In Burning Up, Susan Anderson brings old grudges and ruined reputations back to life with a depiction of high school days that is unerring in its accuracy. Despite some issues with the heroine’s motivation, I gobbled up Burning Up in one sitting.

In high school, Macy O’James is the girl with the reputation. And not a good one. She's falsely labeled a tart and takes the blame for hitting three high school boys with her car and ruining their lives. Now, ten years has passed and Macy is back in town to help her cousin, Janna, who is recuperating from a hit and run. The town of Sugarville, WA is buzzing about her return and in her determination to show the people who scorned her that she doesn’t care what they think of her, she proceeds to live down to her unwarranted reputation.

Gabriel Donovan used to be a wild one back in his youth. Now he’s the law abiding, respectable fire chief of Sugarville. What could be more respectable than dating a straight-laced teacher and keeping his emotions in check? In check, that is until Macy O’James sashays into town with her knock out body, gorgeous face and come hither smile. But Gabe soon discovers that for all her bravado, Macy uses her wigs and clothes as a mask to cover a vulnerable woman who is beautiful inside as well as out.

I really did enjoy Burning Up. It has this lovely hometown feel to it, warts and all. Macy is a heroine I liked once I was in her POV. When she’s first introduced in Gabe’s POV, she is completely outrageous and I didn’t really know what to think of her. I didn’t know whether I would like her. To put it bluntly, she dresses like the tart the town thinks she is. Our hero is checking her out, dressed as she is in her skimpy sailor outfit and this is her response:

“Well, you’re certainly taking in the scenery,” she said. “Here. Let me give you the nickel tour.” And, her elbows bent close to her waist and slender fingered hands held palms up in the air, she spread her arms and slowly pivoted to display first the view from the left, then the back, then the right.

And they all looked good.

Turning face-front once again, she gazed at him from up under lashes. “Like the view, sugar?”

But the moment you get into Macy’s POV, you very quickly discover it’s all an act, a big show she puts on when she’s in public; when she comes in contact with a town who either gushes over the fact that she’s that girl in some famous rock band’s music videos, or they treat her like dirt because a bunch of high school boys said they ‘scored’ with her when they didn’t.

I, personally, did not understand why she wanted to live down to her reputation. Macy says she is doing it because she doesn’t want them to think she is cowed by their reaction to her being ‘different’. But to me, she really wasn’t different. It wasn’t like she dressed like she does now in high school or was some sort of goth girl. While, why she is dressing and acting the way she is in public is explained, I still didn’t understand or buy her response.

Gabe really doesn’t have many issues, which was okay with me. He had a lousy childhood—not terribly unusual. He is a fire chief so of course…yes, there has to be an arsonist at large. I thought the book spent way too much time on these fires and the arsonist given the way the whole issue is resolved. To me it was completely anti-climatic. I wondered at the end, why this element is even included in the book as I thought the book ran a tad too long.

But it is the heart of the book, their romance, and sexual tension that kept me reading and turning the pages as quickly as I did. I loved Gabe and Macy as a couple and I really enjoyed the sub-plot about Jack (leader singer in famous band) and Grace’s (Gabe’s ex-girlfriend) romance. I hope Burning Up is part of a series because I’ll definitely be picking up the next book. ~ Sherry