Crash: The Complete Series

by Drew Jordan

The greatest love stories begin with blood…
Read all three novels in the compelling CRASH series (Crash, Hide, and Expose), including a bonus short story from The Stranger’s point of view!

CRASH…
There is blood. There is pain. And there is him. These are the first things I register when I wake up, the lone survivor in an Alaskan plane crash. He carries me to safety over rough terrain and brings me to his cabin in the woods. He has no name. Or none he will tell me.

As snow creeps across the harsh and isolated landscape, he is my only company. My protector, my caretaker. A fascinating enigma, with mysterious eyes, gentle hands, and a rough voice that demands more from me than I ever expected to give. I make up different stories, different names for him depending on his mood, because I know nothing about him except that he is my only connection to the real world I want to return to. So I work to please him, plotting my escape, yet all the while I start to crave him and every touch of his dominating body.

He has saved me from the cold. From death. But in taking me and my body, will he destroy me?

HIDE…
A plane crash brought me to the cabin in the woods with the stranger, but love and sex keeps me here, as his willing captive. Nothing can take me from his arms, not even a man from my past. But the police have questions for me. For us.

All I’ve ever wanted is to stay with the stranger, the man I crave and need, but my secrets are starting to unravel. Escape is what the stranger demands and I’ll do anything for him, including leaving the cabin and creating a new identity. I’ll do whatever he tells me to do- with my body, my heart, my soul.

The last time I loved, I lost. I won’t let that happen again.

Expose…
The thrilling conclusion to the CRASH trilogy is told from The Stranger’s point of view.

The first time I saw Laney I thought she was dead in the wreckage of that plane crash. She was still and pale, her hair tumbled around her face as she slumped slightly to the side. Like a perfect porcelain doll on a little chair, and I thought it was a waste of such a beautiful face. But then her eyes popped open and they were filled with pain and fear.

I knew that look. It was the look of every animal that has been hunted and hasn’t died yet. She was the fox with her leg in the trap, and I freed her from the seat crushing her foot, picked her up and took her home.

I am the hunter. She is the prey.

No one can trap her but me, her captor, but danger is coming. She thinks she is love with me, and maybe she is. I hope she is. Because I love her too, even if I have a strange way of showing it…

All his secrets are exposed as he and Laney’s erotic relationship reaches its climax in the Alaskan tundra.
For Mature Audiences. These books are dark, erotic thrillers with elements of BDSM and a non-traditional ending. Contains explicit sex. BONUS CONTENT included!

Genres: BDSM

571 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 6, 2017

About the author

“Drew Jordan has always liked the dark, mysterious, and sexy, and she wrote CRASH after a writer friend challenged her to “write without rules.” She lives in Miami Beach, the opposite of snowy Alaska, a fact she is grateful for every day in January.
 
Connect with me online at www.facebook.com/DrewJordanBooks
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Email: authordrewjordan@gmail.com
 
If you enjoyed reading CRASH, I would appreciate it if you would share that with others readers. Please recommend CRASH to friends, readers’ discussion groups, and discussion boards, and let others know what you liked about the book by leaving reviews.”

Reviews

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is best read in the dark. Don't read any reviews, definitely don't read any spoilers - just jump right into it. The mystery surrounding the characters is perhaps the most engrossing aspect of the story (aside from the characters themselves). So if you've read this far and you haven't read the books yet, stop now and go and read the books!

However, if you're a bit OCD like me and you simply must have some idea of what to expect, keep reading. I've divided this review into two parts, one without spoilers and one with spoilers where I discuss the characters in detail.

The books touch upon some very dark themes, but these are more psychological than circumstantial and there's very little violence or directly triggering content here. There's a bit of bondage play, spanking, one very short scene with a bit of knife play, but it was not trauma inducing, at least it wasn't for me ... because our victim was a rather unusual character. Instead of being terrified by what was happening to her, she seemed to revel in it right off the bat.

You might think this is a failure of the writing, but you'd be wrong. This odd reaction to being forcefully sexually dominated by a complete stranger is exactly in line with how she is as a person. Also I use the word forcefully to indicate the intensity of their sexual encounters, not rape. To me, their sex was all consensual. Other people might say there was dubious consent.

There's also very little actual violence on the page. What this story is full of, though, is mind games - psychological manipulation and control, which to me can be even more terrifying than the act of violence itself.. As a result I found this story to be a far more captivating read than other dark themed books because it's a fascinating journey into the minds of people with some very anomalous worldviews.

