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Unconditional #3
The Hearts We Burn
Getting your life back can be killer . . .
Kimera Davis thought she was finally free from marrying-for-money—and living way too many lies. Until her obsessed ex-husband ignited the ultimate dark hoax, a spectacularly malicious deception that’s left her family, and her best friend, Adria, reeling. Now Kimera and her young son are prisoners at a remote estate, under the thumb of her ex’s powerful father. And she has only one slender chance of escape.
Suddenly Kimera is getting dangerously close to an unlikely ally, but even she can't be sure if she's playing him, if what they have is real . . . or if he's mastering her game. And there's no guarantee that her calculations and wild-card moves will earn her and her son's freedom—or cost more than her survival is worth . . .
Kimera Davis thought she was finally free from marrying-for-money—and living way too many lies. Until her obsessed ex-husband ignited the ultimate dark hoax, a spectacularly malicious deception that’s left her family, and her best friend, Adria, reeling. Now Kimera and her young son are prisoners at a remote estate, under the thumb of her ex’s powerful father. And she has only one slender chance of escape.
Suddenly Kimera is getting dangerously close to an unlikely ally, but even she can't be sure if she's playing him, if what they have is real . . . or if he's mastering her game. And there's no guarantee that her calculations and wild-card moves will earn her and her son's freedom—or cost more than her survival is worth . . .
272 pages, Paperback
Published February 25, 2020
13 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
Briana Cole
17 books297 followersKnown as "The Literary Drama Queen," Briana Cole is a multi-talented entertainment mogul in both the book and film industries. Authoring six novels, including the critically-acclaimed Unconditional series, Briana has also published two novels under Carl Weber with her pseudonym Brielle Montgomery. Briana is the co-Screenwriter and Associate Producer for two urban films, and she has written, executive produced, and co-starred in her own feature film, Pseudo, which was recently acquired by Damon Dash. She has been recognized in a number of popular blogs and magazines, the most prominent being Sophisticate's Hair Magazine, Publisher's Weekly, Popsugar, and Sheen. In addition to this, Briana is a motivational speaker, mother of three, and active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
March 29, 2020
The Hearts We Burn is book three in Briana Cole’s Unconditional series. Ms. Cole is still approaching familial and romantic relationships from a fresh viewpoint and does not disappoint in this continuation of her urban romance series.
Kimera “Kimmy” Davis’s greed has landed her in a life or death situation. She and her young son are being held hostage by a madman. She’s screwed up her life and left her family in turmoil. Life in captivity is tough, but she may have stumbled upon an ally. He’s handsome and fine, and he’s eliciting emotions that Kimmy thought she would never feel again.
The story is revealed through the alternating viewpoints of main characters, Kimmy and Adria, Kimmy’s her best friend and sister-in-law. The author handles this sometimes tricky writing technique easily with appropriate chapter headers. The characters are fully-fleshed and utterly believable. The plot twists will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time. The Hearts We Burn is a story of love, betrayal and revenge that elicits the full range of emotions. Ms. Cole tests the bonds of love and family once again.
In my review of book two of this series, The Vows We Break, I said that I would definitely be reading The Hearts We Burn. I’m glad I did. This novel is definitely “not to be missed”. I am compelled to rate it 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it to all readers of romance.
My thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.
Kimera “Kimmy” Davis’s greed has landed her in a life or death situation. She and her young son are being held hostage by a madman. She’s screwed up her life and left her family in turmoil. Life in captivity is tough, but she may have stumbled upon an ally. He’s handsome and fine, and he’s eliciting emotions that Kimmy thought she would never feel again.
The story is revealed through the alternating viewpoints of main characters, Kimmy and Adria, Kimmy’s her best friend and sister-in-law. The author handles this sometimes tricky writing technique easily with appropriate chapter headers. The characters are fully-fleshed and utterly believable. The plot twists will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time. The Hearts We Burn is a story of love, betrayal and revenge that elicits the full range of emotions. Ms. Cole tests the bonds of love and family once again.
In my review of book two of this series, The Vows We Break, I said that I would definitely be reading The Hearts We Burn. I’m glad I did. This novel is definitely “not to be missed”. I am compelled to rate it 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it to all readers of romance.
My thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.
March 26, 2021
My First Question Would Be...Where Was The Editor For This Book? A Mental Health Facility & Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Center are two (2) totally different facilities....This was the 3rd book of the series....and truthfully, I really could have passed on it....I didn't understand the unnecessary murders and the deaths....they brought nothing to this underdeveloped story. Killing the girl's parents really did absolutely NOTHING for this storyline. This author simply used a lot of words to give the impression of a story. Although, there's definitely certain aspects of it that I did find endearing towards the end. I wasn't pleased at all...I hope the next book I have by this author is better.
