Stranded together in a frozen wilderness, there’s nowhere left to run…
Hotshot pilot Leo Eddowes is afraid of nothing and no one. So when she’s asked to evacuate a man from the wilds of Alaska, she doesn’t hesitate. But with enemies in close pursuit and the weather turning sour, what should have been a simple mission quickly shifts to disaster.
And there’s only one way out.
When Elias Thorne disappeared, he was America’s most wanted. Now he’s spent more than a decade in one of the most remote places on earth, guarding a dangerous secret. Leo’s arrival, quickly followed by a team of expert hunters, leaves him no choice but to join forces with her—and run. Neither is prepared for their reluctant partnership to flare into something as wild and untamed as the frozen world around them…but as desperately cold days melt into scorchingly hot nights, Leo and Elias must learn to dig deep, trust in each other, and forge a bond as strong as the forces of nature.
Release Date: Aug 31, 2021
Series: Survival Instincts
Book: 2
Heat Level: Sensual
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Imprint: Casablanca
Price: $4.99
“Spurred on by the excitement of the chase, he started off again, slow and sure and steady the way he’d always stalk his prey- human or otherwise.”
Leo Eddowes is a capable and fearless woman unafraid of the dangerous missions she takes on including the one to evacuate a man who her team believes holds a deadly virus that he has hidden for years to keep the Chronos Corporation from finding and releasing it to wreak havoc on the human race. Once in Alaska, Leo finds that the man is not who she has been led to believe and he has more secrets than she can even fathom. Their race against the clock and their enemies provides a fast paced and intense adventure through the rugged terrain and harsh conditions of the Alaskan wilderness.
I felt like this story was heavy on the danger and the suspense and light on the romance. Elias and Leo bonded with each other through these constant and traumatic near-death experiences. Every other page was another way they could possibly die, and I know that this is a survivalist novel, but it was a little too much. I felt exhausted, and found I kept having to step away from it because I had trouble reading it for long periods of time.
Of course, Adriana Anders is a great writer, and you can see that in the way that she describes her characters and scenery, but where I think she has a miss is in the dialogue. I felt that these two characters said the same things over and over, and it didn’t keep me interested at all. I expected Leo to be full of sharp wit and sarcasm, and overall, she felt very normal and a slightly boring. I can understand Elias because he has been without human companionship going on ten years. He is alone most of the time besides his dog, Bo, so the fact that he had trouble having conversations seemed like it made sense for his character. I just wanted so much more from these two characters in their relationship, and I truly felt that it took a backseat to all the things going on around them.
I just don’t know if this life-or-death scenario is something that I enjoy reading about, but if you are a fan of romantic suspense authors like Julie Garwood or Linda Howard then maybe give this a shot.
~ Michelle
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