psychological thriller

Review: Otherwise Unharmed by Shay Savage

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Title: Otherwise Unharmed (Evan Arden #3)
Author: Shay Savage
Date of publication: 5 Dec 2013
Genre: Psychological thriller, Male POV

Author's links:
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

My rating: 4 stars




Goodreads Blurb

After Evan Arden was imprisoned by the enemy for a year and a half, he returned from the desert as a military hero. He’d suffered some minor injuries during his captivity, was discharged from the Marines with just a touch of shellshock, but was considered otherwise unharmed. Now he wonders how he ended up where he is now – incarcerated in Chicago’s Metropolitan Correctional Center for using his sharpshooting expertise to take out the neighborhood park with a high-powered sniper rifle and multiple rounds of ammunition.

Lia Antonio, the woman he rescued from the desert heat the previous year, is the only person who can bring him out of his sleep-deprived psychosis and mounting PTSD. When she does, Evan knows he can’t just let her go again. He’s never considered leaving the business before – who retires from the mafia? – but he’s determined to get both Lia and himself out of harm’s way.

Evan faces forces from multiple directions as a deal to get him out of jail turns more deadly and dangerous than he ever could have imagined. With a three-way mob war on the horizon and the feds holding evidence over his head, Evan has no choice but to throw himself into the middle of another war-zone.

In his efforts to make things right in his own mind, Evan crosses the wrong man and finds himself on the business end of the cross-hairs. With his observation skills and intelligence, he tries to keep a step ahead of his former co-workers, but this time, it isn’t just his own life on the line – he’s got to protect Lia from the man who once called him son.

My review

This is the final book in the series and it is a perfect blend of the first two - hot sexy romance and action packed psychological thriller.

Iit picks up where book 2 left off - Evan in complete breakdown. Now that Lia is back in his life, she is only person that can save him from the dark abyss of insanity. Suddenly Evan finds himself caring for her more than he expected initially which prompts him to do everything in his power to protect her.

The plot has many twists and turns and kept me on the edge till the end. Just when I thought I knew what would happen and the author surprised me by taking the things in completely new direction.

I found myself deeply emotionally engaged with Evan. He was still cold-hearted, merciless hit man we got to know in the previous books, yet  with Lia now in his life and by his side he started restore some of his former self. I liked that he didn't change overnight, he didn't become suddenly sensitive, caring, remorseful of his past. It was a slow, painful struggle with himself and with everybody around him. 

I liked Lia a lot as well. She was strong and didn't let Evan overtake her completely. She loved him and was ready to help him through everything but she demanded that he trust her with his true story. It was not easy for her accept his past and present. She loved him but some of the things he did bothered her and she didn't try to hide it. It's refreshing to come across a strong and independent heroine who doesn't hesitate to speak her mind.

Like the previous books, this one is also told solely from Evan's POV. I loved his voice - cold, emotionless, yet filled with pain and suffering. His inner struggles, his hallucinations and his warring emotions were captivating. His obsessive need to protect and take care of Lia became a bit repetitive around the middle of the book but they were also understandably given his situation.

The ending was a bit too good to be true. It was sweet and I appreciate the chance of peaceful life Evan got but it affected slightly authenticity of the book. I can't imagine trying to leave the Mafia would work exactly like this.

Overall, I enjoyed this series very much. I liked the male POV, the whole mob world, the behind the scenes in the mind and soul of an ex-Marine, a POW, a hit man and his love for a beautiful strong woman which ultimately saves him from himself.

The secondary characters were also well drawn, the Mafia world was rich and realistic. Odin, Evan's dog had a special place in the whole story which I quite enjoyed.

I would definitely recommend this series to fans of the psychological thriller who are looking for realistic stories and are not afraid of some violence and a lot of dark emotions.

psychological thriller

Review: Otherwise Occupied by Shay Savage

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Title: Otherwise Occupied (Evan Arden #2)
Author: Shay Savage
Date of publication: 14 Dec 2012
Genre: Psychological thriller, Male POV

Author's links:
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

My rating: 4 stars




Goodreads Blurb

Evan Arden is a hit man for a Chicago mob boss. He lives his life day to day with the company of his dog, Odin. He has to work hard to get back into his boss’s good graces, but the target proves to be difficult. As demons of his past begin to haunt him, he seeks the comfort of sleep from an unlikely candidate, but will confiding in her be his undoing?​

​He’s struggling to forget his past, and keep himself Otherwise Occupied.


My Review

This is the second book in the series and the first full length novel on Evan Arden. I quite liked his voice when we first met him in Otherwise Alone (my review). After reading this book, I am fully convinced that Ms Savage writes fascinating male POVs  which is rare for female authors. Evan's voice and personality are just as powerful and engaging as Sebastian's in Surviving Raine - authentic voice of a broken male character. 

