Burned by Sarah Morgan

Remember how much I loved Sleigh Bells in the Snow? Ever since I read that one I have been religiously watching for any Sarah Morgan books on NetGalley. Burned was released back in May, and I even requested it then, but I'd pretty much forgotten it was on my Kindle.  Burned does NOT fit the same mold as the other Sarah Morgan books.




Here's the summary:
Join London's hottest martial arts gym now!
Every girl needs some self-defense. But at Fit and Physical, you'll learn martial arts and get fit at the same time. Look great, feel better and kick a little butt! Check out one-on-one personal training with our favourite karate black belt, Rosie Miller. She loves her job, the world of martial arts, and her life is just…well, brilliant.
Trainer and martial artist Rosie Miller's zen is seriously compromised when Hunter Black—her former coach and lover—becomes her new boss. With all the sexual energy still crackling between them, her poor little zen doesn't stand a chance. So this time, Rosie is determined to do more than put up self-defense. She and Hunter are going to play by her rules….


Ok so once again I feel like the summary isn't really accurate. (Who writes these things anyway?) It's true, Rosie is a trainer and a black belt, but all isn't sun and roses for her, and everything goes from crummy to awful when Hunter buys her gym.  This is a novella and there really isn't enough space for any outside conflict, so all the problems with their relationship come from within. Within Rosie, to be specific. Rosie and Hunter have a past- he was her first, and he walked away from her five years ago. Rosie is absolutely certain that he left because she was so clingy and she's mortified to have been that way. She barely gives Hunter a chance to explain his reasons and I found her insistence on her past immaturity to be a bit annoying. She really was very young and Hunter leaves to give her a chance to grow a bit. Once he's back in the picture, he's  much less resistant to a reunion than Rosie.


I'd give Burned a C for romance and plotting, but much higher for the sexual tension level. This book is part of the Cosmo Red Hot Reads series and it definitely shows. Would I read another one of these? Probably if it were by a recommended author, but otherwise there really wasn't enough meat to the story.