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Stranded

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One island…One woman…Two studs India Powers is at the end of her rope. After dumping her cheating fiancé and having a falling out with her parents, she decides to take a much needed vacation. In route she meets two hunky fellow vacationers in the form of Rafe Santiago and Grant Thompson. Though she’s not looking for love, India sees no harm in a little island flirtation. Rafe and Grant have been friends since they were kids; both from broken homes, all they had were each other. Their closeness leads them to the discovery they enjoy sharing the same women. After surviving a stormy marriage that nearly destroys their friendship, Rafe vows to never let another woman come between them. To celebrate Rafe’s divorce, he and Grant take a vacation in hopes of finding Miss Right along the way. Tragedy strikes when their plane goes down. In a twist of fate, the only survivors are India, Grant and Rafe. Stranded for weeks, their daily fight for survival turns into something much deeper when India falls for both men and they for her. However, when they’re rescued and returned to civilization, they fall under public scrutiny. Can their newfound love survive when outside forces step in to tear them apart?

Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2007

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About the author

Eve Vaughn

116 books842 followers
NYT and USA Today Bestselling Author Eve Vaughn has enjoyed creating characters and making up stories from an early age. As a child she was always getting into mischief, so when she lost her television privileges (which was often), writing was her outlet. Her stories have gotten quite a bit spicier since then! Eve likes to read, bake, make crafts, travel, and spend time with her family. She lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband and pet turtle. She loves to hear from her fans, so feel free to contact her at Eve@evevaughn.com or join her Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/eveva...

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5 stars
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204 (30%)
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75 (11%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
Profile Image for jenjn79.
723 reviews266 followers
April 19, 2010
Rating: 2.5 / 5

I decided to read this book solely because it was a menage HEA romance...and we all know how much I love those ;) Aside from the alternative romance, though, the book mostly fell flat for me. Not bad, exactly, just not all that engaging. The plot is rather ludicrous, and the romance was missing something. But I didn't hate it.

Summary:
India Powers has spent her whole life being put down by her parents and after a particularly bad fight with them, she decides to take a vacation. Which is the same thing best friends Rafe Santiago and Grant Thompson are doing after Rafe finalizes a nasty divorce. The two are closer than friends, they're brothers of the heart...and they are hoping to find a woman they can share life with - together.

Everything goes awry, though, when the plane they are on crashed, leaving India, Grant and Rafe along on a deserted island. As they struggle to survive, India must deal with the advances of Rafe and Grant - who believe India is the woman they've been looking for. India gives in, but once they return to civilization, she'll have to face her family and the unconventional relationship Grant and Rafe want from her.

Review:
Regular readers of my reviews know how much I tend to dislike "lost in the wilderness" stories. I think this book is the epitome of why I dislike that storyline because that part of the story was so unrealistic, so underplayed, and so ludicrous it was stupid. I mean, these three are stuck on an island for about two months and the whole thing comes off like a side story. There's some stuff about needing food, starting a fire and all that, but other than that, you get no sense of what a struggle it must have been. Their lives are in serious danger and Rafe and Grant can only think about how to get in India's pants. It was ridiculous. That whole part of the story just made me shake my head.

Along with that, Rafe, and to a lesser extent Grant, come off really brutish with India - pushing her, forcing her, and just being...well, brutes. Not a turn on at all.

I liked the characters...to a certain extent. It's easy to feel sorry for all three of them after all they've been through in their personal lives. But man, India really needed to develop a backbone where her parents were concerned. They treated her like crap and she just kept taking it. I woulda told them to fuck off long ago. I would have liked her to be more sassy.

The romance was...okay. It starts off kinda rough with the whole brute thing, but it picks up a lot in the second half of the book - which I thought was much better than the first half. But even so, there was just something a bit flat about the romance. Not sure what it was.

The writing could have also been a little better. I've by far read worse, but I didn't think it was the most readable, either. Verb tense was off sometimes, dialogue a bit stilted, etc.

But all in all, a so-so book. It wasn't what I'd hoped it would be for an alternative romance, but it also didn't suck.

WARNING, this book contains: explicit sex and language, m/f/m hetero menage HEA (involving oral sex, anal sex), and an interracial relationship.
Profile Image for ❀ Crystal ✿ -  PEACE ☮ LOVE ♥ BOOKS .
2,532 reviews308 followers
February 11, 2021
So this book was a miss for me. The only thing I liked at the start was that it was an interracial MFM romance. The formatting was pretty hard to follow, going from one characters perspective to the next with just a new paragraph. Also at times I felt it read a bit amateurish as for the verbiage. Not to mention there were times (especially sex scenes) that were just off putting and anything but sexy. Maybe it’s just me but the word orifice does nothing for me and does not belong in a romance book lol. As for the time on the island, how they got there and how they got rescued, it was all kind of blah, unbelievable and in some case completely glossed over. If it wasn’t for a reading challenge I’m not sure I would have made it through. None of the characters precipitated any feelings from me aside maybe from wishing the heroines parents die a horrible death-they were soooo wretched.
Profile Image for Aly.
3,181 reviews
February 15, 2021
This was not my favorite. It's about three people who get stranded on an island after their plane crashes, but it skimmed over both the crash and the rescue. I guess the author wanted to talk about the romance more, but it bummed me out to miss the exciting parts.

