I’m generally not a huge fan of erotic romance, but Wicked Burn is a page turner with smokin’ hot love scenes and an interesting plot revolving around two wounded characters. However, I must state for the record that I do not believe incredible sex heals all wounds.

Niall Chandler is divorcing her husband as a result of his extreme mentally instability following the murder of their four year-old son. Though she is so scarred that she can’t even bring herself to mention her son’s name, Niall knows that to survive she must actually live life. Her new neighbor, Vic Savian, is the first person to make her feel the burn of life since the tragedy three and a half years earlier.

Vic has his own deep scars stemming from an intense relationship gone bad, wounds that have also helped to shape his career as a successful playwright. When his opportune erotic encounter with Niall leaves him thirsting for more, he uses his gruff and blunt nature to ensure that she has no choice but to go along for the ride. However, as Vic grows closer to Niall and shares more of himself, he can’t understand why she won’t do the same. He sees the grief in her eyes, knows she’s haunted by her dreams, and grows increasingly frustrated by her lack of trust in him. When some of Niall’s secrets come to light, Vic feels betrayed, Niall feels abandoned, and they go their separate ways. As Niall finally comes to grips with her life, she realizes she wants to fight for her relationship with Vic.

In erotic romance I often get bored with what seems like repetitive sex and I didn’t get bored with Vic and Niall. He is a man of few words who dominates the sex the couple has, giving terse but specific directions with regards to what he wants to do. The dialogue itself ratchets up the sensuality a few notches. The action of the book is incredibly fast, yet well paced. Enthralled by the characters and their difficulties – especially Niall – I finished the story in what seemed like no time. Her problems, much more so than his, would present serious difficulties in any relationship and I was eager to see how the issues would be resolved.

Though this book intrigued me almost the entire way through, I was incredibly disappointed and angry with the ending. As a result, I lost sleep – not what I read romance for. Mild spoiler ahead: When Niall finally finds a way to disclose her tragedy, Vic’s answer is to pull out the sex toys. Though the things they do show she has complete faith and trust in him, I felt as if the actions belittled something incredibly profound – the loss of a child through a senseless act of violence. When he realizes what he’s done, he wants to make things right, but before he can do so, he finds her naked in his bed. By the end of the book, I’d lost respect for both characters.

Though not perfect, there is certainly more good than bad in Wicked Burn. If it weren’t for my vast disappointment with the characters in the last four chapters, this would have been one of the best erotic romances I’ve ever read.