Former Special Forces analyst, Eva Battaglia, used to be the hunter. Now, in the quiet town of Haleswood, SC she blends her linguistic and computer skills as the team analyst for RC Investigations. When someone from her Army days decides to exact revenge, she goes from being the hunter to the hunted in a matter of days.
J.C. (Carson) Morris is proud to serve his hometown of Haleswood as a sheriff's deputy. When asked to serve as EVa's bodyguard and keep both the threat and the assignment a secret from her, it's no hardship to stay close to her. But when a sniper shows up in Haleswood targeting Eva, the rules change.
In an attempt to buy time, Carson takes Eva to a safe house, but will their attraction for each other mean sacrifice and death or a happily ever after?
Also enjoy The Thief and The Witness, the first two romantic suspense novels from V.R. Marks.
According to Alfred Hitchcock, “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.” V.R. Marks feels the same way about writing romantic suspense. After falling in love with the suspense genre during a Hitchcock film festival, Marks combined that with a passion for writing that eventually became adventurous romantic suspense novels readers crave.
Marks now resides in Portland, Maine where two cats provide regularly scheduled breaks from the keyboard.
A few months ago, I was introduced to V.R. Marks series, RC Investigations, and I have been hooked even since.
Just finished The Hostage and I couldn’t be more pleased! Since read the first book, The Thief, where we were introduced to Eve Battaglia and Carson Morris, I have been looking forward to reading her story. While the first 2 books have a parallel time line, The Hostage takes place after that time and therefore can be read as a stand-alone. But why not read the first two books? They were outstanding.
Eva is an ex-special forces analyst, who is a computer genius, working with former members of her old team at RC Investigations. When it comes to tracking down information, Eva is your gal. She lives for the challenge. While recouping from an injury, she discovers that a mistake from her past military service has come came to destroyer her and those she cares about.
Let me tell you, Eva is one tough cookie and if I liked her in the past 2 books, I fell in love with her in this book. She is self-confident, smart, witty and faces her fears head on. I want to be like her when I grow up!
Carson Morris is the sheriff’s deputy assigned to protect Eva. Of course, Eva doesn’t feel she needs a bodyguard till someone close to her is shot. This is where their adventure begins along with their attraction to each other. It was refreshing to see that Eva and Carson both knew what they wanted and went for it, without a bunch of angst and denial. There were some really sweet and tender moments between these two people as they were trying to keep Eva safe.
True to form, V.R. Marks, filled this story with his trade mark roller coaster riding suspense. And I enjoy every minute of the ride.
Now to my only complaint, a personal note to Mr. Marks, when do we get to read Bart’s story? *smiling*
Hot romance, gripping suspense and one determined independent woman make up the latest book from VR Marks.
Eva Battaglia was an analyst with the Special Forces team that included her current boss Ross and best friend Bart. On their last mission things didn’t go according to plan and the hostage they were trying to save died. Now years later it seems the man responsible for the kidnapping and botched mission is after Eva for something he thinks she knows. With Eva still recovering from a gunshot wound Ross asked to have Deputy Carson Morris assigned as her body guard but without her knowledge. Things go fine until Bart shows up and get shot taking a bullet meant for her.
Eva is now made aware of what is going on and begrudgingly agrees to go into hiding with Carson and try and figure out what it is Bakr Morcos really wants from her.
I love reading strong female characters and Eva can defiantly take care of herself but is still a woman at heart that suffers from nightmares from the botched mission and with her growing attraction to Deputy Carson who isn’t her typical type of man. Carson isn’t the normal rough and tough Alpha male we read a lot in books. He good at his job but he keeps his cool and doesn’t lose his composure and loves his momma and his sisters :). He and Eva together balance each other out and made a great pair.
This was a fast paced book that had equal parts of suspense and romance. I have come to love all of Mr Marks books and look forward to his next.
The RC Investigation series just gets better with each book. I’m rereading the series, it’s been years, and it is even better the second time around! No spoilers, just read it.
The book is good, but not great. Although there is romance in the fact that the two characters fall in love, there is basically zippity doodah sex. The author is clearly not comfortable writing a sex scene, so he just skips over it and tells us they did. What little he did include seemed clinical at best. Although I have a rather vivid imagination and can fill in my own blanks, I feel the author, who knows these characters best, should give the reader insight into their intimate relationship as well as their romantic relationship. For example, I find knowing if one or the other is in charge in the bedroom helps me, as the reader, to understand their dynamic outside the bedroom. Basically, understanding their intimate nuance enhances the reading experience, especially for this genre. Let's face it, romance readers read this genre for a reason, and in my humble opinion (for the little it is worth) this author missed the mark. As for the suspense part of it, I wasn't exactly hanging on every word for that either. Hence, only a 3 rating, and I think I was being generous.
Loved this book. I did get a bit lost when he referred to some people from the past books. I had read them but I forgot who they were and what their roles were in the town so a bit of a recap would have been nice to refresh our memories and help those who had not read previous books. Other then that this book was a great addition to the series and Eva and Carson's story was packed with romance and enough suspense to keep you intrigued. Marks is man who knows how to write romance.
The first three books were great. One flowing into the next seamlessly. The interaction was believable and the action fast enough to keep your interest. Set down get comfortable and enjoy. This is book three please read in order for greatest enjoyment.
I bought this book in a boxed set because I love military heroes and hey it was only 99cents. I had never read any books by this author but was pleasantly supprised. I loved the characters, on the edge action with great romance. I will definitely be reading more of this author's books.
I was so excited to read Eva's story! I really need to go back and re-read book 1 since it has been so long since I read it, but I didn't feel too lost. Excited for book 4!