The Way We Burn

“My brokenness is drawn to his.”

I’m struggling here because I just finished reading this book and I want to write an amazing review that gets across to you how epic this story is, but this is one that must be experienced. You have to go in blind, with an open mind and an open heart. Expect the unexpected, and maybe have a fire extinguisher nearby. Because once you start reading The Way We Burn your kindle might go up in flames if you aren’t careful. The heat will be intense and your fingers might get hot, but I promise that once you start reading you won’t be willing to let go… ever. This story will stay with you. I’ve added it to my ‘favorites’ shelf and I’m visualizing it as a movie. Once the word gets out, Hollywood might be reaching out to M. Leighton. Just a heads-up that she might want to brush up on her screenplay writing skills, just in case.

Without giving away any spoilers, all I can share with you is how the story made me ‘Feel’.

I felt empathy for Noah. “Gorgeous, quiet, tortured Noah.” I felt his pain so intensely as the author put me inside his head and his heart as he remembered his wife.
I felt curious about the details regarding his past. I wanted to know how he ended up in this severely broken state. What happened to his wife? Was she murdered, or was there an accident?
I felt the electrical current that passed between him and the waitress. They were both so broken, but they somehow shared a connection that was a force all it’s own. It was so strong that there were times that the buzz reached me through the pages.
I felt a yearning for them to risk their hearts and give love a chance. I understood why they were afraid and cautious, but damn, surely they could see that what was happening between them was something special, right? And because… “Noah unleashed.”
I felt WTF?
I felt PTSD
I felt rage and started searching for a shovel to throw in the trunk as I considered who to call for bail money if I got caught. Then I hoped that my prison stripes were vertical instead of horizontal so they wouldn’t add pounds. Then I wondered if they served the keto diet in prison.
And finally, I felt everything. Yeah, this amazing story turned me into a hot mess. The author put me through an emotional wringer, and I agreed that, “There’s only one real way out. And that’s through.” Yup, now I need a T-shirt that says, I survived THE WAY WE BURN by M. Leighton.

Was all that clear as mud? Are you intrigued? My mind is blown and this author has earned her way into auto-click status as far as I’m concerned. I’ll be reading whatever she comes up with next, even if it’s just a recipe or her grocery list. The line forms here…

What a love story! Poppy is a waitress in a diner and Noah comes in every day and sits at the same table, barely interacting with anyone. She senses that he is a man haunted by his past, but there is also a connection between them, as if they understand each other even though they’ve never met. Noah has lost everything he loved and valued in his life but in Poppy he sees the wife he lost. As they get closer, their past will threaten their chance at happiness. This is the first book I read by M. Leighton and I loved it, I couldn’t put it down! It was emotional and suspensful and I couldn’t believe the twist, I never saw it coming! Poppy and Noah have many secrets but their love for each other overcomes all obstacles! I can’t wait to read more books by M. Leighton!

This was such an amazing book, it’s a beautiful love story with an unexpected twist.

Noah is truly a special man. All of him. The career man, the husband, the father, the lost and broken soul.

He sees. He sees so much. I didn’t see it. The twists had my head spinning and re-reading pages two or three times. Then bam! Another twist! The story unravels and draws you in immediately, but pay attention! Don’t miss a thing.

Carly is lost, missing. Poppy is frightened and sweet and so innocent. Simone is a siren, dark. The plot thickens and confuses, but at the heart of it, Noah is love. Unequivocal and unconditional love.

Still reeling! I know my review doesn’t begin to do the story justice, so take my word for it. Buy the book, read it, savor it, ponder it and fall in love with Noah.

Wow! M. Leighton has crafted a tight crime drama and romance that will have you on the edge of your seat for the last half of the book. It’s going to be tough to say too much without spoiling, so this review is going to be short.

I’m a big fan of romantic suspense and The Way We Burn has a really nice level of tension and suspense throughout and especially at the end which happens at break-neck speed on top of everything else. There’s a lot going on in this book and if you really pay attention, you’ll might guess at good part of the twists and turns coming, but there were still some twists I didn’t expect and that made for awesomely twisted surprises.

So if you are looking for a dark, romantic, twisty little mystery with a nice level of action, you might just like The Way We Burn.

Wwwoooowww!!!! I had no clue what to expect from this book but let me tell you, I got way more than I ever imagined!

Poppy was such a sweat character who deserved nothing but great things. Simone was a wicked woman who I wanted to choke and Noah was so incredibly strong.

The romance is fierce. The love is strong. The suspense is thrilling. The twist was mind blowing!!!!

It was a twist I beg for in books! I did not see it coming! I literally reread the chapter to make sure I read it correctly! Soooo good!

There were a couple chapters where I kept thinking, What the heck is going on? Little pieces of the story just didn’t add up with me…HOWEVER, as I kept reading, it all hit me at once! A true AHA moment.

I mentioned my huge dislike for Simone but I can also say, she redeemed herself fully in the end.

I would definitely recommend this one to all my fellow book friends!

