Review: I'm in!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 6, 2014
Allow me to ramble for a minute...I've had a long week. Last night, I got home after finishing my fourth 13 hour day in a row, following a whirlwind out-of-town business trip. I wanted to sit and relax for a minute before bed. I skimmed through my Kindle, and there was Burn For Me. Oooo! I thought. I'll start this, then finish it up tomorrow... Ha! An hour and some later, I finished it. I. Could. Not. Put. It. Down. I was sucked in from the first scene. I wanted to see what would happen between Tate and Ali. I wanted to know more about Tate's mother. I am so in for this series, which is about the scandalous secrets in the little town of Madison.What worked for me - Shiloh Walker's writing style captivates me. She has an uncanny knack for getting right to the meat of the character's emotions, and splaying them open for examination by the reader. Her writing is raw, and real, and evocative. Tate is shut down to the idea of entanglements of any kind. His release comes in the form of his art, and yes, sex. He and Ali have been fun buddies for several years. Even though he knows he has feelings for her, he finds it impossible to express them. It is only when he faces losing Ali that he is able to examine his tangled emotions. Great growth from his character.Ali is a single mom of two little boys, and part owner of the local pizza place. Her realization that her relationship with Tate had to grow or go was wrenching, because Ali was coming from a place of self-protection rather than one of manipulation. Her statements to Tate about the state of their relationship were not delivered as an ultimatum; rather, Ali was stating her own truth. Tate's reaction made me tear up, and Ali's genuine grief hurt my heart. But, in true Walker fashion, growth can only come from a place of pain, and facing one's greatest fears. Oh, so good!What didn't work as well - I can't really think of anything.Bottom line - I don't really like a lot of angst, usually, but I love Shiloh Walker's work. Rather than frustrating me with stupid, pointless conflict, her books have genuine issues with deeply emotional resolutions. I always feel kind of cleansed when I finish one of her books, like I have come through the fire with the characters, and have emerged with a greater understanding of myself.I can't wait for the rest of the Secrets&Shadows; series, and have already preordered the next two novellas, and the novel.