The Truths We Burn, the second book in the Hollow Boys series by Monty Jay, is live!

Dark, gritty and intense, this is a second-chance-romance with a difference, and I loved it!

 

 

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Blurb

Beneath the deepest parts of Ponderosa Springs lied secrets that we never meant to be uncovered.

Blood has soaked the hands of those we trusted most. Decrepit intentions finally come to light.

And now truths are ready to be incinerated in the open for everyone to witness.

I was ready to watch this town that made me the villain, Rot in front of my eyes, but it seems ghosts don’t stay buried here either.

Everyone’s favorite sweetheart has returned to Hollow Heights dragging nothing but unanswered questions and grim memories behind her.

A distraction I can’t afford with the police sniffing around.

A mistake that torched my last piece of humanity.

The dirty little secret that has returned searching for closure surrounding her sister’s mysterious death.

But I know the innocent, lost girl is an act. Underneath it’s just another part of her show.

They all are eating from the palm of her hand, puppets on her string.

But not me.

I see her for what she truly is, I always have.

A fake. A manipulator. A liar.

I won’t let her ruin all we have worked for. I refuse to let her derail our plan of vengeance.

I’ve played your game once before, Sage, now it’s time to play mine.

And you’re not making it out without getting burned.

 

 

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Review

“We are bad people who do very bad things. Very well.”

4.5 dark and gritty stars

Wow, what an intense read! A dark and gritty second-chance-romance, this is a fantastic follow up to The Lies We Steal, getting us deeper into the world of the Hollow Boys, and I could not put this book down.

This is the second book in the series, and I would definitely recommend reading these books in order, so pick up The Lies We Steal and dive on in to the violent, tragic and messed up world that is Ponderosa Springs.

The series began with four troubled and twisted delinquents seeking vengeance for the death of Rosie, the girlfriend of one of the boys, and one of their own that they all cared deeply for. Ruthless, cruel and violent, nothing is off limits for these boys – closer than brothers – and there is nothing they won’t do as they seek retribution, and protect their own.

A darkness, a hunger that lives inside each of us.
Separately, we are just kids born with tragedy leaking from our split veins.
Together, we are utter chaos.

This book takes us back a year, where we meet Sage, Rosie’s twin sister, a high school senior and the golden girl. She is the popular one that all of the girls want to be, and all of the boys want to date, but deep down, she is hiding dark and painful secrets. Her whole life is a lie, her popularity is a mask that she wears to hide her demons, and she’s drowning.

Of course she knows the Hollow Boys – her sister is dating one of them – but they’ve always been someone she scorns and stays away from.

Criminally insane and psychotically hot … Fun to look at , but under no circumstances do you touch.

Until Rook Van Doren captures her attention. Rook has a tragic past and a violent home life, and his predilection for fire and flame is well known. He’s light-heartedly sarcastic, and perhaps has a bit more emotion than his friends, but he doesn’t show it, and he’s just as vicious as the rest of them. He’s just the person that Sage needs.

“I need you to help me take the mask off. You’re the only person I know not hiding from the world. You burn for it. This place, it’s eating me alive, turning me into a person I don’t recognize. Show me anarchy, show me something violent.” I shake my head, needing to feel that escape. “Show me all your truths, Rook. And I’ll show you mine.”

Their hook up is supposed to be one time only, but once is not enough, and Rook and Sage quickly begin meeting up in secret, and holy freaking damn! The sex is intense, hot, filthy, and full of dirty talk (seriously, who are these kids?). There is some violence and degradation kink – absolutely consensual – and it’s all very graphic, so just beware of that if you prefer your romance on the softer side. And man, is it intense! The more time they spend together, they begin to open up and get to know each other, and before too long everything between them has changed.

“Can I keep you?”

But then tragedy strikes, and the younger lovers are torn apart. It’s almost a year later when Sage comes strutting back to Hollow Heights University, on her own mission to avenge her sister, and she knows the boys are just the ones to help her do it… though the boy she left behind is not happy to see her.

He’s lost all emotion in regard to me, and that hurts the most. Knowing that he feels absolutely nothing towards me.
The Rook I’d once known.
The one who’d so desperately wanted to keep me.
The boy I thought could love me…
Is gone.

It’s a great set up, and the story is full of twists and turns to get to this point. There’s a lot going on, with lots of different dynamics at play, and I was glued to my kindle watching it all unfold.

As a mad romance fan though, it was all about the second-chance romance for me, and talk about intense! Rook is understandably furious with Sage, and he holds nothing back in letting her know that. There is so much anger and pain between them, and while she’s trying to convince the boys that she can be trusted to help them with their revenge, she’s got even more to prove to Rook, and every moment with them is just dripping with intensity.

I hated her for ruining something that powerful. A bond that my heart desperately tried to argue could not be faked. That what we had was real.

“I don’t know what it is I feel towards Sage … But whatever it is, it’s mine.”

Like the first book, this one is full of triggers, with violence, torture and death, parental abuse and childhood sexual abuse (off the page), but it’s a part of who these characters are, and they have heartbreakingly legitimate reasons for doing what they do. Honestly, it’s deserved, it’s just a bit nasty to read at times. And with so many bad guys to deal with, there’s a lot of it.

But at the centre of this story is a heartfelt story about two people with so much pain in their lives, learning to deal with the pain and demons from their past, figuring out who and what they want to be, and then finding the strength and courage to push forward.

I’ve been told since I came back about how I’d fallen from grace. How I’d become someone completely different than who I used to be. But I think that’s because I’m becoming the person I was always meant to be.
And I want to do that, standing next to the person I was always meant to be with.

And, of course, the love story is gorgeous. The romance is a bit more obvious than the first book in the series, and I was here for it.

“I’m keeping you.”
… “You’ve always had me, Rook. Always.”

There’s hints at the story for the next book, and colour me intrigued! I’m also starting to develop some theories about the final book. I’m loving getting to know these characters more, seeing their incredible bond, and watching as their girls come into their lives. It’s a great dynamic, and an intriguing world, and I am so excited for more.

4.5 stars!

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

The Hollow Boys

 

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Meet the Author

Monty Jay likes to describe herself as a punk rock kid, with the soul of a gypsy who has a Red Bull addiction. She writes romance novels about insane artists, feisty females, hockey players, and many more.

When she isn’t writing she can be found reading anything Stephen King, getting a tattoo, or eating cold pizza.

 

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