Burden by Annmarie McKenna
M/M Romantic Suspense
Released: July 30, 2013
Samhain
Reviewed by Mandi
Burden has all the makings of a fun story for me – a m/m cop romance with one hero coming off of a traumatic brain injury. Hello angst! Detective Brennan McGuire was in a devastating car accident, that left him a broken man. He now suffers from severe memory loss, a stutter and he has to relearn how to do the most simplest of tasks. When his therapist has him go to the coffee shop to buy a drink and practice using money, Brennan notices a man across the street with a gun. Even with the brain injury, he acts on instinct and tackles the man whom he thinks the gun is aimed towards, saving his life. The man he tackles however, is none too pleased.
Keegan Monroe is also a cop, coming off of a long time undercover assignment. He goes from drinking coffee to having his face smashed into the sidewalk. At first he thinks Brennan is working with the shooter, so he drags him down to the station. With Brennan’s injury, it is hard for him to explain who he is and why he really tackled Keegan. Soon they get it sorted out, but Keegan can’t ignore his attraction to Brennan.
I liked both guys in this book. I liked how Brennan’s injury is portrayed and how frustrated and embarrassed he gets over the fact he can’t do simple things in his life anymore. Keegan is a little more crass, but I still enjoyed him.
However, this book is only a little over 100 pages long. Brennan and Keegan start making out the day of the shooting. I felt like saying, ‘whoa there buddies’ – what ever happened to a little bit of sexual tension or romantic build-up? I wanted them to take their time getting to know each other a little more before jumping in bed together. I wanted Keegan to take a step back and really try to understand Brennan’s circumstances. Being with a man who can not live on his own because he doesn’t have the mental capability is a huge undertaking, and that wasn’t really addressed.
The mystery is also pretty obvious and the big finale where the bad guy confronts everyone is over way too quick.
This story definitely had potential, it just needed a lot more pages to play out.
Rating: C+
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