Saved

Saved #1

by Lorhainne Eckhart

Growing up I had dreams that one day I'd fall in love, get married and start a family. Then one night I was taken.

But I survived, I escaped and I was saved. Eric didn't see me as damaged. He didn't see my baby as a monster. He protected me, he kept me safe ... he saved me.

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Military Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Abuse, Fiction

219 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 11, 2013

About the author

"Lorhainne Eckhart is one of my go to authors when I want a guaranteed good book. So many twists and turns, but also so much love and such a strong sense of family."
 (Lora W. Reviewer)

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3m2c0At
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3k6nP6z
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LEckhart
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New York Times & USA Today bestseller Lorhainne Eckhart writes Raw Relatable Real Romance is best known for her big family romances series, where “Morals and family are running themes. Danger, romance, and a drive to do what is right will see you glued to the page.” As one fan calls her, she is the “Queen of the family saga.” (aherman) writing “the ups and downs of what goes on within a family but also with some suspense, angst and of course a bit of romance thrown in for good measure.” Follow Lorhainne on Bookbub to receive alerts on New Releases and Sales and join her mailing list at LorhainneEckhart.com for her Monday Blog, books news, giveaways and FREE reads. With over 120 books, audiobooks, and multiple series published and available at all retailers now translated into six languages. She is a multiple recipient of the Readers’ Favorite Award for Suspense and Romance, and lives in the Pacific Northwest on an island, is the mother of three, her oldest has autism and she is an advocate for never giving up on your dreams.

Reviews

[Kathleen J · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is about the rescue, by a naval captain, of a pregnant woman who had been kidnapped and treated as a sex slave for a year and about the woman and captain falling in love.

The good things about this book are:

An unusual storyline--not the same old, same old plot---and, relatedly, the reader's desire to keep reading to figure out what disastrous events will occur and how the protagonists will deal with them.

The not so good things about this book are:

The characters are cardboard cutouts--no complexity here--and throwbacks to an earlier era. He believes women should stay at home, not work, and have babies. (This is treated by everyone as just a quirk--not really important.) The heroine is sweet, soft-spoken and suitably compliant, trusting him on everything and doing what she is told. We are told he is respected by his men but all we see is his being tyrannical, difficult, and unpleasant. He appears to fall in love with her because she is beautiful and acts deferential and adoring. UGH! I mean, I like some alpha male heroes (Kristen Ashley's for example) but this guy is just a jerk and she appears happy to be a second-class citizen.

Many problems with the writing. Arguably the worst offense is the anticlimaxes, that is, foreshadowing things that don't happen! A classic example raised in many writing classes is from Checkov, that is, a writer should never bring a lot of attention to a loaded gun lying on the table at the beginning of the story unless someone does something with it. That failure to follow through is exactly the kind of thing that happens in Saved: one of the main plotlines just.....disappears. We get this big build up about this critical issue then NOTHING happens!! No real resolution--we are only told that everyone stops worrying about it. ARGH!

Another example: we have a secondary female character who enters part way through the novel to carry out a plot-related task. She spends much of her time mooning over a secondary male character and we are told a lot about what she is thinking and feeling. Even after she realizes the man is married she is still crushing on him but doesn't try to hook up or anything. Then she completes her plot-related task and....leaves. Again, nothing happens! A build-up and another anticlimax when this subplot doesn't go anywhere.

Other problems: There is little of the details about the way things look, feel, sound, smell and taste in the story, things that bring a story to life. We learn virtually nothing about the heroine. Finally, the young, gentle, innocent heroine seems hardly bothered at all by being repeatedly raped, beaten, and locked up for a YEAR by a Muslim terrorist who treats her as a sex slave! Talk about difficulty in suspending disbelief!

At first I thought this might be a Christian book because of the conservatism of the characters and the fact that we never hear or see much of anything lustful from the hero in the first three-quarters of the book. However, there is a fair amount of cursing, including the use of the f word, so I guess not.

So, if you have very traditional beliefs about men and women, including liking heroes who are arrogant, macho and tyrannical but still don't mind reading books with cursing, maybe you could like this book.

