Awesome read. Perfect amount of suspense and romance. Great writing and storytelling with a perfect group of characters you want to know more about. I highly recommend this one ( )

This is the second book in Jennifer Ryan's "Hunted" series. The book can stand alone, reading order is not particularly important.

If you are into the hurt/comfort part of the romance / thriller genre, this book might be just the thing. Lots of hurt, lots of comfort, lots of romance, enough thriller to make the book compelling.

The editors for this series may be relying too heavily on automated spell checking. There were too many homophones / heterographs that irked be - again, "ringing" someone's neck vice "wringing" someone's neck. ( )

I started this series with Lucky Like Us because I enjoy reading books with a protagonist working in a Police/Security Role like FBI Special Agent Sam Turner who stars in this story. Sam and his partner Tyler Reed are working undercover to catch a serial killer known as the “Silver Fox” when the book opens. Early in the story, the killer catches Sam off guard, poisons, and beats him in the middle of a warehouse district where Elizabeth Hamilton resides.

When Elizabeth hears noises outside of her house, she rushes out to find Sam, barely conscious, lying in the street. When she realizes someone is trying to kill him, she risks her own life to protect his. During this intense encounter, “Silver Fox” brutally attacks Elizabeth for intervening, and, in her desperation to fight back, she removes his facial mask revealing his face. The attack ends with both Sam and Elizabeth sustaining life-threatening injuries and left for dead. Fortunately, they are rescued in time and both survive.

The hospital serves as the setting for much of the story as both Sam and Elizabeth recuperate from their injuries. The pace slows down and more attention is given to character development and the relationship that develops between Sam and Elizabeth as they recover and bond over their shared traumatic ordeal. Once Sam learns he accidentally shot the woman who saved his life, he feels responsible for her well-being and spends a lot of time by Elizabeth’s bedside. Even though she is heavily sedated and constantly in and out of consciousness, they still manage to connect on a deeper level; his calming voice and warm touch soothe her anxiety and distract her from the pain, while her concern, understanding, and acceptance of him draws him even closer to her.

Elizabeth is one of my favorite heroines. She comes from an affluent family, owns a successful bakery, and spends much of her time involved in philanthropic activities. Initially, I expected her to be fragile, passive, and dependent upon others to take care of her, especially in her vulnerable condition. However, this woman is intelligent and strong, both emotionally and physically. She takes action when needed and never once pities her situation. Overall, she is calm, rational, and determined to have a normal life once again, even though she knows the “Silver Fox” is determined to see her dead since she is the only one who can identify him.

Once she recovers, she takes an active role to help apprehend the “Silver Fox,” even risking her life again by setting herself up as bait to lure the killer into the open. However, while waiting to catch the serial killer, Elizabeth is also being stalked by a “wannabe” boyfriend whose disturbing behavior continues to escalate. Although she understands the gravity of her situation regarding the serial killer, I was surprised at how easily she dismissed this stalker who begins to pose a serious threat to her well-being.

The romance and suspense of the plot accelerate once Elizabeth is released from the hospital. Arrangements are made for Sam to resume his role in the investigation by protecting Elizabeth until her life is no longer in danger. As their relationship develops, the attraction between them intensifies into a full-blown passionate love affair. The lines of professional duty and personal interest become blurred once Sam and Elizabeth begin acting like a couple. Although none of the characters seem to see this as an issue, I do think it has a negative impact on how the FBI proceeds with the investigation. For example, when Elizabeth realizes that she knows the killer, she and Tyler work together to set a trap for him. They intentionally keep Sam out of the loop, not letting him know the real identity of the killer and about their about their plan to trap him at a charity event until the last minute. Did they do this because they thought Sam’s personal involvement with Elizabeth would hinder their operation to apprehend the killer? Since Sam is officially part of the investigation, I thought he should have been fully aware of all aspects of the case in order to do his job.

Nevertheless, an unpredictable and exciting climax occurs when Elizabeth does come face-to-face with “Silver Fox,” who is determined to eliminate her once and for all. The story continues after the climatic outcome, bringing up more questions to pique my interest until the end.

I received a copy of Lucky Like Us from the author in exchange for an honest review. ( )