HUSH – Cherry Adair
Loadstone Series, Book 1
Pocket Star
ISBN: 978-1-4391-5382-6
May 2011
Romantic Suspense

Venezuela – Present Day

Zakary Stark awakes to find a gun aimed at his head and three men in his room.  He and the woman he was with the night before are in bed, naked.  He and his brother, Gideon, are thrill seekers, but this is a bit over the top.  Acadia Gray is terrified.  Who are these men and what do they want?  After winning the lottery, Acadia was looking forward to an adventure in Venezuela , but not this kind of adventure!  After a bloody battle, more men arrive with a woman, Pinera, in command, and Zak, Acadia , and Gideon are taken prisoners.  Acadia experienced her first one night stand (and what a stand it was!) the night before, and now a frightening kidnapping.  She is wearing a vest with twenty-eight hidden pockets.  Hopefully she will have something in the pockets to help as they make their way through the jungle.

The kidnappers demand two million dollars from each of them for their release.  Zak and Gideon are wealthy entrepreneurs in the computer industry.   Acadia does have some interesting things in her pockets and is able to put something in their drinks to make all the guards deathly ill, and the three are able to escape.  Gideon has broken ribs but manages to walk a long distance before they stop to rest.  Zak is very rude to Acadia , calls her Barbie, but he has to admit that she is not a cry baby, and he is very attracted to her.

They cut their way through the jungle, but the kidnappers are behind them, following their trail.  Acadia puts on a brave front as they head for the river.  Gideon and Zak decide to separate and find each other in Caracas in a few days.  She thinks about her nice safe home and wonders why she ever came to Venezuela .  There are many adventures ahead before the protagonists discover who is behind this whole scheme.

HUSH is an adventure from page one to the end.  Gunfire, explosions…Zak and Acadia no sooner save themselves from one thing, before someone else is chasing after them trying to kill them.  It's a thrill a minute.  My favorite scene is when Acadia plays poker with some of the locals.  Very clever and very funny!  She is a terrific character.  The romance between Acadia and Zak sizzles with heat.  All of the secondary characters enhance the story, from Gideon, who has such a close relationship to his brother, to the evilness of some of the characters.

An intense story, readers will feel as if they are sweating in the jungles of Venezuela along with the protagonists.  Ms. Adair's writing is impeccable, the dialogue is good, and the pacing is non-stop action.  There is just a touch of the paranormal in this amazing thriller.

Marilyn Heyman