Hunted

I expected a little more suspense. Other than that I enjoyed, Hunted.
Maria is such a survivor, and Dwayne is a protector. He tried to protect Maria from himself, but she finally had enough and tells him what she wants. I guess that's one way of getting the man to notice you.

Hunted is the second in the series. Maria has gone through something no one should ever have to. Her character is full of strength. She escaped literally from her ordeal and is making huge strides towards regaining her life.

Dewayne had to change his life too thanks to situation that happened in his past. Now working for ALIAS he has made choices to go through women like water, work his butt off, and be there for his family. Around Maria he acts like a fumbling idiot. She struggles around him to.

They will go on a mission to keep an heiress safe and while away they will discover quite a few things not only about themselves but each other too. I enjoyed this one.

I loved the first book in this series and really looked forward to this one. Unfortunately, I had a tough time relating the characters in this book. They were superficial and the first part of the book made it difficult to dig into. I felt like I was wading through mud. There were some real and serious issues between Maria and Dwayne that I felt were never dealt with. Not everything can be resolved by a case of lust. By the time they start to be honest, the book ends.

Dwayne and Maria have been avoiding each other for over a year. Each has made conclusions about the other that are totally wrong. These two start the book circling each other like a junk yard dog and an ally cat who now must co-habit and play nice. That each had the hots for the other and not about to make the first move made this a real case of miscommunication, or rather, no communication.

Maria has made tremendous progress since she was rescued and started a new life working for ALIAS. One area where she has made no progress, at all, is the case of terminal lust she has for hunky former FBI Agent, Dwayne. She can't even be in the same space with him without getting all tied in knots. Now, they are assigned a case and must pretend to be a loving married couple. To make this the assignment from hades, Maria is convinced that Dwayne pities her because of what happened to her and all she wants is to jump his bones. Throw in a client who is hiding something and this op is going to be sooooo much fun.

Dwayne has admired and lusted after Maria since she came to work for ALIAS, but he determined he was absolutely not going to make a move on her. She gave off vibes that she didn't even like him and he sure didn't need another person in his life to take care of. With a mother and six sisters all he wants from a woman was sex, but Maria just didn't seen to be that type. When they are assigned client Bitsy, he has a bad feeling form the start that she is not telling the whole truth. With Maria's past being in close proximity is difficult for him. When she makes the first move, how can a guy possibly say "no"? There is so much more to Maria than her past and when the op goes sideways, Dwayne sees a whole new side to her and just can't help falling hard.

Another fantastic read from this author. This is a stand alone romantic suspense story. I was hooked from the first page, I just couldn't put this book down till I'd finished it. The characters were amazing, their relationship grows the more you read. This is the second book in the series and I can't wait to read more in this series. I cant wait to read more from this author in the future.
Highly recommended
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Overall I found the story be interesting and unique. good plot and writing.

Another fabulous read. This story pulls you in from the beginning and doesn't let go till the end. Just can't put it down. The characters are amazing and reading there relationship as it grows was fantastic. This is the second in the series and I can't wait for the next book. Highly recommend this book and author. Left review on Amazon.uk

I am really torn on how to rate this book. I gave it a 4 because it kept my interest. It earns a 3 because of the unbelievable nature of part of it- I find it hard to believe that a young woman is kidnapped and kept in isolation for 8 years, but emerges still a virgin and relatively unscathed.

The mystery is almost secondary to the relationship between the two characters. .

Maria Torres has had a large part of her life taken away from her. She was kidnapped and held captive for many years until she finally had the courage and opportunity to escape. That experience has been haunting her life, making it very difficult to establish relationships and even trust others.

Dwayne Lameko has had a crush on co-worker Maria Torres since she joined the company. He can charm most women, except for her. She shuts down when he is near and refuses to tell him anything about herself. She shocks him when she volunteers to go in on a mission and is even more shocked when he is assigned to be her partner. Can they get over their awkward boundaries and work together as a team?

I read the first book in the series, Stalked: ALIAS #1, and I enjoyed the fast pace and high-powered action scenes. The plot in that book was well developed, as were the characters, and there was a great balance between action and passion. That being said, this book was a bit of a let down. I went into Hunted expecting the same level of pace and character development but the story line felt truncated. It focused more on the awkward romance growing between evasive Maria and alpha Dwayne than the thrill of the mission. Furthermore, the “plot twist” was predictable.

I would not recommend this book for readers who may be sensitive to violence, sexually explicit scenarios, kidnapping, rape threats, and foul language.

