Review and Giveaway: Hope Burns

Hope Burns (Hope - Book 3) by Jaci Burton

Publication Date: 09/30/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Jove
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 304
ISBN-10: 0425259781
ISBN-13: 978-0425259788

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Jove)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound

Jaci Burton on the WEB: website, blog, twitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series: 

0.5. Hope Smolders (in Hot Summer Nights)
1. Hope Flames
2. Hope Ignites
3. Hope Burns

Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from, Hope Burns, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature

Synopsis:

A novel of small-town hearts and big dreams—from the author of Hope Ignites and the Play-by-Play novel Straddling the Line…

“PREPARE TO FALL IN LOVE…”—Jill Shalvis 

Molly Burnett dreads returning to her hometown of Hope for her sister’s wedding, especially knowing she’ll have to endure a weekend with the one man she never wants to see again. It’s only a couple of days, so Molly will try to forget her painful past with high school sweetheart Carter Richards. Because despite the bitter memories, she still can’t forget what they once meant to each other.
 
But when Molly is forced to extend her stay, Carter sees this as his second chance to do things right, to start over again with the only woman he’s ever loved. This time, he isn’t going to let Molly run. Together they’re going to confront the past and put it behind them, and hope for a future as bright as the flame that still burns hot between them.

Thoughts:

Jaci Burton brings readers a second chance love story with the third book in the Hope series. Hope Burns finds the small town inhabitants of Hope, Oklahoma getting ready for a wedding. Happiness seems contagious except for the bride's sister, who left Hope in her wake many years ago. Molly plans to breeze in and back out of Hope in a whirlwind but Jaci Burton had other plans for her. Readers will love the small town setting, the love of family and friends and a love that has lasted through the years and the miles.

What I liked:

The small town of Hope, Oklahoma has really gotten under my skin. I love good small town setting for a novel and Jaci Burton has really provided that for this series. Hope is a place that might remind you of your own small town roots. In this series we get to know the locals through, the sheriff's department, the local vet, a surrounding ranch, the bakery, the local car mechanic and everybody's favorite hangout, the local bar. Readers will quickly fall in love with this backwater town and it's inhabitants. Burton has created a place many readers would like to call home. 

The characters are also a fun group. In Hope Burns readers are treated to Emma and Luke's wedding, the main characters from book one of the series. Not only do the characters from previous books become a part of this story, but a very important part. Molly is Emma's sister. She has been away from Hope for a very long and really doesn't want to return now. I thought Burton did a great job with Molly's reasons for being away. I can see a woman running from her past in this way. Everyone is such an integral part of this town, Molly could never have avoided Carter any other way. I liked the long lost sister theme and I loved the way the town was quick to re-embrace Molly and want her to stay.

Carter was a great hero. Yes, he made a tragic mistake with Molly, right out of high school. But that's been a long time and he has grown up a lot. I wouldn't say that he has changed because he was a good guy back then too, but he has matured and become more experienced and seasoned in life. He knows more of who he is and he's comfortable with himself. His confidence and swagger were appropriate and hard earned. Burton did a wonderful job of showing the man Carter had become as opposed to the boy he had been.

I loved these two together. This is my favorite book of the series so far. There was just something about Carter and Molly that resonated with me. When you are in high school everything is emotional and chaotic. Bad decisions are easy to make and I loved that Burton gave them both a second chance. Second chance romances have become some of my favorites. I wasn't sure in the beginning how Carter was going to convince Molly to stay, but it all worked out for awhile, before the urge to run hits Molly hard. This is an emotional and heartfelt happy-ever-after that will have readers rooting for Carter and Molly, from the first day outside the bakery. An all around great read!

What I didn't like:

I'm not sure I am an advocate for sex without strings relationships. Yeah, that sounds good on paper, makes for some great reading sometimes, but is it realistic? Emotions always get involved and I think maybe there may have been another, better way to get these two together. But I still liked this book soooo much!

Bottom Line:

This is a great second chance romance that will have readers smiling from ear to ear, from the dolphin in the town square, to the skeleton's hanging from the tree's in Carter's yard at Halloween. There was so much home town spirit and comraderie among friends. I loved all of the relationships that were forming from the girl's day outs to hanging at Bash's bar. A really great addition to the series!

Hope Burns is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Jaci Burton is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of over 60 books. She lives in Oklahoma and when she isn't on deadline, she can usually be found trying to convince her husband to remodel some room or another in their house (she blames HGTV for this). She loves gardening, sports, casinos and getting lost in a great book. She's a total romantic and longs for the happily ever after in every story, which you'll find in all her books.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Hope Burns by Jaci Burton.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, October 17th.

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