The romance, suspense and unique setting of a religious cult make for an entertaining read! ~ JavaGirl, Guilty Pleasures
Description:
Tara Jean Dobbs was a Texas police officer until her friend Lucy Caldwell almost died on her watch. She’s since left the force, left Dobbs Hollow, and vowed to never let a loved one down again. So when her best friend Andrea joins a seemingly harmless spiritual cult—only to disappear without a trace—Tara decides to find out what happened by becoming one of the Chosen herself.
Five months later, no one’s heard from Tara, and FBI Agent Jacob Nolan is going after her. Taking a false identity, Jacob finds it surprisingly easy to play the part of Tara’s boyfriend. But as they uncover the inner workings of the Chosen, they realize how much danger they’re in. Because Andrea isn’t the first follower to conveniently disappear—and they may be next.
Review copy provided for an honest review
I found the premise of infiltrating a religious cult an interesting one. Tara went in to find out what happened to her friend; Jake went in to find out what happened to Tara. Tara had visited The Chosen’s compound with her friend, Andrea, and didn’t suspect the cult or its leaders of any nefarious activities. Her naivete was a little unbelievable to me. As a former police officer, I thought she should have been a little suspicious, or at least, a little more cautious. Jake, an FBI agent/profiler, on the other hand, was highly suspicious of The Chosen. The two team up, and soon discover that there is more going on than farming, communal living and The Chosen’s brand of religion.
Both Jake and Tara are strong, intelligent, likeable characters. Tara is determined and fearless in her quest to find her friend, Andrea. The mysterious activities of The Chosen drew me in and I was eager to find out the details of their activities and what the eventual outcome of Jake and Tara’s investigation would be. The growing friendship and romance between Jake and Tara was very believable and enjoyable. The love scenes are a little tame, but well written and sexy. Not the hottest sex scenes I’ve read, but more than I expected from a romantic suspense.
The issue of drug addiction is a strong theme in Lost, and I suspect in the first book in this series, Twisted, as well. There are two different drug storylines; the primary storyline is integral to the plot and makes for a compelling story. Unfortunately, the secondary drug/addiction storyline felt contrived to me; a manufactured obstacle for the H/H to overcome to get to their HEA. It wasn’t much of an obstacle and was dispatched with a single sentence from Jake. In my opinion, any obstacle to the future happiness of a fictional couple that can be resolved that easily and quickly is probably inauthentic and unnecessary to the story. Even though I may have rolled my eyes just a bit at this particular issue, it was minor and didn’t detract too much from my enjoyment of the book.
I appreciated that the author didn’t characterize all the members of The Chosen in a negative way. There are probably many reasons why people choose to join a religious cult or turn to a communal lifestyle that shuns contact with the outside world. I thought Ms. Curtis did an excellent job of portraying the varied personalities and the many reasons why someone might turn to that type of lifestyle.
A word of caution: I didn’t realize that Lost was the second book in a series prior to reading it. After my initial confusion, I was able to suss the connection between Jake and Tara pretty easily, but my enjoyment of the book may have increased if I had read Twisted first. The romance and the suspense make Lost an entertaining read for any fan of romantic suspense.
3.5 Stars
Thanks JavaGirl