However, going by the reviews on the individual installments of the series, it would appear the astuteness of the author's work was not immediately apparent to some readers, esp those who may not understand the subject matter Drew Jordan writes about in these books. For these readers the characters' behaviour came across as bizarre & unrealistic, when in truth & in fact, Jordan does an excellent job of characterizing how certain minds work. Her portrayal of these characters is VERY realistic, but you'll only recognize this IF you're familiar with such individuals, either through firsthand or secondary knowledge. That's the only way you'll know Jordan's characterizations are on point. If you're not familiar then you might be tempted to think 'who the fuck acts like that?' and leave a bad review.

Jordan also does not spell out every last detail of what's going on for the reader. This is to be expected since, as I mentioned earlier, the story is a mystery. And just like real life mysteries, you're expected to read between the lines & make educated guesses. Some stones will remain unturned, you won't get all the answers, but you'll gain closure on the most important stuff, of that I can assure you. I do understand, though, that having to engage too brain power might not be what the average reader is looking for - after all we pick up romance novels to escape & be entertained, not to play cop. I suggest that if you fall into this category, please avoid this series. You won't get it & because you won't get it, you won't enjoy it.

DO NOT READ BEYOND THIS POINT UNLESS YOU HAVE READ THE BOOKS (which you definitely should) OR HAVE NO PLANS TO READ THE BOOKS. The following gives my interpretation of the story & pretty much spoils the whole series. SO AGAIN, PROCEED WITH EXTREME CAUTION
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The Stranger is by far one of the most terrifying characters I've ever come across. Laney is in over her head and she has NO clue. Even at the end when she gets the HEA that she wants ... I felt a sense of dread on her behalf and I didn't particularly view her as a sympathetic figure, at least not fully.

Not many readers might recognize that The Stranger is likely inspired by real life serial killer Robert Hansen who lived and operated in Anchorage, Alaska in the 70s & 80s. I'm an avid true crime follower, though, so I recognized his connection to Hansen immediately after his story was revealed in Book 3. A few years ago I watched an FBI Files episode about Hansen. He was known to have hunted his victims like prey in the Alaskan wilderness & was also dubbed 'The Hunter' by the media.

I never forgot that episode because of how shocking it was to hear that someone could actually conceive of hunting humans! So when The Stranger's crimes came to light, I got chills, my blood ran cold. There were other similarities too:

Hansen's first victim was an erotic dancer (aka a stripper) just as the belly dancer (also an erotic dancer) who became The Stranger's first victim.

Hansen stalked & abducted his victims from Anchorage; so did the stranger.

According to numerous FBI profilers, serial killers usually start killing at a young age and may have a propensity to commit arson. This was true for Hansen & the Stranger (although the stranger didn't start any fires as I recall). The Stranger became enraptured with hunting at a young age & committed his first murder when he was 18. He was prolific from the ages of 18-24, killing one victim for each of those years.

One of the few victims who was able to escape Robert Hansen described how she was kidnapped, strung up & raped multiple times in his home, similarly The Stranger's deviant sexual appetites. He too kept Laney against her will (for a short period of time), strung her up with rope & fucked her. I don't classify their sex as rape though since she - twisted in her own mind as she was - wanted the sex as much as he did. What she objected to was the restrictions on her movements, not his sex. That she absolutely wanted.

Hansen had a remote cabin in the Alaskan wilderness where he'd take his victims. Once there he'd rape them multiple times, then let them loose into the vast woods and hunt them like wild animals. The Stranger too lived isolated in the Alaskan tundra and loved to hunt. While he was out there, he hunted only animals, but prior to coming there he hunted humans in Anchorage.

Robert Hansen was married twice. His first wife divorced him in the 1960s because he was into starting fires & animal torture if I remember correctly. He married for a 2nd time and had two children. The stranger was also married twice. His first wife - Chelsea- died in a car wreck 4 mths after they married (that's why at the end of Book 3 when he returned for Laney he told her 'I had nothing to do with it, just so you know '. He wanted to reassure her that his first wife did not die by his hand so Laney could feel safe with him). He and Laney would go on to marry - making her his second wife - and have 2 children.

Hansen's second wife remained supportive of him even after he was exposed as a serial killer & was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Laney was the same. She did extensive research on the Stranger during their separation & found out about his horrendous crimes, but this woman was totally unfazed. She still chose to marry and procreate with him, turning a blind eye to his misdeeds. Hansen's wife may have been a sociopath just like Laney. She - Hansen's wife - was not a dumb woman, she was a teacher with a Master's degree. Laney was also an educated woman with a Bachelors. They both knew exactly what they were doing.

