What do you think?
Rate this book
Harp Security #2
Lost
Tara Jean Dobbs was a Texas police officer until her friend Lucy Caldwell almost died on her watch. She’s since left the force, left Dobbs Hollow, and vowed to never let a loved one down again. So when her best friend Andrea joins a seemingly harmless spiritual cult—only to disappear without a trace—Tara decides to find out what happened by becoming one of the Chosen herself.
Five months later, no one’s heard from Tara, and FBI Agent Jacob Nolan is going after her. Taking a false identity, Jacob finds it surprisingly easy to play the part of Tara’s boyfriend. But as they uncover the inner workings of the Chosen, they realize how much danger they’re in. Because Andrea isn’t the first follower to conveniently disappear—and they may be next.
Five months later, no one’s heard from Tara, and FBI Agent Jacob Nolan is going after her. Taking a false identity, Jacob finds it surprisingly easy to play the part of Tara’s boyfriend. But as they uncover the inner workings of the Chosen, they realize how much danger they’re in. Because Andrea isn’t the first follower to conveniently disappear—and they may be next.
- GenresRomantic Suspense
263 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 20, 2014
30 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Laura K. Curtis
14 books48 followersLaura K. Curtis does everything backwards. As a child, she was extremely serious, so now that she’s chronologically an adult, she feels perfectly justified in acting the fool. She started teaching at age fifteen, then decided to go back to school herself at thirty.
Laura has written four romantic suspense novels, two contemporary romances, and is moving into the arena of the Gothic (because she doesn't have enough on her plate).
Laura has taught middle school social studies, high school literature, and college-level rhetoric, all with relative success. She’s also a full-on Mac geek who spent years as a consultant and running an academic computing lab. The only thing she completely failed at in the field of education was attempting to teach obedience to her pack of Irish Terriers. Currently, she lives in Westchester, NY, with her husband and two insane Irish Terriers who have taught her how easily love can coincide with the desire to kill.
Laura has written four romantic suspense novels, two contemporary romances, and is moving into the arena of the Gothic (because she doesn't have enough on her plate).
Laura has taught middle school social studies, high school literature, and college-level rhetoric, all with relative success. She’s also a full-on Mac geek who spent years as a consultant and running an academic computing lab. The only thing she completely failed at in the field of education was attempting to teach obedience to her pack of Irish Terriers. Currently, she lives in Westchester, NY, with her husband and two insane Irish Terriers who have taught her how easily love can coincide with the desire to kill.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 28, 2014
***This mini-review has also been posted on The Social Potato
When I started reading this book I had no idea that it was actually a sequel, but I am assuming both books can be read as stand alone since they feature different characters and I didn’t have many problems jumping right into this.
I think the biggest faults this book had were the characters and the romance. The mystery in itself was pretty decent, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to say it was unique or anything. I definitely had lots of fun and it was interesting to see how things would turn out. The romance and the characters, however, fell short in comparison.
Tara Jean followed her friend to the Chosen, a cult, when her friend failed to remain in touch and while on the surface it seemed harmless, the leaders of the Chosen were definitely hiding secrets. Tara is an ex-cop, but the problem I have with her is that I really cannot tell that she was one. She seems to need saving and I find that a bit contradicting of the fact that she was an ex-cop. That aside, I also feel like she was missing a certain depth and the same could be said for Jake. I don’t know enough about these two and that’s where the problem lies. Perhaps character development occurred in the previous book, but then again these two were secondary characters in it so I doubt that. I feel like I know all these facts about the two of them, but they don’t add into something bigger. They don’t make these characters come to life for me.
The romance is insta-love based on insta-attraction. Of course, these two interacted with each other before in the previous book and both admit to having been interested, but they also didn’t get to know each other until this book happened. So over the course of just a few weeks (2 at most I think), they fall in love and if that isn’t insta-love, I don’t know what is. It would be more believable if perhaps both the characters actually got to spend time with each other as themselves, but they didn’t (they were undercover) which just adds more to the unbelievable factor of their romance.