3 1\2 out of 5
This book isn't quite a standalone Novel because the author uses a characters from the very first book she wrote in the Family Stone series. I even read that book and I was a little lost on who and what was going on at first. Causing this reader to struggle trying to decide it to read on or quite the book. I have a rule about never giving up on a book.
Lisa Hughey wrote a book where the female lead doesn't sweep her PTSD under the rug. We are able to see the dept at which people will got to insure that PTSD doesn't keep them from trying to live a life. The romance in the book seems a little off and almost off putting when she goes from shy and quite to LETS have FUN! I think readers needed either shut the door sex or more leading up to the Lets have fun.
The main male lead is very one dimensional and doesn't have nearly if any dept to the characters making it feel lopsided.
The boo had great potential but something just didn't quite mesh right causing it to fall flat at one point dragging on not to mention the issues that arise never seem to get resolved.
Not a bad book just nothing to write home about.
Advance Copy from Netgalley

Wow what a fantastic book. Maria was kidnapped for 8 yrs and when she got out she had to learn things some mentally and some physically. While working in DC at a place that protected others like herself, her Co worker Dwayne while for the the last several months has been secretly Crushing on him but she wonders if he even notices her? Highly addictive book.

Maria has a tragic past as a kidnap victim however has risen above to join ALIAS. She needs to prove to all that she is capable of doing the job and keeping it together especially to Dwayne.
Good flow with characters and action. This a character from author's other series to get her story and future told.

Ebook from Net Galley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are entirely my own.

This is the second book in the Alias series, however it is my first one. Dwayne is an operative for Alias, and he is attracted to the fragile receptionist Maria, who was previously held captive for eight years. I almost stopped reading it, right at the beginning, because I hate it, when the authors make all the hero's into manwhores, and since Dwayne felt like he could not act upon his attraction to Maria, he has one night stands every night. Why? Why? I don't get it, either act upon it, or let it go, but dont insist that they are doing this because they care about this person and can not give them more of themselves. Well I did continue to read it, and it wasn't bad, kept me fairly entertained and of course Maria and Dwayne, do get together.

I have never read a book by this author before although I do have a few in kindle ready to read. It started off strong, the pace was good but I found the end to be abrupt.

This is the second book that I've read lately where sex trafficking is an issue. In this book we don't have to deal with it directly but Maria, our heroine has survived eight years of solitary imprisonment whereas her friends who had been kidnapped with her were sold as sex slaves.

You can feel Maria struggle to learn how to lead a normal life and you learn about her friends who have been rescued as well and who have to learn to live with everything that happened to them. Even though we don't learn much more about them, the reader and the heroine are always aware of their suffering. At least I was.

You just have to admire Maria and her iron will to survive and to live her life no matter how ard that may be. Enters Dwayne - the gentle giant, the protector. Sounds like a good combo? Right... yeah. Might be, IF those two weren't determined to misinterpret everything. Whereas Dwayne is afraid of upsetting Maria whom he admires, because of everything that happened to her, Maria is convinced that he doesn't like her. Like - at all.

Obviously this is a wonderful recipe for disaster but somehow this thing called chemistry appears on the scene and decides to throw in some sparks and - yep. Things get going. Unfortunately they have to deal with a rather annoying (and lying) client at the same time and suddenly Dwayne's protective abilities are more needed than ever before....

I really loved reading this book and will definitely read it again as well as other books by the author.

Maria Torres is slowly getting her life back. After being held against her will for 8 years, she made her escape and now works for the firm that helped keep her safe during her captors trial. She still has issues with being touched but she has understanding co-workers. But she thinks that all they see now is the victim that she was not the survivor she has become!

Dwayne is no different, he can laugh, joke and flirt with all the other females, but around her he is Mr Stank back. If only he didn't star in the steamy dreams she has. She may still be a virgin but she has a romantic novel collection to rival no other! When a new client won't go into hiding without Maria, putting her on the front line for once, Maria decides it's time to test her mettle!

Dwayne is the glue that holds his family together, after his fathers death on 9/11. When he is sent undercover to hide a witness with Maria, the poor man has a conniption! Maria is untested in the field but worse, he has a major crush on the timid female and being in confined quarters with her may be his undoing!

I really enjoyed this read. I hadn't read book 1 but was o worse off for that. Dwayne and Maria are great characters and really leapt into my heart. Bitsy...well she was an acquired taste for sure. I know she was trying to do good but her total rich beatch attitude really grated on my nerves. Now off to find the first book to read!

Hunted
ALIAS #2
Lisa Hughey
3.5 Stars

This was a suspense/ romance that was a continuation of a previous series. I had not read any of her previous books. I was able to pick up pretty quickly what was going on and who everyone was. So even though it's part of a series I feel it could be read as a standalone if you wanted. This book has a little bit of everything.
Hunted: There’s only one thing worse than seeing your unrequited crush every day at the office…and that’s getting trapped with him in a snowy mountain cabin.

Maria Torres has been through hell and back. A former kidnapping victim, she’s used to being famous for all the wrong reasons and having people handle her with kid gloves. And it seems that the man of her dreams, Dwayne Lameko, is no different.

So when an ALIAS client requests her presence on an op, Maria believes she’s ready to spread her wings and prove all her co-workers wrong…especially Dwayne. But when danger follows them into the wilderness, Maria has no choice but to prove to herself and Dwayne that she’s strong enough to handle anything…even his love.

Maria Torres was first introduced in the Family Stone series, Still the One. She finally gets her happily ever after.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.