Burn: 'Wildcats' book #2 - ARC Book Review

July 14, 2026

Burn: 'Wildcats' book #2 - ARC Book Review

**Thank you to the author, Nia Myst, and Swipe the Book PR Connect, for providing me with an e-ARC copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.**

✨️ Book Title: Burn

✨️ Author: Nia Myst

✨️ Genre: Dark Romance

✨️ Tropes: Found family, stalker x stalker, enemies to lovers, psycho cop x vigilante, touch him/her and die, praise kink, dog mom

⭐️ Star Rating: 5 / 5 stars

🌶 Spice Level: 4 / 5 peppers

⚠️ Trigger Warnings: Stalking (cat and mouse game), reference to a past acid attack affecting the FMC, body dismorphia, references to gang rape, sexual assault, pedophilia, human trafficking, domestic violence, kidnapping, self-harm, prior animal abuse, murders and torture of the abusers, violence and gore, castration (of abusers). All intimacy between the MC’s is consensual with one instance of dub-con. Kinks involved include primal play, mild somnophilia, masturbation, salirophilia, he spits in her mouth, cum play, impact play, breath play, praise kink, light choking (hand necklace) and unprotected sex (no pregnancy scare).

📅 Release Date: July 2, 2026

“For the first time in five years, I felt exhilarated. For the first time in five years, I wasn’t actively thinking about my scars. For the first time in five years, I was genuinely having fun flirting with a man—if a cop stalking and hunting me could be called flirting.”

After surviving a brutal acid attack that left half her face covered in scars, Tara has become the personification of strength and vengeance. As a member of the Wildcats, she’ll stop at nothing to protect her family; the ones who helped her pick up the pieces following her attack, the family who have continued to do the same for so many women when the law has failed them. It isn’t until Lieutenant Knox Steele decides he’s had enough of the mysterious vigilante team cleaning up his streets. When he finally discovers the Wildcats, Knox discovers his newest obsession with the Shadow Panther, the criminal who saved his life while he tried to ruin hers… his little criminal. Will their obsession with their cat and mouse game, bring them to the ends of the earth together, or will it bring them to their ruin?

Nia Myst, you have once again knocked it out of the park! I am absolutely obsessed with Tara and Knox’s story (and of course I can’t forget Shadow, the goodest pupper there is). I am beyond happy to be adding Burn to my 5-star shelf in its rightful place beside its 5-star sister, Rage.

Picking up shortly after where we left off with Rage, Burn focuses on Wildcats team member, Shadow Panther (aka Tara) and her most adorable pup, Shadow. Readers have the absolute delight of some special appearances from our favourite billionaire, Dominic Park, as well as seeing the growth of the Wildcats operations (courtesy of the only billionaire I could ever truly love). As we further explore the world of our favourite crime-fighting vigilente heroines, readers once again have the pleasure of watching both Knox and Tara’s very unhinged, chaotic romance unfold into the best obsessive devotion (while still being unhinged and dark of course); something that is perfect for this unconventional couple. Combined with the suspense of our Wildcats vigilente activities, I simply could not get enough.

Temporarily putting romance to the side, I have to mention how much I admire how Nia Myst is able to weave a variety of representation into her work so seamlessly. In Burn specifically, we see acid burn and psychopathy. While both have dark sides to them, they are beautifully woven into the storyline not only with the lighter self-love and acceptance side of things, but also the more uncomfortable medical, pain, and social impacts side of these as well. I love how each character in the Wildcats team (or in their romantic life) is never the same character’s we often see in fiction day in and day out.

With that being said, let’s not forget the spice between Tara and Knox. Oh. My. Lord. This was PERFECT!!! How absolutely obsessed Knox is with Tara, along with their dark and twisted game of cat and mouse thoughout the novel had me melting! I love a man who is obsessed and with a woman like Tara, she deserves nothing less (but also… how could you not love her?!). I was incredibly hooked - beaming, laughing, cheering and kicking my feet the entire time while watching their relationship unfold. Not to mention how Knox acknowledged and met Tara where she was at throughout the novel in his own way had me sold on him. Don’t get me wrong, I love Dominic and Samaira… but Tara and Knox… they might just take the cake for my favourite couple in the series so far… so I might have to re-read both books just to make sure (I think this means I’ll have to do a series re-read before book #3 just to cement what our next couple is up against).

Just like in my review of Rage, I think what once again sealed this as a 5-star read for me was how seamlessly Nia Myst combined the dark of revenge, violence, and survival with the light of love, hope, and connection. The seamless flow of light and dark made it that much easier to pull me into feeling all of the feels with the characters - the rage, love, anguish, and power (… and joy courtesy of Shadow).

For readers who love a beautifully dark and delicious game of cat and mouse in their romance reads, I cannot recommend Burn enough. So much so that a part of me was a little heartbroken when I reached the end because I wanted to spend more time in the world of the Wildcats; which can only mean that I am buzzing with anticipation for the third book in the series to be released!!