The mystery was pretty fun. That’s pretty much all I have to say, because while I can find some faults, at the heart of it, it was pretty fun to read about even if it wasn’t particularly memorable.
All in all, this is a pretty quick read and it was thoroughly entertaining. I’d still recommend it to fans of romantic suspense that aren’t looking for something particularly elaborate but just want a quick fun read.
When I started reading this book I had no idea that it was actually a sequel, but I am assuming both books can be read as stand alone since they feature different characters and I didn’t have many problems jumping right into this.
I think the biggest faults this book had were the characters and the romance. The mystery in itself was pretty decent, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to say it was unique or anything. I definitely had lots of fun and it was interesting to see how things would turn out. The romance and the characters, however, fell short in comparison.
Tara Jean followed her friend to the Chosen, a cult, when her friend failed to remain in touch and while on the surface it seemed harmless, the leaders of the Chosen were definitely hiding secrets. Tara is an ex-cop, but the problem I have with her is that I really cannot tell that she was one. She seems to need saving and I find that a bit contradicting of the fact that she was an ex-cop. That aside, I also feel like she was missing a certain depth and the same could be said for Jake. I don’t know enough about these two and that’s where the problem lies. Perhaps character development occurred in the previous book, but then again these two were secondary characters in it so I doubt that. I feel like I know all these facts about the two of them, but they don’t add into something bigger. They don’t make these characters come to life for me.
The romance is insta-love based on insta-attraction. Of course, these two interacted with each other before in the previous book and both admit to having been interested, but they also didn’t get to know each other until this book happened. So over the course of just a few weeks (2 at most I think), they fall in love and if that isn’t insta-love, I don’t know what is. It would be more believable if perhaps both the characters actually got to spend time with each other as themselves, but they didn’t (they were undercover) which just adds more to the unbelievable factor of their romance.
The mystery was pretty fun. That’s pretty much all I have to say, because while I can find some faults, at the heart of it, it was pretty fun to read about even if it wasn’t particularly memorable.
All in all, this is a pretty quick read and it was thoroughly entertaining. I’d still recommend it to fans of romantic suspense that aren’t looking for something particularly elaborate but just want a quick fun read.
September 21, 2022
1.5
Honestly, I didn't like this book.
I thought that I would be able to get through the back and forth but honestly it was just a little too much for me.
I feel like the more I got into this book the less interested that I have become.
This book includes a little bit too much mystery and crime in here for me to follow.
I know understand that this is a sequel but none of the characters are the same but either way this was not the book for me.
Honestly, I didn't like this book.
I thought that I would be able to get through the back and forth but honestly it was just a little too much for me.
I feel like the more I got into this book the less interested that I have become.
This book includes a little bit too much mystery and crime in here for me to follow.
I know understand that this is a sequel but none of the characters are the same but either way this was not the book for me.
August 2, 2014
This book took me by surprise. Its very different from what I normally read. I has Romance, action, and a bit of mystery. All 3 make for a very good book. It has you wanting more from the beginning all the way through to the end.
I loved the book, although I normally check to make sure there is no book that comes before it. Until I was 20% through it I found out it was the 2nd book. I was really mad at myself. But I kept reading. I really enjoyed this whole book.
Tara Jean went through alot throughout this whole story.She is a very strong character I love books with strong characters. The Chosen seems like a scary place to me. It is kind of like a cult in a way. I could never live in a place like that. The characters all of them made it work.
This book is thrilling, fast paced, sexy male/female lead Romance level wasnt really steamy so I will just call it hott. And I really LOVED it.
I loved the book, although I normally check to make sure there is no book that comes before it. Until I was 20% through it I found out it was the 2nd book. I was really mad at myself. But I kept reading. I really enjoyed this whole book.
Tara Jean went through alot throughout this whole story.She is a very strong character I love books with strong characters. The Chosen seems like a scary place to me. It is kind of like a cult in a way. I could never live in a place like that. The characters all of them made it work.
