Product Description
Insurance claim adjuster Chris Lowell is a career woman with her feet solidly on the ground-until she runs into the gorgeous dark-haired man in the cereal aisle at the store and makes a fool of herself gawking at him. She runs-he pursues, to the amusement of her friends. The Keystone Kops pursuit comes to a crashing halt when Chris goes to invstigate a fire claim and discovers her mystery man is her client-and he’s not going to lose her again. But Chris doesn’t trus… More >>
5 responses to ONCE BURNED
Reviewed by Geri Smith for Reader Views (5/06)
“Once Burned,” a compelling love story fills the reader with glimpses of humor, intrigue, and passion. It makes you think about the many perils that life offers. The main female character, Christine Louise Lovell, whom friends call, “Chris,” puts herself into some humorous inconveniences just to delay what fate seems fit to dictate for her. As the story moves along and pulls you into her escapades, you soon know that even with all of her cowardice, fate will not be denied.
Losing both parents at the same time, then losing her fianc� to another woman soon after, is hard to handle in the best of times. Then along comes an unexpected event that puts Christine into an uncomfortable position that is equally difficult for her to handle. When she runs into a “mystery man” who seems out to get her, she is prone to distrust him and her feelings on first sight.
“Duff,” a typical arrogant man, and always good-looking to match, sets out to help fate along. How do you know when you meet that special someone who could be your Mr. Right? Christine’s emotions are put on hold for fear of being “burned” again. See can’t see into his heart because her judgment is flawed. And she no longer even wishes to make the effort.
Deeper into the story, “Once Burned,” takes you on a pleasant, exciting, and deeply fulfilling journey. The author’s eloquent use of words and language that is interspersed with humor and style is heartwarming. The characters, the setting, and the romantic plot are woven together in such a way that the story is instantly believable from the beginning right to the very end. You can’t help but wonder whether they will make it safely through some of the perils they face. You hold your breath in anticipation.
You are carried right along and actually made to feel as if you are in the midst of the danger, the heart-tugging emotions, and the intrigue along with each of the characters. You are compelled to hope the characters will make it out of their situations safely and happily. You hold your breath again, and read on. Then sigh with relief. A very
moving work of fiction.
Rating: 5 / 5
Insurance Claims Adjuster Chris Lovell leads a calm, routine life. At twenty-seven, and having had negative experiences with the men in her past-including her own father who eloped with his secretary when Chris was still a child-she is distrustful of men and happy to focus her life on her work, which she shares with two very warm and caring colleagues. Yet there seems to be a void inside her and at times she feels lonely.
Her routine life is about to change when she “meets” a handsome, dark-haired man in the supermarket, a mysterious man who later on keeps running into her in spite of her efforts to avoid him. Who is he? Why does he keep appearing when she least expects it? She soon begins referring to him as Mystery Man.
A twist of fate brings them together in a way she never thought possible: one day she investigates a fire-related claim and discovers that her Mystery Man is none other than her client, Richard Browne Duffle, or Duff, owner of Duffle’s Tires. Over the next few days they meet for lunch and get to know each other, and Chris is impressed with his warmth and good nature. Soon she falls deeply in love, and willing to take a chance with a new relationship, she decides to open her heart to him.
At the same time Chris’ ex-boyfriend Johnny has come back and is set on winning her back. He does more than that-he begins to stalk her. But her real nightmare begins when an investigation report declares that the fire which damaged Buffle’s Tires was intentional. Could it be possible that the man she loves, the man she has learned to trust so deeply, is a criminal?
Once Burned is a novel that readers of sweet, contemporary romances will enjoy. The heroine is vulnerable and likable, and the hero sensitive and willing to give himself to the woman he loves. He is not the brooding, macho-type character typical of many romances. The ex-boyfriend adds a touch of suspense to the plot, as well as the rescue scene towards the end, where Chris, doing her job after a dangerous storm, becomes trapped under a parking lot and must be rescued. Another interesting aspect of the book are all the bits and details pertaining to the insurance claims adjusting business, which add legitimacy to the story.
Rating: 4 / 5
Chris Lovell works in the exciting field of insurance claims adjusting. She looks forward to the yearly storm season and even has a wardrobe designated especially for working claims in it.
Chris is haunted, not only by the abandonment of her father, at a young age. But, also of the elopement of her high school sweetheart, Johnny Archer, while she is away at college. These past events in her life have led her not to trust men. Her two friends, with whome she works, repeatedly try to “fix” her up, all to no avail. So when she happens upon a smoldering pair of brown eyes attatched to the ruggedly handsome Richard Duffle, while browsing the cereal aisle of a local market, she runs for the hills. Several near miss encounters ensue before a twist of fate brings them together. Coupled with the return of an old flame wanting to pick up where things left off, can true love be far behind?
“Once Burned” is a fantastic, modern day tale of romance and suspense. Chris Lovell, the story’s heroine grows from being a woman unable to trust men or her own heart for that matter, to a woman willing to love and follow it at all cost. Learning along the way to trust the man she loves even if there is a possibility he has commited arson.
The reader will easily see themselves in the story, knowing that the events that play out in the story have happened to us all at some point in our lives. If you are a lover of romantic suspense, or just looking for a great love story, then, “Once Burned” is for you!
Rating: 5 / 5
Published by Zumaya Publications 2005
The back cover of this book says “Passion, hope, suspicion, boil in a cauldron that includes arson….”
This is a very entertaining novel that combines romance and mystery, with a bit of an unexpected twist in the end.
Chris Lovell is a female insurance claims adjuster. Chris develops a relationship with one of the clients whose insurance claim she is assigned to investigate – all the while having to deal with unwanted advances from a former lover who “burned” her in the past.
The characters in this book are all likeable and people you can relate to. Jackie Griffey does an excellent job of providing some insight into the insurance industry, while weaving a mystery and a romance story all into one great book.
You will love this book! I highly recommend it.
Rating: 5 / 5
this book was boring. it read like a reality show, lots of irrelavant detail instead of meaningful development. characters were not engaging and their motivations unrealistic.
Rating: 1 / 5
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