HEAVY

A Dark Taboo Romance (Neighbors of Sapphire Valley, Book 1)

By: M. L. Burns

Narrated by: Andi Eloise, Sebastian York

Calista

Everyone has a past, but mine is a storm that never stops chasing me. When my life goes up in flames by my own doing, I'm left with an impossible choice: lose everything I've built or hide out in a remote cabin with a killer. My plan is to rebuild the vacation home where my family once spent summers, hoping it will distract me from the chaos. But there's one major complication: my roommate is way too hot. And who is this too-hot roommate? My damn step-uncle. He's a convicted murderer with a history as dark as my own, and maybe this cabin isn't the only thing I'm desperate to repair.

Ronan

Fifteen years behind bars, and freedom tastes no sweeter than my old concrete cell. I figured I'd drink myself into an early grave or wind up back in prison. Then my little step-niece showed up, begging to stay at the place my brother let me live in. She's fixing up the cabin, but I can see it in her eyes that I'm also on the plans for repairs. But I don't need fixing; I'm not broken, just forgotten. She's a beautiful fighter with secrets she's not ready to share. But she's in a cage with a lion that's been starved too long, and now that I'm free, I've got an appetite that will only be satisfied by her.

©2025 M.L. Burns (P)2025 Blue Nose Publishing

Exceptional Story & Narration🎧Riveting & Emotional!

I love checking out new-to-me authors, love it even more when that author blows me away with such an incredible story, and M.L. Burns did just that! Such an impressive story that even a day later I am still suffering from the book hanger it left me with. The characters, Calista and Ronan, have tragic and trauma-filled pasts that left them broken, but their broken pieces fit and they get each other. The battle with Calista’s past demons never stopped, and needing to get away after life went flames and she lost just about everything, she went to stay at her stepfather’s remote cabin to renovate it. Ronan spent fifteen years in prison, and his brother picked him up and is letting him stay at his cabin for as long as he wants, neither one knowing Calista was going to be staying there too. A newly freed Ronan, who just wanted to be left alone, was not welcoming or happy to see her, even after learning she was his brother’s stepdaughter, his step-niece. Ronan and the whole situation were intense, but Calista stood her ground and gave as good as she got. It was great watching these two navigate their new situation and then get to know each other, eventually sharing more about themselves. Neither opened up about their past easily, but as time went on, the walls of ice surrounding their hearts slowly thawed, allowing them to share and let the other in. I recommend going into this book knowing as little as possible and avoiding all spoilers, because there are twists that will blow your mind and scenes that follow that will have your heart pounding hard. This engaging story captivates your attention and tugs at your heartstrings the entire time. The writing, plot and world building are fantastic, as are the character growth and development. I loved all the layers of the story and how it all plays out, with plenty of drama, angst, twists and turns, thrilling and suspenseful moments, heartfelt emotions, and steamy, oh yeah daddy, romance, other kink too, all well done. M.L. Burns, thank you for this exceptional story and the wild, emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 The audiobook production and casting are nothing short of incredible, with Andi Eloise and Sebastian York delivering an entertaining performance that keeps you engaged and moves you like no other. Their character voices are fitting for a perfect portrayal of each, nailing the depth of the two lead characters, their emotions, angst, and turmoil. Both were naturals in their roles, like the roles were made with them in mind, York was Ronan and Eloise Calista. Both were fantastic at performing the roles of the side and secondary characters too. These superbly talented voice artists are a pleasure to listen to, and their performance takes the story to another level.

Amazing Amazing Amazing!

No Notes! The book had feeling and GREAT flow! The voice actors were so so good, and the spice was SPICING!

Plot is Excellent, FMC is insufferable

The story is incredible but the FMC is beyond annoying in the second half of the book.

Tantalizing, Taboo, & Twists.

This one pulled me in right away. While the description reads “taboo” it quickly became not only acceptable, hot, and I was eager for what was to come.

This story has it all. It’s steamy with a story line. The plot is great and has some unexpected twists.

It was beautiful to watch two very broken souls with heavy and traumatic pasts patiently and unselfishly adapt to one another’s needs.

I’m ready for more of M.L. Burns. She flawlessly incorporated forbidden romance, found family, and forgiveness into a super sexy story. It’s beautiful how boundaries, communication, and allowing oneself to let their guard down and dream again is such a gift.

This book is spicy and I am here for it. The way that Burns describes the scenes and physical feelings are so accurate. IYKYK. It out a smile on my face.

I read with my eyeballs and then heard the audio was fantastic, so I started over with immersive reading. That’s the way to go. The female narrator, Andi Eloise was a great voice. It’s cute and sexy and I loved her performance. Finding the right voices to match the character is so important and Heavy nailed it.

This story will stay with me.

Unexpectedly AMAZING!

My genre of choice is dark romance, spicy, even filthy, found family, angsty dramas. This was much more than I ever imagined.

Both main characters had past trauma that caused havoc in their day to day lives. However, they didn’t know that they NEEDED each other to overcome them. Trigger warnings need to be taken very seriously. If you can digest the material, the end result is beautiful. I’m going to read more from this author in the future!