This book is thrilling, fast paced, sexy male/female lead Romance level wasnt really steamy so I will just call it hott. And I really LOVED it.
December 27, 2021
2.75 Stars for me! (see final notes)
My rating range of this story... 2 - 4 Stars
If significant, why? See final notes
Main Character Ratings...
H = 7/10
h = 5/10
Narrator Rating(s)
M = n/a
F = 8/10
If below 5/10,why?
Was cheating involved? No
Any major triggers to be aware of? Cult, Rape, Torture
Angst Level? Low to Moderate
Light, Moderate, Heavy or Please Stop
Scenes with heat... Yes
What point does it start? 40%
How much of the story? 5%
Anything beyond M/F? No
If yes, explained
Heat Rating... 7/10
Clean or Fade to Black - 1 or 2
Normal to Descriptive 3-5
Detailed Descriptive Sex - 6-7
Um, Wow, Beyond Descriptive Sex - 8 or above
Was there so much sex or unrealistic sex that you rolled your eyes and/or skipped forward? No but really strange timing for some of the encounters.
The back story... The h has joined a cult in Texas to find a missing friend. The H figured out where she was and went after her. He learns why she is there and begrudgingly decides to help.
The Romance... Builds throughout the story after initially starting out as a cover.
The drama explosion... The h gets tortured for information from the bad guys.
Did it feel Real, OK or contrived? Contrived
Was it OTT? Very
Separation involved? Yup
Was it resolved properly or rushed? OK.
Final Notes... Let me start by saying that I like the basis and premise of this story and enjoyed about 75% of it. 75% - solid 4 Stars. 25% - solid 2 Stars.
Dislikes.
1. This story takes place in 3 parts... which is OK unless it is unnecessary dragged out. If this story was an hour or so shorter, it would have been much more enjoyable.
2. The torture scenes were dragged out over an hour and did not feel believable. It felt like it was added for shock value. As much as these guys enjoyed drugging and raping the women of the cult, they gave the h a pass and just chose brutality.
3. She is not a very good Police Officer. She was either caught or captured multiple times throughout the story and never really got out of anything on her own.
I am going to try one more book in the series but if it is similar to the first two, I may skip other stories in the series and potentially by the author. TSTL moments and constant near death escapes get old. A trained police officer should have better instincts and be able to somewhat handle themselves.
HEA or HFN? Who knows.
My rating range of this story... 2 - 4 Stars
If significant, why? See final notes
Main Character Ratings...
H = 7/10
h = 5/10
Narrator Rating(s)
M = n/a
F = 8/10
If below 5/10,why?
Was cheating involved? No
Any major triggers to be aware of? Cult, Rape, Torture
Angst Level? Low to Moderate
Light, Moderate, Heavy or Please Stop
Scenes with heat... Yes
What point does it start? 40%
How much of the story? 5%
Anything beyond M/F? No
If yes, explained
Heat Rating... 7/10
Clean or Fade to Black - 1 or 2
Normal to Descriptive 3-5
Detailed Descriptive Sex - 6-7
Um, Wow, Beyond Descriptive Sex - 8 or above
Was there so much sex or unrealistic sex that you rolled your eyes and/or skipped forward? No but really strange timing for some of the encounters.
The back story... The h has joined a cult in Texas to find a missing friend. The H figured out where she was and went after her. He learns why she is there and begrudgingly decides to help.
The Romance... Builds throughout the story after initially starting out as a cover.
The drama explosion... The h gets tortured for information from the bad guys.
Did it feel Real, OK or contrived? Contrived
Was it OTT? Very
Separation involved? Yup
Was it resolved properly or rushed? OK.
Final Notes... Let me start by saying that I like the basis and premise of this story and enjoyed about 75% of it. 75% - solid 4 Stars. 25% - solid 2 Stars.
Dislikes.
