Ransom

Love Hack #1

by Elizabeth Knox

Lucian

I'm the guy you call when you have no one else left to ask. I'm the man who will take your home, your fancy car and everything else in between.

Who am I you might ask? I'm Lucian Bane. I'm the one person in this world who will levy what you love the most, for who you love the most.

There isn't a price you won't pay.

I was the bad guy to some, and the good guy to others. But now I'm not either. You see, now I'm the victim.

What do they want? It's easy. Money.

They want me to pay their ransom. In exchange I'll save her life. The only woman who ever had my heart, and the one woman who shattered it to pieces.

Genres: Romance

97 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 22, 2021

About the author

Elizabeth Knox is a USA Today Bestselling romance author who specializes in romantic suspense, and dark romance. She’s well-known for her intense page-turning motorcycle clubs, and sinister dark mafia books. 

While Elizabeth loves to write, she is an avid reader as well, who reads a mixture of genres. She lives on a farm with her husband in the northeastern United States with her rescue animals. When she isn’t working, you can find her horseback riding, riding ATVs, or out on the farm with her animals.

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Reviews

[Elsie Pitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! what a conundrum Ransom is! Talk about doing the right thing even when it is wrong still makes it right! I Adored this book! A different take on what I am used to reading from Miss Knox but oh what a doozey! Oh I can not wait to see what else she has in store! Loved this book!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Ransom is a second chance at love romance. Lucian Bane and Joanna Magnolia Maverick were high school sweethearts until she walked away pregnant with his twins that she was going to put up for adoption. Now 20 years later their paths cross again. Her life and the life of their twins is at stake. Can he forgive her and rescue Magnolia? Will he get to the twins in time?

Ransom (Lucian's nickname) has a team that are a bunch of bad@sses that are trained in search and rescue. Mystery, intrigue, black ops, secret society, kidnapping and murder all packed into this quick read. I am very interested to learn about the team members and explore the world they run in. My one issue is that the big bad of the story came out of nowhere. It just seemed kind of random. Other than this one complaint the story held my interest. I read it in one sitting.

[Rhonda Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Ransom' is Elizabeth Knox's first book in her new series "Love Hack" and has a premise I've never read before. Lucian Bane grew up in a wealthy but dysfunctional family. At twenty he lost the woman he loved and his children. Now, twenty years later, he's a highly successful cyber security expert with his own company and security team. At seventeen, there was no way Joanna was ready for twins no having the toxic dysfunction of Lucian's family anywhere near them. That's why she choose to give her babies up and walk away from Lucian, breaking both their hearts. Now, twenty years later, she's a hacker and part of an elite society since her college days. But they force her to hack Lucian's company and Joanna's determined not to hurt him again. That's when things start going down the rabbit hole. There's so much intrigue and suspense, raw emotion, an undeniable chemistry which could lead to a second chance between these two. Maybe. I'm super excited about this new series. It looks like it's going to be great.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible start to this new series. Lucian and Magnolia/Joanna have a complicated past, but everyone deserves a second chance at happiness. This story is filled with secrets, lies, manipulation, and destruction. Their family drama has a dark twist, but you can’t help rooting for love to conquer all. I always enjoy when characters crossover from others series. I’m excited to see where this will go next.

[Lynn Stifle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic start to this new series!! I was so happy to finally read Lucian’s story. Lucian and Magnolia have a long troubled history together, but what will happen when she’s in trouble and needs his help? An incredible story filled with secrets, suspense, drama, lies, and love. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Luna moons promos & reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big fan of the authour air I cant really stand to criticize anything she writes haha loved it. From start to finish. All her work from standalone to mcs r truly worth the time to stop and read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Scharme Grider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What a great read. This is a great second chance romance. Lucian and Magnolia have a bad history. You can feel the angst on every page. The emotions are endless and it definitely leaves you thirsty for more. If you love second chance romance, you will love Lucian "Ransom" and Magnolia!!!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sarah Nielsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this as an arc for my honest review

I didn’t really like this story, I mean the storyline itself was okay but it was so confusing and a bit all over the place. So many unanswered questions.