I didn't feel like the characters had much chemistry and the guys seemed to bully India into a relationship. They didn't explain what they wanted and seemed put out when she wasn't sure and didn't want to just jump into something. The most interesting part of the story was India's relationship with her family and I just rooted for her to put them in their place.

This was short at least, but could use some work with the plot.
Profile Image for Theodora Taylor.
Author 241 books2,278 followers
November 13, 2011
Description: After Rafe’s divorce, he and his best friend, Grant, decide to find a woman to share as a wife. Just a few weeks and one terrible plane crash later, they find themselves stranded on a deserted island with the vivacious and sexy, India Powers.

The Good: The sex was hot, hot, hot, and the threesome story gets fully explored, both politically and romantically. I also liked that both guys and the heroine were emotionally damaged, as it made me much more invested in the characters.

The Bad: Grant was, in my opinion, the most interesting character, but gets the least development. Also, the dialogue was a bit stilted and rough in a few places.

The Naughty: Menage a trois, anal, explicit language.

Editing issues: None

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Length: 232 pages

Final Grade: B

Happy Reading,
Theodora from IRbookreviews.com
Profile Image for Sassafrass.
3,204 reviews103 followers
June 6, 2010
this is my first Eve Vaughn book. I liked it, but I didn't love it. I thought that the chemistry between the main characters were there, but it didn't jump off the page. It wasn't sizzlin'. Some of that may have been the language used. I mean we are talking a menage relationship. I don't think we need to call a woman's private parts a "box". Everytime I read that, I just cringed.

I just feel if you are going to be smutty, you gotta own it. Don't go halfway. That's just my opinion. I liked the background challenges of all the characters and what brought them together. I feel like the book was almost a hit, but not quite.

I will give some her other books a try though.
Profile Image for Deanie Nelder.
1,131 reviews24 followers
February 12, 2021
Lawyer India Paris has had it with her cheating fiance, her obnoxious parents, and irritating older brother. When her parents try to force her to get back with her fiance (because he's rich, powerful, and politically connected), she decides to take a vacation to a small Pacific Island, but she never makes it. Instead, the plane crashes, and by the next day only three survivors are let -- herself, and BFFs Rafe and Grant, who are celebrating Rafe's divorce.

The good: the idea of an interracial threesome is different. India's reaction to the guys proposal seems true to life. And I do like how eventually she took charge of her own life and told her selfish parents and loathsome fiance off (as well as Rafe's ex-wife). However, while the three talked about the power of love bringing them together, I didn't see much of that in the book. Plenty of lust, but they lacked a deeper emotional connection. Maybe it's because this was a novella, but it could have been a lot better if the author had delved more into the characters' feelings.
Profile Image for Melissa.
379 reviews9 followers
June 28, 2022
India Powers has been beaten down her whole life and has always just accepted it but when she catches her fiancée cheating on her she has had enough. After publicly dumping her fiancée and "embarrassing" her parents she decides to take a vacation. While on the plane to Fuamatuu Island she meets Rafe and Grant.
Rafe Santiago and Grant Thompson have been best friends since childhood when they bonded over their abusive household situations. When Rafe's ex-wife nearly came between them they discovered they liked sharing a woman. (they are not bi and do nothing to each other) Now after Rafe's divorce is finalized him and Grant are going on vacation with the intentions of having some "good times" until they find a woman they could both love.
After a plane crash leaves India, Rafe, and Grant stranded alone on a deserted island they struggle to survive while also falling in love. India could never have imagined she would want two guys at once but now she can't get enough. But will they be able to bring their relationship into the "real" world once they get home?
Profile Image for Nisha.
788 reviews253 followers
July 27, 2009
a girl + 2 hot guys + a tropical island + tragic childhood = erotic love story

I wanted to read this because of the 'stranded on an island' theme. I started liking it because of India's family problems and how it shapes her decisions. The guys are cute, though dialogue is hardly the strong point of the story. They do say dumb things throughout the beginning. Still, their faults make them even more likable and pushes some realism in a very unrealistic story. There is an even mix between plot and sex, unlike most erotic books. Characters are given history and flaws and an actual obstacle.