1. This story takes place in 3 parts... which is OK unless it is unnecessary dragged out. If this story was an hour or so shorter, it would have been much more enjoyable.
2. The torture scenes were dragged out over an hour and did not feel believable. It felt like it was added for shock value. As much as these guys enjoyed drugging and raping the women of the cult, they gave the h a pass and just chose brutality.
3. She is not a very good Police Officer. She was either caught or captured multiple times throughout the story and never really got out of anything on her own.
I am going to try one more book in the series but if it is similar to the first two, I may skip other stories in the series and potentially by the author. TSTL moments and constant near death escapes get old. A trained police officer should have better instincts and be able to somewhat handle themselves.
HEA or HFN? Who knows.
September 9, 2023
Dnf. Audiobook.
The setting was interesting at first but the mystery was overly predictable. Actually, I found most parts of the plot too predictable and basic. The romance was awkward and cringy. That could be a personal judgement since I’m not a fan of romance. The characters did not seem to have that “law enforcement” authority as they tried to portray.
The only thing that intrigued me was the cult aspect which soon just proved to be just like any cult based book.
The narrator sounded whiny so I wish it was a more serious tone.
The setting was interesting at first but the mystery was overly predictable. Actually, I found most parts of the plot too predictable and basic. The romance was awkward and cringy. That could be a personal judgement since I’m not a fan of romance. The characters did not seem to have that “law enforcement” authority as they tried to portray.
The only thing that intrigued me was the cult aspect which soon just proved to be just like any cult based book.
The narrator sounded whiny so I wish it was a more serious tone.
December 27, 2019
Loved it. Just the right level of creepy when dealing with cult behavior. My only complaint is that TJ & Lucy's familial relationship is never mentioned.
March 31, 2022
I felt this story was genre confused. Romance... Action.... Crime.
The story was weak and felt no connection with characters.
The story was weak and felt no connection with characters.
July 27, 2014
First reviewed at Red Hot Books here: http://redhotbooks.com/2014/07/review...
I’m on a roll right now with some really great romantic suspense books and this one fit right in. Lost is the second book in the Dobbs Hollow series by Laura K. Curtis and revolves around Tara, a police officer that abandoned her career after a costly mistake, and Jacob, a determined FBI agent. Ordinarily I would not read a “cult” book, but the blurb drew me in and I’m glad I gave it a shot. A good blurb is so important!
After her friend Lucy almost died while Tara was on the job, she handed in her badge and walked away from the law. While working at a restaurant she meets Andrea, a sweet if naive woman and the two become fast friends. Andrea begins attending a ranch run by a “spiritual group” that her cousin is a part of, and Tara goes with her a few times to be supportive. When Andrea drops off the radar and cannot be reached, Tara leaves her belongings and life as she knows it behind and becomes a member of the Chosen to find out what happened to her friend. Since she had been there before visiting, they easily accepted her in to the group.
When Lucy (the heroine from the first book in the series Twisted) doesn’t hear from Tara, she and her husband ask FBI Agent Jacob Nolan to go undercover and pull her out. After deliberately being cruel to Tara out of guilt, Jacob has been anxious to make amends with her. When he finds out that no one has heard from her, he quickly creates a fake identity and background and joins the group. With no backup available, the pair are on their own but things are not adding up with the Chosen and they set out to figure out what the group is up to.
After being a Chosen for months, Tara, or as she’s know now, Selena, is no closer to finding out what happened to her friend. The official line is that Andrea and her cousin decided to leave and no one knows where they have gone. Tara knows that there is no truth to that, but she is determined to stick it out to get to the bottom of things. At dinner one evening she is stunned to see Jacob introduced to the group as their newest member but at first the pair pretend not to know each other. When it becomes obvious that they do have history, they create a cover story that Tara fled and joined the community after Jacob was unfaithful. As they get closer to the truth of what the leaders of the Chosen are up to, Tara and Jacob must rely on each other as much as their own instincts.