[E Loprete · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ransom (Love Hack #1) by Elizabeth Knox:

Finally Lucian gets his own story as we get a better understanding of Lucian Bane's character with the the loss of the only woman he ever loved as well as his connection to the Steel Brothers/Reapers from past books by Elizabeth Knox. This story was intense, violent, raw and full of emotion and steamy passion. When Lucian's business is hacked and he starts losing clients, he will find that the person who set out to destroy him was non other than the woman who walked away years ago and haunts him still. Will Lucian get to her and make her pay? Magnolia was young and in love but wanted a better life for herself not wanting to deal with the drama from her family as well as Lucian's so she left and took something from Lucian. WIth all of his pleading, he could not change her mind as he set his own course in life, one full of danger and excitement. Her career has now taken off but Joanna/Magnolia with all she has accomplished her one regret is leaving Lucian and what she gave away but she has a past that she hopes will stay hidden as she is a member of a secret society . Now this society is about to reek havoc in her life when she is contacted by them and told she needs to hack into Lucian's business or the two most important people in her life will be taken. Now danger, revenge, threats and murder are headed towards her and Lucian when she is contacted again to ruin Lucien and she refuses. When she is taken the only person who maybe able to help her will be Lucian. When the kidnappers contact Lucian he is outraged when he sees her bound and gagged as they ask him for ransom or she will be killed. Will Lucian agree to the ransom? When Lucian sees that Magnolia is sending him a sign, he and his team will rally together to save her. Once these two are reunited, all the pent of anger, emotions and passion will come to the surface, but before they move forward, they must deal with the past before than can be together. This fast paced story is full of excitement. danger and murder as the true mastermind of this plan is revealed. The love these two have for each other will come full circle as a family will be reunited as relationships develop. This story had it all love, sacrifices and forgiveness and a surprise ending for Lucian and Magnolia as they start a new adventure together. Can't wait for the next story in the Love Hack series!

[Elissa M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forced with no real resolution to problems (spoilers)

Can’t anyone else see how manipulative and spoiled Joanna/Magnolia is? From the very beginning she never considers Lucian and his feelings and then goes on to blame him like he’s the issue.
As far as second chance love stories go I was NOT rooting for them to reconnect. As a teen Magnolia takes the choice away from Lucian. When she ends up pregnant she decides to adopt the children out and does so without his approval. So freaking wrong and something that shouldn’t have happened unless she lied and didn’t list the father because both parties need to sign off. If her adopting them without his approval wasn’t bad enough she makes another selfish choice in staying in contact with the adoptive parents and knowing how the girls are as they grow, something she doesn’t extend to Lucian. He is just thrown away and disregarded by the mother of his children.
When they come back into contact she seems to forget that she made all these choices and left him out in the cold and goes as far to act as if he was the one in the wrong. Lucian had every right to hate her, but yet he never once calls her out on her hypocrisy of wanting her children to have a better life but not actually fully walking away while he didn’t know anything at all about his kids because of choices SHE made.
There was no real hashing out of the issues, I mean hello he got screwed out of everything and she wants to treat him like he wronged her but okay let’s just get back together. This just comes across as a childish woman manipulating people into forgiving her. Lucian would have been so much better off walking away from Magnolia and finding someone who wasn’t selfish and manipulative.

[TinaMarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucian 'Ransom' Bane-Hartwood may come from money but he grew up with a dysfunctional family. He lost his girl and the rights to his children but twenty years later he's a successful cyber security expert with his own company and security team.

Joanna Magnolia Maverick wasn't ready for twins at seventeen and she didn't want them raised in Lucian's toxic household. She chose to give them up for adoption and walk away from Lucian, breaking both their hearts. She's now the Vice President of a technology company. Joanna is a hacker and has been part of an elite society since her college days, for better or worse. When they force her to hack Lucian's company, destroying their credibility, she is determined not to hurt him a second time.

When Joanna walked away twenty years ago she never expected to see Lucian again, but when she's kidnapped and the children are threatened they are thrown back into each others lives.

Intrigue, suspense and a second chance at love made for interesting reading. I was really puzzled about the long wait time, it didn't really make sense to me. However Knox really shares the emotional roller coaster on this one, as well as leaves a few dangling bits to be sorted out in future books.

