Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
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.
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.