[Λίνα Θωμάρεη · Rating 1 out of 5]

Κριτική:

Ως γνήσια Ντράμα περσον όταν διάβασα αυτή την περίληψη :

"Growing up I had dreams that one day I'd fall in love, get married and start a family. Then one night I was taken.

But I survived, I escaped and I was saved. Eric didn't see me as damaged. He didn't see my baby as a monster. He protected me, he kept me safe ... he saved me."

Εννοείται ότι το κατέβασα δίχως 2η σκέψη.. διότι "Helloooooo το δράμα ξεχύνεται από τις σελίδες" σκέφτομαι...

"Hell(n)oooooooooooooo... Το δράμα ούτε ξεχύνεται ούτε χύνεται, ούτε καν στάζει"

Πολλά φάουλ το συγκεκριμένο... και όπως κάθε 1η του μήνα (παράδοση έχει γίνει) ας ρίξω το φαρμάκι μου (δικαιολογημένα) -πάντα- .

1ο φάουλ... από την περίληψη περιμένεις ότι θα διαβάσεις μια ιστορία σε πρώτο πρόσωπο και συγκεκριμένα από την πρωταγωνίστρια .... χα χα χα ούτε καν... πάρε την εισαγωγή και πολύ σου είναι...

2ο φάουλ.... ο Καπετάνιος... ο Έρικ... ναι αυτός ο άντρας, ο βαρύς, σκληρός, ο δεν σηκώνω μύγα στο σπαθί μου, ο διοικώ ένα πλοίο μόνος μου και στο πλοίο ο καθένας κάνει ότι του καπνίσει.. ο άντρας που θεωρεί ότι οι γυναίκες δεν κάνουν για τις ένοπλες δυνάμεις και είναι μόνο σπίτι, παιδιά, νοικοκυριό... Αυτός λοιπόν μαγεύεται από την πρωταγωνίστρια η οποία ...

3ο φάουλ... η οποία είναι θύμα human trafficking... (αμ πως ή έχουμε δράμα ή όχι) την οποία αφού την απήγαγαν, μετά την πούλησαν σε έναν άραβα, ο οποίος την κακοποιούσε καθημερινά (φαντάζομαι) και μετά από 18 μήνες φρίκης βρίσκει την ευκαιρία να το σκάσει για να σώσει τόσο την ζωή της όσο και το μωρό που έχει μέσα της. Και έτσι πέφτει στην αγκαλιά του Κάπτεν.... και κάπου σε αυτές τις σελίδες ερωτεύονται...

4ο φάουλ και πιο σημαντικό... Σε όλο αυτό το δράμα... δεν ασχοληθήκαμε καθόλου με την Άμπυ.. την κοπέλα που την απήγαγαν, την πούλησαν, την κακοποίησαν... όχι... ασχοληθήκαμε όμως με τον Έρικ.. τον καπετάνιο, τον άντρα... ασχοληθήκαμε πως την ερωτεύτηκε με την πρώτη ματιά, πως ήθελε να την κάνει δική του κλπ κλπ...
Επίσης ασχοληθήκαμε με μια (ας πούμε) μήνυση προς το μέρος του, με μια (ας πούμε) παρεμβολή της CIA, με τα κουτσομπολιά που μπορεί να έχει ένα πλοίο... και η Άμπυ?? Η Άμπυ μέσα της γινόταν καλά και άρχιζε να ερωτεύεται τον Έρικ...
Εντάξει είχε κάποιους εφιάλτες, κάποιους μώλωπες, ένα μωρό να γεννήσει αλλά αυτά είναι ψιλά γράμματα μπροστά στο μεγαλείο του έρωτα...

Σύνοψη:
Ντροπή και κρίμα να φτιάχνει ένα χαρακτήρα με τέτοιο παρελθόν και να το παρουσιάζει σαν να πήγε βόλτα και της έσκασε το λάστιχο.... κρίμα να μην προσπαθεί να μπει στην ψυχοσύνθεση της πρωταγωνίστριας και να συμπάσχει μαζί της... κρίμα που τέτοιο θέμα το έκανε να φανεί μια κακιά στιγμή που ήρθε ο Πρίγκιπας και το έκανε μα και πέρασε...