I received a free copy of this book and I'm voluntarily leaving a review. If you like my reviews I hope you will follow my blog. https://wyldheartreads.wordpress.com/

[Maycee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ransom is the first book in the new Love Hack Series by Elizabeth Knox. If you’ve read Ms. Knox’s books then Lucian isn’t a brand new character for her. He’s been a secondary character but now we get his story. While it’s technically a different genre than what we are used to getting from Elizabeth, we still get the same vibe that we know and love. Ransom is a fresh take on the second chance romance trope and I like where she went with the story. This is a novella so we do get a lot of plot in a shorter number of pages. I do think the story could’ve been longer to help establish timelines, but it doesn’t feel so rushed that you can’t enjoy the story. Lucian and Magnolia have a complicated relationship that translates well to feeling realistic even though this isn’t a storyline that is an everyday run of the mill life. Very quick read that packs an emotional punch. The book sets up plot points for future books and I’m excited to see where everything goes. I will say this seems more like a “happy for now” rather than a “happy ever after” I’m hoping this isn’t the end for this family. Solid read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Daisy Sauceda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I am excited to say that Elizabeth Knox is bringing us another great series to read. So Ransom seems like it can play into the rest of her series. There are talks of the society, and the Steel brothers. So lets meet Lucian, he is a hacker and really good at it. He has made a name for himself and can destroy your life with just a few clicks. He has his own business and pretty wealthy. Now when he was younger he let the one woman he loved get away. Joanna aka Magnolia, she is a hacker as well but she wanted something different from her life. She got pregnant when she was young and put her kids up for adoption to give them a better life. Lucian has never forgiven her for what she did but he understood that it was her choice. Then something happens to bring them together again and it was not good. Someone is using Joanna and putting her and her twins in danger. When Lucian is brought into the situation he does not hold back and is determined to save Joanna and the girls. So who is behind all this? Can he get to them in time? Will Lucian forgive Joanna? Can they work together and get past all the hurt and pain? It all comes together by the end and it was so good to read. We do get a happy for now ending and hopefully we will see more of these two in the future.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucian and Magnolia (Joanna as she’s now known) had become teenage parents. Magnolia knew as teenagers they were in no position to raise twins. So she did what she felt was best and gave them up for adoption. Both Lucian and Magnolia went off to college never to cross paths for 20 years. While in college Magnolia get invented into the Scorpion Society, a very exclusive group. She later finds out their ruthless people. She’s asked to hack into Lucians business and retrieve information for them, it ruins his business. Magnolia feels horrible for doing this. When they ask her to do it again she refuses. What will happens now that she won’t play ball. Will she be killed? What will they do to get her to comply with their wishes? Will they hurt her kids? Will they go after Lucien for the information she refused to get fir them? You’ll just have to read this amazing story to find out.

This is the first book in what Elizabeth promises to write more of, if she writes it I’ll read them!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Carmela Dimattia · Rating 5 out of 5]

At long last Lucian has finally got his own story and my oh my what a story it was. We met Lucian several times in the Steele Brothers series and we knew he was a mystery in the making. This is a quick, fast paced, drama book that will have you biting your nails from the very beginning. Lucian and Magnolia have had to deal with a teen pregnancy after Magnolia decided to put her babies up for adoption Lucian had been unable to forgive her and they went their separate ways. Fast forward 20 years and they are once again brought together when their daughters are kidnapped under some extreme circumstances and it is up to Lucian and his team to rescue them before they are harmed. This also brings Lucian and Magnolia back together as a couple as they both realise they cannot be without each other. Loved this book by Elizabeth Knox and I know I will be in for a wild ride with the other books in this series. An exciting way to start a new series by an amazing author.

I received an arc copy via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Marlene Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a teen, Lucian Bane was in love with Joanna Magnolia Maverick, but he was 17 and she was a year younger. When she discovered she was pregnant, rather than let either of their dysfunctional families get their hands on the infant, she decided to give the baby up for adoption...then off to college and her life....it broke Lucian's heart, so much he never really let another woman in...Lucian now has a tech and security company in Atlanta, along with his partners. They suffered a major hack some months ago, discovering it was Magnolia, although he didn't retaliate...but there was a problem in Joanna's life from when she went to Stonewall University and was a member of an Elite Society...and they wanted her to hack Lucian again, but what will happen if she refuses this time??? You will need to read this beginning of a new series to find out...I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Dia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucien Bane hasn't seen his Magnolia since she broke his heart and gave their children away. The fact tgat she hacked his company and ruined his reputation doesn't win her any favors from Lucien. Yet when he received an anonymous ransom for her life, things get interesting...

Joanna did the best thing she could have for her twin daughters, even though it nearly killed her to give them up for adoption. She'd do anything for those girls, even hack their father's company if it kept them safe. So, it isn't really a no brainer when she is taken that she gives Lucien a signal to save their daughters. What isn't a no brainer is how he responded.