This is an entertaining read, but it isn't perfect. I rated it a 5 because i want to read it again and i do like stories where the heroine gets the last word (against her terrible parents).
Profile Image for Cindy.
939 reviews19 followers
November 11, 2009
OK read - characters were pretty cardboard and it took the heroine until page 200 to figure out that even though your family is selling tickets for the guilt trip it doesn't mean you have to buy them... Obviously contains menage sex but even that managed to be only 'warm' not 'hot'. Best line [after plane crash lands them on a deserted island:] 'How do we know someone will rescue us? Haven't you ever seen Lost? Castaway? Gilligan's Island???'
Profile Image for Nicky.
1,251 reviews19 followers
September 26, 2014
Not great. More like a 2 1/2 rounded up to a 3. Pretty predictable.
Profile Image for Tytiana.
109 reviews2 followers
October 19, 2022
A weekend read

It was decent, I find I'm getting tired of sex stories. I suppose I read too many romances. I could not get with the intimacy on the island all I could think was "I know they stank"😭🤣 nothing was salvaged from the crash and the author made no inclusion of awapuhi or any other soap plant! I'm like they don't got no soap or hot water but fuqin on an island going down and ish like come on! I know they musty😭🤣 I also couldn't stand India, I understand growing up in a very toxic home BELIEVE ME! But her doormatism was annoying AF. And her and her bro reconciling so quick was unrealistic with the years of abuse she faced from him on top of their parents, REGARDLESS that they had the same parents! Him being closeted is not an excuse and doesn't absolve him from his decades of action and BS🙄 I also would have slapped the mother for the last thing she said to India. Birth mother or not fuq that sh!t🙌🏾 I wish they woulda truly got exposed. It was a decent book not great but not terrible either, as the heading stated it's a weekend read kind of book💯 Hope this helps
Profile Image for Kimberly.
301 reviews1 follower
January 29, 2021
Boring

I would have liked more of the struggle of living on a deserted island. The protest India made before the relationship became swxual was too prude. For her to have such views then change her mind so quick was not believable. The prude personality should have been left out. The rest of the story didn't really contain much and memories were repeated in full. If the reader already knows a detail than relaying that information to a new person doesn't need to be copy and pasted. The author could have just said, so and so retold what happend in his childhood. India's childhood and relationship with her parents seemed too outlandish. For someone to go through that and not become a drug addicted or suicidal doesn't seem realistic.
Profile Image for Nock Leighton.
371 reviews9 followers
July 7, 2021
After reading Three by twyla Turner this book was a bit lacking even though this was written before. I found the men quite cocky and rude towards India when trying to persuade her to be with them. India being insecure saw it as her fault. I didn’t get the feeling that they did love her initially but were being quite bullish towards her and attacking her for not being honest about her feelings. The men had only one experience of a ménage but decided to embark on a full on relationship the second time around and given the circumstances had no idea if things would work out. Eventually they came together as three troubled souls because they were stuck on an island together. I probably would have preferred they made it to their holiday destination and got together there
Profile Image for Latoya Wilson.
Author 17 books10 followers
November 28, 2018
Tame but a good read still

I usually can't put an Eve Vaughn book down but when I thought I had to deal with more of India being walked all over, well, I had to take a little break. This story was tame for Eve, who supplies my spicy, twisted up in knots read with heroines that usually have a very soft backbone, caught in a bad situation, and need to be saved. India had NO backbone, which got frustrating concerning her family. However, she started defending herself faster than I thought she would and then she reached for her happiness with both hands, with a devil may care attitude. Bravo, Eve. You put me through some things but you got me there in the end.
Profile Image for TACORA MCCLUNEY.
2,511 reviews11 followers
July 23, 2020
Stranded

This was a good read. I would love to be stranded.... Well not stranded on an island but on one with two sexy men, what women wouldn't. They couldn't help they fell in love with each other. I don't know what kind of parents India had. How could they treated their child like they treated her. But Rafe and Grant didn't have a good childhood either. Rafe's ex wife Angie was a vile lil cunt and I'm glad she didn't get to torment their lives.💜💜
165 reviews2 followers
November 3, 2022
Predictable

Repetitive and unoriginal. This RH story read like just another "stranded on a desert island" one. India met Grant and Rafe and immediately felt a connection. Rafe was almost bullying in his attempt to show India that they could all be good together. India on the hand, lacked self esteem, and waited almost 30 years of her life to finally stand up to her parents, and allowed others to take advantage of her. Again, very predictable.
Profile Image for Ty.
362 reviews1 follower
April 26, 2023
Omg 😲