This installment in the series was not a romance, as I expected, it was not even romantic suspense. It's a rather a psychological thriller with strong suspense/action elements, we are drawn deep into the mind and soul (what's left of it) of Evan. I liked his voice in the first book, I was glad to get to know him better. 

He is a difficult character to like - he is so cold-blooded in his job that it gives me the shivers. Yet, he is so hard on himself, as well. The things he went through can't justify what he does at present, but still they give a reasonable explanation why he is the way he is.

I missed Lia in this book and I was conflicted about Bridgett. Her relationship with Evan does have some vague romantic elements (mostly on her part, but he also developed feelings for her, even though he was reluctant to admit it even to himself). I felt bad about Bridgett and wanted some sort of happy ending for her, though it would have been improbable. Still, I don't think she deserved what happened to her.

The story is full of twists and turns that kept me on the edge all the time. The final 1/4 was really intense both emotionally and in terms of action - Evan's inner turmoil reached its breaking point and it was presented very vividly, grabbing my full attention until the end of the book.

I feel bad about Evan and I sympathize with his situation and I really, really want him to get this happily ever after. Evan is not a good guy and he after everything he did he can never be one, yet Ms Savage made me feel deep for his suffering without being melodramatic and overly sentimental. He is a lost soul in this book, there is very little humanity left in him and I am curious how he will manage to redeem himself in the final book.

The end is not a real cliffhanger but it did made me anxious to read the next book as soon as possible. The epilogue from Lia's POV did give me a ray of hope amid Evan's complete desperation.

Novella

Review: Otherwise Alone by Shay Savage

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Title: Otherwise Alone (Evan Arden #1)
Author: Shay Savage
Date of publication: 14 Dec 2012
Genre: Romance, Male POV, Novella

Author's links:
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

My rating: 4 stars




Goodreads Blurb

Lieutenant Evan Arden sits in a shack in the middle of nowhere, waiting for orders that will send him back home - if he ever gets them. Other than his loyal Great Pyrenees, there's no one around to break up the monotony. The tedium is excruciating, but it is suddenly interrupted when a young woman stumbles up his path. 

He has two choices - pick her off from a distance with his trusty sniper-rifle, or dare let her approach his cabin and enter his life.

Why not? It's been ages, and he is otherwise alone...

My Review

Otherwise Alone is a novella which serves as a prequel in the Evan Arden series. It's completed in itself  and can be read as a standalone, though I would recommend to continue with the rest of the series.

I am usually not a fan of novellas but I really enjoyed this one. It was told from the POV of the hero, Evan Arden, and I liked his voice a lot. He is a professional sniper - very observant, distanced, cold-hearted, yet chanced meeting with Lia in the middle of nowhere breaks his barriers in just 24 hours they establish a strong connection. There was nothing ordinary about their meeting and it proved fateful for both of them. T

Both Evan and Lia are well developed characters and their encounter was super hot and sexy but also emotionally intense and a sort of revelation for them both. Despite the short length of the story I was quickly involved in the characters' lives. The short length of the book doesn't allow for a full fledged romance to develop but there is a lot of passion and super hot sexy times which ultimately lead to a deeper emotional connection between the characters.

What liked most in this novella besides Evan's voice, was the completeness of the story. It doesn't have a happy end, it is more of an open ending but it fitted perfectly. 

It is a promising beginning of an interesting series which offers an intriguing combination of psychological thriller and romance. 

Feature

Teaser Tuesday 42

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Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read 
• Open to a random page 
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 
• Be careful not the include spoilers! 
• Share the title & author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers. 

I have modified them slightly for my Teasers. It will not be two sentences from a random page but two, usually more, sentences from the pages I have read so far that have struck me as most interesting, original or that I just happen to like a lot.

This week's teaser comes from Otherwise Occupied by Shay Savage. It's the second book in her Evan Arden series and it's rather a suspense thriller involving a mob hitman and his gradual loss of sanity. It's the middle book in the series and although it doesn't have the hot romance of the novella Otherwise Alone, it does portray Evan Arden a complex, tortured hero. It will be continuing with the final book in the series, Otherwise Unharmed, right away.

"I don't think anything I have to offer a woman is in her best interest. Seriously, you've got a better idea of how...of what I've...of what happened. How could I ever try to explain that to a date?"

 Otherwise Occupied - Shay Savage 
Goodreads Blurb

Evan Arden is a hit man for a Chicago mob boss. He lives his life day to day with the company of his dog, Odin. He has to work hard to get back into his boss’s good graces, but the target proves to be difficult. As demons of his past begin to haunt him, he seeks the comfort of sleep from an unlikely candidate, but will confiding in her be his undoing?​

​He’s struggling to forget his past, and keep himself Otherwise Occupied.