This is a great introduction to a new series. The story itself is fast paced with lots of angst and plenty of drop ins from characters from other stories. It's a different style than usual, but not surprising from this author. I found it delightful.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the author thru Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving my review. This book drew me in from the very beginning. Lucian, or Ransom is a wealthy and powerful man in the cyber security business. Joanna, or Magnolia, is a hacker and found success in the tech world also. These two have a heartbreaking history and haven't seen each other in very long time. They were young lovers and she got pregnant. Due to his family and her situation, she gave up their twins for adoption. Ransom has not forgiven her and she has not forgiven herself at times. Now their lives are thrown back together. Not only is there danger for them, but the twins are involved also. Their story shows how love does not ever completely die, no matter how much you try to kill it. The drama, suspense, heartbreak, danger and characters will keep you reading straight to the end.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

**3.7 / 5**

Pov - dual

Cliffhangers - Nope

Triggers - Violence

Category - NA romance

Hero - Lucien Bane

Heroine - Joanna ( Magnolia )

The story started pretty good. A very unique plot line. It was a fast paced and very short novella.
It had everything in it , including violence, sweet family moments , brief back ground details and a steamy scene.

Summary :

Lucien and Joanna were childhood sweethearts. But after Joanna found out she was pregnant. .she gave away her twins for adoption in spite of Luciens protest.

After 20 yrs when they meet they have to cooperate to save their children.
Will Lucien forgive Joanna and understand the purpose behind her deeds?
Will they be able to start a new after Joanna tried to destroy Luciens life for a second time?

If you are looking for a quick read but a fast paced and adventurous one without much details. Then be sure to try this one. It ends with a HEA epilogue :)

[Marilyn Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucian and Magnolia were high school sweethearts and she became pregnant with twins at 17. She knew they were to young to be parents and she gave them up for adoption to have a better life. Lucian never forgave her and they went off to college and never seen each other again. Now 20 years later he’s the owner of a cyber security company and he’s a great hacker and can find anything. Magnolia is also a hacker and was recruited in college into a secret group. Now they force her to hack Lucians company and find things that destroy his company. They want her to do it again but she refuses. They threaten her and her twins and take her hostage. They contact Lucian and tell him to pay a ransom if he doesn’t want her and his twins killed. Will he help her after all this time as he’s angry yet but what of the twins? What will happen?

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[C Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, after all his appearances in the Steele Brothers books and also Reapers MC, Lucian gets his own story, which actually started over 20 years ago, with his ex Joanna Magnolia. Lucian rescues Joanna and discovers why she hurt his company so badly, which enables them to get back together. We get to catch up with Christian & Selena Steele from Stripping a Steele, Reggie Hartwell from Protecting a Steele, and Logan & Brooklyn Steele from Tough as Steele, whose kids are all teenagers now. Plus, we've got some breadcrumbs to The Scorpio Society, which we'll learn much more of in the upcoming Anthology The Elites. As always, I'm so impressed with how well Elizabeth Knox weaves this new story into the many worlds she's already created. Well done!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Patsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving my review. Joanna and Lucian were high school lovers. When she got pregnant, she broke his heart and decided the best thing for her twins was to give them up for adoption. Twenty years later Joanna is an excellent hacker and a member of The Society. Lucian runs his own tech and security company. Joanna is forced by The Society to hack his company which caused major problems for his company. When she's told to hack them again, she refuses, which puts her and her daughters in danger. When Lucian finds out, he will do anything to rescue them. Will he be able to rescue them and forgive Joanna for the pain she caused him? I really enjoyed this second chance romance and can't wait for more of this series. I just hate that we have to wait till next year. Patsy Sacco

[Maggi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this was such a captivating story. Lucian and Joanna (Magnolia to Lucian) were high school sweethearts when she found out she was pregnant with twins. He wanted to raise the girls but Joanna felt they were too young and not capable of doing the job. She made the decision to put the girls up for adoption without Lucian’s approval. 20 yrs later, both are successful but the Society she belonged to in college order her to hack into Lucian’s company and destroy him. When she refuses she receives a picture of her girls with red x’s across their chests. She knows what the threat means. A very intense storyline that keeps you on your toes with the twist and turns as the story unfolds. Wonderful characters that draw you in and keep your interest. Looking forward to more in this series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Leanne Bryson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 Stars....
I had mixed feelings about this book. Lucian and Joanna (then Magnolia) were teenage lovers when Magnolia became pregnant with twins. She felt strongly that neither of them were capable at that time in their lives to raise children and against his wishes, decides to put the babies up for adoption. Angry and hurt, they go their separate ways to college and beyond. Twenty years later things happen to pull them into each others world again, for better or worse. This is where I struggled. Lucian is either I hate her or I love her, there seems to be little common ground most of the time. Joanna is determined, independent, and strong willed. I found her character interesting and less so with Lucian. I'm still interested to see what happens next, but this book just felt uneven to me.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review

