Review: Down in Flames by Sarah Ballance

Down in Flames by Sarah Ballance

Publisher: Noble Romance
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Heat Rating: 2

Blurb

When Jack Gellar returns to Jefferson Heights after five long years and an unforgettable betrayal, is his appearance the last thing Molly Coleman needs in her tragedy-stricken life . . . or the first?

Molly just lost her entire family, and now her home and business are both on the line. An unexpected encounter with the one man who can put the pieces back together leaves her reeling, for he can just as easily destroy what little she has left. Jack has a lot to prove to win her back, but when a lapse in judgment turns into an ultimatum he can’t refuse, will his choice bring them together or tear them apart for good?



Denise's Review

Can you go home again or did DJ Shadow get it wrong?

Molly hasn’t seen Jack in five years, and wasn’t quite prepared for his return. She remembers him as a cocky, womanizing playboy from school who nearly conned her into sacrificing her virginity. While she can’t say she’s thrilled to see him again, she likewise can’t deny the magnetic pull between them.

For a debut novel, Ms. Ballance has certainly set the bar high. Her characters are round and vivid, and her writing itself definitely stands apart. I rather liked the little resistance between Molly and Jack in the beginning—though Molly resented the hell out of Jack, she found herself easily drawn to him, even against her better judgment. Rather than make the conflict stem directly from the two leads, Ms. Ballance wisely went the alternative route of creating friction from exterior obstacles, be it the string of ex-loves in Jack’s past—one in particular determined to dig her claws in—or the fight over the property Molly calls home.

With rich characters and a set conflict, this is one you can barely stand to put down. Ms. Ballance is an intensely promising new talent, and I eagerly await her next work.

4 1/2 Tea Cups!