The Way We Burn by M. Leighton was good. I liked the twist but I figured it out to early in the story so when the reveal happened it was not a huge surprise to me. Still did not take away from the story and M. Leighton is always one of my favorites. She most defiantly knows how to right the steamy scenes.

Tragedy can catapult your life in ways that you never could have predicted. When that tragedy results in the loss of a child, no one can imagine the pain and despair that results from that event. Noah Williamson knows the pain of loss. In fact – he has experienced more than his fair share. How he carries on will the deciding factor on how his future will be impacted from the past.

Loss has led Noah to the diner that he finds himself visiting every morning. Each morning like clockwork, Noah walks into the diner and heads straight to the section of the diner where he knows that Poppy will be working. With a pull towards the waitress, Noah cannot help but try to make conversation with Poppy with each passing day. A slow moving task, but one that leaves them both wondering more about the other.

Poppy doesn’t know a lot about the man that frequents her section of the diner. She can tell you what his food and beverage preferences are, but cannot really tell you anything more intimate about the man that pulls her face into a smile. What Poppy does notice is the fractured soul of a man that is in that diner day in and day out. Noah’s blue eyes have a story to tell, and Poppy isn’t opposed to being the one to delve into his heart.

When Noah asks Poppy to meet him outside of the diner, confusion and curiosity wreck her brain. An anticipation to learn more about the elusiveness that Noah exhibits. Knowing nothing about his man should send up warning flags to Poppy…..only it doesn’t. What she didn’t expect was the slow pace to which Noah led their venture upon. If only Poppy would have know what secrets were lurking beyond their meeting. Would she have taken Noah up on his request? Time has its own way of revealing the past, and Noah and Poppy are about to shatter that barrier in the most unexpected of ways.

Wow……just wow!! First let me start by saying that Michelle Leighton took the style of writing that she has done in the past and turned it upside down. The Way We Burn was nothing like I expected, and everything that I didn’t realize I ‘needed’. A story that is engaging with a twist so profound, the revelation left me reeling!
This is definitely that ‘one novel’ that has a story that’s just waiting to escape with written words. Get ready to be glued to your readers because everything you THINK you know going into this story will be turned on its head. A fantastic journey that Michelle Leighton has penned with such ease it should really be a sin!! Trust me….add this one to your MUST READ list today!!

“I make a point not to notice men, especially gorgeous/dangerous/catnip ones, but Noah even got my attention.”

It has taken me a considerable amount of time to sit down and write my review with this book, which is weird because with anything I have read from Michelle I can easily write down my emotional journey and how much I loved it. This time Michelle threw a curveball at me and what a curveball it turned out to be. This story was everything I needed and wanted and so much more. Michelle Leighton created something special with these characters and I am so glad to have gone on this journey even if I was skeptical. I had faith in Michelle and the stories she tells and it paid off.

“But maybe it’s time I take the leap, take the big risk. Risk another fall just in case I learn to fly”

If any of you have read a M. Leighton book then you know that she can create some special characters. Poppy and Noah are no different. Poppy is a deep and complicated character. The best part is, is that you don’t even know it. Michelle gave Poppy so many layers that after each one is peeled back you can’t help but love her even more. Poppy has so many sides to her and so many sides that she isn’t aware of until Noah brings them out of her.

“I have a feeling that if things progress between Noah and me, it’ll happen like a hurricane. A deceptively calm, shockingly intense, all consuming hurricane. It’ll creep up out of nowhere and hit me hard and fast. It will be relentless. And I will be wrecked.”

Noah, what can I say about Noah? At first he was the source of my skepticism. Usually, for me, I hate when a main character has a deceased significant other. It’s weird I know but it’s a storyline that just doesn’t speak to me. Michelle was able to make me rethink everything. I loved Noah. Noah is quiet, reserved, and oh so mysterious. Not only to Poppy but us as the reader. Noah is fierce when it comes to what he wants and those he loves. We don’t really know much about him for the first half of the book but once Michelle starts peeling back those layers we see the real Noah. The broken, tortured, fierce, loving, all consuming Noah.

“Because I’m yours and you’re mine. Forever. We’re written in ink. Tattooed
inside each other, in the only place that matters.”

The Way We Burn is a story unlike any other we have gotten from Michelle. I know she went outside of her comfort zone in writing and then releasing this book and I will be the first to say that I am so glad that she did it. The story grabbed you from the minute you opened it and didn’t let you go. I can’t even say at the end because I am still thinking about it days later. Be ready for something new and brilliant from Michelle that still has the writing that long time fans have come to love. The Way We Burn is everything you want and nothing you would expect. Be prepared for captivating soul-burning romance and kindle/paperback-dropping twists. This is a story that will stick with you. Be prepared and go in blind. It’ll be worth it.

3 1/2 stars. I went in blind and thought “wouldn’t it be cool if…”. and I was right about the twist. Noah was great but both Poppy and Simone annoyed me a bit. They were both extreme ends of the spectrum. Slutty and virginal…and then I got it! That was on purpose. Derp!