Robert Hansen killed his victims because they rejected him in some way or another. The Stranger killed for much the same reason. He killed the belly dancer for dumping him and targeted subsequent victims because they resembled her.

Hansen is described as a chameleon, being able to blend well into his environment and give an appearance of normalcy. The stranger was good at putting on his 'nice guy, average joe' act when it suited his purposes. This is very common among serial killers. Their friendly, harmless demeanor is what draws people in.

When Hansen was caught, he negotiated a deal with police to take care of & protect his family (wife & 2 kids). This reminds me of the Stranger doing what it takes to protect Laney, including taking the blame for a murder she committed. And he had all appearances of genuinely loving his family when he had kids.

I believe Laney & the Stranger's story is a fictionalized version of how Robert Hansen & his 2nd wife met and fell in love. I also believe the reason why the Stranger's true identity was never revealed in the books was because Jordan meant for him to be Robert Hansen.

As for the ending:

The first interpretation - the Crash series, especially the ending of Book 3, may have depicted the time when Hansen's (remodeled as the Stranger) killing spree was just starting to escalate. Hansen was suspected to have killed over 30 women so at the end of Expose when The Stranger talked about going to hunt, this may have been the start of those 30 odd victims since up to that point he'd only killed 8 people by my count --> the belly dancer, the 6 victims in Anchorage & the husband who owned the cabin. I consider the killing of the man's wife a form of assisted suicide - which she asked for - rather than murder hence why I attributed 8 deaths to him & not 9. So the hunt that was referred to would indeed be the hunt for people and apparently Laney was now in on it with him. I wouldn't put it pass her because this bitch is cray cray.

The second interpretation could be that while there are many similarities between the real life 'Hunter' and his fictional counterpart, the Stranger, they're not a carbon copy of each other. Though make no mistake, they're both bloody psychopaths, BUT I think there's a possibility the Stranger is not as diabolical as Hansen. Believe it or not, not all psychopaths even end up being killers.

It's possible he's given up killing humans now that he has a family he loves & the hunting mentioned at the end of Book 3 was for game, not people. Afterall, he did the bulk of his killing as an angry young man (18 - 24 yrs). No further killings were mentioned outside of those years. During the events of the books, the Stranger was 31 yrs old. That means, with the exception of the cabin owner 5 yrs prior to current events, some 7 yrs in total had passed without him killing random people. The Stranger seemed to have banished himself to the wilderness and a backbreaking survivalist existence to stem his murderous urges. Out there, he had nothing else to hunt but animals. And he has to focus so sharply on survival that he doesn't have time or energy at the end of the day to think about killing.

So does that mean he's reformed himself? It's not uncommon for serial killers to take breaks from their activities, but for Laney's sake I hoped that's what it meant because she's a very troubled young woman who just wants somebody to love her unconditionally.

She is, of course, ultimately responsible for her actions, whichever alternative is true, but this is one of those cases where, if she started participating in hunting humans ... it's a situation that wouldn't have arisen without the Stranger's influence. So being so broken and troubled and malleable, I felt some empathy for this girl even while I'm disgusted by her too.

Readers of romance are always complaining about 'weak' female protagonists, when it truth it's not that the characters are weak ... they're just not confrontational. They're sweet & serene - traits I definitely don't find weak, but are constantly maligned. I do understand that reading the same character archetypes can be tiring, but it annoys me to read review after review complaining about weak heroines who aren't actually weak. Laney, to me, however, is truly a 'weak' woman - weak of character.

Throughout the series I went from relating and rooting for Laney in book 1, to being shocked, horrified & amazed by her & on behalf of her in book 2 to concern, regret & uneasy hopefulness for her in book 3. She is by far one of the most troubled, but well-crafted female leads I've come across in formulaic romantic fiction.

In Book 1 she expressed a lot of fears and insecurities many women can relate to. I did, that's why I rooted for her. I admired her confronting herself & realizing that she's been wasting her life before the plane crash.

Then in Book 2 you find out that she isn't at all what she appears. She's an out and out rapist! She drugged and had sex with her ex-boyfriend without his consent, while he wasn't in a position to know what he was doing. As revenge & a twisted effort to get him back. She uses sex to manipulate and control men (which is why she had no problem having sex with the Stranger because she was sure she could manipulate him into doing what she wants with her magic snatch ... she had NO idea how far outside her usual league of college boys the stranger was). It's funny how she was so hung up on abandonment but she had no problem abandoning her own daughter for a man, basically doing exactly what her mother did to her. Laney is definitely a sociopath. She has some conscience, but she's narcissistic and doesn't really care how her actions affect other people as long as she gets what she wants.

