Review: Stolen Seduction

Stolen Seduction
Elisabeth Naughton
Romantic Suspense
Stolen Trilogy/Book 3
Love Spell/January 2010
Library book

From the back cover ~

The individual who collects all six statues and deciphers the code locked within will be awarded controlling interest in Roarke Resorts.

YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS ENDEAVOR IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH.

Hailey Roarke was never interested in her family’s fortune. That’s why she became a cop. But with her father and now her cousin dead, she’s suddenly on the wrong side of a police interrogation. The only way to clear her name is to solve the riddle before the real killer. Without getting killed herself.

Detective Shane Maxwell can’t deny the spark of lust he feels every time Hailey is near. But the woman is clearly hiding something. Trusting his gut—and the heat in her eyes—he joins her on an elaborate global treasure hunt staged by her late father. Caught between a sizzling seduction and a maniacal murderer, for Hailey and Shane the biggest reward of all will be making it out alive.

The last book in the trilogy features a hero and heroine that were first introduced in Stolen Fury, book one. Hailey Roarke is the ex-wife of Rafe, hero of book one. Shane Maxwell is the brother of Lisa Maxwell, heroine from book one. So we have already met both h/h in previous books. Hailey is a character I liked from the first time she appeared in Stolen Fury. Shane, eh, a bit on the overprotective side and very bossy. But he grew on me.

Hailey Roarke wanted nothing to do with her family's hotel empire. She gets pulled back in when her father dies and leaves a few interesting stipulations in his will. She tells herself her stint in the family business is only temporary, just until she gets the terms of the will cleared up. She's really a cop in Florida but... she admits she's not really good at that either. Her career life is in a bit of turmoil. And her personal life isn't much better. She is friends with her ex-husband, so that's always good. And there was this guy she met a few months ago but nothing really came from that. Then Hailey finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Her cousin, a real ass, is found dead and the police have some questions for Hailey. One of the detectives is especially interested in Hailey. And he just happens to be "that" guy.

There's a bit of a soap-opera feel with all the different character connections but it's not a bad feeling just a lot of coincidences of how all their lives are intertwined. Shane Maxwell, brother to Dr. Lisa Maxwell who is married to Rafe Sullivan, Hailey's ex. Shane is, of course, the Chicago police detective with a special interest in Hailey. They've met before and while there were some sparks, neither made the move to take things all the way. Now they're both involved in the murder investigation of Hailey's cousin. And what the heck is with her father's crazy will? According to the will, Hailey going to have to jump through some hoops to keep the company out of the wrong hands. She's not happy about it but it willing to search for the treasure her father wanted/hoped she'd find.

The relationship between Hailey and Shane is very volatile. They don't trust each other and under the circumstances, don't always like each other. But that spark is still there and the more time they spend together the stronger it gets. There was a surprising amount of animosity between the two, I had to wonder how they would get past it. But they did and Naughton made it work. Shane is a natural protector and now he's into protecting Hailey while he's also trying to sort things out and get to the truth of what happened. He knows Hailey is lying to him, hiding something, and being a good detective he's determined to find out. Hailey is used to looking out for herself and resents Shane's intrusion. It becomes a situation where they have to work together to resolve both of their problems.

The murder mystery coupled with a treasure hunt made for an exciting ride. I liked how Naughton incorporated the police crime solving and the treasure hunting to make a cohesive story line that had both facets of mystery and adventure. We also got to revisit with characters from the two previous books which was fun. A quick read and a good end for the trilogy.

Rating: B+

Stolen Fury
Stolen Heat