June 19, 2020
I loved the ending of this book. I swear this girl ( kimera) was driving me crazy in the first two books with all her lies and boujee ways. All the things that happened to her, she had It coming, but the sad part is that her family had to suffer the consequences. This book is the third one in the series. It will have u holding your breath at some parts and breathing a sigh of relief at others. I highly recommend this book.
June 8, 2020
The Hearts We Burn by Briana Cole was so full of drama, twists and suspense that I don’t even know where to begin! It’s always hard for me to review a suspense/mystery/thriller type book because I never want to give anything away!
The story is told through two different point of views- Kimera, who is being held captive in a remote mansion, and her best friend Adria, who is home in Atlanta trying to pick up the pieces of her life without Kimera.
There were a few turns in the story I wasn’t expecting and those are what really kept me turning the pages. This story is INTENSE and had me feeling a wide range of emotions, which also speaks to the talent of the author. There were characters that I despised (looking at you, Leo) and characters I was rooting for.
I enjoyed the pacing of the story, the duality of the two POVs, the character development and how unique the story was. I am reluctant to classify this in the romance category because I didn’t see much romance - it was more like anti-romance to me.
This is the third in a series, but I found it just fine to read in a stand-alone because of how the author loops us in on what happened in the previous books.
4 ⭐️
Thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy- all thoughts are my own.
The story is told through two different point of views- Kimera, who is being held captive in a remote mansion, and her best friend Adria, who is home in Atlanta trying to pick up the pieces of her life without Kimera.
There were a few turns in the story I wasn’t expecting and those are what really kept me turning the pages. This story is INTENSE and had me feeling a wide range of emotions, which also speaks to the talent of the author. There were characters that I despised (looking at you, Leo) and characters I was rooting for.
I enjoyed the pacing of the story, the duality of the two POVs, the character development and how unique the story was. I am reluctant to classify this in the romance category because I didn’t see much romance - it was more like anti-romance to me.
This is the third in a series, but I found it just fine to read in a stand-alone because of how the author loops us in on what happened in the previous books.
4 ⭐️
Thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy- all thoughts are my own.
March 2, 2021
I enjoyed this entire series!!! This whole storyline kept me wanting to know what was going to happen!! I love a happy ending!
April 5, 2020
This book provided closure, for sure! I appreciated the perspectives of both Kimera and Adria, although I never really saw Adria as a “break-out” character. Never been so sad and happy for a series to end 🤷🏾♀️
January 29, 2020
"After a moment of silence, I spoke again, the only words that seemed to be a reflection of me. 'I'm sorry.' "
The Hearts We Burn is the third book in the Unconditional Series by Briana Cole set to be released February 2020. This story alternates between Adria and Kimera as they experience trials and tribulations while struggling to regain control of their lives.
Honestly, I had no intentions of reading the first two books in the series, The Wives We Play and The Vows We Break, when I started this one. The author does just enough to fill you in but sparks your curiosity making you wonder how this all got started so yep, I read the other books as well. Briana Cole is a very talented writer with the ability to pull you right into the story. Add this one to your TBR list--while you're at it, you might as well add everything else by Briana Cole.
**Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
The Hearts We Burn is the third book in the Unconditional Series by Briana Cole set to be released February 2020. This story alternates between Adria and Kimera as they experience trials and tribulations while struggling to regain control of their lives.
Honestly, I had no intentions of reading the first two books in the series, The Wives We Play and The Vows We Break, when I started this one. The author does just enough to fill you in but sparks your curiosity making you wonder how this all got started so yep, I read the other books as well. Briana Cole is a very talented writer with the ability to pull you right into the story. Add this one to your TBR list--while you're at it, you might as well add everything else by Briana Cole.
**Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
April 14, 2020
Lawd hammercy! Book 3 in this series. I.... skipped the first two. but caught up quickly! A little turned off by the religious approach from the therapist in the beginning, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I feel like Keon and Adria's story didn't conclude really??? I felt the post climax chaps were quickly written with little exposition. where the author tried to tie up loose ends but the story could have ended before that and it would have been fine. This was mostly a Kimmy (and Kareem) story and I would not be mad about another book updating us on these two couples. Ended up being a decent read.
April 11, 2020
I have read every book in this series, and have enjoyed all of them, including this one. I was shocked at every turn, and was surprised as I got closer to the end. There was a lot of twists and family drama, and I was so happy to read the finale to the series. Ms. Cole did a great job with this series and book, I can't wait to see what's next from this author.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review. All Thoughts and opinions are my own.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review. All Thoughts and opinions are my own.
