A review by booksandmeforevermore13
Bang & Burn by Lindsey Nicole

adventurous lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

For a debut novel, this was really good. It was short, fast-paced, and provided a sort of good balance between the romance and suspense. It definitely keeps you hooked throughout, and I finished it in one sitting.

The story follows Elara, an FBI agent who doesn't get along well with partners and prefers to work alone. However, she doesn't get a say in the matter when Ryder, who has just been transferred to DC, is assigned as her new partner.

As the two are assigned a time-sensitive case involving the disappearance of another agent, they set out to find out what went down. As the two start following the leads, they start forming some semblance of partnership despite Elara's efforts to keep Ryder at arm's length. But things start to get messy the more they dive deeper into the case, and these two seem to have gotten themselves caught up in the midst of something much bigger.

There's still a lot to learn about Elara and Ryder since not a lot about their personal lives or histories was gotten into. Hopefully that will be explored in the next book to give the characters more depth.

I did like how the two started trusting and depending on each other as partners and kind of fell into it right from the start. These two worked really well as a team to figure out the case and what they were up against. I really loved the mystery around the case they were solving and how the two went about getting to the bottom of it. There were some twists and turns, and this story definitely keeps you on the edge.

Although I felt like the relationship between Ryder and Elara progressed far too quickly given Elara's whole stance on working alone and not doing well with partners or being difficult to work with. I didn't find her being difficult to work with, so I wish there was a bit more hostility from Elara's side, if only to prove the point of her not liking to rely on a partner.

The romance between them seemed to progress too quickly given how long they'd known each other, and I wish it had taken a little more time for them to get into that aspect as the story progressed. Although they were good together, I just wish there was something more. Like a much deeper connection or more heartfelt conversations.

The spice was so fucking good. Ryder and his filthy mouth and the way he took control were so hot. There were quite a few spicy scenes, which were all amazing.

This book ends in a cliffhanger, and I'm really eager to see how these two get themselves out of the situation they are in. I won't say more and give anything away, but it definitely is a fun, intense, and quick read.

Thank you to Lindsey Nicole and Luna Literary for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.