Red Hot + Blue Reads: Beneath the Burn Review and Author Interview

Book Description:

They meet by chance. The timing is wrong.

Three years later, she finds him again, but their separation was poisoned with narcotics and bloodied by enslavement.

Her freedom gambled away, Charlee Grosky escapes the international businessman who held her captive. But his power reaches beyond her protective barriers and threatens everyone she has come to love.

Jay Mayard wears his tortured secrets under his rock god facade. Drugs are his release, even as he seeks to be the man forged of the steel only she can see.

In a celebrity world filled with paparazzi, groupies, and drugs, Jay and Charlee must face their worst fears. When the battle is over, what will be left...Beneath The Burn.

Genre: Romantic/Erotic Thriller

Content warning: Includes graphic rape, sex, anal, bondage, and violence. Age 18+ only.

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My Review:

Beneath the Burn is a terrific erotic thriller with plenty of action, a chilling villain and an awesome tattoo. There’s great chemistry between Jay and Charlee and it didn't take many pages to care about what happened to them. This is a dark and sexy thriller with one of the most memorable opening sequences I have read in a long while. It’s gritty and graphic and made me immediately intrigued with the main characters.

The secondary characters are great too. Nathan was just super, and I loved him and his dedication to Charlee. She probably wouldn’t have made it against the truly sadistic villain that is chasing her without him.

I really liked Beneath the Burn. It’s got a great mix of action and introspection, very nice pacing, and characters that are interesting and original. Great job with the erotic content, too. It was creepy when it needed to be, sexy and romantic when it needed to be. That's not easy to do.

Great cover too!

5 of 5 flames

BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO THE END FOR THE GIVEAWAY!

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Interview with Pam Godwin, author of Beneath the Burn

First, a little something about Pam...

Pam Godwin lives in Missouri with her husband, their two children, and a foulmouthed parrot. When she ran away, she traveled fourteen countries across five continents, attended three universities, and married the vocalist of her favorite rock band. Now, she resides in her hometown, earning her living as a portfolio research analyst, and living her yearning as a writer.

Java, tobacco, and dark romance novels are her favorite indulgences, and might be considered more unhealthy than her aversion to sleeping, eating meat, and dolls with blinking eyes.

Follow Pam on Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pam's Website

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My Interview with Pam...

Your previous book, Dead of Eve, is a paranormal. What made you want to switch genres to write Beneath the Burn?

After two years writing DOE, I needed a break from the characters. Apparently, I needed a break from the genre as well. The two books are incomparable to each other.

What sort of research did you do when writing Beneath the Burn? What did you find most interesting during your research process, even if it didn't make it into the book?

I look up everything from what crop fields smell like in Texas in July to the statuary rape laws by state. The bulk of my research, however, focused on national defense technologies, the side effects of various street drugs, and the psychology behind BDSM. I also read The Bodyguard Manual by Leroy Thompson. Did you know that professional bodyguards have checklists for every location and every potential event? Airport, hotel and restaurant check-lists, city files, and VIP Appearance site surveys. Crazy job. Almost made me want to pursue it as a new profession. Almost.

I see you married the vocalist of your favorite rock band. How did that influence your writing of Beneath the Burn?

The years I trailed my husband's band inspired a number of scenes in the book, as well as most of the terminology and slang used. Representing groupies in an unsavory light was difficult because I was one myself for so long. To be honest, I've never met a hateful or jealous groupie. Nevertheless, keeping excitable fan hands off my man prompted enough drama to limn the pages of a book.

What books have most influenced you?

Anita Blake is the one of most influential characters I’ve read. She's such a sympathetic, relatable badass, but when the series gave up plot in favor of pointless sex-sex-and-more-sex, disappointment spurred me to start writing. My favorite books, The Kushiel Legacy series by Jacqueline Carey, inspire me through its passionate prose and unforgettable characterization.

Can you tell us a foul-mouthed parrot story?

My African Grey parrot knows around 2000 words, every English swear word, and can mimic any natural/electronic sound and vocal tone to unnerving perfection. One night, the battery runs low in one of my home fire detectors. It gives a high pitch beep every five seconds. I follow the sound. Pinpoint the alarm. Change the battery. Good to go. Next night, the beep screeches again. I follow the sound. Same alarm? What the hell? I change the battery. The high-pitch beeping continues. I change the battery in the next detector. Beeps blare on and I'm out of batteries. After a midnight run to the store and battery changes in all ten detectors in the house, the alarm continues to scream. By now, you've figured out why. Sadly, it took me several hours to remember the douchebagadry of my mimicking parrot--I say this with the utmost affection now that I no longer want to strangle his chicken neck at three in the morning.

What's up next for you?