Once Burned: Ellora's Cave

by Desiree Holt

One hot summer Cassie Fitzgerald gave her virginity and her heart to Griffin Hunter. When he married her sister Diane, Cassie fled Stoneham and for six years nothing could make her return. Not her sister’s murder, for which Griffin was and continues to be the only suspect. Not her father’s suicide, which the police chief wants to sweep under the rug. But now her mother is dead and she has legal obligations she can’t avoid. Nor, it seems, can she avoid Griffin, who wants her more than ever. Will Cassie be able to control her own hot need for this man or will she be pulled back into the same sensual vortex? Can she uncover the secret Stoneham’s hiding, the riddle of Diane’s murder, and the answer to her relationship with Griff, without destroying herself in the process?

Genres: Erotica, Romance, Fiction, BDSM, Contemporary, M F Romance, Romantic Suspense

274 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

A multi-published, award winning, Amazon and USA Today best-selling author, Desiree Holt has produced more than 200 titles and won many awards. She has received an EPIC E-Book Award, the Holt Medallion and many others including Author After Dark’s Author of the Year. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The London Daily Mail. She lives in Florida with her cats who insist they help her write her books, and is addicted to football.

“Get out the ice water and fan…Desiree Holt delivers smoking hot alpha heroes and red hot romances.” Lea Franczak, USA Today Happy Ever After blog


Learn more about me and read my novels here:
www.desireeholt.com
www.desiremeonly.com
www.facebook.com/desireeholtauthor
www.facebook.com/desireeholt
Twitter @desireeholt
Pinterest: desiree02holt
Google: www.desiree02holt
LinkedIn: www.LinkedIn.com/desiree01holt

To stay in touch sign up for my newsletter here:
http://desireeholt.us10.list-manage.c...

Reviews

[Mspink · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much. It may seem like your typical set up; boy hurts girl, girl runs away then comes back years later, misunderstandings and hurts are revealed and thus ensues the quest to win her back. And inevitably you've got small town 'issues' happening as well.

What I loved about this story and what I found so refreshing, is that the truth about what happened in the past was immediately brought to light. We didn't spend the entire book wanting to strangle the couple to just sit down and tell each other what happened, instead of making us wait until the last five pages of the book, grrrr, I hate it when that happens. Right from the get-go, Griffin corners Cassie and makes her listen to him. The details of the painful events of their past are discussed and he proceeds to show her how much he loves her. It was a nice change up and I enjoyed their story. They worked through the trickiness of their new relationship and the perceptions of the small-minded towns people, and of course the mysterious villain who murdered her family member(s). It was intriguing and kept you wondering, as well as hot and sexy. Well done, DH....

[shms · Rating 1 out of 5]

@45% this could have joined some of my other reads on the 'on hold' shelf, it's the one I use when my OCD kicks in and I can't bring myself to dnf. This time I am proud to say I dnf'd. It just bored me, as usual the H was trying to live up to his responsibilities when he married the OW but always loved the h blah de blah de blah.

[Shell24 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked it!!! Loved that they worked out their misunderstanding at the beginning of the book. I hate reading books were you have to suffer through 1/2 the book or 3/4 of it with misunderstandings that could have easily been cleared up if they had just talked to each other. Hate when authors do that. Not much of an imagination when they do. Loved that the H & h became closer as the book went on. They loved each other, & were honest, & you didn't spend the whole book hearing either the H or h saying "I'm just gonna sleep with them, but we can't have a future together." That is SO OVERDONE!!!!

It's not to say that there weren't problems that they had to weed through. I loved that the heroine had a backbone of steal. She didn't let anyone run over her. She stood up for her man, & cut people off at the knees.

I liked the hero. I liked that the author just made him a regular guy. Not some rich, powerful person. He was very sweet to the heroine, but not in a polished way. I normally don't read books were the hero has been with two sisters. The only reason this worked for me was because the other sister was bad, & everyone knew it. The hero couldn't stand her, & no one made excuses for her.

Wish I could find more books like this one.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Holt's longer tales that is really a well-written story of two people whose lives came together for just two days, and then were cruelly upended by lies and disceit. Now, six years later, they meet once again, and they are still overshadowed by two murders, a town that prefers the status quo to truth, and a woman--the heroine--who WILL NOT allow the deaths of her sister and father to go unsolved. It is quite different from many of Holt's writings but showcases her evident talent and skill as a storyteller. A very, very good read.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was a nice cozy "whodunit." I thought it was evenly spaced with sex and story, which kept me turning the pages.

[Tory · Rating 1 out of 5]

Won this book in a goodreads giveaway in Jan. 2013. Have not yet received it.