Author: Lexi BlakeSeries: Masters & Mercenaries: The Forgotten #4, Masters and Mercenaries #20
Audience: +18
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Publisher: DLZ Entertainment, LLC
Release Date: February 4th 2020
My Rating: 5 Cups
Source: Social Butterfly PR
A stolen past
The only thing Tucker remembers of his past is pain. Used in a doctor’s evil experiments, his memories and identity were erased, and his freedom taken. He believed his nightmare was over when he was liberated by the men and women of McKay-Taggart, until he heard the name Steven Reasor. The idea that he could have been involved in the terrible experiments that cost his “brothers” everything crushed him. A desperate attempt to force him to remember the truth almost cost him his life. Now his world is in chaos and his only path to finally uncover the truth and atone for his sins leads to Veronica Croft.
A painful present
Veronica “Roni” Croft knew Dr. Steven Reasor was bad for her, but she also saw a side of the man that no one else knew. Even as she began to believe their employer was hiding something sinister, she was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Their affair was passionate and intense, but also fraught with danger. When he disappeared under mysterious circumstances, she took her first chance to run and never looked back. She has stayed hidden ever since, running from forces she knows are too powerful to overcome. But now the man she believed was dead, the man she mourned, has returned and needs her help.
A dangerous future
As Tucker and Roni unravel the secrets of his past, a dark force rises and threatens to destroy them. Their only chance for survival will require them to join forces with the Lost Boys’ worst enemy. Only together can they finally unlock Tucker’s past. But as Tucker’s memories begin to come back, will it free them both or tear them apart forever?
*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of his book from Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.
**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.
If there's one character that I'd hoped would finally get closure in this action packed series The Forgotten, that has been Tucker. I loved all the Lost Boys, don't get me wrong, but Tucker has been the real mystery. The one who could have actually done a ton of damage to the entire group depending on what his backstory was has always been Tucker. I went into this book knowing I'd get my heart completely shattered, and while things didn't go as I thought they were, I can honestly say that once again Lexi Blake delivered a powerful story.
Long Lost picks up right after the last book ended, with Tucker in a coma due to whatever Levi Green injected him with. From the start this doesn't look like an easy story, and like with every book in this series, it continues down that path. I was scared for Tucker. Not because I didn't trust him, but because I knew that once he found out the truth about himself, or the truth the author has hinted at in the past, he would shatter. Out of all of the men kidnapped and experimented on by McDonald, I've always seen Tucker as the goofy, sweet, innocent one. The others had a hardness about them, something that made them seem stronger than they were. But Tucker always seemed like the one that totally didn't fit, which is interesting, considering what we've discovered so far about these men. I will avoid spoilers about who Tucker really is, but let me tell you this. It all makes sense now. This doesn't mean we know everything, because I have a feeling there's still a few things Lexi Blake is waiting to reveal in the next installment in this series, but for what we know now, things are starting to make sense.
Roni was a good heroine for Tucker. I immediately loved her, and I could see why Tucker loved her too. She's got an innocence to her, a quiet strength that drew me to her. She reminded me a bit of Erin Taggart in certain scenes. I found it very intriguing how she ended up working for McDonald. As we see with each and every book in this series, McDonald has a lot of power over these characters even after her death. She also knew how to pick them, which makes me wish for a short short story from her point of view. Anyway, I'm getting derailed by my own thoughts. Roni! Roni was fantastic, and she was flawed, and I loved her because of that. Her flaws and her mistakes are what made her the best heroine for Tucker. I hope she gets closure in regards to her sister.
I went on a roller coaster of emotions while reading this book. I had a lot of "I knew it!" moments, and also a ton of scenes where I gasped and cried. Yes, I cried a little, which...come on...it's an LB book, after all! The ending had me both crying and smiling because it was a happy ending for Tucker, one that he totally deserved. And then of course the hint that we always get with a Lexi Blake book in the future of the series was just... it blew my mind. I need Ezra to get his head in the game, save Kim, forgive her, and become a power couple like the one Ian and Charlie are.
All in all, the perfect story for one of my favorite characters. Now the long wait for the next book is starting, which will have me biting my nails in anticipation.
If there's one character that I'd hoped would finally get closure in this action packed series The Forgotten, that has been Tucker. I loved all the Lost Boys, don't get me wrong, but Tucker has been the real mystery. The one who could have actually done a ton of damage to the entire group depending on what his backstory was has always been Tucker. I went into this book knowing I'd get my heart completely shattered, and while things didn't go as I thought they were, I can honestly say that once again Lexi Blake delivered a powerful story.
Long Lost picks up right after the last book ended, with Tucker in a coma due to whatever Levi Green injected him with. From the start this doesn't look like an easy story, and like with every book in this series, it continues down that path. I was scared for Tucker. Not because I didn't trust him, but because I knew that once he found out the truth about himself, or the truth the author has hinted at in the past, he would shatter. Out of all of the men kidnapped and experimented on by McDonald, I've always seen Tucker as the goofy, sweet, innocent one. The others had a hardness about them, something that made them seem stronger than they were. But Tucker always seemed like the one that totally didn't fit, which is interesting, considering what we've discovered so far about these men. I will avoid spoilers about who Tucker really is, but let me tell you this. It all makes sense now. This doesn't mean we know everything, because I have a feeling there's still a few things Lexi Blake is waiting to reveal in the next installment in this series, but for what we know now, things are starting to make sense.
