Review: A Terrifying Romantic Thriller with Nonstop Action
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 20, 2012
The beginning of this book almost lost me, with what seemed to be a repetitive, drawn-out description of Hailey trying to come out of a place of darkness, a coma-like state with loss of memory.  I read on with a bit of annoyance, trying to find something comprehensible to latch on to and nearly gave up in frustration.  Finally, the writer took us to a flashback, giving the readers some answers.Hailey is much too impulsive, walking headfirst into a deadly serious situation, despite warnings.  Yet in all her foolishness, I admired her courage, her will to survive what might have broken other women.  The writer, Ms. Ohnoutka gives us snippets of Hailey's troubled childhood spent dancing with danger, sometimes on the wrong side of the law.  She "lived to tell about it" because her older brother constantly watched over her and repeatedly rescued her from her reckless escapades.  One day, he was severely injured, left institutionalized for life in a near vegetative state, for which Hailey blames herself.  That was a turning point in her life, and Hailey gave up her wild ways, growing up to be a responsible business woman in a successful antique store.  Her life was uneventful until her business partner and childhood friend, Delaney suddenly disappeared, along with the contents of the store treasury.  Hailey decided no obstacles would get in the way of finding out what had happened to her friend, as she made plans to confront the mysterious man Delaney had been infatuated with just before she went missing.Hailey devised a dangerous plan that put her smack in the middle of trouble, ignoring repeated warnings to stay away and keep herself safe.  After a terrifying meeting with a man who looked like the photo of Dewayne, Delaney's boyfriend, Haley returned home, a ball of nerves with the sense that she was being followed.  Her instincts proved true.  She was abducted and carried off to a secluded place where she was drugged into days of lost time.  Dewayne/Dustin is waiting for her when she awakens at last, and Hailey knows that he is the pure essence of evil.  He left her for a time with his bodyguard, Patrick.It seems a bit unbelievable that a woman as confrontational and courageous as Hailey would almost instantly fall in love with her captor.  Patrick reciprocates those feelings, again unbelievable given his necessary detachment and the history behind his involvement with the Devil who runs the business.  But a romantic thriller makes allowances for that electricity upon contact, the escalating feelings that defy reason and the reader really wants everything to work out with this inexplicable love at first sight.There were no slow places in this story once it got underway, just a very fast-paced thriller, filled with the stuff nightmares are made of.  Overall, it was a very good read, each moment more terrifying than the last as Hailey begins to grasp what has happened to her.  A heart-pounding thriller, this would make a very good movie, I think.  I enjoyed it.