When you read the fourth paragraph of my review for Burning Wild, you will see why I loved this book so much. But let me stress something that was not included in my detailed description. Burning Wild is very edgy and dark, darker I think than anything else Christine Feehan has wrote. Some people may think it is too edgy but for me, it makes Jake the way he is. If he was not so alpha male and so domineering of a character, then Emma would not be able to soothe the savage beast per se. Jake and Emma’s characters and their characteristics fit together because of who they are and because each fit together like a puzzle piece or yin and yang. For this reason alone, I have picked Burning Wild for this month’s CTRR Award, because they just fit.
Christine Feehan’s Bio: I write every day and have done so since I was old enough to pick up a pen. (I spent a lot of time getting in trouble at school for writing instead of doing the things I was supposed to do.) Once I create my characters, I try very hard to have them react to situations as they really would. Sometimes I have preconceived ideas of what I would like them to do, but they don’t mind me, because it would be out of character for them. They take on a life of their own. Sometimes when I throw difficult situations at them in the hopes I’ll get a certain reaction and they don’t do what I want, I complain bitterly to my husband and he laughs at me. Still, it is important to me to have them be real, not perfect people, so they make mistakes we lesser mortals might make.
Burning Wild, which is a part of the Leopard series, can be read as a standalone. Ms. Feehan has outdone herself in her writing, bringing the story of two people who have survived tragedy together in this sensational novel. The horrible abuse that Jake is raised with brought such an air of sadness; as he got older, his naïveté toward everyday happiness was such a contrast with his bad boy personality. How a woman like Emma, someone beautiful from the inside out, brought the simple pleasures into his life was so achingly and exquisitely told, it left me breathless with wonderment. If you pick just one book this year to read, make it this stunning story of survival that will have your heart aching, tears tracking down your face, and at times make you smile from ear to ear.
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