Book Review — Seek by Mia Sheridan

“Why are you here?” I practically whispered.
A breath gusted from his mouth and he moved back, his hand dropping slowly as if he were forcing himself to stop touching me. “Because I can’t live without you.”

HOLY BOOK ADDICTION!! I inhaled this book in one sitting. I literally didn’t put it down for a single minute! It was an addictive, adrenaline-fueled, fast-paced romance with a sexy, brooding, and totally badass hero and a unique story with an unexpected twist!! I love it when books surprise like that. The writing was strong, the story was unique, the romance was hot, and I’d highly recommend this to anyone looking for a great new read!

So, I’m going to post the blurb first here because, if you love unique storylines as much as I do, you’ll understand immediately why I was so intrigued by this story and why I dropped everything else to read it…

Wealthy socialite Olivia Barton never imagined her fiancé would disappear on what was supposed to be a routine business trip. She’s even more heartbroken and confused when a hired private investigator tracks him half a world away, to a seaside town in Colombia. But the country has recently been ravaged by a massive earthquake and deadly tsunami, shutting down outside communication and making travel all but impossible. Still, Olivia is determined to make it to Colombia to find the answers she so desperately seeks. What she needs is a guide–a mercenary.

The man named Thomas arrives in shadows, an unmistakable air of danger about him, promising to help lead her through the ruined, crime-infested country. But when Thomas and Olivia find themselves fighting an undeniable attraction, danger takes on a whole new meaning. Then again, in the lush jungles of South America, all the rules are different and Thomas and Olivia are about to discover that sometimes the thing you seek, isn’t necessarily the thing you find…

Given my intense aversion to cheating and triangles though, I naturally was concerned about both those things and without any spoilers, I’ll just say that if you’re worried about either of those things, don’t be. Just trust me. This book didn’t break any of my ‘book rules’ even though I was wary at first that it might.

This story hits the ground running and honestly doesn’t stop it’s full-throttle adventure until the very end. There’s a mix of exciting adventure tinged with danger, there’s mystery over not knowing anything about Thomas or what the hell had happened to her fiance, there’s an intensely angsty and forbidden love brewing, and the story took a surprising direction that really pleased me!

Thomas and Olivia couldn’t have been more opposite on paper. She’d lived a sheltered and privileged life, while he’d lived a hard and violent one that had shaped him into the resourceful and dangerous man he’d become. Which was why he was the perfect person for the job of guiding her through a foreign, disaster ridden and crime infested jungle.

“Nice to meet you.”
His eyes tilted in my direction but he didn’t respond to my nicety. “By the way, you’ll be traveling as my wife if anyone asks.”
My brows came together. “Your wife? Don’t be silly.”
“I’m never silly.”
We looked at each other, his wintery eyes spearing me. I believed it. “Why?”
“Just not my style.” But was that… bemusement I’d glimpsed in his expression before he turned away?
“I meany, why do I have to pretend to be your wife?”
“Safest that way. I can protect you if other men know you’re mine.”

We get alternate POVs in this book — both in first person — and I really liked seeing into both of their sides of the story because there was a lot that Thomas especially was hiding. It’s a bit of a shorter read (245 pages) and I actually thought the length worked really well for this particular story because because there was no unnecessary drama, the story constantly moved forward, and yet gave enough time to connect you to the characters.

Oooooh and there’s a little cameo treat near the end of the book for any long-time Mia Sheridan fans! Don’t worry if you haven’t read any of her other books though. This is a COMPLETE STANDALONE and is not part of any series.

If you’re looking for an action-packed romance, this is definitely a top recommendation!

Rating: 4.5 stars! Contemporary Adult Romance, standalone.