Stolen

Stolen is the newest romantic suspense release from author Shiloh Walker. The publisher is Ballantine Books. From the back cover.~

Shay Morgan has stayed hidden for a long time. Living a reclusive life in Earth’s End, Alaska, she’s as far away as she can get from the trauma of her childhood and the man who hurt her long ago. But terror takes over Shay’s life yet again when an unknown stalker steals away the fragile peace she’s built for herself—targeting not only her but the one man who’s ever managed to get past the walls she’s built around herself.

Elliot Winter has lived through being falsely accused before—it ruined his military career. Now it’s happening all over again. And this time, his accuser is a twisted impostor who’s targeting his ex-girlfriend, Shay. Despite a fierce mutual attraction, Shay and Elliot broke up because Shay couldn’t let her guard down, couldn’t let Elliot in. But now they both need to trust each other to confront a psycho who seems to know all their secrets.

Hands down, Stolen is one of my favorite books I’ve read this year. I was lucky enough to get an early copy from NetGalley. While I love all of Shiloh Walker’s books, she is a master when it comes to romantic suspense. I’ve read mysteries and thrillers all my life and have always been able to figure out the bad guy pretty early in a book/series. This is so not so with Ms. Walker’s books. While I usually have it narrowed down to a few characters, she keeps me guessing until right up to the reveal.

Really can’t say much about the book without giving major information away. I really only feel like I can highlight a few of the characters to keep from putting anything up that will give away the ending.

Shay Morgan: She has lived through hell and come out the other side way stronger than she sees herself. She is happy to have little contact with the outside world except via the computer. She has relived heavily on her assistant, Darcy, who she met and befriended while in college. She has only ever loved one man, but couldn’t open up enough about her past to have a future.

Elliot Winter: He wanted a future with Shay, but needed her to be open about her past first. He still loves her even though they are no longer together and is more than willing to help her out when she needs it.

Darcy Montgomery: She is Shay’s assistant and friend from college. Shay has recently noticed that Darcy is trying to direct her life more than just her career.

Lorna Winter: She has been trying to get Elliot and Shay back together every since they broke up. She has remained friends with Shay and is willing to do anything to help both her friend and her brother.

The official release date for Stolen is October 30, 2012. I highly suggest this book to anyone who enjoys the romantic suspense genre. I warn you in advance to be prepared to read this book in one sitting as it really was hard to put down once I started reading. For more information about Stolen or other books from Shiloh Walker, visit her website.