Ok yep I can't even first the parents are I have no words and imma leave it at that....the ex wife too. But it kept me wanting more and I couldn't put it down I read while I worked but I would have liked to read only....who thought it was a bright idea 🤔 to work I can't even deal....lol but seriously I loved this book glad I read it it was sooooooo worth it and some whats next
23 reviews
January 23, 2024
Worth your time

Quick/fast paced, loving, exciting and steamy.
Didn’t like how Rafe talked to the annoying ex-wife or the interactions with India’s parents. The “drama” of the book was a snooze. Otherwise, the handling of their relationship *chef’s kiss * and interactions with Aunt Val - endearing.
661 reviews1 follower
November 18, 2020
Most interesting plot

Never saw myself reading and enjoying a book like this. Never the author captures your attention to the characters all much love can get lost in the story. Love the story.
Profile Image for Toya S..
10 reviews
July 23, 2021
😒😒🤷‍♀️

To much unnecessary Drama and all the characters are 1 dimensional.... I'm used to better writing and character development from this Author.....this may be a dud but I would still recommend this Author just not this particular book. . . .😒
Profile Image for Shantia Shaver.
252 reviews1 follower
August 14, 2018
Good

Good, not great. I enjoyed the story, but I did not look like how weak the heroine was. She took forever to grow a back bone. I liked the ending and how hot the males were.
Profile Image for B.
145 reviews
November 18, 2019
Pretty good read...

I came across this title by accident but I'm glad I read it. I love mmf stories...not that there are plenty out there. This was a good read.
232 reviews1 follower
May 20, 2020
Awesome!!!!

I really like this book. Each of the characters had bad childhood but they all came through it and did better for themselves and found love along the way.
Profile Image for Stephanie Jynelle.
1,249 reviews8 followers
November 3, 2023
That connection

Love comes in all ways. It's not to be directed by anyone but the people involved. They were beautiful together. Good thruple story.
Profile Image for Liyah P..
406 reviews5 followers
November 23, 2020
Okay so reading the synopsis of the book definitely had me intrigue. I mean you have stranded island and two hot guys lord thats a 🔥. Although this book has its flaws I genuinely enjoy the overall book experience. So let's break it down India (love the name choice btw) has just dump her no good cheating ex fiance and is in need of a vacay, Rafe wants to celebrate his divorce by going on a vacation in the hopes of finding their Ms. Right. From the moment the three meet its instant chemistry. A plane crash leaves the three of them stranded, fighting for their survival and attraction more so from India. I really felt for India her parents were a straight up nightmare the way that they made it no secret that she was unwanted and unloved bleed through the pages. Rafe and Grant didn't have it any easier if you asked me but watching their sadness bond them in irrevocable ways was what was so beautiful to read. With all that said I did find sometimes the verbiage during love scenes to be lame ASF sometimes. Also the scene where they see a plane and then jump right into them being back at home did confuse me a bit. I was like what just happened? Other then that as I said overall I actually enjoyed it.
Profile Image for Shelby P.
1,320 reviews33 followers
October 10, 2013
This book started out okay. I was very interested to see how the story would play out because this will be the third book I've read where people are stranded on an island, the first threesome, however. Grant and Rafe are very close friends and I think the story would have been more interesting if there were feelings between the two guys. I just don't see how a committed threesome could end up with the guys never touching each other and expressing their love for each other, but that's just me.

The second half of the story had some really over the top moments and it was a bit jarring from the first half. I didn't believe the hatred India's parents felt for her, it didn't ring true. Did we really need all that melodrama? Also Rafe's ex-wife was such a caricature, especially when he found her in bed with FOUR men. Really? Really, did she need to fuck FOUR men at once?

I wanted to experience more of their struggles on the island. I never felt like they were truly stranded.
Profile Image for Kathleen.
691 reviews89 followers
February 11, 2010
I really liked the theme about the Hero's and Heroine being in a plane crash and also stranded on a Island. Don't think I'm weird but I enjoyed reading how they struggle to stay alive.
Also I thought the reason these 3 had a great connection was well done. I could totally believe why they fell in love after what they all went through.
Profile Image for Kesha.
440 reviews10 followers
could-not-finish
March 29, 2013
I like erotica, but did not like this. The writing was good, but the storyline was a little too far fetched. Now if the guys had been lovers, it would have been more interesting. In my opinion two guys having sex with one woman all the time seems tiring on the woman's end.
Profile Image for Amber Fueston.
1,540 reviews10 followers
September 10, 2014
This was a good fun story. A great way to pass an afternoon. There were a few places that the story felt a little forced and some of the sex scenes felt a little off. It would be interesting to know if this was the authors first Menage novel. Overall I am pleased with the experience of this read.
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