He'll risk everything to rescue her…
Ex-military man Thom Grayson has debts to pay. So when a
plane crashes in the mountains near his cabin, he's hired to find the wreckage
-- and the kidnapped woman believed to be the sole survivor. But when he
locates Geneva, or “JJ” as she insists on being called, she's not at all what
he expected.
JJ isn't sure she can trust the mysterious man who's come
to her rescue. But she has secrets of her own -- secrets she'll do anything to
keep. So she'll follow his instructions and keep her distance to get off this
mountain alive without blowing her cover. As dangerous conditions force them
together -- and the undeniable chemistry between them ignites -- he'll protect
her at any cost. But when the morning light comes, will the truth tear them
apart?
Very good book about mistaken identity, family, trust,
and love. The story leans a little more on the side of suspense than romance,
but there's enough of both to satisfy. It opens with a rush as a sleeping woman
awakens to three men breaking into her bedroom, drugging her, and abducting
her. She regains consciousness on a small plane just before it crashes and must
find a way to escape her kidnappers.
Thorn is a former military man turned hermit as he tries
to escape the memories of his past. He's awakened in the night by a call asking
him to find the wreckage of a plane and rescue the woman believed to be on
board. Thorn owes his life to the man asking, so he can't refuse.
I was sucked into
this book from the first pages, and it didn't let go until the end. The first
meeting between JJ and Thorn is antagonistic, as she doesn't trust that he
isn't working for the kidnappers. For Thorn, he isn't sure that JJ, who he
believes is the missing Geneva, isn't working some kind of scam with the
alleged kidnappers. Being greeted by a pistol-wielding woman doesn't make him
any more inclined to trust her. I loved watching them face off in an intense
battle of wills. However, I was in no doubt as to who would come out on top. Things
got more complicated with JJ escaping from him once before catching up to her.
I had to laugh when he made the same mistake, only to have her bolt again.
Unfortunately for JJ, she was kidnapped once more, leaving Thorn determined to
follow and rescue her.
JJ's circumstances become more precarious when these
kidnappers quickly realize that she is not Geneva, leaving her afraid for her safety.
A just-in-time rescue by Thorn sends them on the run, looking for a safe place
to hide. I liked seeing JJ and Thorn accept that they will have to work
together if they are going to find out what is really going on. JJ and Thorn
are on opposite sides in their beliefs over whether Geneva is a victim or a
participant in the kidnapping scheme. Working together brings about another
complication - the growing attraction between them.
I liked seeing them learn to trust each other, both with
the mystery that surrounds them and with the hurts of their pasts. That trust
opens them up to stronger feelings. I ached for Thorn when JJ was taken again,
and he realized just how deeply he had fallen for her. The final confrontation
was intense, between Thorn's battle with the bad guy and his race against time
to save JJ. The reunion of Geneva with her grandfather was well done and
perfectly played. There was a slight hiccup in their relationship because
neither of them knew how to deal with the speed and depth of their feelings. Both
JJ and Thorn finally figured out what they wanted. I loved Thorn's big moment
at the end. It was sweet and romantic. There was one unexpected twist left in
the story that didn't play out until the very end. I had begun to suspect
something else was involved but was surprised by the final revelation.
I also liked the secondary characters of Judge WT
Landusky and Franklin Davenport. The judge made his first appearance in Restless Hearts, where we learned about his unorthodox way of helping teen boys who came
through his courtroom. I loved the way he put them through his own "boot
camp," giving them the tools to straighten out their lives. When those
boys grew up, they didn't forget what they owed him and would come if he
called. WT has a similar loyalty to his own friends, such as Franklin
Davenport. So when Franklin learns of his granddaughter's kidnapping, WT is the
one he calls, who in turn calls Thorn. I ached for Franklin. He is a very
wealthy man who lost his daughter to drugs and alcohol. Determined to save his
granddaughter from that life, he took her in to raise himself. Unfortunately,
he spoiled Geneva rotten. In a desperate attempt to rein in her excesses, he
cut off her credit cards and allowance. He was terrified for her when she was
kidnapped. I loved the surprises he had for Thorn and JJ when everything was
all over. I liked the parts of the book that showed the action from Franklin
and WT's point of view. There was also a surprise for WT when Franklin's lawyer
turned out to be an old girlfriend, and sparks reignited. Another background
character was Franklin's financial officer, who was there to help with the
ransom.
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