I haven’t read the first book in the series but thankfully I was able follow along with no difficulty. We learn enough about the interactions between Jacob and Tara that occurred in Twisted, that I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. Both characters were relatable and likeable and there was a good balance of the progression of their relationship and the suspense of taking the Chosen down. The story was fast paced and well written, and I thought it was a fair assessment of the reality of cults. Curtis didn’t set out to make all religious groups appear evil, and highlights that the majority of the members are self-sufficient, hard-working people.
Overall I really enjoyed the story and the main characters and this is a series I will continue to follow. It was my first experience with Curtis’ writing and I would definitely check out her future work.
Rating: B
I’m on a roll right now with some really great romantic suspense books and this one fit right in. Lost is the second book in the Dobbs Hollow series by Laura K. Curtis and revolves around Tara, a police officer that abandoned her career after a costly mistake, and Jacob, a determined FBI agent. Ordinarily I would not read a “cult” book, but the blurb drew me in and I’m glad I gave it a shot. A good blurb is so important!
After her friend Lucy almost died while Tara was on the job, she handed in her badge and walked away from the law. While working at a restaurant she meets Andrea, a sweet if naive woman and the two become fast friends. Andrea begins attending a ranch run by a “spiritual group” that her cousin is a part of, and Tara goes with her a few times to be supportive. When Andrea drops off the radar and cannot be reached, Tara leaves her belongings and life as she knows it behind and becomes a member of the Chosen to find out what happened to her friend. Since she had been there before visiting, they easily accepted her in to the group.
When Lucy (the heroine from the first book in the series Twisted) doesn’t hear from Tara, she and her husband ask FBI Agent Jacob Nolan to go undercover and pull her out. After deliberately being cruel to Tara out of guilt, Jacob has been anxious to make amends with her. When he finds out that no one has heard from her, he quickly creates a fake identity and background and joins the group. With no backup available, the pair are on their own but things are not adding up with the Chosen and they set out to figure out what the group is up to.
After being a Chosen for months, Tara, or as she’s know now, Selena, is no closer to finding out what happened to her friend. The official line is that Andrea and her cousin decided to leave and no one knows where they have gone. Tara knows that there is no truth to that, but she is determined to stick it out to get to the bottom of things. At dinner one evening she is stunned to see Jacob introduced to the group as their newest member but at first the pair pretend not to know each other. When it becomes obvious that they do have history, they create a cover story that Tara fled and joined the community after Jacob was unfaithful. As they get closer to the truth of what the leaders of the Chosen are up to, Tara and Jacob must rely on each other as much as their own instincts.
I haven’t read the first book in the series but thankfully I was able follow along with no difficulty. We learn enough about the interactions between Jacob and Tara that occurred in Twisted, that I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. Both characters were relatable and likeable and there was a good balance of the progression of their relationship and the suspense of taking the Chosen down. The story was fast paced and well written, and I thought it was a fair assessment of the reality of cults. Curtis didn’t set out to make all religious groups appear evil, and highlights that the majority of the members are self-sufficient, hard-working people.
Overall I really enjoyed the story and the main characters and this is a series I will continue to follow. It was my first experience with Curtis’ writing and I would definitely check out her future work.
Rating: B
August 8, 2014
Previously reviewed on The Good, The Bad, & The Unread:
Generally I like series in the various mystery-plus-romance subgenres. I like to see the growth of a relationship between the lead characters as they solve each mystery and move on to the next, not to mention the various other types of relationships that develop amongst the rest of their team – whether that team is official or informal. On the other hand, sequels and series only work for me if subsequent books take the elements I like from the first book and build on them, and where mystery-themed fiction is concerned that means that the initial team – or elements of it, since some of the series I like have a habit of killing off one or more team members – is the same team that investigates each mystery. So, given all that, I was rather surprised to find that Lost is a sequel to Twisted, which I reviewed back in March and which seemed to have wrapped up all its loose ends in a way that suggested the hero and heroine wouldn’t be working on any other cases together. Nonetheless, I gave this sequel a good chance at impressing me.
