Summary
She was supposed to be the mission. She became his undoing.
When American schoolteacher Samantha Greene goes missing in Mexico, the US government calls on private military firm, Astor Stone Inc., to assist in finding her. Former soldier Roman Thieves volunteers for the case, seizing the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. After-all, no one knows the dark underworld of human trafficking like he does—or knows exactly how involved he is in their business dealings.
When the mission falls apart, Roman finds himself on the run with the blonde-haired, green-eyed bombshell, seeking refuge in the untamed wilderness of the Sierra Madre Mountains—on a trail rumored to be haunted, nonetheless. With only a small bag of provisions, they must battle the elements, including scorching hot temperatures, and work together to outsmart the savage predators hunting them.
As his motives become clouded by a fierce need to protect Sam, Roman must choose between avenging his past and saving the woman who snuck her way into his heart.
Review
With the blurb, and after reading another romantic suspense by this author, I was excited. In the end, this book didn’t do it for me.
There sure was a solid world-building, with some mafia type organization, human trafficking, exotic locations, undercover agents, personal dramas… All the ingredients. It took many chapters to introduce this universe, and I was okay with that because it helped with diving into the main characters’ psyche too. We learn their background, their feelings about their current situation, their struggles and moral dilemmas, and Roman develops a strong interest regarding Sam, the woman he must save.
So of course, I was waiting impatiently for their first meeting, and it kind of delivered. Except for Samantha who suddenly forgets about her situation, to lust after the dangerous stranger. Okay, maybe I’m not totally fair–it is implied that after such a long captivity, any escape is better than rotting there, and she sees him as the key to get out of her cage, literally. I was still uneasy with how fast she’s falling for him, especially since, at first, she doesn’t know who he is.
After some complicated intrigue to get Sam out, she and Roman are in the jungle, trying to survive. That was maybe the best part of the book, but it was rushed. Too many things were supposed to happen in such a short time, especially Roman and Samantha spending time together until real feelings develop. There were real feelings by the end of their trip, but I didn’t see the falling.
Roman in full protective mode is sexy, and he takes good care of Sam without making her a damsel in distress–as he teach her some self defense and survival skills. And they have some conversations, but he already knows everything about her, so it’s kind of limited. And yet, they’re suddenly madly in love. After such a build-up, it happens way too fast.
To top it all, there are hints at supernatural forces that become nothing more than a plot device, a deus ex machina kind of thing. And the ending is the farthest from closure I’ve read in a long time.
It felt like blowing up a balloon and not tying the end, so it deflates until there’s nothing left. It wasn’t an unpleasant read, but there’s was no balance between the world-building and the actual story.
Quickie
- Series: Steele Shadows mercenaries #1 (links to other series by the same author)
- Hashtags: #romantic suspense #instalove #age gap #ghost
- Triggers: human trafficking, violence, torture, death, mention of rape and drug use
- Main couple: Samantha Greene & Roman Thieves
- Hotness: 3/5
- Romance: 3/5
- + the whole survival part was nice
- – the romance part, though…
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