April 23, 2020
This was the best book from the series. There were so many twists that kept it interesting! I'm glad Briana gave us come closure and didn't leave us with any cliffhangers.
Adria's POV was a nice touch and made the story so much better in my opinion. After a while you get sick of Kimmys' selfishness and constant complaining so it was a well needed break and well timed refresher.
Adria's POV was a nice touch and made the story so much better in my opinion. After a while you get sick of Kimmys' selfishness and constant complaining so it was a well needed break and well timed refresher.
June 21, 2023
Briana Cole. This was a JOURNEY. Now did I suspect you were Tyler Perry hiding under a pseudonym? YES. The first two books were extremely unserious and I only made it this far because of curiosity, faith, and delusion. This was a wonderful wrap up. Kimmy, there is nothing I can say that this character has not already paid for. I genuinely believed she had grown by the end of the book which was HARD considering she stayed possessed by jezebel spirits. I did NOT think that I would be rooting for her and damn near even respecting her a bit after the chaos she put me through. I loved the dual POVs too. Now did I know Keon wouldn’t be shit from the beginning? YES. His growth aside, this nigga was a HORRIBLE husband and I’m glad he could catch that message I had for him eventually. As for Adria, I am a Adria apologist. That woman? Mhm! She will still be joining Kimmy in Pickmeisha hell but overall? Delightful. Now, this book does get a bit ambitious at times with the ideas that never lead to anywhere. Leo making a big speech and loading Kimmy onto an ominous plane….just for they asses to take a 30 minute plane ride from Georgia to Texas? Tyree (your homophobia aside for the sake of this review) having one of the most intriguing backstories yet being paid dust. Justice for Tina? I would have loved to her what was going on in her crazy ass head too. Also we definitely could have done more with the Obi—ominous storyline—stuff. Anyways, we had a time. Let this series end here and you will be forgiven for the first book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2022
First of all kimera is the catalyst to all that has happened to her and her family. Greed and deception was her main friend.
She lied to everyone that loved her and she also assisted in ruining their lives by her own selfish wants, not needs, but wants.
It is really disheartening to know that this woman who had great loving parents. A father who is a pastor and a mother who was devoted to the church can actually have a daughter that turned out so wrong.
All of her priorities all stemmed from wanting money, which caused all the heartache for her family.
It's a shame so many people died because of this female. The actions of kimera had a negative domino effect on everyone.
Where were her morals?
Who enters into any type of agreement without actually reading the fine print or even have it perused by attorney? A greedy, lying deceitful person , that's who, which equals to kimera.
This book is a prime example of the saying "All that glitters isn't gold.
I am very happy as to how the book ended, but I do think there is room for another, featuring Kareem & Kimera !
Great books, I loved all three, they kept my eyes glued to the pages until the very end. I believe I read all three within a week!!
She lied to everyone that loved her and she also assisted in ruining their lives by her own selfish wants, not needs, but wants.
It is really disheartening to know that this woman who had great loving parents. A father who is a pastor and a mother who was devoted to the church can actually have a daughter that turned out so wrong.
All of her priorities all stemmed from wanting money, which caused all the heartache for her family.
It's a shame so many people died because of this female. The actions of kimera had a negative domino effect on everyone.
Where were her morals?
Who enters into any type of agreement without actually reading the fine print or even have it perused by attorney? A greedy, lying deceitful person , that's who, which equals to kimera.
This book is a prime example of the saying "All that glitters isn't gold.
I am very happy as to how the book ended, but I do think there is room for another, featuring Kareem & Kimera !
Great books, I loved all three, they kept my eyes glued to the pages until the very end. I believe I read all three within a week!!
May 30, 2020
Greetings everyone. We have received the following book entitled The Hearts We Burn, written by Brianna Cole. We are very excited to tell you about it.
The Hearts We Burn follows several people that are not who they appear to be, manipulation and trickery. The main character, Adria, is estranged from her husband due to a tragedy that neither seems capable of dealing with. Sometimes, when the hurt is so deep, there is no returning to normalcy.
From the first page, the reader is immediately drawn in, connecting to the emotions that seem to leap off the pages. The characters are clearly defined, and we have no trouble seeing bits and pieces of ourselves in each of them. Expertly layered and gripping from beginning to end, we give The Hearts We Burn five out of five stars.
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TL; DR
The Good: The book, in its entirety, was excellent.
The Bad: N/A
Is it worth reading?: Yes
Rating: 5/5 stars
The Hearts We Burn follows several people that are not who they appear to be, manipulation and trickery. The main character, Adria, is estranged from her husband due to a tragedy that neither seems capable of dealing with. Sometimes, when the hurt is so deep, there is no returning to normalcy.
