worth it. Feeling the intensity between the characters was inevitable but what drew me in were the emotional sides of their story. A 4.5 stars rating to this forbidden student/teacher romance with an ending I surely was not expecting that had me teary eyed! A poetic and heartwarming read that book lovers should pick up today!
“My point in all this was…” I interlaced our fingers as I spoke, “story isn’t about place, Its not about the climax or the resolution; it is about the emption that connects all of us.”
This was more than another love story. It gave you an overall perspective of their situation and whether to finally give into their feelings was worth it. Feeling the intensity between the characters was inevitable but what drew me in were the emotional sides of their story. A 4.5 stars rating to this forbidden student/teacher romance with an ending I surely was not expecting that had me teary eyed! A poetic and heartwarming read that book lovers should pick up today!
jess_readsromance's review against another edition
4.0
I can't even. What an amazing story. There were tears at the end.
I was hooked from the beginning. I loved it through out. I drop a star because of the ending. I felt a little cheated afterward, super unexpected but not sure why it needed to end like that.
I was hooked from the beginning. I loved it through out. I drop a star because of the ending. I felt a little cheated afterward, super unexpected but not sure why it needed to end like that.
becsa's review
5.0
This book is absolutely amazing, beautiful and heartbreaking.
Auburn Lawrence had a crush on her high school English teacher, Reed West, and when she is back in town for the summer from college she takes a writers course taught by the one and only Reed West. Will Auburn act on her crush now that she is older?
Reed West, has separated from his wife and high school teacher, and is trying to get his life together when he sees Auburn West sitting in the back row of his Writers course. He's attracted to her but knows that's as far as anything can go as he is afraid of the repercussions.
Sometimes though things do not go the way you plan and Auburn and Reed embark on a relationship filled with passion and laughter. They are both attracted to each other but Reed still needs to keep the relationship a secret, although Reed sees her as his beautiful burn.
When someone discovers their relationship, they are both put to the test and things begin to unravel. After some devastating news Reed must finally decide what truly makes him happy.
There are not enough ways that I can put this amazing book into words. I absolutely loved the characters of Reed and Auburn and I truly did not find anything wrong with the relationship as they were both consenting adults when they began. This book made me cry and I could not stop thinking about it! I will definitely be picking up another book by Adriane Leigh! Absolutely incredible!!
Auburn Lawrence had a crush on her high school English teacher, Reed West, and when she is back in town for the summer from college she takes a writers course taught by the one and only Reed West. Will Auburn act on her crush now that she is older?
Reed West, has separated from his wife and high school teacher, and is trying to get his life together when he sees Auburn West sitting in the back row of his Writers course. He's attracted to her but knows that's as far as anything can go as he is afraid of the repercussions.
Sometimes though things do not go the way you plan and Auburn and Reed embark on a relationship filled with passion and laughter. They are both attracted to each other but Reed still needs to keep the relationship a secret, although Reed sees her as his beautiful burn.
When someone discovers their relationship, they are both put to the test and things begin to unravel. After some devastating news Reed must finally decide what truly makes him happy.
There are not enough ways that I can put this amazing book into words. I absolutely loved the characters of Reed and Auburn and I truly did not find anything wrong with the relationship as they were both consenting adults when they began. This book made me cry and I could not stop thinking about it! I will definitely be picking up another book by Adriane Leigh! Absolutely incredible!!
jansgarland's review
5.0
WOW! What an amazing read! I absolutely loved this story...so raw! Adriane Leigh knocked this one out of the park!
eantoinette285's review
5.0
I absolutely could NOT put this book down! It grabbed me right from the very beginning and I decided to put off everything I had planned for the day in order to see how it would all turn out.
One thing I had noticed other reviews say was that the story was good for what it was, and I wasn't quite sure how to take that going into the material. Now that I've closed this book, I understand. It's not the typical romance with some drama and an eventual happy ending all tied up in a sweet, little bow. The path Reed and Auburn took together led to an ending I wasn't expecting, and wasn't fully okay with either. Yes, there is the drama and angst, but there's also a bombshell or two that just seemed to come out of nowhere.
Since I had read prior reviews, I knew to tread carefully when approaching this text. I just knew something big would happen in this story, but it wasn't the "something" I was expecting.
Reed and Auburn are pretty amazing. They have such chemistry and they keep crossing paths, but once they decide to become something, will their attraction and magnetic force that pulls them together keep them together in the long run? You'll have to find out for yourself. I really hope you enjoy a good rollercoaster!
One thing I had noticed other reviews say was that the story was good for what it was, and I wasn't quite sure how to take that going into the material. Now that I've closed this book, I understand. It's not the typical romance with some drama and an eventual happy ending all tied up in a sweet, little bow. The path Reed and Auburn took together led to an ending I wasn't expecting, and wasn't fully okay with either. Yes, there is the drama and angst, but there's also a bombshell or two that just seemed to come out of nowhere.
Since I had read prior reviews, I knew to tread carefully when approaching this text. I just knew something big would happen in this story, but it wasn't the "something" I was expecting.
Reed and Auburn are pretty amazing. They have such chemistry and they keep crossing paths, but once they decide to become something, will their attraction and magnetic force that pulls them together keep them together in the long run? You'll have to find out for yourself. I really hope you enjoy a good rollercoaster!