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The Almeida Brothers #3

Lightning Strikes

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No money. No ID. No way home.

Uptight attorney Jack Almeida is still reeling from a devastating loss when he finds himself saddled with an unorthodox seatmate on an ill-fated flight to New York.

Blinded by heartbreak, Jack is unmoved by Nina Grammio’s inviting smiles and relentless attempts at conversation.

It didn’t matter that she smelled like heaven on Earth, had a face that belonged on a black Barbie doll, and was filling out those leather pants so alluringly it should’ve been illegal. Jack had no interest in making small talk, making friends, or even making love. Not with anyone, and especially not with Nina.

That is, until their plane lost an engine, and went careening to the ground…



Strong sexual content
Strong language
LIGHTNING STRIKES is an interracial romance. It is book three of The Almeida Brothers Trilogy, and can be read as a stand alone novel.

Book One: Lila's Thunder
Book Two: Thunder Rolls
Book Three: Lightning Strikes

382 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 11, 2016

45 people are currently reading
48 people want to read

About the author

Trevion Burns

29 books287 followers
I'm fascinated by deeply flawed people in impossible situations, and insane people who don't know they're insane. Perfection puzzles me, so my characters are always just a little bit evil--whether they know it or not!

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5 stars
97 (51%)
4 stars
51 (26%)
3 stars
30 (15%)
2 stars
9 (4%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews133 followers
Want to read
October 14, 2019
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (10/14/2019)! 🎁
Profile Image for K.M..
166 reviews2 followers
April 21, 2016
I liked this book but it seemed completely disconnected from the drama of the first two books. Could've been a standalone honestly. I wanted more of the love triangle that we had come to know from the previous works in the series.
Profile Image for Rachel.
379 reviews7 followers
March 3, 2017
This book was a stand alone like it said on Amazon because it hardly touched on the drama of the love triangle from the previous two books. Which was kind of a let down for me, although I rather not read about Jack having to stand on the sidelines and watch his brother carve out a perfect life with the woman they both banged. I just....okay moving on.

I'm happy that Jack got his HEA and that he was able to work out the darkness, self-loathing, and the coldness that surrounded him like smog to get to the real man inside. I liked Nina as his love interest. Girl had issues a mile long and could be irritating at times, but she in a sense had herself much more together than Lila ever did. In a very weird way Nina's take apples and make lemonade approach to life was a good balance, or contrast I should say, to Jack's serious nature. Her zaniness helped him get out of the box he forced himself to live in because of his guilt and pain. In a short amount of time they built a friendship, so when Jack said to her she was his only friend, my heart really did go out to him. And Nina, I was rooting for her to make it back to NYC on time for the trial after finding out why she needed to.

Overall this book reminded me of the movie Forces of Nature. Perhaps that was intentional. I would have liked to see less disaster after disaster that after awhile things were starting to drag and I knew the ending would be rushed. As another reviewer pointed out, we don't know if Jack and Nina are married. Did Jack ever speak to Lila again, did they ever resolve whatever unfinished business might have been between them? Did Lila care at all that Jack could have died in the plane crash? I didn't finish book 2 so I don't know how things really ended between them, and if everything that needed to be left on the table had been left on the table. I just don't know. But it would have been nice if a line or two had been thrown in where Jack looked at Lila and realized they were a mistake or if he felt any kind of residual resentment that she chose his brother. Something! Who claims to love a woman and not care that she not only chose another man over you but your brother, and you don't spare it another thought? And Chase, did he care that Jack was hurting or was his pain the only pain that took priority?

Anyways, from the beginning I was Team Jack and yes, it paid off.
Profile Image for Joyce.
511 reviews20 followers
April 20, 2016
I thought Lila was crazy for leaving Jack and falling for his younger brother. Jack is definitely my favorite Almeida brother and I'm happy he has his happy ending finally.
28 reviews
July 28, 2017
I will say that this book redeemed the series for me. Reading and laughing at the crazy adventures of Jack and Nina. The ups and downs, made me want to root for their happy ending. Though I can understand how readers say it could have been a stand alone book. But I think you'll get better insight into Jack, from reading the first two books. Though I would have like to see a better conclusion to Jack, Chase and Lila, at the end. I felt like I got cheated out of apologies and sit downs, or shout matches that should've taken place with Jake, Chase and Lila. I felt like the conclusion came together too smoothly for them. I would have at yeast like one more alone talk between Jake and Lila.
Overall an okay ending to this series.
707 reviews2 followers
January 21, 2019
Team Jack

