Book Shelf: Up in Flames (Rosemary Beach #13) by Abbi Glines

#1 New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines returns to Rosemary Beach one last time in this highly-anticipated finale.

Spoiled. Selfish. Rich girl. Villain. Slut.

As the Prada-clad bad girl of Rosemary Beach, Nan Dillon has been called every vile name under the hot summer sun. Some of her reputation is deserved—she’s never had to worry about anything but maintaining her perfect figure and splitting Daddy’s private jet with her brother, Rush.

But Nan is far from happy. Rush has another kid on the way and doesn’t have time to catch up with his sister. Grant, the last guy she truly cared about, chose to be with her half-sister, Harlow, instead of her. And Harlow, who has never gotten over the way Nan treated her when she first moved to town, remains distant.

So when Major asks her out, she jumps at the chance to date the gorgeous charmer. Though she doesn’t know much about the sweet-talking Texan, and though it’s clear he doesn’t want to be exclusive, dating him beats hanging out with vapid socialites or watching Netflix alone at home.

For a while, Nan deals with Major’s playboy ways, but after he burns her one too many times, she takes off for an impromptu wild weekend in Vegas. There, she meets Gannon, a darkly seductive and oh-so-dangerous businessman who knows exactly how to handle her.

With Major asking for a second chance and Gannon haunting her dreams, Nan has to decide who to give her heart to. But what she doesn’t realize is that these players are involved in a much bigger game—and they’re already two moves ahead of her.

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Review: (Warning: May contain some spoilers!)

Up In Flames is the long anticipated final installment in the riveting Rosemary Beach series by Abbi Glines and features the misunderstood but often infuriating villain of the series Nan in a scorching read that will leave you breathless!

Nanette Dillion has garnered a reputation for herself over the years. Spoiled, rich and a born trouble maker, Nan knows that some of her selfish reputation is well deserved, but that doesn't mean she's as coldhearted as everyone seems to think she is. Discarded by her mother and unacknowledged by her father, Nan has been desperate for love her whole life, being with man after man in an attempt to find it. Even Major Colt, the charming Texan can't seem to give her what she needs, so fed up with being used, Nan does what every rich girl does in her situation....she hightails it off for a weekend in Vegas! And it's in Vegas that she meets Gannon, a rough, mysteriously and darkly seductive individual who isn't who he seems but who makes Nan burn like never before. Gannon appeals to a part of her she never knew, but when Major reappears begging for a second chance, who will Nan choose and who will finally give her everything she's always longed for?

Having been yearning and desperate for this book for so long, Up In Flames wasn't what I was expecting. There were times whilst reading it that I even debated how I felt about it, but in the end I think I'm generally pretty happy with how Abbi Glines wrote Up In Flames. It wasn't what I expected, but it was still an enjoyable read.

That being said, as far as I'm concerned, Up in Flames seemed to ooze a darker aura than the other Rosemary Beach novels. The darker edge gave the story a different overall feel. The relationship between Nan and Gannon was raw and edgy and sexually dominant. Glines blurred the line between pleasure and pain in a way she has before. Gannon was a lot darker than the Glines leading men I'm used too.

I was really happy to finally have Nan front and center though. Whilst reading the series, I hated her for a long time before she eventually became someone I loved to hate. Now I think I just love her. We're all a product of our childhood and environment and Nan never had the love and security she should have had as a child. It made her hard and cold and cruel. She made bad choices in an effort to find love and be loved. I'm glad Abbi Glines finally gives her some redemption in this book. Everything isn't magically fixed--Nan still has a lot to make up with her family and those around her, but Up in Flames marks a big turning point and shows how far Nan has come. It was lovely to see her begin to let go of her hate and to make amends.

Nan has two love interests in Up in Flames; Major and the mysterious Gannon. I'd been hoping that Glines would pair Major with Nan and that he was perhaps going to be her happy ending. Imagine my surprise when I began the novel and quickly realized that might not be the case. Major and Nan just didn't fit the was she and Gannon did. I wasn't expecting that and was really disappointed in the beginning, but as the novel progressed I found myself becoming entranced in the relationship between Nan and Gannon.

I have to say Gannon was sexy; all bearded and strong with that man bun and attitude, but he was also very sexually dominant, bordering on violent. I'm not against those kinds of leading men but it did feel a little out of place in a Rosemary Beach novel at first. It wore on me, but I felt it was strange at first.

The relationship between Nan and Gannon was really raw. Sexual and dark, Gannon gave Nan what she needed and accepted her for everything she was, faults and all. Considering Nan had been crying out for love and acceptance her whole life it was nice to see her finally find someone who could give that to her unconditionally. There was a lot of sweetness woven into their tale amongst the sensuality and I loved the way Glines completed their tale.

Dark and sensual, Up in Flames was a powerful Rosemary Beach novel that redeemed the resident bad girl and allowed us to see many of our faves again. My only issue with this tale is that I find myself still wanting to see Major get some resolution himself. Fast paced with an unexpected storyline, Up in Flames gave Nan the tale she deserved and left me happy with how her story ended!

Rating:
Source: Sent for review by publisher (Thank you guys!)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia
Format: Paperback
Australian RRP: $19.99
Release Date: June 2016
Purchase: Bookworld | Booktopia | The Book Depository | Amazon
Final Thoughts: This was a great ending to the series, but I find I'm still curious as to what's in store for Major's future.