Sandy M’s review of Afterburn by Sylvia Day
Contemporary Romance e-novella published by Cosmo Red Hot Reads from Harlequin 15 Aug 13
I always kick myself when I delay reading a Syliva Day book. It’s never an intentional delay, just things popping up that keep me from enjoying myself so much for several hours. This new story is no exception. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. Thank goodness it’s a novella. I would have been up much later than 2 a.m. if it had been a full-length novel.
Of course, it’s on me that I don’t keep up with my favorites that much, so I had no idea this story about Jackson and Gianna is a two-novella deal. Thus, when I turned the page near the end of the book, thinking there was more to be had, only to find…The End…yeah, I wanted to scream. Because I love Jax and Gia.
They have a history. A fast, furious, and fierce history. One that Jax walked away from without a word. Now years later, after landing the dream job she wanted and mentoring with a strong and savvy businesswoman in the restaurant industry, Gianna isn’t the woman she was back then. Until the man walks back into her life – out of the blue just like he left it before. She tries to resist him. Resist his charm, the way he makes her feel, but Jax is on a mission.
Once he barges in on a business deal that has gone south for her and her boss, Jackson is suddenly everywhere she is. Like he’s trying to wear her down – without any explanation of his disappearing act that left her heart broken. Gia realizes they really didn’t know one another that well during their short affair, but Jax thinks differently. When her resistance hits rock bottom, desire exploding, taking hold and not letting go, these two burn up the pages like you wouldn’t believe. Well, maybe you would, because we’re reading Sylvia Day, and none do it better.
Aside from the sensual hotness that is Jackson, what I like about this story is the way Gianna comes into her own. Under Lei’s tutelage, Gia becomes confident and is on her way to powerful, just like her mentor. This really comes home to her when she decides to take her relationship with Jax in her own hands and show the man who he’s dealing with. I also love Gia’s relationship with her family, especially her brothers. They come from a middle-income background, so when she first met Jax his world threw her for a loop. Now that she can walk through that world without batting an eye, I like that she goes home to her roots when confusion sets in. It’s an eye-opening dichotomy between her family and Jackson’s.
This book is written in first person and is in Gianna’s POV. I’m going to assume Aftershock may be in Jax’s POV, but that’s a pure guess. Despite the fact I didn’t see the end coming when it does, nothing takes away from a Sylvia Day book. I love everything about this short story, and November isn’t that far away to wait for Aftershock.
Grade: A
Summary:
The realization that Jax still affected me so strongly was a jagged pill to swallow. He’d only been part of my life for five short weeks two years ago. But now he was back. Walking into a deal I’d worked hard to close. And God, he was magnificent. His eyes were a brown so dark they were nearly black. Thickly lashed, they were relentless in their intensity. Had I really thought they were soft and warm? There was nothing soft about Jackson Rutledge. He was a hard and jaded man, cut from a ruthless cloth.
In that moment I understood how badly I wanted to unravel the mystery of Jax. Bad enough that I didn’t mind how much it was going to cost me…
Read an excerpt.
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