Just finished a weekend marathon read of the Almeida Brothers series. I honestly thought I was Team Chase during the second novel but...Not since Scandal has a story line been so angsty, conflicted and hot! I had no idea Jack could be...this way! Still waters run deep. The adventure part reminds me of the Sandra Bullock movie “Forces of Nature.” I literally stayed up all night reading to reach the thrilling conclusion. Trevion Burns, you are exquisite! (And Nina is awesome for Jack!)
96 reviews1 follower
November 18, 2019
Loved Nina and Jack's story

You know sometimes you find author you really like them and then months or even years past and you forget about them and forget how fantastically they put a story together. Well that's what happened here. I had previously read several stories by Ms Burns and enjoyed them all. She always does a good job of creating fully realize characters and plot lines that she is able to successfully carry through several bucks. I am very excited to have been reminded that Ms. Burns is a true gem and I'm looking forward to reading more of her stories.
Profile Image for Tiffani Chandler.
83 reviews
December 11, 2025
Jack’s book is moody, messy, and strangely comforting. The man is a tightly wound attorney dragging grief like a weighted blanket. Watching him collide with a woman who disrupts his rigid little world gives the story heat and heart in equal measure.

This one leans more emotional than taboo, and it works. Jack’s unraveling is believable, and the romance grows out of real loss and longing, not cheap theatrics.

It feels like the storm after the storm. Not explosive, but cleansing. A quieter punch to the gut.
38 reviews
October 6, 2019
Read all Three Books!

From the beginning to the end, I loved this story. Jack, Chase, and Lila was a whirlwind, but I was a little upset with the end of book two. But...when Nina came into the picture in book three, well my interest became anew. By far book three was the best, but the whole trilogy was worth the read. I have a habit of rereading books, when I can't find anything worth reading, this will probably be a reread for me. First time reading this author's books.
43 reviews1 follower
December 1, 2021
So, only 60 pages in and already soooo good: No Chase and no Lila. Ugh. I remember back in the day when this author was testing the story chapter by chapter on a certain Lit site. And I remember thinking, smoking tension, but Lila being super inappropriate on all levels was so uncomfortable. So, I’m going to get my Trevion Burns fix by continuing to suppress memories of Book 1, skipping book 2, and moving straight to Book 3.
134 reviews4 followers
August 6, 2018
The best for last !

Well we'll done!
Side splitting humor!
Stomach churning suspense!
Unexpected twist & turns are
woven through the story of
handsome, arrogant Jack Almeida
& the crazy, adventurous Nina Grammio!
This was the best of this trilogy of the Almeida
brothers!!! Loved this Happily Ever After ending!!!
Profile Image for Toni.
185 reviews
November 19, 2019
Not bad

I like it but then at times it got a little repetitive with the not telling secrets. Like they met playing games were you had to tell the truth but then never finished. So it would be hint around the truth then back off, go to another place hint around the truth then back off. If they could have cut that time in half then the book would be five stars.
1 review
April 12, 2016
Mixed feelings about this one. Loved the main characters' interaction and development, but not the timing of their relationship. Nina and Jack were perfect for each other, but stories have to make sense to me all around or the entire experience is tainted. Jack's rebound from his devastating heartbreak in such a short period of time just didn't feel right. At the end of the second book, the author had my heart breaking for Jack. It takes time to get over such a loss, but that did not happen in this book. There was no grieving period. It may be a little thing to others, but the timing just threw the entire story off for me.

I understand why the author needed to remove Jack from his comfort zone, but the planes, trains and automobiles plot felt overly contrived and Fanboy Jack was totally out of character. There were so many things in the plot that didn't make sense, I kept getting distracted from the story.

After all of the angst in the preceding books, I at least expected Lila to acknowledge how her behavior impacted Jack, but didn't happen. A scene between Chase and Lila when they found out Jack's plane had gone down would have been nice as well. A big part of my attraction to this trilogy was the constant wondering about how these three could possibly fix the mess they created in book one. I wanted more interaction between the three main series characters. I wanted to see how they healed and moved beyond the hurt and mistrust. The ending "pretty bow" scene wasn't the closure I expected.

In the end, I loved Jack and Nina individually and as a couple, but didn't like the background story in which their relationship developed. This series started with such promise but the ending fizzled and, to this reader, felt thrown together and unsatisfying.
656 reviews4 followers
April 13, 2016
Hurricane Nina!

