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I am such a sucker for a good redemption story. You know an author does a great job with their characters when they can transform a not so liked character into one we do! I was NOT a fan of Branson Wellington when I first met him in Incinerate. I mean, what kind of person betrays their own brother like that?! We see Branson again in the next book of the Explosive series, where we see him actually having a pretty compassionate moment with a very pregnant woman. That definitely endeared him a bit more to me. Conflagration is his story and now we get to see things from his side.

 

Branson is not a bad guy at all. Sure, he has his douche moments and he's made some mistakes in his life that weigh heavily on him. All he's ever wanted is to take control of his father's company and has worked hard to do so. When that is threatened, he doesn't handle things the way he should and makes a mistake that costs him his relationship with his brother. He is suckered into a loveless marriage and spends more time at the office than he does caring for his wife. He is once again a free man, but the damage has been done.

 

Branson isn't the self-serving bastard that he believes himself to be, however. Risking his life to save Ari's is one of the most selfless acts he's ever committed. He refuses to acknowledge himself as a hero or a savior of any kind though. I really liked Ari's character. After overhearing her fiancé having a rather rude conversation, Ari decides to take control of her own life. She won't be a pawn in anyone's game, and she certainly won't be a trophy wife trapped in a loveless marriage. Seeing Branson rush up to her car after the accident is a complete coincidence, as this isn't the first time these two have crossed paths.

 

They have some seriously hot chemistry together and I liked watching them struggle with what was real and what was just pretend. They both find themselves falling for one another and while they are afraid of what will happen when it ends, the two decide to live in the here and now, taking things one step at a time.

 

I loved seeing Branson mend fences with his family. Things between them have been tense in the past, so to see them come together as a unit and look after Branson is really sweet. Branson might act nonchalant on the outside, but you can tell their presence and acceptance of him really means a lot.

 

I did feel things progressed rather quickly in this book, however. Branson and Ari's arrangement is temporary, and he'll tell her so one minute, but then it isn't long after that he decides he doesn't want temporary. I also thought we would see a bit more of his transformation. Yes, he's not quite the guy he was when we first met him, but I expected to see more of that closed off guy. Instead, Branson is flirty and embraces his good guy side a lot faster than I thought we would.

 

Overall, I did enjoy Branson's story and I really like that Tessa doesn't go overboard with the angst and drama. It's a romance through and through with some trials and obstacles to overcome, and instead of having that constant back and forth it's rather straightforward and I liked that. I also love seeing familiar faces from the previous novels so we can see how they're doing. I do need to go back and read Cohen's story though!