Theirs to Keep
(Tangled Hearts, #1)
By: Maya Banks
Publisher: Self-Published
Published: Oct. 22, 2013
Genre: Erotic Romantic Suspense
Rating:
When Cade Winslow and Merrick Sullivan find Elle hiding in the cabinet of a gun store, they know they can’t just walk away from the fragile woman with no memory of who she is or who tried to kill her. Merrick is training for the title shot in the heavyweight division as a mixed martial artist and can’t afford distractions, but neither can he turn his back on the woman who tugs at his heartstrings.
Elle feels safe with her two protectors, and the longer she spends with them, the more she realizes that she has no desire to remember her past. Not when it could compromise her future with Cade and Merrick.
Cade has his own set of concerns when it comes to Elle, and it quickly becomes clear to the two men that for the first time in their friendship, a woman is coming between them. But what if they just kept her there? Between them. Where she belongs.
Cade and Merrick run a small security system company and one night doesn’t go according to plan. They find a beaten scared woman huddled in a cabinet of one of their clients gun shops. They try to talk her into going to the hospital but it’s clear that she’s too frightened to let authorities check her out. She’s terrified that whoever attacked her will be notified when she’s admitted into the hospital. Merrick and Cade don’t want to put her life in jeopardy so they call their friend/physician and have him look at her. That’s when they realize that she was beaten and shot within an inch of her life. They aren’t willing to let anything happen to her so they decide to take her in and care for her until she heals and gets her memory back. But the longer she stays with them, the more they fall in love with her.
I’ve only read one of Maya’s books before and that was In Bed with a Highlander. I haven’t read any of her other more erotic romances. Maya did a great job with a taboo subject. I haven’t really read too many 2 on 1 relationships and it’s still fairly new to me. However, I honestly didn’t find anything wrong with their relationship. It was perfect for them. I didn’t feel like one got left out over the other when it came to the two guys.
I liked that the story had suspense over the amnesia part and the fact that she remembers the guy who raped and tried to kill her as being one of law enforcement. So anytime anything with authorities arises you sort of hold your breath wondering if one of the guys at the scene is him. Plus I liked the star quality of Merrick being an upcoming heavy weight champion in martial arts fighting. So there’s some fighting scenes with him in the ring and of course the suspense of the cameras zooming in on her and her face being broadcasted all over the nation. Maya made sure that the reader never forgot the danger.
I liked that Maya kept the suspense up throughout the entire book. There were times that you thought maybe Elle would remember her past. Whether it be the attacker or her previous life. Which of course was nail biting because, what if she had a husband and a family? Then you had the suspense of the person finding her and possibly trying to finish what he started. Plus Maya threw in the steamy bedroom scenes. All in all this was a great well rounded erotic romantic suspense. I’m pretty excited that this is a series that will continue Elle’s story. The author could’ve gone the easy route and quickly ended on a HEA but instead Elle’s story will be slowly revealed. Hopefully we will start getting answers to what happened to her and whether those answers will threaten her new found relationship with Cade and Merrick.
“What was it about her that had him captivated from the very beginning? He couldn’t explain it. He didn’t even really care about why or how. She was it for him. Some things just were, and this was one of them. Hell if he was going to fight it. Not when he was perfectly content to be right where he was.”
I looove romantic suspense and the plot for this series and this book is something I could get into!
It was really good. I find that a lot of suspense loses its oomph and gets taken over by the romance but not with this one.
OOo yay! I love Maya Banks and have devoured so many of hers. I haven’t tried these yet. The covers just hadn’t drawn me in but dang, yeah, I’m gonna need this one. lol I love heroes named Cade too and well two heroes is always good in my book 😉
I like the new nondescript erotica covers. I can read the books at work, doctors office or anywhere and not have to worry about offending anyone with a racy cover. Although I wish that the covers had a meaning to the story itself but whatever, you can’t have it all.
Kristin like your thoughts on the nondescript covers. That makes sense and never thought of it that way. I am a cover junkie and love my hotness covers. Because every time I see nondescript covers I think it will be another “Fifty” read. I am not a fan of Fifty and would never bash the author novels. I did not love it or hate it. Most of well known erotic authors or at least to me are well known and I love, Like Maya Banks, Lora Leigh, Beth Kerry, Lorelei James, Shayla Black are changing their old sexy couple covers and either reissuing them out with new nondescript covers or there new novels are coming out with nondescript covers. I do miss the old covers but I understand where the publishers are trying to go to get the authors work recognize if this is the case. I am sure huge fans of “fifty” are looking for books like it. Honestly If I was a huge fan I would be. To be honest I have passed novels with nondescript covers in kindle and book store. The ones I have read were either cause I caught something on blogs and the storyline have interested me. It seems like the ones I have read because I decided to check out the blurb and sounded right up my alley I could not get into. Sorry for the long post. Just my thoughts on direction the covers are going.
I totally agree. I’m a over snob. I look at the cover first before the description. It’s like food. If you show me a picture that looks like canned dog food, I’m going to tell you to keep it. I don’t care if it’s gourmet… I don’t want it. I thought the 50 shades was “meh”. I could take it or leave it. I do agree that covers have started to format themselves to the 50 Shades craze. I just wish that they incorporated something from the story into the cover. And I don’t think people should change covers. Drives me nuts when books get a makeover. LoL Unless it was a horrible cover.
Kristin I can not believe I have missed this new series by Maya Banks. She is one of my favorite authors. Love that she can write erotic, historical and romantic suspense. Great review. I am still boggled I did not know she had a new series coming out. LOL. Love her ménage books she makes it work. I believe this will be the first for Maya to venture in a series with the same characters. All the books I have read by her have HEA and the series continues with other secondary characters. Can not wait to see how she does in this department.