From the first page, the reader is immediately drawn in, connecting to the emotions that seem to leap off the pages. The characters are clearly defined, and we have no trouble seeing bits and pieces of ourselves in each of them. Expertly layered and gripping from beginning to end, we give The Hearts We Burn five out of five stars.
---
TL; DR
The Good: The book, in its entirety, was excellent.
The Bad: N/A
Is it worth reading?: Yes
Rating: 5/5 stars
February 21, 2020
Thank goodness I did not have to wait long for part 3 of The Unconditional Series! The Hearts We Burn does not disappoint! Things are really jumping now, and we find out what happens after the ending of The Vows We Break. Life is certainly different than what Kimera thought it would be, and her best friend Adria and her husband are suffering the repercussions of Kimera’s actions. I did not wan to put this book down, but I also did not want to keep reading because I did not want it to end! This book keeps you on the edge of your seat, thrills you and almost stops your heart as page-after-page, there is always something going on. Don’t sleep on this one. You do not want to miss out of this! Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to review this book and saving me from waiting to find out what happened next!
August 3, 2020
Whew...Kimmy really went through it in this book. I was so desperate to see how she would make it out of this situation. I really liked how this was told from Kimmy and Adria's point of view. I had to spoil a lil bit of the book for myself because I was so worried about how Adria and Keon would make it out of this mess Adria had gotten herself into. Kimmy needs to get away from Leo but she still doesn't know who she can trust and it had me on pins and needles wondering how it all would work out. I must say I did love how this resolved. This whole series took me on a roller coaster but I am sad to see this end.
April 11, 2021
I Need More........
I enjoyed this book. It was well written. So much so that you could feel the profound claustrophobia and despair that Kimmy was feeling. Such sadness in every character’s life, then finally redemption of sorts. But I can easily see a part 4 in this series. I’d like to know how everyone’s life turns out. I especially want more of Kareem and Kimmy. This book will keep you interested and turning pages. The plot was fast paced with no boring parts. Bring on part 4, Ms. Cole!
I enjoyed this book. It was well written. So much so that you could feel the profound claustrophobia and despair that Kimmy was feeling. Such sadness in every character’s life, then finally redemption of sorts. But I can easily see a part 4 in this series. I’d like to know how everyone’s life turns out. I especially want more of Kareem and Kimmy. This book will keep you interested and turning pages. The plot was fast paced with no boring parts. Bring on part 4, Ms. Cole!
June 11, 2024
Despite all of Kimera “Kimmy” Davis’ bad choices, she is undeserving of the treatment her Poly husband doles out to her. In book 3, he’s no different. In a new city and thought to be dead by her family, Kimmy has to learn to survive and plan her escape. With heavy security and not knowing who to trust, will she make it out alive? The Hearts We Burn is a well written conclusion to Ms. Cole’s Unconscionable Series. Every character from book one is addressed and no stone is left unturned. I enjoyed all the twist and unpredictable happenings. This book is a page turner from cover to cover.
February 12, 2020
This storyline covered a multitude of emotions. It addresses everything from friendships, family dynamics, marriage, trust, and the necessity of mental health. The characters are well written, and the story is a quick read, but definitely a page turner. The story definitely draws you in with so many twist and turns. This was a different love story, meaning all relationships are different but love comes in many forms. I would recommend this author and future writings.
April 1, 2023
The Hearts We Burn is the third book in the series. This was a great ending to the series and I enjoyed it. I was very happy the book was not predictable and I enjoyed the twist and turns. the outcome of the situation could have been a whole lot worse.
I really enjoyed this series and recommend it. I look forward to reading more by this author.
I really enjoyed this series and recommend it. I look forward to reading more by this author.
June 14, 2023
Another crazy adventure with Kimmy and them! The only thing I didn’t care for was the treatment of Leo and Tyree’s relationship. Not sure if it was intentional that Leo is being called gay, but he could have been bisexual. In the black community especially, I want us to stop invalidating bisexuality in men. But dassit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2022
This is number 3 in the unconditional series. It is also the last one and doesn't end in a cliff hanger. I thought this book was the best in the whole series and cleaned everything up nicely. I really enjoyed this series and will definitely read more books by this author.
August 22, 2022
I don't think there has ever been a main character I have despised more than Kimera. She was the epitome of stupid. There was some unnecessary things in this book. Like what happened to the pastor. Sometimes you just have to know when to end a story.
May 8, 2020
Wow!!! This book had me in my feelings so many times. It was a great ending I enjoyed it!!!
