{"id":75927,"date":"2024-08-15T08:15:04","date_gmt":"2024-08-15T12:15:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=75927"},"modified":"2024-08-15T23:25:47","modified_gmt":"2024-08-16T03:25:47","slug":"release-arc-review-the-bridges-ive-burned-by-the-bay-6-by-j-l-berg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=75927","title":{"rendered":"Release & ARC Review: The Bridges I’ve Burned (By the Bay, #6) by J.L. Berg"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Bridges I’ve Burned by J.L. Berg is live!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A flirty, chemistry-filled, almost-rockstar romance, this book brings the feels as two people figuring out their place find a gorgeous, but very unexpected, love.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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\r\n <\/div><\/div><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

On the cusp of stardom, she was the twist I never saw coming…<\/p>\n

On my eighteenth birthday, I ran away from home in search of a better life. Ever since, I’ve been trying to prove it was worth it. When I’m asked to join one of the biggest rock bands in the
\ncountry, it finally feels like everything is falling into place.<\/p>\n

That is, until I receive a wedding invitation from my estranged brother, Macon. We haven’t seen each other in over ten years for a reason, and returning to Ocracoke is the last thing I want to
\ndo.<\/p>\n

Less than an hour off the ferry, I stumble into a bar and meet her. She’s gorgeous and easy to talk to, and we bond over music. Before I get the chance to learn her name, she ghosts me.<\/p>\n

Imagine my surprise when I arrive at Macon\u2019s house the next day, only to find her answering the door. It turns out my mystery woman is Elena, the best friend of Macon’s fianc\u00e9e \u2013 and my
\ntemporary roommate for the next three weeks.<\/p>\n

Talk about complicated.<\/p>\n

I’ve never wanted a woman more, but the odds are against us. We live on opposite sides of the country, both with demanding careers. Oh, and the biggest problem? I’m about to be famous
\nand I can’t tell anyone.<\/p>\n

Not even Elena.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been working my entire life to get to this moment, but I can\u2019t help but wonder… will any of it be worth it without her?<\/p>\n

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Add to Goodreads<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

4 stars!<\/b><\/p>\n

A flirty, chemistry-filled, almost-rockstar romance, this book brings the feels as two people figuring out their place find a gorgeous, but very unexpected, love.<\/p>\n

This is the final book of the By the Bay<\/i> series, and though you can read this one as a standalone, there is a lot of character crossover, and I would at least read the previous book, The Secrets We Keep<\/a>, Macon and Marin\u2019s story, as this book tells the story of Zander (Macon\u2019s brother) and Elena (Marin\u2019s best friend), and there is a bit of history which it helps to know going in.<\/p>\n

Zander and Elena meet on Ocracoke Island, where they have travelled for Macon and Marin\u2019s engagement party\/wedding. While Elena is all too happy to be there supporting her best friend, it\u2019s the first time Zander has returned to his home in over a decade, after he escaped his abusive father. Angry and bitter at being back home and ready to confront his big brother who he feels abandoned him as a kid, he has no intention of sticking around. But when he\u2019s told to lie low for a while, spending three weeks shacked up with his perky, flirtatious new roommate doesn\u2019t actually sounds too bad.<\/p>\n

The chemistry is insane from the moment that Zander and Elena lay eyes on each other, but their ties to Macon and Marin make things a little awkward. The biggest thing hanging between them though is the distance \u2013 they live on opposite sides of the country, and Zander is a musician on the cusp of superstardom, and his life is not conducive to starting a relationship. But their attraction is wild, and neither of them hide it, and the build-up is fantastic as they flirt, banter and tease.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you always this cocky?\u201d
\nHe grinned. \u201cYes,\u201d he answered. \u201cEspecially when there\u2019s something I want.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd what do you want?\u201d I asked, my mouth mere inches from his.
\n\u201cYou\u2026\u201d he breathed out. \u201cI want you.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Oh yes, the steam is so, so good! Zander and Elena are so hot for each other, and the sexy time is sizzling. But more than that, they don\u2019t shy away from their emotional connection, and they open up and share about their lives. They\u2019ve both got issues they\u2019re wrestling with – being back on the island is forcing Zander to confront his, and Elena is trying to figure out what she wants her future to look like – and they are there for each other as they talk things through, and they support and encourage each other to work through it all. And neither of them can deny just how hard they\u2019re falling for each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no plan when it comes to this kind of thing. You simply have to decide to try.\u201d She gave me a wry grin. \u201cLove is chaos. Surrender to the madness.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But the timing is all wrong, and they\u2019re both facing some huge life changes. They have some pretty big hurdles to overcome before they can get their happy ending, and it\u2019s an emotional journey as they do just that.<\/p>\n

I loved this book. The romance is so gorgeous, but it was the characters that made this such a special read for me. Zander, in particular, has the most heartwrenching journey, and I loved experiencing so much of it with him. I enjoyed his dynamic with his brother and loved watching them reconcile, and the appearance of his best friend, Hendrix, is wildly entertaining and I loved the relationship between the boys.<\/p>\n

We saw how close Elena and Marin were in the last book, and I loved seeing more of their relationship as they are there for each other in all the ways. They are true soul sisters, and so much fun together.<\/p>\n

We also get to spend time with characters from previous books in the series, which I loved, and I enjoyed seeing them all together and living their intertwined lives.<\/p>\n

This book is a fun read with a lot of heart, and it\u2019s a great finish to the series. I loved seeing Zander and Elena get their HEA, and finished this book with a huge grin on my face.<\/p>\n

I loved it \u2013 4 stars.<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

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By the Bay<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\"<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Choices I’ve Made (#1) <\/strong>(Jake & Molly)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

The Scars I Bare (#2) <\/strong>(Dean & Cora)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

The Lies I’ve Told (#3) <\/strong>(Aiden & Millie)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

The Mistakes I’ve Made (#4) <\/strong>(Taylor & Lani)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

The Secrets We Keep (#5) <\/strong>(Macon & Marin)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

The Bridges I’ve Burned (#6) <\/strong>(Zander & Elena)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Meet J. L. Berg<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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J.L. Berg is the USA Today bestselling author of the Ready series, the Walls series, the Lost & Found series and more. She is a California native living in the beautiful state of historic Virginia. Married to her high school sweetheart, they have two beautiful girls and two pups. When she’s not writing, you will find her cuddled up, watching a movie with her family, obsessing over fandoms or devouring anything chocolate! J.L. Berg is represented by Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, LLC.<\/p>\n

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Facebook\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Facebook Group<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Instagram\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Goodreads\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Amazon\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Website<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Newsletter\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Bookbub<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  The Bridges I’ve Burned by J.L. Berg is live! A flirty, chemistry-filled, almost-rockstar romance, this book brings the feels as two people figuring out their place find a gorgeous, but very unexpected, love.   […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":75556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,94,9,29],"tags":[59,808,282,48],"class_list":["post-75927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-rockers","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-by-the-bay","tag-j-l-berg","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/The-Bridges-Ive-Burned-1.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-jKD","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=75927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/75556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=75927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=75927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=75927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}