Roni was a good heroine for Tucker. I immediately loved her, and I could see why Tucker loved her too. She's got an innocence to her, a quiet strength that drew me to her. She reminded me a bit of Erin Taggart in certain scenes. I found it very intriguing how she ended up working for McDonald. As we see with each and every book in this series, McDonald has a lot of power over these characters even after her death. She also knew how to pick them, which makes me wish for a short short story from her point of view. Anyway, I'm getting derailed by my own thoughts. Roni! Roni was fantastic, and she was flawed, and I loved her because of that. Her flaws and her mistakes are what made her the best heroine for Tucker. I hope she gets closure in regards to her sister.
I went on a roller coaster of emotions while reading this book. I had a lot of "I knew it!" moments, and also a ton of scenes where I gasped and cried. Yes, I cried a little, which...come on...it's an LB book, after all! The ending had me both crying and smiling because it was a happy ending for Tucker, one that he totally deserved. And then of course the hint that we always get with a Lexi Blake book in the future of the series was just... it blew my mind. I need Ezra to get his head in the game, save Kim, forgive her, and become a power couple like the one Ian and Charlie are.
All in all, the perfect story for one of my favorite characters. Now the long wait for the next book is starting, which will have me biting my nails in anticipation.
Download your copy today!
Excerpt:
Veronica took a deep breath. “The first time you kissed me we were at the lab. It was after hours and I’d stayed behind because I was finishing up some reports for Dr. Walsh. There were a couple of doctors there who thought they could mess around with me. One in particular made a nuisance of himself. He was married but he thought the younger women were all fair game. That night he’d stayed behind, too, and he was coming on to me. Hard. You walked in and he pretty much peed himself after you were done with him.”“Did I hurt him?”His question came out measured so she couldn’t tell if he wanted the answer to be yes or no.“Not physically, but he didn’t touch me again. Anyway, afterward you stayed while I finished up. You said you wanted to walk me out to my car. I thanked you and we ended up talking.” She could remember how grateful she’d been to not be left alone. “It was the first time I saw you as something other than the ambitious doctor who handled things for McDonald. You stayed way longer than you had planned, and I felt bad for keeping you. You told me it was okay because it might be the only good thing you’d done for anyone in months. I don’t know what made me do it, but I went up on my tiptoes and kissed you. It wasn’t much. It was barely two seconds. When I moved back, you told me that wasn’t a kiss. You asked me if you could show me what a kiss was. And you did.”He’d been careful with her, making sure she was all right.Rather like he’d explained he would be now. He’d been careful right up until he’d been sure she was with him and then he’d taken over. Then he’d taken her someplace she’d never been before.“Show me.”She came out of the memory at the sound of his command. Show me. That was what he’d said to her that night.She could come out of the memory because it was hers. That moment was there in her brain and she could call on it for the rest of her life. It was something so personal. Her memories were the sum of her soul. It struck her forcibly what he’d lost. What she’d lost. That memory had truly been theirs, a shared history that should have connected them for the rest of their lives.Now she was the only one who knew what it had felt like that night. He was right there. He was standing in front of her asking for that connection again.She went up on her toes. “Thank you. I didn’t want him near me, but I don’t feel the same way about you.” She let her lips brush his, the bare meeting of flesh that came from a woman who wasn’t sure of what she’d wanted then. Of what she wanted now. “And then you shook your head.”Tucker shook his head and took the beer from her hand. He set it on the ledge and turned back to her. “Oh, that wasn’t a kiss. Let me show you how I kiss. Will you let me kiss you, Roni? I think about kissing you all the time.”So close to what he’d actually said. She would take it. “Yes. Please kiss me.”The air seemed to go out of the room and her vision focused in on him. It was like the rest of the world fell away. It was exactly as it had been that first night with him. Something had fallen into place when he’d looked at her and she’d known nothing would be the same.If he kissed her again, they would have that connection they’d lost.His hand went around the nape of her neck, sending a delicious warmth down her spine. He pulled her slightly, drawing her close in an easy show of strength. He brought their bodies together and her breasts brushed against his chest. His free hand wrapped around her waist and she took a moment to look into his eyes.They were the clearest blue. Something about his eyes had always dragged her in. Even when they were cold, even when no one else had been able to see the emotion behind them, she hadn’t been fooled.“I want to believe. But I don’t want to want to believe,” she said quietly.“Because it would be easier if I was the bastard you’ve spent years believing I was. I know. Roni, I can’t imagine I was easy to care for then. I’m not easy now. But for however long we get together I want to try to be with you. We can take it slow and find a way to be friends again.”She sighed at the thought because he was going to pull away and that was the last thing she wanted. Now that she was here and alone with him, she knew she couldn’t lose the chance to explore this side of the man. “We were never friends.”She moved in and kissed him. It wasn’t what had happened that night, but that was all right. They were making a new memory, one no one could take away from them. It might all go to hell tomorrow, but she would kiss the father of her child again. She would have this new memory of him.
ABOUT LEXI BLAKE
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem.
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