The monster’s gonna getcha if you don’t run NOW!

Sounds like a game, right? Like hide-and-seek with suspense, perhaps. Or some other semi-innocent child’s play.

Wrong.

For the heroine, that’s exactly what Burken used to be—fun. But Charlotte, and her brother, Ian, aren’t kids anymore. And Burken has just become a dangerous game of life or death.

To say I enjoyed The Rules of Burken is a gross understatement. I devoured it. I loved it. I lived it.

Traci Finlay created a heroine who is so relatable, I found myself in her running shoes—wind in my hair, sprinting for my life from my brother—with no phone and very little hope of surviving. Finlay takes you on a literal and metaphorical journey through Charlotte’s eyes. She throws stark, ugly truths in your face, forcing you to search for Charlotte’s way out of this situation because your survival now hinges on hers. Your every breath hinges on hers. Your entire existence from the moment you open the book until that FREAKING PERFECT ending hinges on Charlotte’s ability to dig through the lies in her past to find the truth.

The suspense? It’s almost debilitating. It’s like standing in line for the park’s biggest roller coaster. You know what’s coming. You can sense it in the energy around you, can hear the screams from a far-off distance. Then…it’s your turn. You shuffle up to the car, hesitant. But you’re here, now. You’ve anticipated this moment, you’ve waited in line for it, you’re buckling your seat belt and tightening the safety bar. Somewhere, in some realm of your subconscious, you know you’re not ready for this, but the car starts with a jolt, and you’re in it now. You can’t leave. You don’t even want to. This story is a ride, and though the tension almost hurts, you keep your eyes open for every dip, hill, turn, and loop. Because the monster’s gonna getcha if you don’t run NOW. And just like that coaster, when the ride comes to an end, you’re so freaking glad you held on.

The Rules of Burken was a five-star read for me. And I can’t stand the wait for her next brilliant novel. Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom for an exclusive excerpt!

Link to buy The Rules of Burken:

Exclusive excerpt:

“You’re going to kill me… Is this a joke?”

“It’s not a joke,” he whispers. “Do you understand?”

I absolutely have to break eye contact. “I—I’m really confused.”

His hand goes to my throat, and his fingers slide in the blood he’d dripped on it. But it doesn’t hinder him from pressing against my jugular, my windpipe, and now I’m officially and rightfully scared, and eye contact, it is. “I said, do you understand?” he says a lot more calmly than his hand at my throat says. I nod. “Good. Now listen carefully. I’m going to let you go. And you have ten seconds before I hunt you down. This is round four, got it? This is a bonus round, wherein the loser dies.”

Boom. Go buy that shit.