Burning Truth

Burning #2

by Rebecca Donovan

Jonathan Reeves has never been understood. Every choice he makes ends up hurting the people he loves—leaving him lost to the rage that burns inside of him.

His best friends are desperate to help him heal from the trauma of his past, but no matter how much space they give him, he moves further away. Sometimes the only way to help, is to let go.

Jonathan sees himself in another. A girl who can't escape the nightmares that plague her, similar to the ones that keep him up at night. Emma Thomas understands Jonathan in a way his two best friends never could.

If Emma can see his truth, maybe Jonathan can be more than the monster staring back at him in the mirror. And if he can save her from her past, maybe he can be loved as well.

But sometimes, the ones who are meant to love us, are the ones who hurt us the most.

379 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 20, 2026

About the author

Optimism seeps from every pore of my body. I truly believe that what's supposed to happen... will! In that regard, I don't know how to give up; it's not part of my biological make up.

I'm a passionate (and some would say, overly enthusiastic) person. I learn by doing (and have been burned more times that I'd like to admit), but I will always throw my entire self into whatever I do - fail or succeed.

I think this is evident when I write, leaving nothing behind and spilling it all out on the pages. I give it all to my readers - love it or hate it.

The path I'm on is very often my own, veering off the beaten path at the sight of something more interesting or captivating, getting caught in the vines and thorns in order to experience the beauty and intrigue others often pass by. And I always meet the most interesting people along the way...

Reviews

[Monika Maksinova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where do I start with this book?
In first book we hear from Sadie (one of the three best friends), but in book 2 we switch between her and Jonathan's POV and we also see these flashbacks of past as the story is currently set in The Breathing Series timeline where Jonathan meets Rachel and therefore meets Emma.
I have to warn you. Rebecca will take you on a wild ride with these characters, but if you've read any of her books, you know it serves a purpose. It opens up conversations and shows flaws in characters that allow the reader to feel a range of emotions. Do I disagree with some of the choices the characters make? YES. Do I recognize they make them because of their experience? YES. Was it challenging to read at some points? YES.
BUT hear me out when i say this. All these years ago when I first read Barely Breathing I thought I knew everything i needed to know about Jonathan's story. Oh how wrong I was. The second part of the book showed me a different side of the story I thought I knew. I could say so much more, but I want other people to read this and take a leap of faith.
At the end of it all I'm left with questions. What really happened? How does the story end for Sadie, Collin and Jonathan? Is there a way these characters survive the events that happen to them in book 3?

[Abigail Duarte · Rating 4 out of 5]

When lies and deceit are all you know, can you see anything else?

Jonathan and Sadie are meant for each other. With their pasts clawing their way to the surface, Jonathan and Sadie fight to survive the battles of reality and move forward. Horrifying twists will have you pleading with the characters on the page, begging the author to stop while you furiously turn the page for more. The question was never about whether or not they will survive, though. The question is who will they take with them in the process? Is the risk too great to fight the ghosts of their past?

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was SO good. So many questions answered, yet so many more questions to ask. It was so much fun revisiting these old characters and learning more of their dark sides that we didn’t get to see in the Breathing series. I cannot wait for book 3!

[Michael Chabot · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2026

Few authors capture the attention they need to bring forth what they so richly deserve, and *Burning Truth ~ The Sequel of The Burning Book Series ~* is a prime example of a master storyteller at her best.

What would you do if you loved a Monster? Is it right to set that Monster free, to love and nurture it despite the fear of the rage burning inside? Or is it better to release all that rage inside of this Monster, leaving you questioning ~ Should I have done better to help?

Jonathan Reeves believes he is a Monster, Haunted and Hunted by his Inner Demons. He cannot set himself free from his Past or his Present, making the Future feel inevitable and unworthy of becoming free from his chains. But even when we realize that such a cause may be a lost one, what truly serves us greater joy or purpose as we try to escape our circumstances? Or, better yet, escape our trauma to find someone else who can fill the void that makes us feel as though we can finally breathe for the first time?

The Answer. The Savior. The Butterfly Effect of two lives clashing. It enters both generations when we’re first introduced to Emma Thomas, now entering the Second Phase of the Arena, where the very monsters are waiting to bait us, allowing our fears to swallow us whole and devour our broken spirits.

These two Kindred Spirits, impulsive and beautiful lost souls, find each other while surviving the Hunt for them in their dreams. But at what cost?

Burning Truth offers us the generous spirit of a retelling, showing us how a different perspective can change the way we see a world that can be so cruel, yet somehow so bittersweet. It makes us reexamine what our greatest joys mean to us, and what our greatest sorrows mean if carrying them feels more worthy than allowing ourselves to be happy in life.
I was engrossed in Donovan’s writing, and over and over again I kept reminding myself just how immersed I was in the master storytelling. Trapped between loving two people who desperately need to find love and closure for themselves, I found myself thinking: THIS IS one of Donovan’s BEST WRITINGS TO DATE.

Donovan carries different narrations of the past unfolding before us, with the deep, ugly truths being exposed as people we loved become either broken by the truth or set free from it all. Joyous and so heartbreaking. Engaging and Enraging. It’ll leave you feeling breathless, NEEDING MORE, as you encourage these individuals to keep fighting through to the end, cheering them on as they try to find their inner peace and master their inner demons.

I ask you now: is it right to call someone a Monster if we’re blinded by the lies we tell ourselves? Aren’t we Monsters for loving more of the lies than the truth? What is… the meaning of the Truth if it means it’ll hurt others more than we tell ourselves it won’t?

Jonathan Reeves battles with these thoughts as he grows into a man trying to live a life worthy of moving forward. But is it enough for him to let go, or enough to destroy what’s left of his happiness? Will the rage boiling inside his soul be enough to make him feel less than a Monster, or will he welcome enough love back into his spirit to see that Rage doesn’t make or break a man?

It’s the Burning Truth that’ll ultimately force us to question everything we thought we knew about him.”
But I ask you, dear readers: will it be enough for you to outlast Jonathan’s devils, monsters, and inner demons as they devour and haunt him while he journeys to find his inner truth? Will you keep reading, giving him enough courage and love to try again?

Or will you let him give in without giving him a second chance?

I can’t tell you the Burning Truth, but I can tell you there’s more to Jonathan’s story than meets the eye as you become engulfed in the flames of the Burning Truth.

Jonathan deserves a chance to feel and be loved, like every good human being. But how do you tame the Monster burning inside of itself before you love it enough to set it free?

I can’t tell you.

And that’s for you to find out as you discover what his Burning Truth truly is.

With the high joys of life that’ll make you laugh, combined with a psychological thriller you hold in your hands, Donovan crafts a masterful story of a man whom we either love, fear, or both, in ways only Donovan knows how.
No one writes the deep, ugly truth better than Donovan.

So if you believe you know it already, you’ll be far mistaken.
No one is truly prepared for the deep, ugly truth about to be revealed.

Are you prepared?

[Shanaya Dinicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting to see Jonathan’s perspective made me appreciate his character on a whole different level. I loved being able to understand why he made the choices he did and what was going on beneath the surface. It’s one thing to know someone’s actions, but it’s another to understand the pain, experiences, and emotions behind them.

Jonathan has always been such a complicated character, and getting more insight into him made me look at him differently. I love when a book can change the way you see a character and make you understand them in a way you couldn’t before.

Rebecca Donovan has a way of creating characters who stay with you long after you finish reading. I’m so glad we get to dive deeper into Jonathan’s story, and I can’t wait to see what comes next!

[Melissa Christensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story kinda irritated me…. Sadie is by his side ride or die and he simply assumes she chose someone else based on one scene…. He pledges his love and promises and walks away that easily.. On top of that Sadie’s best friend doesn’t tell her he’s been in touch him. When they have been in touch he doesn’t press the issue of why he left or what it’s doing to Sadie.
Too much drama for one moment of miscommunication or lack of communication.
Poor Sadie.