I've read and enjoyed a few of Elisabeth Naughton's books and Gone ranks as one of her best.

The story is about Alec and Reagon whose 1 year old daughter went missing three years ago. The fallout resulted in the breakdown of their relationship but when they get a lead that may result in them finding out what happened to their daughter they start working together to get to the truth. I thought the plotline was fascinating and made for some addictive reading. Was their daughter still alive somewhere and if so would they be able to track her down? It definitely keeps you guessing and there are plenty of twists and turns in the story. 

The author has obviously done some research into this and there are lots of facts and figures built in as well as a very serious message about how many children actually do go missing and are never found each year.

Alec and Reagon are both likeable characters, she's strong, independent and very determined to get to the truth and Alec, well it's safe to say Alec has a lot of issues from his past. I did like the relationship between the two of them and, while you can pretty much guess where it's heading it's still an enjoyable read. 

It is the second in the series but while a few of the characters from the first book do feature (and you'll figure out the ending) you could read this as a standalone.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a copy. All views are my own.

Elizabeth Naughton is an amazing author. Kidnapping is the basis of this story, yet there is so much more. 2 people determined to find answers and find love again. The mysterious paths this book took were mind blowing. Love, romance and suspense all the makings of a best seller.

Great second installment in a well crafted storyline.

The story of its own is very strong because here we are talking about missing child. The character of Alec is strong too because we are talking about a man who had serious issues of his past and present that needs solutions. 
The only think that I didn't like it was the process of their relationship. I found it a little steep depending on the circumstances!

Before I read this book, I checked out the first in the series so I wouldn't be lost. That actually wasn't necessary. The characters are connected, but still separate. The main characters in the first make a few appearances in this one, but just as supporting characters. I actually preferred this one over Repressed, but the first is still worth a read. Considering the series seems to be staying in the family, who is next? I'm thinking the next book may revolve around Kelsey! 

A four year old girl is found wandering in a park. Alerted by authorities, Alec and Raegan rush to the hospital... hopeful that the girl is their missing daughter. She isn't. They're crushed... and no longer have each other to lean on. The aftermath of their child's abduction led to their divorce. Raegan continues to hope that Emma will return one day. Alec thinks that their daughter is dead and hit the bottle hard after her disappearance. She vanished while under his care, and while Raegan has never blamed him, he's not so kind to himself. He is sober now, but still struggles years later to hold onto it. 

Their meeting at the hospital has a profound effect on them both. There we have the classic story of two people that are pretty clearly supposed to be together but fail at communication. Raegan talks Alec into helping her investigate the disappearance of other children and how they may be related to Emma... hoping to find answers once and for all. 

This was a very engaging story, kept my attention really well and cemented my interest in the series. I will be looking out for the next! Quick, enjoyable read. I like the way the author connects the books. You can certainly read them alone, but it was great to get little glimpses at the characters from the first, as they're connected in a big adopted family. A nice mix of romance and mystery. 

I was given an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Montlake Romance, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

Good tense read but I didn't engage with the characters apart from the parents involved.  It's only one book in a series so may develop better as the series goes but just not for me.

Gone is a romantic suspense that is full of mystery, thrill, addictions, and action. In it, we follow Alec and Raegan, a split couple that lost their one-year-old daughter, Emma, three years ago. Raegan can't let Emma go, and Alec is positive she's dead, which began the struggles between the two in the first place. After a young girl was found in a park and turned out not to be Emma, Raegan can't stop herself from delving back into cases of missing children to figure out the link. In desperate hopes to find her child, Raegan asks Alec for help, and kick starts a whole dangerous journey of discovering the truth behind the abductions.

      This book was very enjoyable to read. It is full of mystery, romance, the hardships of depending on someone and letting them in, the struggle of fighting an addiction, and the stress and pain of dealing with a loss that left both sides of the couple feeling broken. This book is emotional and rich in plot twists. Unfortunately, while the end is fast paced and full of action, the beginning is rather slow moving.

