Stolen Chances
3 Stars

Nine years following their devastating break-up, archeologist Maren Hudson and salvage expert Thad Leighton team up once again in search of an ancient relic. But the secrets of the past endanger their second chance at happiness.

While the romance and suspense plots have potential and Naughton's writing is as engaging as ever, the book contains two tropes that never fail to annoy, i.e., a secret baby and sexual coercion, which in this case is made even worse as the heroine claims to have willingly participated in the rape .

Nevertheless, Maren and Thad are an engaging couple and their passion both physical and emotional is intense.

Looking forward to reading more of Naughton's tales of romance, suspense and adventure. ( )

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Nine years ago, Archaeologist Maren Hudson lost everything when a member of her team was killed during a routine dive. Now she’s been drawn back to Mexico and the career she walked away from in order to protect the most precious thing in the world: her daughter.

One desperate phone call brings salvage expert Thad Leighton back to Mexico. For his murdered brother, he’s ready to settle the score, but one look at Maren and everything changes. Years may have passed, but she’s still as mesmerizing as she once was, and a few days on site together have him questioning his priorities and why the hell he walked away from her so long ago.

Sparks between them reignite, but Thad knows Maren is holding something back. Thrust together in the middle of the sweltering Yucatan, Thad is more than willing to strip away her layers. But while the truth might offer the second chance he’s been searching for, forgiveness may be as elusive as the relic they’re both hunting. Because when Thad unearths Maren’s biggest secret and discovers who she’s really working for, suddenly it’s not just about a life that was stolen from both of them, it’s about staying alive and outwitting a madman who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

MY REVIEW:

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and give an honest review in exchange for an ARC read. I will admit, and probably have to run in hiding, that this was my first Elizabeth Naughton read. I have to say, it definitely won’t be my last.

I try to not give away too much in my reviews, but I have to say, I loved the amount of deception that had to be included in this piece. You have several different pieces of the pie that don’t match up perfectly until the very end.

Here we Maren, who is a single mother trying to protect her daughter and doing everything she possibly can to mend a rift between her and her father as well as be the role model her child needs. Then, enter in Thad who stole her heart nine years ago, mix in some danger, and a lot of jealousy and HELLO hot, intense story.

I have to say there was a lot of background here and a lot that I typically would just skim over, but seeing as clues were given at every opportunity they could, each word had its grip on me throughout.

I highly recommend this story to anyone looking for a different take on suspense, and a whole lot of heat. Four out of five stars. ( )