I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Alyssa is a nurse working in St. Izadore. It is an Island that has been ravaged by a hurricane and earthquakes. At one point it was a big tourist attraction but no longer is.
Dan was a parajumper in the service, rescue was his job. Now he works for a private agency basically doing the same thing. He first met Alyssa 3 years ago when he was doing a Job in St. Izadore.
They had an immediate attraction and acted in it with a 3 week fling. He talked of the relationship continuing but she shut him down and told him it was over. She has demons, guilt over a twin sister that committed suicide when they were 15.
She can never be with Dan or anything because of her sister, or her interpretation of what happened. Her energy goes to helping those in need. The only exception is Flore, a 9 year old girl. Her mother was a nurse with Alyssa and was killed when the rebels raided their town. Flore has no one else and Alyssa has started proceedings to adopt her.
Another raid by the rebels happens and she is taken. Their leader was injured and they want her to tend to his wound. They know who she is though, who she really is.
She is really Alexa and the daughter of a very rich man. They plan on ransoming her.
Kurt, Dan's boss, is contacted by her father specifically requesting Dan to rescue her and so the action begins.....his first shock is when he finds out Alyssa is really Alexa and is an heiress.
Can Dan rescue her? Find Flore? Can they both get the closure they need to go on with their lives or can they maintain a relationship?
I liked this book. They are both very strong, smart people. They fight attraction so much that you want to smack them and lock them in a room til they work out their issues!
They both have guilt issues but Alyssa has it so much worse. Her father was never really a "father". He was more into impressing people with his money. Her mom died during childbirth so there was no one for her and her sister, they just had each other. There is an older brother but he really isn't in the picture. Dan at least had a wonderful grandmother after his parents died.
Dan saved her life many times in a short period of time and would have done it again if he had too. Occasionally they gave in to their feelings but always backed off emotionally after. They both know they love one another.
Dan gives her the talk she needs and she does some hard thinking. She looks at her life in the past and what she wants in the future.
I would recommend this book. I have such a respect for aid workers who go to other countries to work in the most terrible conditions.