[Wendy Livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 1st book in a new series and is Lucian / Ransom and Magnolia / Joanna’s journey to be together. Lucian is from a wealthy dysfunctional family and he has his own successful company, and when his business is hacked, he and he is losing clients, he makes it his mission to find out who is responsible, Joanna is VP of her own technology company, and when she is forced by a society to destroy Lucian’s company for a second time, she refuses which has dire consequences for them both. Lucian and Magnolia were teenage sweethearts and she left him thinking she was doing the right things. Now that they are all in danger will Lucian be able to protect and keep them safe? This is a well written story which is filled with drama, danger, thrills, heartbreak, intrigue, passion, and love. I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I recommend.

[Stephanie Ditmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Lucian and Magnolia’s story. Young love, something they didn’t see coming, tore them apart and they went their separate ways. Years later Magnolia is in deep with a Society that calls on favors from their members and when she is asked to do the unthinkable she doesn’t have much of a choice. When these two come face to face again it’s under dire circumstances and they need each other. The feelings between them are still at a sizzling point, but other matters need to be handled first. Will these two get their second chance and the family they should’ve had? Guess you need to read to find out. I loved the Steele family entanglement with this story and I hope we get to see more of them. Great read.

[Sherry Hays · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great start to a new series.
Lucian Bane-Hartwood 'Ransom' is founder of LH, LLC a security company.
Lucian is friends with the Steele family.
He is a very good hacker. His is partners with Christian and Reggie.
Joanna Magnolia Maverick was his girlfriend twenty years ago.
They were high school sweethearts and had twins that she gave up for adoption.
Fast forward 20 years and Magnolia is forced to do a very bad thing to Lucians company.
Magnolia went to college at Stonewall University and is a member The Society.
Ransom and Magnolia have hot and steamy chemistry.
To find out what happens you will need to read this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have read one of the Steele brothers books or Mouser, you will know who Lucian is. He is the best hacker and works security for the Steele brothers. When he was younger he was in love with Magnolia, but something happened and they broke up. I was so interested in Lucian’s story and was so happy to read it. Elizabeth did not let me down with his story. We get to see who he is, not the facade he puts up. He has never loved anyone like he did Magnolia. When he finds out Magnolia is in trouble, what happened in the past doesn’t matter. He wants to save her and find out answers to questions he has. Will he get those answers or will he be too late. I loved the suspense and the twists that made my eyes pop open and made me gasp. Dive right in and get swept away with Lucian and Magnolia.

[Debs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who doesn't love second chances? In Elizabeth Knox's new series, Love Hack Bk1, we find cyber security expert Lucian Bane. Joanna Magnolia, Lucian's ex is a hacker and really good one. When she is forced to hack Lucian's company, things begin to spin out of control as these two connect again. There is a valid reason as they come together again in saving each other, Lucian's company, and protect their twins that Joanna gave up at birth. "Ransom" has all the feels that one expects from an Elizabeth Knox story with drama, suspense, and romance as she weaves a story that readers devour as they wait impatiently for the next book in the series. **I was gifted "Ransom" via Booksprout, leaving my review based on my reading.** 4.5 Stars!

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This the first book in the Love Hack series! This story is about Lucian and Magnolia. Two people with a past. Two people that have mad skills and are not afraid to use them. These two are like dynamite together. Their chemistry is undeniable. Will they act on it? Can Lucian let the past go? Can he forgive her betrayal? Is it possible to forgive AND forget? Their story kept me on edge? Their bantering is intense. I loved that when Lucian realized that Magnolia was in trouble because of the Society all he could think about was keeping her safe. Nothing else mattered. This stole my heart. I was so excited that he could put aside his anger and get to the root of what was going on. This book is a must have! It is absolutely fantastic! I can not wait to read the next book.