Sadly, one of the elements I liked in Twisted is missing altogether in Lost: we see nothing like the excerpts from Lucy’s books that introduced each chapter, even though I’m sure the heroine of that first book could have written a really good true crime story about the central plot of this one. We don’t see much, if anything, of Lucy either; she’s back in Dobbs Hollow, and all the action of this novel takes place elsewhere in spite of the series’ name.
I did like TJ – Tara Jane – in the first book, but the version we get of her in this one seems sadly watered down, as does the character of Jake – Lucy’s friend from the first book. Both of them have left their respective law enforcement agencies – something else that disappoints me about TJ’s change of character – and now they’re investigating a cult for purely personal reasons. Tara has joined to search for her missing friend, and Jake has joined to search for Tara, although his attraction to her seems to have developed ‘offscreen’ in the course of the previous book’s mystery.
Overall, I find the story quite slow to get going, and because the romance element is very much to the forefront, I never found the suspense elements convincingly suspenseful. There are also a few moments that jarred either because characters acted in ways likely to blow their cover, or because the cult failed to spot and deal with what seemed to be infringements of their rules. In particular, I find it slightly odd that a cult placing heavy emphasis on free love and the begetting of children (as community property) didn’t find and remove Tara’s IUD at any of the points she was hospitalised prior to the first sex scene. Not that an IUD equates to safe sex anyway, of course, which also bugs me.
After I read the first book in the series, I said I was prepared to give the author another chance. After this one, however, I’m not. Really not my idea of either a romance or a thriller, I’m afraid, even if the book is competently written in the main.
Generally I like series in the various mystery-plus-romance subgenres. I like to see the growth of a relationship between the lead characters as they solve each mystery and move on to the next, not to mention the various other types of relationships that develop amongst the rest of their team – whether that team is official or informal. On the other hand, sequels and series only work for me if subsequent books take the elements I like from the first book and build on them, and where mystery-themed fiction is concerned that means that the initial team – or elements of it, since some of the series I like have a habit of killing off one or more team members – is the same team that investigates each mystery. So, given all that, I was rather surprised to find that Lost is a sequel to Twisted, which I reviewed back in March and which seemed to have wrapped up all its loose ends in a way that suggested the hero and heroine wouldn’t be working on any other cases together. Nonetheless, I gave this sequel a good chance at impressing me.
Sadly, one of the elements I liked in Twisted is missing altogether in Lost: we see nothing like the excerpts from Lucy’s books that introduced each chapter, even though I’m sure the heroine of that first book could have written a really good true crime story about the central plot of this one. We don’t see much, if anything, of Lucy either; she’s back in Dobbs Hollow, and all the action of this novel takes place elsewhere in spite of the series’ name.
I did like TJ – Tara Jane – in the first book, but the version we get of her in this one seems sadly watered down, as does the character of Jake – Lucy’s friend from the first book. Both of them have left their respective law enforcement agencies – something else that disappoints me about TJ’s change of character – and now they’re investigating a cult for purely personal reasons. Tara has joined to search for her missing friend, and Jake has joined to search for Tara, although his attraction to her seems to have developed ‘offscreen’ in the course of the previous book’s mystery.
Overall, I find the story quite slow to get going, and because the romance element is very much to the forefront, I never found the suspense elements convincingly suspenseful. There are also a few moments that jarred either because characters acted in ways likely to blow their cover, or because the cult failed to spot and deal with what seemed to be infringements of their rules. In particular, I find it slightly odd that a cult placing heavy emphasis on free love and the begetting of children (as community property) didn’t find and remove Tara’s IUD at any of the points she was hospitalised prior to the first sex scene. Not that an IUD equates to safe sex anyway, of course, which also bugs me.
After I read the first book in the series, I said I was prepared to give the author another chance. After this one, however, I’m not. Really not my idea of either a romance or a thriller, I’m afraid, even if the book is competently written in the main.