Oooh...so good...Jack and Nina....what a happy disaster...if it wasn't for bad luck..those two wouldn't have any luck at all....planes nearly crashing...Hurricane hitting the big Apple....roach motels...infested with rats,falling off a speeding train roof...winning big in an casino and then losing the winnings...stranded with a bunch off millennials on a road trip half way across the country....upcoming divorce trial...oh...I forgot...getting locked up in jail for trespassing....you get the gist....this is all I one week....but with all that...they managed to get deep under each other skin's and deeper into each other's heart...thin line between love and hate...then reality hits....every thing comes to a screeching point when they find themselves at opposite ends of a debacle that will either tear them apart or pull them together....hot,sensual,adult scenes....it's funnier and lesser in the angst of Chase and Lila....good read.
17 reviews
Read
May 8, 2016
Book 3 A Wonderful Ending

Loved book 3. Really loved what you did with Jack in this book. I loved his persona in this book as much as I loved Chase persona in book 2. I loved all 3 books. Very good stories with happy endings in them. I liked Jack and Nina story just as much as I like Chase and Lila story With Lila and Chase relationship like theirs do happened, I liked their storyline. But I am very happy Jack found happiness with Nina. To me Nina challenged and grew him more. But I loved the Almeida brothers and you gave the series a happy ending for everyone. I'll be reading more from you Ms Burns!!!! Good job!!!!!
Profile Image for AmiNickris.
116 reviews2 followers
May 30, 2016
I waited...

Until I read all three books over the weekend to review the series because I wanted to make sure how it ended wasn't some cheesy cliche.out of all three, book two was my favorite and to me it seemed the shortest.the series to me was,I don't know..a little clunky and book three seems like it doesn't even belong with the other two.chase and Lila's story seems dropped off completely and honestly I wanted to know more about them than the annoying character of Nina or jack,who I did not grow to even like much less love.honestly I could have done without three..one and two was enough unless there could have been more Lila and chase.
95 reviews1 follower
January 5, 2017
Spoilers

Listen I usually just mark my book as read and move on. Bug this series passed me off. Lila had all this turmoil from the beginning because she's a freaking pervert. I don't care that she waited until Chase was legal to get her freak on with him. My heart goes out to Jack my poor Jack. This book had a lot going on and just should have had less crashes, hikes, and overall "unbelievable-Ness!?" Lol. I like books by this author but I could have passed on this series. I suffered all the way through out of support for the author and because I wanted to see Jack find some semblance of happiness.
Profile Image for Debra Crosby.
486 reviews14 followers
April 12, 2016
Jack finds peace

Jack and Nina were two broken people who meet on a plane that happens to crash. Jack was running away from almost marrying a woman he didn't love and losing the woman he wanted to his younger brother Chase. The couple have one misadventure after another, while slowly getting under each other's skin. There were some funny moments and towards the end it was sad but Jack got his happy ever after
343 reviews
May 28, 2016
Nice book but just didn't have enough believable and interesting drama. The whole disaster after disaster, event after event, while the two were trying to make their way back to NY after a plane crash and hurricane got old because it went on for more than 60% of the book. I never connected with the lead characters, Jack and Nina, and almost didn't care if they got a HEA. This is the weakest book of the three.
Profile Image for Bev Simon.
541 reviews6 followers
January 21, 2017
Loved this book, and every single word written!

A wonderful complex story of love, forgiveness, tragedy, and healing. From the first book to the last this story kept me intrigued, without a doubt this was one of the best trilogies I've read, I was laughing, angry, crying and frustrated, all sorts of emotions were felt deeply whilst reading the series. Well worth the read, an absolute pleasure and a story I will never forget.
Profile Image for Nancy  L Thompson.
2,158 reviews15 followers
April 18, 2016
Loved It

I loved the style,characters and everything about this novel. But I would have liked to know if they went back and cashed in the casino chips or if the got married in the end or were they just shacking up. I like Trevion's style of writing. Please keep the good stories coming
236 reviews4 followers
April 27, 2016
I like Jack and Nina's story much better Chase and Lila's. It really boiled down to the female characters for me.

Jack just couldn't catch a break from hurricane Nina. Once he finally gets a chance to truly open his heart to receive and accept love he's dealt another from his dad from his grave. Really pulled for Jack to get his HEA.
89 reviews
April 17, 2016
An awesome finish to this series

Nina was the perfect person for Jack. I can't say too much about this story except to read it you will not regret it. The chemistry was awesome this story awesome. Just read it! You'll think it's awesome too.
338 reviews1 follower
April 17, 2016
Okay really good

I liked this story the most. This was cleverly designed and written. This middle end became predictable but again a very good read. I recommend that you read the first one but it's not that necessary. Very well done Ms Burns.
Profile Image for Erika.
238 reviews6 followers
May 2, 2016
Great ending!

What a complete turnaround from Book 2. I am so glad Jack found love. Nina was perfect for him. Great job Msg. Burns!
51 reviews1 follower
April 19, 2016
Great!

It was a great story. Could not put it down once I got started reading. I just had to find out what could possibly happen next in the journey. Overall great read!!
27 reviews1 follower
May 4, 2016
Love it

I enjoyed this great journey I was taken on with the last book of the Almeida brother's trilogy. A great read.
151 reviews
June 14, 2016
This one had me cracking up! Love made these two characters do some crazy stuff! Loved the ending.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews

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