      The romance is heavy and  enthralling, heart breaking and warming all at the same time. All their hardships and pain and struggles they once tried to bury came back to bite them, and this time they dealt with them and trusted each other. To see how devoted they are to each other, how brave and strong Alec and Raegan are, was a treat. It inspires hope of a love like that someday for the rest of us. What masks that love slightly however, is how often sex is added in. It isn't overly descriptive, but I find it takes away from the sweet moments of their romance.

      What I loved most however, was the mystery of the missing children. Following Alec and Raegan through their research, interviews, and planning sessions, I couldn't help but be engaged myself, as if I could follow them on that journey and help them out. All the evidence and wrong turns and threats to keep them from fining out the truth kept me on the edge of my seat! I couldn't wait to find out who was behind everything and what their motive was.

      Overall, Gone is a passionate, engaging, action filled mystery that can be read as a standalone.

I thought this book was just ok it lacked a fast paced story line. I read it , I finished it but I wasn't excited about it.

This book had me riveted to the pages, and kept me turning, feeling all the time the injustice. Then we find out that there are more, how could someone do what we happening, and how can it be stopped?
We find a couple very much in love, with the joy of a child in their mist, and then in the whisper of a second their lives are shattered. Their beloved child is gone, one thinks she is missing and the other she is dead, and thus the unit is shattered to the point of divorce.
What brings these two back together is the same thing that separated them to begin with. Now there seems to be even more danger, and their little one is still “Gone”.
The author had me on an emotional roller coaster from beginning to end, and let me tell you once you start reading; you have to get to the answers. This book will also linger with you, and make you think that maybe this is a true story.

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Montlake Romance, and was not required to give a positive review.

Beautifully crafted-the story unfolds gradually, but keeps you guessing. Truly believed in the storyline, which was brutal, and did not guess the ending at all. Looking forward to reading more by this author!

**** ARC kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ****

Warning: This review/rating is based on my feelings, thoughts, likes and dislikes. You should read the book to form your own opinion/thoughts. Read on!

Rating: 4.5 Stars
Cover: I like it
Cliffhanger: Nope
Triangle: Nah

This is not my first Elisabeth Naughton and it won’t be my last.

Editing, it was very well written and there weren’t typos that bother me much. 

This book dealt with a topic that brings nightmares for several days, losing a child, not knowing where he is and all those what ifs that surface, is every parent’s nightmare. 

Alec was so drown in his guilt that he couldn’t get to the surface and take a breath, therefore he destroyed everything good in his life believing he needed to be punished.

Raegan, I felt for her, I don’t know what I would have done in her shoes, I would have had her hope too, I wouldn’t have lost it until I see it for myself.

The story, their child is abducted, and Raegan re-starts to investigate other kidnappings to help other parents, after a child reappears 3 years later, so she sees a pattern that tells a more gruesome tale. I can’t tell you specifics because then I would tell you all the twists and is a ride you should take on your own. 

Elisabeth made me turn the pages like a deranged woman. It was a very good book, good story, and good characters.

One thing, I would have love to see more of Alec’s family, their thoughts, and their feelings after all these years. 

This is the second book in the series, so I’m going to read the first, I can’t wait!

With their daughter's abduction, Alec and Raegan's life and marriage fell apart. Raegan held on to the hope her daughter was still alive and threw herself into her career as a newswoman. Alec, consumed by guilt, began drinking heavily and continued his journalism work all the while believing his scumbag, drug dealing dad is behind the abduction. As an unknown child is found, the hospital visit brings Alec and Raegan back together. Their love and lust burns just as strong. Raegan's investigation into a string of children's abductions throws the couple into danger as they struggle to uncover the truth. Fast-paced and action packed, the story pulls at the heart strings and ends with a well satisfying HEA that I would recommend for anyone who loves a good romantic suspense. My review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy of Gone by Elisabeth Naughton that I read and reviewed.
This book was off the charts excellent. I loved Gone the second book in the Deadly Secrets series from the first page.
This book centered around the disappearance of Emma, a one year old little girl, and how her parents Alec and Reagan are dealing with life three years later when they are now divorced but still believe their little girl is out there. This book takes you on their journey as they look into cases that could be related to Emma's and into Alec having to deal with his father who he believes was behind her abduction.
If you love emotional books that suck you in and pull at your heart this is a book for you. As a reader you start cheering for Alec and Reagan to work things and overcome all their problems and somehow beat all the statistics and find Emma alive so they can have another chance at their family. This is an excellent book you can't put down until you know exactly what happens.
I am giving Gone five out of five stars.