June 22, 2014
Javagirl‘s review posted on Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
3.5 STARS
Review copy provided for an honest review
I found the premise of infiltrating a religious cult an interesting one. Tara went in to find out what happened to her friend; Jake went in to find out what happened to Tara. Tara had visited The Chosen’s compound with her friend, Andrea, and didn’t suspect the cult or its leaders of any nefarious activities. Her naivete was a little unbelievable to me. As a former police officer, I thought she should have been a little suspicious, or at least, a little more cautious. Jake, an FBI agent/profiler, on the other hand, was highly suspicious of The Chosen. The two team up, and soon discover that there is more going on than farming, communal living and The Chosen’s brand of religion.
Both Jake and Tara are strong, intelligent, likeable characters. Tara is determined and fearless in her quest to find her friend, Andrea. The mysterious activities of The Chosen drew me in and I was eager to find out the details of their activities and what the eventual outcome of Jake and Tara’s investigation would be. The growing friendship and romance between Jake and Tara was very believable and enjoyable. The love scenes are a little tame, but well written and sexy. Not the hottest sex scenes I’ve read, but more than I expected from a romantic suspense.
The issue of drug addiction is a strong theme in Lost, and I suspect in the first book in this series, Twisted, as well. There are two different drug storylines; the primary storyline is integral to the plot and makes for a compelling story. Unfortunately, the secondary drug/addiction storyline felt contrived to me; a manufactured obstacle for the H/H to overcome to get to their HEA. It wasn’t much of an obstacle and was dispatched with a single sentence from Jake. In my opinion, any obstacle to the future happiness of a fictional couple that can be resolved that easily and quickly is probably inauthentic and unnecessary to the story. Even though I may have rolled my eyes just a bit at this particular issue, it was minor and didn’t detract too much from my enjoyment of the book.
I appreciated that the author didn’t characterize all the members of The Chosen in a negative way. There are probably many reasons why people choose to join a religious cult or turn to a communal lifestyle that shuns contact with the outside world. I thought Ms. Curtis did an excellent job of portraying the varied personalities and the many reasons why someone might turn to that type of lifestyle.
A word of caution: I didn’t realize that Lost was the second book in a series prior to reading it. After my initial confusion, I was able to suss the connection between Jake and Tara pretty easily, but my enjoyment of the book may have increased if I had read Twisted first. The romance and the suspense make Lost an entertaining read for any fan of romantic suspense.
3.5 STARS
Review copy provided for an honest review
I found the premise of infiltrating a religious cult an interesting one. Tara went in to find out what happened to her friend; Jake went in to find out what happened to Tara. Tara had visited The Chosen’s compound with her friend, Andrea, and didn’t suspect the cult or its leaders of any nefarious activities. Her naivete was a little unbelievable to me. As a former police officer, I thought she should have been a little suspicious, or at least, a little more cautious. Jake, an FBI agent/profiler, on the other hand, was highly suspicious of The Chosen. The two team up, and soon discover that there is more going on than farming, communal living and The Chosen’s brand of religion.
Both Jake and Tara are strong, intelligent, likeable characters. Tara is determined and fearless in her quest to find her friend, Andrea. The mysterious activities of The Chosen drew me in and I was eager to find out the details of their activities and what the eventual outcome of Jake and Tara’s investigation would be. The growing friendship and romance between Jake and Tara was very believable and enjoyable. The love scenes are a little tame, but well written and sexy. Not the hottest sex scenes I’ve read, but more than I expected from a romantic suspense.
The issue of drug addiction is a strong theme in Lost, and I suspect in the first book in this series, Twisted, as well. There are two different drug storylines; the primary storyline is integral to the plot and makes for a compelling story. Unfortunately, the secondary drug/addiction storyline felt contrived to me; a manufactured obstacle for the H/H to overcome to get to their HEA. It wasn’t much of an obstacle and was dispatched with a single sentence from Jake. In my opinion, any obstacle to the future happiness of a fictional couple that can be resolved that easily and quickly is probably inauthentic and unnecessary to the story. Even though I may have rolled my eyes just a bit at this particular issue, it was minor and didn’t detract too much from my enjoyment of the book.