Κριτική...

2 αστέρια??? Όχι ...

1 και τελικά πολύ είναι...

[Rae Sontheyon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Save Your Time And Money On Something Elsewhere! . . .

The story had great intentions aiming to bring light to the issue of sex trafficking, but it was overshadowed and barely mentioned when another issue in the book took more precedence making the book lack as a whole story. Character development was surface for how deeply emotional the issues were in the story and I never felt connected to any character or really cared too much for how the story would all end. In fact the suspense of "will such and such happen?" never gets resolved and leads you to an epilogue that leaves you going "Umm, okay. Guess there's another book then."

Captain Eric Hamilton of the USS Larson finds a woman adrift on a dingy in the middle of the Northern Arabian Gulf. The woman is badly beaten and dehydrated, but most shockingly she is also very pregnant. After getting her bandaged up and able to talk he asks how she ended up where they found her and who she is, she informs Eric that her name is Abigail Carlton. Abby tells Eric that she was from Seattle before she had chosen to travel in Europe where she was abducted from a nightclub in Paris 332 days ago where she was then sold to an Arab man named, Seyed Hossein. Eric is old school in thinking about woman having their place in the world and doesn't believe they should be in the Navy, but he wholeheartedly believe men who do what was done to Abby are scum of the earth. The two bond and form a connection, making Eric promise to keep Abby and her baby safe even from the CIA if need be. However, there is also trouble on board for Eric concerning his views on woman as insubordination abounds and crewman take sides on issues concerning an allegation of sexual harassment, which if found guilty could render Eric powerless leaving all of them open to attack.

Overall, there could have been something to this book and I kept waiting for the plot to even out, but it just dragged on and got messier without complete resolution. Picking one issue to flush out would have been easier allowing the other to be the series arc plot line, but instead both were installed in this story and it made the book jumbled. Eric was repeatedly noted as chauvinistic and old school which was okay except when the author threw in romance trying to make him loving and caring too. Didn't match up. Especially since the woman he was vying for literally just got away from a guy who controlled every aspect of her existence and now she gets with a man who is just as controlling but does it out of love?! No woman out of sex trafficking would have been all for romance in less than a week, too unbelievable, especially for them having sex twice in the book, like come on *Eye roll. Oh and there was a whole accusation of sexual harassment case, there was a line in the book that literally had a character question the claims based on the captain being hot and the woman being a plain Jane so there was no way he'd have gone for her. Like WTH?!!! Like no, I can't even discuss that. So if you want to waste time on a book that doesn't seem to want to want in the first book and has too many main issues to end properly while having main character be a total jerk who romances a woman straight from slavery, then be my guest at reading this, but I will not be reading more in this series or this book ever again.

------Read more of my reviews at: http://heyitwasfree.blogspot.com/------

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms Echart originally wrote this novel back in 2007 titled The Captain's Lady. She received the rights back and the storyline is the same but she did rewrite and change some parts back to the original intent of the story.
Saved- May 11 2013
This is an unusual story that will capture you from the beginning and the way to the end.
The reader gets a sensitive storyline without falling back on coarse, graphic descriptions. And the secondary storyline is done equally well.

Captain Eric Hamilton is a powerful force in the U.S. Navy, having earned himself a reputation of being a hard-nosed chauvinist. He's commander of the USS Larsen, a destroyer.
Abby Carlton has just escaped from the man who held her captive for a year. Abducted while traveling in Paris, she was given to an Arab man as a gift, until one night she makes her desperate escape. While on patrol one morning Captain Eric Hamilton discovers a dinghy floating aimlessly. Abby is found, battered and is 8 months pregnant, lying in the bottom of the dinghy. From the moment she is laid on the deck of his ship her honest innocence finds a way to penetrate his hardened heart.
Eric is falsely accused of sexual assault and the CIA wants Abby and the baby for bait to flush out her captor, who is suspected of recent terrorist activity in the gulf.
Eric will do everything he can to protect her and keep her on his ship.
I loved the suspense and how it went into the topic of abducted women trafficking and how the military justice system works and the protocols that have to be followed in different situations.
Eric is so a Alpha male and a gorgeous hunk and I was very happy with the way he felt about Abby from the start. He's such an honorable man. His views about women in the NAVY was way out there old fashion but he was just being honest and in your face about his opinion. That honesty is why his whole crew loved and respected him so much.
Abby was a strong woman that was able to pick herself up and do the best she could with what she had. I already loved her but she completely won me over when she showed what a great mother she was to her baby.
I think that the plot involving the man who had bought Abby and was the father of her child was left as a pretty big loose end. Also I think that Abby probably should have had a little more reticence about sexual intimacy after her experience in captivity and I would have liked to see a little more closure with that whole situation. Also, I felt like I didn't really get to see why Gail Carruthers, the sailor who filed the sexual harrassment charge, was so loony, and so mad. I would have liked more insight into that situation.
But over all I really enjoyed this Novel and if you like military and suspense then this is for you.

[Ann L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a 3.5. I have mixed feelings about this story. I liked the story, first of all, but it was REALLY unrealistic after a bit of reading it too. I won't elaborate too much on that because then I'll spoil the story.

The first third of the book was really good but then a huge chunk of the book was on a "sexual harassment" story within the main story, in which it kind of made it THE story for a bit there. Yes, it was a good story within a story, but then I realized the author needed a "filler" to make it a novel rather than a novella. There really wasn't much to the story and probably (in my opinion), the author could of just made it one big novel rather than divide the story into another book where you have to purchase it to continue it. I'm not a huge fan of trilogies UNLESS they are well written with lots of action and suspense AND it left me wanting more. Sometimes I feel some authors divide up a story to make the reader purchase it when it really could of been just one novel to begin with (I guess those days are gone for the most part when authors write E-books).

The last third of the book seemed kind of rushed. I don't care to read the rest of this story line by purchasing more books. I felt it ended well enough as a stand alone, but I feel it could of been just one story line to begin with too. Apparently, the main female character is going to be kidnapped AGAIN. So, yah, I'm done with this............

[Vicki Willis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know if people still like this type of romance, but the whole story made me cringe. It was very antiquated and the main character was just too weak and the male character too controlling (and not in a sexy, hot romantic way). I was surprised a woman wrote this, to me it seemed like what an abusive man would think a woman would want in life. Anyway, not for me. Hated it.

[Cari · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unsympathetic, misogynistic main character that never gets over his own admitted sexism

The plot was meh, but the main, POV character was such a sexist jerk that I couldn’t even empathize with his getting falsely accused of harassment. Not worth even the free read.

[Deedee McDonald · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea

DNF at 35%. I just hated the main character too much to continue. Perhaps the book is about him becoming a better person, but I was not invested enough to find out.

[Peni · Rating 4 out of 5]

After much debate, I read this story. I had read other reviews indicating that it is woman bashing (my words not theirs), especially the behavior of men to women in the military. While I agree that the portrayal of women in the military in this story isn't what it should be, it is fairly consistent with what I know about the treatment from that time period. It is getting better now, however there is still a long way to go.

I liked some aspects of this story. The focus on human trafficking is really needed, it exists, it happens and could happen at anytime anywhere to you. The need to put an end to it is long overdue. I liked that the story shows the characters as flawed and needing work, especially the Captain. He is old fashioned in both good and bad ways. He has a hot temper, impatient and stubborn. He is also honest. He doesn't mess around with subtleties or being diplomatic, He states his beliefs and makes no apologies. He is also a hero, those old fashioned ways to the good. He steps up to comfort, watch out for and protect those he feels need it, including women. There is respect there and his treatment of his crew is exacting, tough and expects perfection always. Uncaring of hurt feelings. He is also consistent in these dealings, because of this his department (?) heads attempt to keep women under their charge out of his way.

I liked the story itself. As you can tell from the above, the characterization was excellent. To have a reaction from the reader good or bad shows a good storyteller. The pacing was good although some actions seemed to be repeated over and over again. I did grow impatient about mid-way through and skipped ahead to the last 3/4 of the story, didn't feel I missed much. I could easily see this story taking place.

With the adult themes and content, I don't recommend for anyone under 14+ and mature.

[Natward1 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't finish halfway through. The main problem was that it is boring. This book could have been really good too given the unique plot and interesting setting. But it is just terribly bland. And I hate when a guy who supposedly is never really that interested in women is able to suddenly be so interested in a girl basically immediately after meeting her. Especially in these circumstances. The two characters have said a handful of words to eachother, all of which have been incredibly forgettable and he's all completely crazy about this girl and cares about her immensely. He keeps saying, 'I can't explain why she's different or why I'm suddenly so interested in her' and I want to say, yeah, I have no clue either. I mean if she's so different from anyone else why can't the author show me why she's different to him. The insta love thing totally discredits the romance, especially in this type of situation. It would have been so much better if the author would have spent more time focusing on ways to show us how these two start connecting and building a slow relationship instead of focusing on dumb little sub plots and the boring going ons of life in the navy on a ship out to sea. I've read half this book and I couldn't really tell you much that's happened besides the main part of Abby being brought on board and the captain having short conversations with her that are as boring as they are emotionless. I would have loved for the captain to treat her very indifferently because he's a serious and commanding person but then have him slowly open his heart up to her after getting to know her better and after having meaningful conversations about each other while infusing emotion and passion into it. But so far this is just about the life in the navy with robotic characters who always say what you'd expect them to say.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was so much potential for Saved, but the plot & character development just weren't fleshed out well. The drama & conflicts were left unfinished and very anticlimactic. I didn't find Eric a sympathetic character, he's possessive & angry & chauvinistic. He's rude and unprofessional yet highly respected by men and women on his ship, despite his archaic views of a woman's place. Abby was very demure and submissive, & though it was made clear that she had the potential to be fierce, I personally didn't see that trait at all. I also didn't think her attitude was slightly realistic for someone who had been abducted and sold in a human trafficking ring, then winds up pregnant & on a Navy ship.

That said, had the conflict been developed better, Saved could've been a great book. The concept & setting were unique & kept me wanting more, it's frustrate that we didn't get it. I'd like to know more about Abby's background. She was sketchy about her family & past but nothing came of it. Same with Eric, his life was kind of glossed over yet mentioned repeatedly. What happened to the woman who filed a report against Eric? Was she charged? And the other woman who helped her work around the chain of communication? How about the JAG officer & her emotional upheaval about XO Joe & Eric? What did the CIA do to get their answers? Why does Abby feel safe enough 2 years later, did something occur with her captor? The entire reason she was on the ship just kind of disappeared. As I said, the intrigue was there, it had the makings of a terrific book, it just really didn't give any satisfying conclusions.

[Rosemary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate to say this, but this was horrible book. It starts off with a pregnant Abby found floating in the ocean. A US Navy ship finds her and brings her on board. They find out she is an American who was kidnapped a year ago while she was vacationing in Paris. She was bought and sold to a man known as a terrorist. The Navy Captain, Eric, is taken by her. This surprises everyone bc of his very public views about women and women in the military. Women should be at home taking care of the kids and catering to husband's needs. And if you didn't hear that the first time, just wait...it'll be repeated in about two pages. It was a broken record!!!!!!! Eric was a complete jerk the entire time. There was nothing endearing about him.

Then 80% of the book was spent investigating an accusation of sexual harassment against the Captain. Once that was over and done, he is suddenly in love with Abby. The amount time the book devoted to the investigation, made the love for each other so unrealistic. And why did they never discuss Abby's family? If she was kidnapped, don't you think they would like to know she's alive?

The other characters were very cut and dried and some of the POV's were unnecessary. Like the commander, she was basically lust crazy for the captain and XO. Why was that necessary to the story.

It seems like an essential plot line of Abby's kidnapper trying to find her disappeared. The epilogue fast forwarded 2 years.

This was just poorly thought out and the way it was written was lacking as a romance.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spent last night looking around for a new Kindle book and stumbled onto this one. When I read the sample I was hooked and downloaded it. This book really grabbed me, I spent all day today trying to grab moments during work where I could read more on my phone. The characters are wonderfully created and everything felt natural and real. There is some language and a sex scene (which was a little silly at times) but that did not diminish my enjoyment of the book.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written love story

I thought this book was great at bringing attention to a very real growing problem that has only gotten worse since this book was written. The story that unfolds after Abby is rescued is a story of love and how it can change even the toughest man. Will definitely read more by Ms. Eckhart

[Sandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

2 stars, and that's being generous.

There was a couple of editing issues, and the story was kinda ishy.

Another abuse survivor who falls pretty quickly for her rescuer.

There's potential here I guess, but I didn't really care about about this one. Glad it was free.

[Luanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice story of heartfelt love at first sight! I enjoyed the story and was happy for the outcome! I think Eric and Abbey are great together and Rachel is one lucky little girl.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a touching story line. I enjoyed this book immensely and read it in one sitting.

[psvansc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! I really enjoyed it! Was a little leery of Eric, but grew to love him by the end. Would like to read more about this couple.

[Shellie Mankoski]

I loved this book

as soon as I read the first chapter I was hooked. I didn't put the book down until I was finished. I fell in love with Abby and Eric's character

[Tama Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story line! I am going to enjoy her series of books. She is an author that I will continue reading. I am reading her second book now"Vanished".
Eric and Abby continuing saga.
Tama T.

[Sue Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really GOOD book about human trafficking. Loved that it had a military backdrop and a Very different storyline. Will now read Vanished and see how it all turns out!

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this, could have been abit more though

[Judith A Darga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

Great love story!! Couldn't put it down and didn't until I'd finished the book. This is the second book I have read of Me. Elkhart. Loved them both!!!

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story was dry. I felt very disconnected from Eric almost to the point where I could care less if he was in the story or not. But as all series I will keep reading on.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is a great book to read

[Mills · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 50%. It's unbelievable how bad Saved is.

1) Misogyny, particularly but not exclusively from the hero who gives us this little sob story about being abandoned by his mother as justification, as if a thirty five year old man isn't old enough to take responsibility for his own actions.

2) On a related note, black and white views of two significant female characters - blond haired, blue eyed, angelic, sweet and trusting vs manipulative sociopath who, it is hinted, may be up to some truly nefarious deeds. Nothing in between. It's depressing that a woman wrote this shit. Oh, and this poor tortured hero being saved from the sociopath by the angel because that's not a trope at all.*

3) Racism. "Some dark piece of trash" plus various other comments about arabs. "They can be quite the sick, perverted bastards, can't they?" as though all people from the Middle East condone human trafficking.

4) Domestic violence, or rather, how obtuse the hero is about it. Victim blaming. A total lack of understanding as to why someone might stay with an abuser and a moronic belief that punching someone who is abusing their partner will knock it out of them and solve all their problems.

5) Grammar and syntax. Lots of clunkiness. A fair few errors.

6) Narrative: events that don't fit with each other. Case in point: Macho idiot 1 says "It was that girl who did it!" Macho idiot 2: "No way, I can't believe it!" 1: "yeah, but I dunno why" 2: "well I asked her and she said it was because she's scared of you." I'm sorry, but when exactly between expressing surprise and the next piece of speech did No2 have time to go and question someone? This makes no sense.

7) Instalove: "Eric hurried to the door and glanced back at a woman who would not sit quietly by and do nothing. She was quiet, honest, but she had a fighting spirit that he’d swear would go to the death. She was one woman he prayed he’d never disappoint." Level with me here. He's known her, what, three days and up until then hated basically all women. Where is this crap coming from?

8) The complete and utter inappropriateness of characters being dominant and touchy-feely with someone who has just escaped from sexual slavery.

9) Idiotic phrases like "She was trembling, and her eyes were wild with fear, something I can honestly say I’ve never seen before." from a military doctor on active service. Seriously? A military doctor has never seen someone who was very scared? What kind of sheltered world do you live in?

10) Extraneous plotlines. Human trafficking is quite dramatic enough for one book. Do we really need a made up sexual harassment claim as well, to heighten the angst?

11) Thirty five chapters. I wanted to read them all to give a more in depth review but I couldn't force myself to make it past seventeen.

*An educated guess.

[J.L. Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I had some mixed feelings about this book. There were things I liked about it and there were other matters that left me with a bit of a bitter taste.

First off, I liked the premise.

A survivor of a yearlong human trafficking ordeal escapes and is saved at sea by Captain Eric Hamilton and those aboard the USS Larson on the Arabian Gulf.

The somewhat of a chauvinistic military man Eric Hamilton wants to do everything he can to help Abby and her unborn child. Meanwhile, Eric’s got his own problems when he’s faced with harassment accusations.

I enjoyed the action and felt much of the emotion that Eckhart portrayed through these characters. She constructed each scene with skill and sensitivity.

On the other hand, my main issue was with the leading characters: Abby and Eric.

Abby didn’t seem very believable. I’m all for love at first sight when its genuine, but human trafficking is rough to say the least.

To have gone through all that she had and immediately trust and cozy up to Eric just didn’t fit.

Yes, he rescued her, but he’s a stranger at that point. She doesn’t know his motives and she’s on the run. Though she might appreciate that he saved her, she’d still be guarded for quite awhile.

As for Eric, he was believable. I didn’t like him.
He was controlling, believing that women “have a place” (and not in his line of work in the military), much like the man Abby managed to get away from.

So I found myself asking what made Eric the better man?
When you love someone, you don’t steal their choices. That’s not love.

What really bugged me about him was he didn’t appear to think much about her mental health. Abby survived the unimaginable.
Making love to her—no matter how much he cared—wouldn’t make those effects go away.

Considering his station and industry where PTSD is rampant, I was surprised he didn’t even bring it up as a means of necessary help for a woman he claims to love that has been tortured and abused.

So, I wasn’t crazy about this one. However, Ms. Eckhart did create the basis of a good story that, I think, had a lot of promise. I would have liked for the story to go deeper into the mental health aspect of human trafficking survivors and all that stems from it.

[Tracey Tranter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the book before looking at the reviews. I don’t pay much attention to them anyway. Nor should anyone else.

Keep in mind that the book is fiction. Not real life.

The main character, Eric, was honest, and let everyone know his view of females in the military. This caused its own drama. Some of the actions taken by others on board ship would not be tolerated in real life, be they male or female.

The brusque military man in the story met someone and felt something he hadn't experienced before. It happens. Abby’s story was tragic, but abduction, slavery and abuse of some type regretfully happens to men, women and sadly, children, every day. I think the author did a very good job of this.

I loved the connection between Eric and Abby. It was like love at first sight.

I found the story to be well written, entertaining with lots of suspense. A great read. The story does end on a bit of a cliff hanger.

This is a three-part group of stories and need to be read in order. My advice would be to have all three books ready to read before you start. Much more enjoyable that way!

Recommend.

I received an author’s copy and have left an honest review

[Regina Lively · Rating 4 out of 5]

VERY GOOD BOOK!

This was an interesting & engrossing novel. I’ve read a few of Ms. Eckhart’s novels & really liked them all. She’s a talented & prolific author. Her novels are not “cookie-cutter; all of them are unique. Her characters are realistic & admirable. It appears Ms. Eckhart was in the military or grew up in a military family. The scenes & characters aboard the ship are very genuine& believable.
One thing that amazed me was how easily Abby acclimated to her new role of motherhood. She had no post partum depression. She took the nursing Rachel like a pro. There were no problems with her new born “latching on” when Abby first nursed her. Baby Rachel was a good baby. She slept through the night with no 3 a.m. feedings. She was a happy baby. No need to get in the car at midnight to drive around, hoping the baby would finally fall asleep. (Not that such a thing was possible while Abby was at sea!) We wish our babies were like that!
I’ll be reading book 2 “Vanished” in “The Saved Series” next.

[Michaela | Reading in the Heartland · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first from this author. I love a good rescuer/ protector romance. This is a good narrator too. I was a bit wary after reading some of the reviews, and I see where they are coming from. The narrator does speak a bit quickly, but I feel it adds to the tension and suspense. Creates a feeling of urgency and danger. I liked that we got so much of our hero’s perspective. Plus, all the other perspectives. Man, some of these women..I’m all for equality but when you sign on to the military- female or male- you sign on to give respect and recognition to those in command above you. Good grief. Not everything is a gender issue.