Gripping story about the aftermath of a missing child and the ongoing search to find her.  This will be on everyone's to be read pile!

Alex and Raegan McClane experienced every parent’s worse nightmare when their daughter, Emma, was kidnapped 3 years ago. Alex had taken Emma to the park, looked away for only a moment and then she was gone.  Though Raegan never blamed Alex, he couldn’t forgive himself and instead chose to drown himself in alcohol.  Raegan couldn’t help him, and the marriage that had once been so full of love, couldn’t survive the aftermath of such tremendous loss.  They divorced and went their separate ways.  

Now three years later, Alex and Raegan are called to the hospital after a young girl fitting Emma’s description is found wandering in the park. But the child is not Emma and Alex and Raegan have to suffer through their loss again.  Alex has always believed, with every fiber of his being, that his daughter is dead. But not Raegan, she knows her daughter is out there and she’ll do anything and everything in her power to find her.

When Raegan starts to dig into other child abductions, she finds similarities that cannot just be a coincidence. When she brings the facts to Alex, he balks, not wanting to believe her. He lost hope a long time ago and his sobriety is a fragile thing. But when his past comes back to haunt him he has no choice but to look at the facts. He can’t do it alone, though, and Raegan is there with the love and support that he needs.

I have not read a romantic suspense in a long time and I’d kind of forgotten how much I love them. Part of the fun is trying to figure out the mystery and  Ms. Naughton does a good job of twisting all the hints and facts in just the right way. Just when you think you’ve connected all the dots, she throws a huge surprise into the mix that makes you jump up and cheer...even though you did not see it coming!

Alex is a recovering alcoholic and though he’s been sober for a while, his control seems easily shaken.  When he sees Raegan for the first time in long while at the hospital and all their hopes are dashed, all those old feelings comes back.  Their marriage didn’t end because they didn’t love each other, they grew apart because Alex blamed himself and couldn’t forgive himself.  He believed that his biological father was responsible for Emma’s abduction and he believed that his father would think nothing of killing Alex’s daughter as an act of revenge because Alex’s testimony put his father in jail all those years ago. There is so much hatred between father and son expressed that even the reader begins to believe that the man was capable of killing his own granddaughter.

Raegan, on the other hand, believes that her daughter is alive.  She feels that if Emma had actually been killed, she would feel it and know in her heart that she was gone.  She grabs on and holds on to the hope that she will be found one day.  And when her boss gives her the go-ahead to look into other abductions that bear similarities to see if there is a story there, she dives in and soon finds some irrefutable evidence.  Of course, the deeper she digs, the more dangerous it becomes, but she’s not scared off easily. Once Raegan puts certain key facts together she goes to Alex with her evidence and he realizes that he really can’t ignore what she has found. 

I really enjoyed Alex and Raegan’s journey in this story.  So much hurt, so much loss and still their love for each other was there just under the surface, waiting for the right time when they were both able to embrace it once again.  It was almost as if Alex had to go through everything he did following Emma’s abduction, hitting rock bottom and even putting Raegan and his family through all of that-it had to happen so that he could dig his way back up.  He had to feel that, and come back from it in his own time and in his own way.  And though it hurt the people he loved the most, it was what he had to do in order to forgive himself. Raegan never blamed him, and though she couldn’t stand by him when he was at his lowest, she never stopped loving him. 