I appreciated that the author didn’t characterize all the members of The Chosen in a negative way. There are probably many reasons why people choose to join a religious cult or turn to a communal lifestyle that shuns contact with the outside world. I thought Ms. Curtis did an excellent job of portraying the varied personalities and the many reasons why someone might turn to that type of lifestyle.
A word of caution: I didn’t realize that Lost was the second book in a series prior to reading it. After my initial confusion, I was able to suss the connection between Jake and Tara pretty easily, but my enjoyment of the book may have increased if I had read Twisted first. The romance and the suspense make Lost an entertaining read for any fan of romantic suspense.
May 11, 2014
3.5 Stars
This book was a bit of a struggle for me to get through. The synopsis is very interesting and I was excited for the book but the story didn’t grab me like I wanted it to. The story was very detailed—maybe a little too much—which slowed down the pacing. I was hoping for more action and we do get that in the end of the book with some spectacular twists and turns as to who’s really running the cult. The story felt a bit unbalanced to me.
I enjoyed the first book in the series and while I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I’d have liked to, it won’t deter me from reading future books from the author.
***I was gifted an eBook copy from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. All conclusions reached are my own***
This book was a bit of a struggle for me to get through. The synopsis is very interesting and I was excited for the book but the story didn’t grab me like I wanted it to. The story was very detailed—maybe a little too much—which slowed down the pacing. I was hoping for more action and we do get that in the end of the book with some spectacular twists and turns as to who’s really running the cult. The story felt a bit unbalanced to me.
I enjoyed the first book in the series and while I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I’d have liked to, it won’t deter me from reading future books from the author.
***I was gifted an eBook copy from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. All conclusions reached are my own***
June 1, 2014
I really enjoyed this story. It's a good susp-rom. Emotions and suspense grew in crescendo and in the end I couldn't put it down.
But I felt I was missing some important informations because I haven't read the previous book yet. I think the book needs less description of the Chosen's compound and more background between Tara and Jake.
But I felt I was missing some important informations because I haven't read the previous book yet. I think the book needs less description of the Chosen's compound and more background between Tara and Jake.
June 24, 2014
This is a wonderful suspense story. Tara Jean is a strong and determined woman. I admire her so much. She enters a cult to find a friend and never lets fear get the best of her. Then there is Jake, someone Tara knew in her past life. He joins the cult to find Tara Jean. They both get much more than they bargain for.
July 24, 2016
I really liked this one, this was my first book from Curtis, and I enjoyed it immensely.
B
Read full joint review here: http://thebookpushers.com/2014/05/20/...
B
Read full joint review here: http://thebookpushers.com/2014/05/20/...
June 4, 2014
Reviewed at Dear Author. http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/ov...
Read
October 23, 2017All in all a good read
I had some issues with the premise. Tara from twisted leaves dobs hollow for self discovery and to avoid dealing with the ending issues in twisted.
So she joins a cult. It was a little irritating, but as we move deeper into the story, it's a bit more revealing. I had a hard time believing Tara would be so complacent for so long waiting for her friend. It adds credence too her just not being very observant.
However, it was a good read, and Tara did make up for her lack of investigation once Jake believed in her.
I would recommend this story as a suspense novel. It's written in third person, which is not my favorite but it flowed well.
I had some issues with the premise. Tara from twisted leaves dobs hollow for self discovery and to avoid dealing with the ending issues in twisted.
So she joins a cult. It was a little irritating, but as we move deeper into the story, it's a bit more revealing. I had a hard time believing Tara would be so complacent for so long waiting for her friend. It adds credence too her just not being very observant.
However, it was a good read, and Tara did make up for her lack of investigation once Jake believed in her.
I would recommend this story as a suspense novel. It's written in third person, which is not my favorite but it flowed well.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews