Stevie‘s review of As Lost As I Get by Lisa Nicholas
Contemporary Romantic Suspense published by InterMix 18 Aug 15
I was blown away by this author’s debut novel and very excited to get my hands on its sequel, albeit with a little trepidation as to how well the second would live up to the standards set by the first. While this book doesn’t completely reverse any tropes in the manner of its predecessor, it does have a heroine with far more gumption and ability to look after herself than the average woman in the world of romantic suspense. Not that Zoe’s without her issues, of course, and nor for that matter is Lee, the twin brother of the previous story’s hero, without his fair share of flaws.
Zoe first meets Lee after being taken hostage in South America. She’s a doctor working for an international aid charity and he’s a CIA operative. Their escape has profound effects on both of them, and Zoe is too shaken to return to overseas field work for two years, while Lee has been working behind a desk for most of that time, until he’s demoted back into the field after using his position to protect his twin brother from a stalker.
The pair are reunited in Columbia following a terrorist bombing at the local headquarters of Zoe’s employer. Lee suspects that the bombers have a link to one of the workers at Zoe’s clinic, while she worries that getting involved with him again will either trigger memories of her kidnapping or simply lead to heartbreak when one or other of them is posted elsewhere. Matters are taken out of their hands, however, when Zoe becomes separated from the rest of her team on a journey to treat patients in outlying villages. She and Lee find themselves once again fleeing terrorists after witnessing a meeting between the terrorist leader and other criminal groups, and the action is swiftly ramped up as first one, then the other of our pair are facing peril.
Meanwhile, Zoe’s team back in town are in no less danger, and the decision is made to take them out of the country, forcing the budding, and quite casual, relationship between two of them to become suddenly more serious.
I like that this novel has a secondary romance between two women on Zoe’s team – one of them her flatmate, and both of them her colleagues. I also like that Zoe is perfectly capable of rescuing herself when the need arises and not reluctant to put her life on the line to save others, no matter how afraid she is inside. I also applaude the fact that while both of our pair are worried that their jobs will prevent a lasting relationship, neither wants to give up their career or force the other to do so. The solution, when it comes, fits them both perfectly, especially in view of their respective pasts.
I really hope there’s more of the same to come from this author and shall definitely be getting hold of whatever she writes next.
Grade: A
Summary:
From the author of The Farther I Fall comes an action-filled romance in which two lovers discover that the best thing about being lost is having someone find you…
CIA operative Lee Wheeler is glad to be back in the field, even if the assignment is at a backwater station in Colombia–what he considers punishment for crossing lines in an attempt to save his brother’s life. Either way, he’s ready for action. But he never could have predicted the action he’s about to get…
Doctor Zoe Rodriguez is in charge of a clinic in a tiny town on the edge of the rain forest. She’s still dealing with a traumatic experience she had in Mexico–a trauma she wouldn’t have survived if it weren’t for Lee. So when they unexpectedly cross paths again, unresolved wounds rise to the surface, and their mutual passion flares to life.
But when a new threat reveals itself, Lee and Zoe’s reunion takes on echoes of the past that may ruin their chance for a future.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