Adveture

Review: Surviving Raine by Shay Savage

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Title: Surviving Raine (Surviving Raine #1)
Author: Shay Savage
Date of publication: 19 May 2013
Genre: Romance, Adventure, Male POV

Author's links:
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

My rating: 4 stars
Goodreads Blurb

As the captain of a schooner catering to the elite on the Caribbean Seas, Sebastian Stark does his best to avoid any human encounters. Interacting with people isn’t his thing, and he prefers the company of a bottle of vodka, a shot glass, and maybe a whore. There’s no doubt he’s hiding from a checkered past, but he does well keeping everything to himself…

…until the night his schooner capsizes, and he’s stuck on a life raft with one of the passengers.

Raine’s young, she’s cute, and Bastian would probably be into her if he wasn’t suffering from alcohol withdrawal. As the days pass, DTs, starvation, and dehydration become the norm. Even the most closed person starts to open up when he thinks he’s going to die, but when she realizes their traumatic pasts are connected, it’s no longer the elements that have Bastian concerned.

He has no idea how he’s going to Survive Raine.

My Review

 I came across this book after a recommendation in GR groups (This seems to happen often to me, I found Neanderthal Seeks Human this way and I loved it. I am really happy that the same happened with Surviving Raine.) I was hesitant to pick this book initially. We have just the Hero and Heroine, first on a raft, then on a island, for most part of the book and I wasn't sure how the author will manage to keep things interesting. Believe me, Ms Savage did a great job of keeping the interest in the story of Sebastian and Raine.

I loved the way this book was written. It had some action/adventure, some painful past invading the present, and lots of sexy time.

The story is told from Bastian's POV and we get a foul-mouthed jerk starved for love and affection who becomes overprotective and possessive Alpha for the right woman. Sebastian is a well developed character and despite his flaws and weaknesses I ended up loving him. We see Raine only from his POV and this definitely serves to her disadvantage. She is given a number of positive qualities - innocence, courage, reliability, the strength to forgive, yet her personality does not really stand out. She appeared somewhat bland and passive in her relationship with Sebastian.

I found the first 2/3 of the book really strong both in terms of character development and the unfolding of the story. There was a whole bunch of practical details concerning the survival at sea and on a desert island which I found rather enjoyable. They gave an additional dimension to the story and tied nicely with the general idea of survival.. Bastian is an expert in survival - on the streets, in the fights, in the ocean, on the island.

I liked the way the romance between Bastian and Raine developed. It started with lust on his part and just curiosity on hers, and gradually developed into something more.

This book was going for 5 stars but the final part took my rating one star down. Sebastian and Raine had the same discussions over and over again - his insecurities and self-depreciation and her assurance and unconditional love and devotion. There was no real moving forward in the relationship. I also did not like how overprotective and possessive Sebastian became. There was a particular incident on the island which I feel was not handled the right way, his reaction to it in particular was totally unacceptable.

The final part of the book, especially after the rescue is my least favourite. I did not like the way both Sebastian and Raine acted. It seemed to me that they used (public!) sex to reassure each other of their feelings. They acted like different people from the ones I came to care about in the book so far.

The ending is great, though. It is not a cliffhanger but it does leave you craving the next book which sadly for us will be released some time next year.

Despite the some weaknesses, I really enjoyed this book. It is one of my favourite reads of this year so far. I liked the author's style and the whole mix of adventure and romance so much that I decided to check her other works as well. So, up on my TBR list is Otherwise Alone (Evan Arden Trilogy, #1) and Otherwise Occupied (Evan Arden Trilogy, #1).


Adveture

Teaser Tuesday 13

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Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
• Share the title & author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

I have modified them slightly for my Teasers. It will not be two sentences from a random page but two, usually more, sentences from the pages I have read so far that have struck me as most interesting, original or that I just happen to like a lot.

My teaser this week comes from a book I am actually currently reading. It is Surviving Raine by Shay Savage. I have come to middle so far I absolutely love it. It is another romance (with some survival adventure thrown in) told from a male POV, after I recently read Tangled by Emma Chase. This one is really dramatic from what I can tell so far and I really liked both the hero and the heroine.

"For one, it wasn't just me I needed to look after. There was the annoying, questioning, tiny little piece of seriously feminine, soft, brown-eyed, doesn't-take-my-shit, fucking beautiful young woman who didn't stand a chance on her own that I needed to protect."

Surviving Raine by Shay Savage 

Synopsis
As the captain of a schooner catering to the elite on the Caribbean Seas, Sebastian Stark does his best to avoid any human encounters. Interacting with people isn’t his thing, and he prefers the company of a bottle of vodka, a shot glass, and maybe a whore. There’s no doubt he’s hiding from a checkered past, but he does well keeping everything to himself…

…until the night his schooner capsizes, and he’s stuck on a life raft with one of the passengers.

Raine’s young, she’s cute, and Bastian would probably be into her if he wasn’t suffering from alcohol withdrawal. As the days pass, DTs, starvation, and dehydration become the norm. Even the most closed person starts to open up when he thinks he’s going to die, but when she realizes their traumatic pasts are connected, it’s no longer the elements that have Bastian concerned.

He has no idea how he’s going to Survive Raine.


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