Naughton gives us a gripping tale filled with deceit, misunderstandings and treachery.  She weaves it tightly so that on the surface it appears to be a revenge plot in all it’s simplicity--but it is so, so much more.  I was completely pulled in and was so sure that I had the answer to who was responsible.  And when all is revealed, you get more than you could have imagined.

A fast paced read with a second chance at love and surprising twist that you don’t see coming.

Grade B+

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is the second in the series, but can be read as a standalone. That said, Ms. Naughton is so talented at this genre of books, that if you enjoy it, you should definitely check out her other stories.

This book delves into a world that every parent fears, and makes us see the impact on those parents, but also on what they can learn by talking to other parents in the same situation – that insight into how a problem shared is a problem halved is a message that could apply to many other issues too.

But the story is much bigger than two people who lost each other due to a moment of tragedy. It is an investigation into a series of kidnappings, the resolution of a crime spree, and revelations about Alec's past which change his life forever. And those two people... well they may just find each other again in the pursuit of justice.

If you like your romance to be within a good, strong storyline, then I recommend this fast-paced book, full of plot and intrigue.

I had mixed feelings about this book. Firstly, I had a hard time getting into this book, I found it really slow to begin with and then all of a sudden the last 20% of the story zoomed by in a flash. My next issue was with the main characters Reagan and Alec,  it was difficult to connect with them. I struggled to like them as I felt they both seemed to give in so easily to the fact their daughter had been missing for 3 years. That in the time she had beeen missing they didn't seem to have been doing much to look for her. And when they do come together to search again, the majority of their time seemed focused on their relationship and feelings for each other rather than finding clues as to what happened to their daughter. This especially annoyed me as they were both journalists! 
I've read other books by Elizabeth Naughton and have enjoyed them but this book was just an OK read for me.

A thought-provoking read that will leave you guessing as you keep the pages turning to figure out who exactly is behind all of these kidnappings... and why. LOVED it

Alec and Raegan had their little girl abducted and the horror tore them apart. Alec suspects that his biological father is responsible, but when other little children are abducted Raegen wants to investigate in her official capacity as a tv journalist. They want closure- but are scared what might be uncovered.

I took a little while to settle into this book- but absolutely loved the second half of the book and was gripped with the storyline. I'm now keen to read more by Elisabeth Naughton and the books in this series.

When their child had gone missing three years ago, Alec McClane and Raegan Devereaux parted ways and took matters in their own respective hands differently. While Alec’s faith faltered and wavered, Raegan didn’t lose faith and still held on to that tiny hope that their daughter Emma was still out there, alive.

After three excruciating years, another girl was found in the park where their daughter was taken, and Alec’s biological father John Gilbert was about to be freed from prison. Alec knew his evil father was involved in his daughter’s abduction, all he needed was to prove it.

As the case developed and progressed, the estranged couple found themselves cooped up under one roof during a snowstorm. Alec’s and Raegan’s feelings seemed to blossom again, but both were still haunted by their divorce.

With Alec and Raegan’s situation, everything was pretty messed up in the beginning, until they thought they finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel, only to get to the detour and realized, there’s still another tunnel they needed to unearth. Deadly secrets abound this novel indeed!

First thing that always come to my mind when I see a new book from Elisabeth Naughton?

“If it’s from Elisabeth Naughton, it must be great!”

And this latest offering from the Deadly Secrets series is another accomplishment! Gone was well-written, action-packed and teemed with scenes only Naughton can deliver. Issues about alcoholism, abduction, syndicate and revenge were discussed heavily in this book and it was all intense. Had to keep my eyes from shutting down, what with all the mystery and suspense in this book.

Elisabeth Naughton weaves stories that are compelling and thrilling and definitely unpredictable. Just when you thought you’ve already know the story after a few chapters, you’d be shocked once you get to the succeeding pages and you realized there’s still more. And the twists and turns will blow you away. This is definitely a must-read!