Far away from the busy streets and dreary skies of London rests the white isle. Home to hedonism, immaculate sandy beaches, and utter tranquility. While holidaying on the island with a group of his best friends, and desperate to leave behind the stresses of London as well as the harmful memories of his ex, he meets Lyric; a man who epitomises the bohemian vibe of his beloved Ibiza.
As romance quickly blossoms between the two, Lenox begins to feel that he may have finally found someone special to help him escape the suffocating clutches of his life in the UK. But when things take a drastic turn, both begin to realise that there are two sides to every person and that some things are better kept hidden.
Sunburnt is a story of romance, intrigue, and deep twisted secrets that takes the idea of a holiday romance to catastrophic new heights.
Reviewer: NeRdyWYRM
Twisty McTwisterson
This was not what I expected. The blurb doesn't exactly lend itself to giving readers a better idea of what this book is about, but honestly, I don't see how it could be less misleading without giving too much away. Long story short, in totality, this is not a romance. It's really more of a thriller with romantic elements.
The writer does a really good job of fleshing out the characters and also the setting. I have been to Ibiza and I swear, I could smell the ocean and the sunscreen; I could feel the hot sand and hear the music. I felt like the author stepped into my memories and dropped the characters right in the middle of them. The descriptions were very, very successful.
As for the MCs, Lenox ... well, Lenox kind of pissed me off. I absolutely could not blame him for wanting to live it up. Ibiza really does lend itself well to that kind of thing. What I did not like was the way he basically blew his friends off. Although it was kind of hard to be mad at him at all considering what happened later, it was still a douche move. Since getting led around by your *cough* less intelligent head seems to be a common trait, I believed it, I just didn't like it.
Lyric would have been hard to pass up regardless, and was an interesting character the whole time. I felt the chemistry and the guys were really hot and sweet together. That nostalgic summer beach-y romance feel hit me right in the solar plexus. I know what that feels like.
What does surprise me a little is that I had kind of a vibe about Lyric from the beginning, like something was a little off, even though I couldn't put my finger on it. There was little or no foreshadowing to support that feeling so I was blindsided. I expected things to continue as they began.
Yeah, not so much. Eep!
Sure, this was a little bit of a romance and a whole lot of thriller, but when I left it, I was just sad. Had I known what it actually was, I'm not sure I would have read it. I can't really say much more without spoiling the major plot twist, but let's just say I like for everybody to be alive when I'm done reading something that's supposed to be a "romance".
And on that note, I'll stop yapping at the book and get straight to the recommendation.
If you're looking for love, or hot beach bodies, or fun, sun, and sand, you'll get that here. If you're looking for mystery, suspense, and a little bit of a crazy ride, you'll get that too. If you're looking for an HEA, well, you'll have to look elsewhere.
Is this a good book. Yes. It just wasn't what I expected. If you keep in mind the ^^wills and won'ts^^ you'll be just fine, and if nothing else, you can do a little imaginary traveling to a beautiful out of the way Spanish island in the Mediterranean.
More reviews by NeRdyWYRM can be found on Goodreads here.
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An ARC copy of this title was provided for an honest review.
Yeah, this book is not what it's supposed to be. I love it when books are different. Don't have a HEA or even when the main character dies. At the same time this book is marketed completly wrong. It's marketed as a romance when in fact it's a dark thriller.
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