ARC Review: Torn by Cynthia Eden

Series:	LOST #4
Pub. Date:	May 31, 2016
Publisher:	Avon
Length:	384 pages
Source:	Edelweiss

Cynthia Eden and the LOST series have never disappointed me. I was almost hesitant to start this book because the last romantic suspense I read didn't do it for me. But after the first few pages of this story, I knew it was going to remind me why I love romantic suspense. Note to self: never doubt Cynthia Eden! 

The heroine in this installment of the series is Victoria Palmer, doctor of the dead. She is the forensic psychologist for LOST. Victoria was also abducted, stabbed and zipped up in a body bag by a sadistic serial killer in the last book, Shattered. Sadly, that is not her only tortured tale, She also grew up with an abusive and murderous father who was very good at hiding behind his mask of intelligence. Afraid that love will turn her into an obsessive monster like her father, Victoria has avoided romantic entanglements, only finding no-strings-attached flings when she needs to take the edge off. After Victoria's ordeal in Shattered, she is nervous about working the next case, particularly when it means she will be out in the field with the sexy and stoic Wade Monroe.  Victoria was a solid heroine. I liked that she stayed true to her intelligence and didn't go running off half-cocked into danger. She may have threatened it a time or two, but she didn't put up too big a fuss when Wade tagged along or asked her to be safe. Delving into her tortured past created a connection to her character, though I do think it could have been flushed out a little more, as could her coping with the attack from Shattered. There were good bones there and I don't find fault with the information that we were fed... but I think a little more detail would have made me enjoy the story even more.

As I said above, our hero is the sexy and stoic Wade Monroe, former homicide detective. Wade has been a central figure in all of the books, having been with Gabe since before LOST was founded. Wade has a hard time dealing with cases where they don't find the victim in time as he still harbors guilt over the kidnapping and death of Gabe's sister, Amy. I don't think he has ever really hidden his attraction to the doc... he has always been somewhat protective and possessive when it comes to her. Wade is my favorite type of hero... the strong and broody and dominant type. Plus, he can kick ass and makes Victoria feel safe. I liked that he stepped in to take care of Victoria from the moment he realized she had something going on and was sneaking out to the club scene to scratch an itch.

The chemistry between our main couple was hot and heavy, but I expect no less from Cynthia Eden characters. She certainly knows how to steam up your kindle screen without crossing the line into smut territory. She also did a good job with conveying the push and pull Victoria was feeling with regard to her attraction and desire for Wade, but her fear that letting him in would turn her into a love-crazed killer. Wade did a good job of managing Victoria and her intimacy issues, he knew when to back off and when to push. I felt good supporting this couple's relationship - they both seemed to be making the other better and whole.

Cynthia Eden also does suspense and freaky serial killers like no other. I have rarely figured out the entirety of the suspense plot before she reveals all... and this time was no different. I definitely didn't see the plot twist coming and I fell for the false clues she was dropping as the story progressed. Sneaky sneaky. 

We got introduced to some new secondary characters in this book, Asher and his twin sister. I think they are going to make very interesting additions to the team, and I look forward to reading their story in the future.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Avon via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

LOST Series