January 9, 2022
This Whole Series Was Crazy. The Twist And Turns In This Book Were Insane. Nice Read Really Enjoyed The Seris.
March 31, 2022
Amazing book. Loved it
May 12, 2024
Man what a ride this series was!! Excited to read more from Ms. Cole!
June 24, 2020
First read by this author. I didn’t realize there were two other installments before this one. I definitely don’t feel compelled to go back and read those, but wish I would have from the beginning. I think that I didn’t because I had seen the other installments in my library and they had low reviews and I decided against them and I didn’t realize this book was by the the same author. It was months back when I saw the other two.
So the pace of this installment was slow. There were several times I wanted to put it down, but the subject was interesting. There are two main characters - both female.
Adria- I didn’t really care for. When it started I thought I would like her, but as time progressed I thought she was very immature. I hate to use the word dumb but... I also think that the author was sort of hard on her which made it worse. Like everything she did was ignorant and her husband, Keon, was just as much at fault, but the story mainly reflected on her. I understood her position, but I don’t know, something just didn’t flow well with she and Keon’s story and we never get the opportunity to see it develop into more. I didn’t understand how Adria seemed to love Kimmie more than Keon, and it was his sister. Also, it was almost as if Adria’s narrations were written by a totally separate author. Adria uses a lot of descriptive language - which for me sort of took away from her completely fleshing out. I like a beautifully articulated character, but there was a disconnect with how she used that. Seemed contrived ?
Kimmie- Her story was the best. I really liked that towards the end it was more Kimmie and less Adria. The narration was completely different. The descriptive language was used in a normal fashion and that made for a better connection. I loved Kareem. I was emotionally torn because of Jamaud. It was a little sad in the end really. I don’t think it was meant to be that way. The ending sort of makes you want another installment of Kimmie’s story and maybe a few chapters with Adria and Keon to see what happened. So I think that this author really has a talent that can be honed into something quite exceptional. Hopefully we can get a novella or something on what happens next.
So the pace of this installment was slow. There were several times I wanted to put it down, but the subject was interesting. There are two main characters - both female.
Adria- I didn’t really care for. When it started I thought I would like her, but as time progressed I thought she was very immature. I hate to use the word dumb but... I also think that the author was sort of hard on her which made it worse. Like everything she did was ignorant and her husband, Keon, was just as much at fault, but the story mainly reflected on her. I understood her position, but I don’t know, something just didn’t flow well with she and Keon’s story and we never get the opportunity to see it develop into more. I didn’t understand how Adria seemed to love Kimmie more than Keon, and it was his sister. Also, it was almost as if Adria’s narrations were written by a totally separate author. Adria uses a lot of descriptive language - which for me sort of took away from her completely fleshing out. I like a beautifully articulated character, but there was a disconnect with how she used that. Seemed contrived ?
Kimmie- Her story was the best. I really liked that towards the end it was more Kimmie and less Adria. The narration was completely different. The descriptive language was used in a normal fashion and that made for a better connection. I loved Kareem. I was emotionally torn because of Jamaud. It was a little sad in the end really. I don’t think it was meant to be that way. The ending sort of makes you want another installment of Kimmie’s story and maybe a few chapters with Adria and Keon to see what happened. So I think that this author really has a talent that can be honed into something quite exceptional. Hopefully we can get a novella or something on what happens next.
September 28, 2024
The polyamorous relationship that you can’t get enough of,is back. But this time, some of the players have changed. Kimera (formerly known as Kimmy) aka Saida, is currently living in a mansion in Texas, with husband Leo and their two sons. The rules have become stricter and she remains under the watchful eye of her bodyguard Kareem.
Leo’s father decides that it’s time for his son to take another wife, so in enters young and ditzy Naomi. Little do they know, but she has a motive of her own.
Back home in Atlanta, there is trouble in Paradise for newlyweds Javon and Adria. They have suffered a devastating loss and may not be able to find their way back to one another.
I loved the many twists and turns in the third installment of the Unconditional Series by @bcoleauthor. There were two minor errors, which took nothing away from the story, so I’m happy to give it 💎💎💎💎💎.
Leo’s father decides that it’s time for his son to take another wife, so in enters young and ditzy Naomi. Little do they know, but she has a motive of her own.
Back home in Atlanta, there is trouble in Paradise for newlyweds Javon and Adria. They have suffered a devastating loss and may not be able to find their way back to one another.
I loved the many twists and turns in the third installment of the Unconditional Series by @bcoleauthor. There were two minor errors, which took nothing away from the story, so I’m happy to give it 💎💎💎💎💎.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews