Burning Daylight by Emily McIntire

Here is a summary with spoilers for Burning Daylight by Emily McIntire

In a prologue, two families, the Calloways and the Montgomerys, establish a truce to end their feud. They will continue to hate each other, but those around them can have a sense of peace.

Juliette Calloway has been away from her family for a couple of years now and is enjoying every bit of her life at college. She especially likes it because her overbearing and controlling parents have allowed her some freedom while she is there. One evening, her friends want her to go out with them to an art show. Someone has been tagging the city, but the work is so beautiful that everyone is flocking to see the anonymous artist. While there, she runs into Roman, with whom she has had a couple of run-ins in the past, but she has never known his name. She tends to be mean to him, while Roman takes it with grace and teases her right back.

Back home, Roman thinks about his life. He had a traumatic incident in his past, and his father told him he would need to go into hiding and pretend to be dead. Since then, Roman has lived with his mother, Heather, who is addicted to drugs, and his sister Brooklyn, who is his half-sister and recently became ill. Thanks to his mother's spending habits and Brooklyn’s medical bills, the family has been struggling for money. All he wants is a way to get his sister out of her situation.

College is over for Juliette, but instead of going to her graduation, her mother summons her home to be part of her major gala. It is an eye-opening conversation for Juliette, because she realizes her freedom is almost over. In retaliation, she decides to have fun. She runs into Roman and decides to follow him home. When she knocks on his door, Roman is more than happy to let her in and even offers her a bit of fun. They are interrupted, however, when Heather shows up at Roman’s house. Juliette offers to leave and overhears Heather call him Ryder, so Juliette believes that to be his name.

Alone with his mom, Heather tells Roman she knows exactly who that girl was: the daughter of the Calloway family. Roman had his suspicions; he just did not want them to be true. Heather then says she only came because she needs money for Brooklyn’s seizure medication, since she used the last of it on her next fix. Roman, out of money, decides to contact his long-lost father, Marcus. At first his father tells him not to contact him again, but he later calls back and says it is time for Roman to come back and live with him. Roman decides to fly back to his father to see what that would entail. His father wants him to take over as his only heir. They will announce that he is alive, and in return, Brooklyn and Heather will get the help they need. Roman agrees and signs all sorts of documents to sort it out, all to protect his sister.

Meanwhile, Juliette has returned home and hates the life she is forced to live in the public eye. Her mother is already stifling her and commenting on weight she has gained and how her public image has changed. On top of that, her mother clearly wants her to start dating her old boyfriend, Preston, and has even set up a few times for the two of them to talk again. That night, at her mother’s gala, Juliette is supposed to meet with Preston, but instead she sees a hooded figure around the Montgomery group. It is Ryder, though when he is fully introduced, he says his name is Roman Montgomery, the long-lost heir to the family. Juliette feels bitter about the betrayal and refuses to talk to Roman. Roman later breaks into her home so he can explain himself and asks for a second chance.

Roman is officially brought back into the public eye, but he could care less. He is just excited for the chance to see Juliette again. They begin meeting at night in a local park. Sometimes they talk; other times Juliette writes while Roman draws. They are simply happy to have each other’s company. Roman is wary of his father and the kindness he is showing. He eventually finds out that his father is dying of cancer. Marcus gives him a task: he hands Roman some artwork he wants tagged throughout the city, but done anonymously. Roman does it, and each time he does, it causes a stir in the city and sparks gossip that usually makes the Calloway family look bad. Roman starts to worry that it will cause a problem with Juliette, especially because she already knows he is the one doing it.

As the weeks go on, Juliette and Roman grow closer, but they are not as sneaky when they meet. A family friend on both sides, Frederick, comes to talk to each of them separately about photos that were taken of them. Not wanting the photos to reach the press, Frederick puts a stop to them, but tells the two that they either need to find a way to go public or be more careful. Meanwhile, Roman’s mom has officially checked into a rehab center, and they cannot contact her for thirty days. As the feud grows worse between their families, Juliette and Roman decide they want out. They want to find a place to hide outside the city until everything blows over. They decide to bring Frederick in on their plan, and he helps them prepare their escape.

With only days left before their departure, Juliette becomes more confident in her decisions. She walks out on Preston during one of their dates. She also tells her mom during a family dinner that she refuses to marry Preston, and luckily her brother stands up for her as well, since he was once forced into a loveless marriage.

Roman, meanwhile, slowly starts to figure out that Frederick might not be as good as he seems. If Roman leaves and his father dies, Frederick gets everything. When Roman talks with his father about it, Marcus makes it clear that Frederick is the reason Roman was brought back at all. It was Frederick’s idea. Roman decides to confront him. During the confrontation, a skirmish between both families breaks out, and Frederick kills Tyler, Juliette’s cousin. Frederick then forces Roman to hold the gun, putting his fingerprints on the murder weapon. Roman runs to Juliette, but she does not want to hear anything about what happened, because she knows it is serious. Instead, the two sleep together, and when she wakes up, Roman is gone.

Juliette learns about Tyler’s death and that Roman is supposedly responsible, but she does not believe it for a minute. She wants to find him to clear everything up. When Heather shows up, Juliette thinks it is safe to go with her to visit Roman. Heather then makes Juliette drink something that causes her to pass out.

Roman is now on the run, and one of his friends tries to help him. The friend reveals that this has been Frederick’s plan all along. Frederick has been involved in Roman’s life far longer than he realizes, and Frederick plans to go after Juliette to draw Roman out. Roman runs to where he thinks Frederick is and finds a passed-out Juliette and his mother, who is supposed to be in rehab. Frederick and Heather have been working together for a very long time. Roman’s father also shows up, having learned about Frederick and wanting to save his son. After a skirmish, both Frederick and Marcus end up dying, and Juliette is quickly taken to a hospital.

When she wakes, she finds Roman waiting for her and learns that the feud between their families is officially over. Juliette chooses to leave with Roman, getting out of her family’s reach, except for her brother, whom she wants to remain close to. Her brother is now officially CEO, as her parents stepped down after everything. A couple of months later, Roman and Juliette are happily living together. Roman is starting his first day as CEO of the Montgomery business, and every day he falls more in love with Juliette. He plans on marrying her one day soon.