In Book 3 she finds out the truth about the Stranger. But now she's in too deep to ever escape ... even if she wanted to (which she didn't). The Stranger doesn't take kindly to rejection & if Laney was to ever decide that she wanted to leave him, she'd likely be a dead woman. If he left her, it's likely she'd attempt to kill him too ... this is why they're so well matched. Both of them are fucking crazy! I felt sadness and disgust for her all at the same time.

Sadness because her childhood was very traumatic. And having never experienced it, she desperately wanted to be loved and cared for by a man. The disgust comes in because you realize she'd fall for ANY man who shows her a bit of affection, even if he's a psychopathic, diabolical serial killer. She goes on to have children with this man and is now perhaps participating in his depravity.

I enjoyed Jordan's crisp, matter of fact way of telling this story. The characters got a 'happy' ending, but I didn't perceive a glorification of their twisted love, which I think was appropriate because I just can't root for a serial killer ... not after years of watching true crime and hearing how serial killers have devastated the lives of so many. I'm glad the book ended on a positive note, but that's only for the purpose of not letting the reader walk away feeling utterly depressed and down in the dumps. I appreciate that.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Give this Book a 4.5-5/5 Star Rating, Listing as 5.

This is a Trilogy that I’m completely obsessed over, it’s one of my top go-to rereads. I Love this couple, and I love the bonus at the ending!
I’m so glad I bought this Boxset!

HEA(?): Yes
Relationship Type: MF
Dark(?): 3/5, but please understand I’m a huge lover of dark reads, so this may be darker for others :)
Heat(?): Loved it! 4/5
Romance: 4-4.5-5/5
Drama: 3.5-4/5
Suspense: 4/5
Pacing: it is a little bit faster paced but I honestly don’t care Lol
Zero Spoilers. I just love these books so much!

[Kat Ryker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is a tough one for me. This is one of those books, few and far between, that you either HATE or LOVE. There really isn't an in between here. And the reasons behind all this hate and love really can't be put down here because I'd have to scream SPOILER ALERT if I wanted to explain in.

Basically this is a story of two very broken souls who find each other by means of a plane crash. Pure serendipity that he finds her in the wreckage and carries her off. She's a submissive by nature, which makes her a match for him in temperament. Yes, he is abusive, but not in the way you automatically assume. His abuse feeds her masochism. When I was halfway through the first book, I bought the rest of the series. Why? Because I hadn't yet decided if I liked the book, hated the book, or just didn't care about it. This book was highly recommended by more than one person whose opinion matters to me, so I read the series.

Yes, it is violent. If you cannot read a book that contains a sadist (also a killer) and a masochist (ditto), you won't like this series of books at all. I didn't love it or hate it. I understand sadomasochism better than most and I've read enough about the other subject matter in the book that, at the end, the pieces fell together for me. I would definitely read more from this author.

[Leslie Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a review on this book that said you will either love it or hate. Truer words were never written. This is a unique take on a romance for the undeserving. I like books that are not traditional and this one blew me away.

First in order to really appreciate this book you must must must read all three or the first one will never make much sense. The characters were well developed and it read like I was inside their minds in the literal sense

This book is very dark a twisted in the best way. Far beyond a typical BDSM it’s more primal and intimate then a regular read. Word of caution though this book holds many triggers so it is not for the weak of heart. If you like books where the bad guy wins then this book is for you.

Loved it and will be reading it again. I usually like spoilers but for this book I just can’t. Read it and be ready for your mind to be blown away.

[Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Read!

These books were well written. The characters came alive for me. I was at the edge of my seat by the final book. The extra chapters were a great touch! It was wild to have two crazy people come together and live happily ever after in their own insane way. Drew Jordan is a gifted writer.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm shocked I liked this series.

I typically don't like this keep of story line BUT that being said I was interested enough to keep reading. A little out there but a really good read.

[Ceeri Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have already done reviews for the individual books.

This is some dark HEA right here.

Lock your doors.

[Sarah Whittaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I could put this trilogy down...

Sexy, thrilling and full of suspension. Gripped from the very beginning of book 1 (Crash).
Can't wait to discover more from Drew Jordan.

[Doris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for The Hunter. It is what it is.

[Bobbi Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it.... I couldn't be more confused by my feelings for The Hunter.

[Laurie Davenport · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wasn't a fan....I don't favor women being smacked around and cut and enjoying it. Also, could she have been any more of a cliche (mom od, sex with step dad, borne a child, grandma gets smacked around, blah). And then BOOM, they have two kids. It just wasn't for me.