Torn by Cynthia Eden
Series: LOST, #4
Romance Suspense
May 31, 2016
Avon
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote: “If I have you…I have everything.”
PARTNERS . . . FRIENDS . . .
Forensic anthropologist Victoria Palmer has always been better with the dead than the living. Shutting down her emotions, she lets few people in. But then Victoria’s latest investigation takes her and agent Wade Monroe to Savannah, Georgia. Handsome, dangerous, and more than ready to play dirty on any case, Wade weakens Victoria’s aloofness with just one glance.
. . . LOVERS
Wade knows their recent cases have pushed Victoria beyond her limits. But her skills are crucial to finding a college student who went missing five years ago. Victoria is able to determine she was murdered, and that the killer is still on the loose.
And when the vicious murderer targets Victoria, Wade must do everything in his power to protect her . . . because he refuses to let a woman he loves be torn from him . . . again. (Goodreads)
Torn is the fourth installment into Eden’s dark and gritty romantic suspense series-LOST. Even though I have not read the first three in the series, I had no problems diving right into the story and was completely pulled in by the heavy atmospheric mystery and romance that Eden develops. The story is easy to follow as Eden flashes back to earlier events in order for us to understand the dynamics of the group and chemistry playing out between our protagonists, Victoria and Wade. It does start out little slow are we follow Victoria and Wade to Georgia and watch them get up to date with the case. Eden maps out the investigation and the police interaction for us in a clear and easy to follow manner. Smooth presentation and intriguing dialogue immediately snags reader right out of the gate as she shows us the mindset of our protagonists and our villain with cryptic internal thoughts and intense emotions. As the plot picks up speed, the mystery and suspense follow suit, leaving us ripe with tension till the very last page.
LOST-The Last Option Search Team-is indeed the last option for most people whose loved ones or friends have disappeared and their cases have gone cold. LOST’s newest case will pit two seasoned investigators against a serial killer who knows their most intimate secrets. Kennedy Lane disappeared without a trace five years ago while out running. One minute she was there, the next she was gone. Her ex-fiance has hired LOST to try to find out what happened to her to give himself closure. Gage, the founder of LOST, decides to send Wade Monroe and Victoria Palmer to Savannah, Georgia to see if fresh eyes can discover what happened to this young woman. Victoria is uncomfortable not only being sent out on a new case but also being paired with Wade. She was almost killed on her last case and she has developed an attraction to Wade that threatens her very sanity.
“Wade Monroe was trouble-trouble she couldn’t quite handle right now. Handsome, dangerous, and more than ready to play dirty on any case…”
Wade Monroe is an ex-homicide detective that helped start LOST with his best friend, Gage. Gage’s sister Amy was abducted and murdered while on Wade’s watch. Wade has never forgiven himself for this and treats each missing case as a way to atone and bring Amy home. Victoria has always intrigued Wade. Her intelligence, subdued beauty, and don’t touch persona begs him to slowly strip away all her defenses until there is nothing left but the sensual woman he knows is buried underneath. When Victoria was kidnapped and tortured on their last case, Wade decided that he was done waiting for her to see him and is now determined to push her until acknowledges the attraction that burns between them and reveals the secrets that stand between them.
“She had to enjoy it. She had to enjoy me…Because they weren’t going to be together just one time. Oh, no, he had plans for her…”
Our hero and heroine are an interesting mixture of contrasts; adding depth and background to the main storyline. The romance holds an integral place in the story and Eden uses their scenes together to flesh out Victoria and Wade. The almost suffocating sexual tension between them is addressed right off the bat with some intense love scenes. It’s the emotions they’ve kept buried that are slowly unleashed and brought to the surface for display that keeps your interest. Victoria is an intelligent woman with a horrific past. She has secrets that she feels will destroy her and anyone around her if they become known. She keeps her emotional walls high in order to avoid any real connections. Wade too has secrets but he has accepted the darker aspects of his personality and now channels it into his work.
“You don’t know what hell is. I’ve been there more times than I can count.”
A diverse cast of secondary characters keeps the suspense and mystery flowing smoothly. Each one adds personality, drama, and insight into the story. Through them we finally get the full truth behind what exactly happened to Victoria, Wade, and the women being kidnapped. The villain of the story is a twisted piece of work whose dark desires has them setting up the ultimate and elaborate scheme to make sure he gets who he really wants-Victoria.
The ending comes at you fast and furious as Victoria and Wade connect all the dots and solve their case. Loose ends are wrapped up, questions answered, and the past is finally put to rest. Two new and very interesting additions are introduced towards the end to assure us Eden will definitely be visiting this world.
Grade: B
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I didn’t realize this was a suspense story – I might have to check it out. I’m really into suspense these days
It’s an entire series. They can all be read as stand alone but you might want to start at the beginning with BROKEN. They are all excellent reads. Cynthia writes really warped villains ;).