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Blurb
What happens when your captor becomes your savior?
Mikayla Miller wakes up one morning, bound to a bed, in a farmhouse in Alberta, Canada, with no recollection of how she got there.
When she comes face to face with her captor, Mikayla can’t deny the instant chemistry between them. The man she only knows as Nolan insists he’s her protector, but lives by his own unique moral compass.
As the days turn into months, Nolan’s touch, his words, and the way he looks at her, ignite her body and soul. No matter how hard Mikayla fights their unmistakable connection they share, she begins to fall for him, and a new woman is created in her place.
Back in the small town where Mikayla disappeared, two women reel from a shattering loss. When letters suddenly start appearing from Mikayla, twelve years later, they are left wondering why she’d choose her abductor over her own family.
Love is complicated, and messy;
but sometimes the heart can’t help what it wants.
For Mikayla Miller, it never was a choice.
Review
3.5 stars!
I really enjoyed this book! A unique, intriguing and dramatic story about a young girl’s kidnapping that had me madly flipping pages, desperate to see how it was all going to turn out.
Twelve years ago, college student Mikayla Miller woke up tied to a bed in an unknown house, having been taken from her family. Her kidnapper is a quiet man named Nolan who is not violent or threatening. In fact, he seems to go to extraordinary lengths to make sure she’s comfortable, sure that he is actually saving her, forcing her to question everything.
“You can’t comfort me when you are the reason for my pain.”
From afar, he looked at her with tears in his eyes. “No, Mikayla, I’m trying to save you.” As he walked away, she knew he was correct in plucking her from the life she’d known, and that scared her more than it should have.
It’s an interesting dynamic, and one that sets the scene for the intriguing story to come as the book splits into multiple parts. We not only get Mikayla’s story of her kidnapping, but also the POV of her mother, and a girl from her home town – following the three of them through the emotional rollercoaster in the months following her being taken.
We are also given those same three POVs in the present – 12 years following the kidnapping. Each of them are in a very different place, but with their lives still very much intertwined. And their lives are thrown back into chaos when Mikayla makes contact with her family, raising a whole lot of questions and leaving them wondering if/why she chose to stay away for so long.
I love the idea of this story, and I think the way it was written is really clever. The different perspectives provide an added depth, and the time switches keep it interesting, as we know where the story is heading, and just watching it all reach that point.
In the past we see Mikayla is struggling with her growing attraction to the mysterious Nolan. He makes his feelings for her clear, and though she is understandably confused by the whole thing, she is unable to deny her growing feelings for him.
“So what, I care for you and find you sexy as sin…” Her words trailed off when a silly grin covered his face. “But, Nolan, there is a diagnosis for what I’m feeling.”
“Don’t say it, not the words, because what we have goes beyond some fucking psychological mumbo-jumbo,” he replied, taking her hand again. “Don’t think sweetness. Just feel.”
In the present, she is happy and very much in love, but struggling over her decision to leave her family the way she did. There is a whole lot of emotion and drama as the full story is revealed in both the past and the present, and I was captivated as it all played out.
“I choose you, I choose you – always.”
However, I did feel like it was missing something. For a story with such emotional potential, I didn’t feel as much as I was expecting I would. While I was definitely intrigued and wanted to know how it was all going to end, I just didn’t connect to the writing enough to get me fully emotionally invested. I also needed a bit more build up with the romantic storyline, I didn’t really feel Mikayla and Nolan’s connection, which didn’t help my overall reaction.
But I did enjoy this one. It’s sometimes difficult to find something unique in the world of romance, and I thought this story, and the way it was written, brings something really unexpected, which I appreciated.
Definitely a good read. 3.5 stars.
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Excerpt
Deep down, Mikayla understood Nolan was taking over her heart. Ethan, her boyfriend, had come out of nowhere, and she thought their love was the real deal until Nolan appeared in her life.
“No, Mikayla, get that out of your mind,” she said out loud to stun her back to reality.
“Who are you talking to?” Nolan asked, walking by her room.
“Just myself,” she replied.
“I’m not a bad guy, Mikayla,” he said, and she wanted to think of him as a monster, but she couldn’t.
He entered her room, this time without permission, and she didn’t stop him. As she sat with her ass planted on her bed, he walked toward her, stopping when his knees touched hers. She didn’t look at him, but he grasped her chin, tipping her head to his. “You have to know what I feel for you is as real as the snow outside.”
Her eyes tried to avoid his gaze, but the more she felt his stare, the more it drew her eyes to look at his. “Mikayla, tell me to leave the room, and I will.”
She sat silently, not saying a word. “Mikayla, tell me not to touch you, and I won’t.”
Again, she said nothing.
“Mikayla, tell me you don’t have feelings for me, and I will believe you.”
Again, she couldn’t speak. At the moment, she was mute.
“Tell me not to kiss you right now, and I won’t.”
Sitting down next to her, he moved her face to his, leaning his head toward her. “This is it, sweetness, no turning back.” Right then, she leaned in, placing her lips on his as their connection strengthened with their first kiss. It was soft. How could his lips be so tender, she thought as their tongues danced together? She couldn’t pull away. In her mind with her judgment clouded she told herself, I don’t want to stop this, not now, not ever.
Giveaway
To celebrate the release of Stockholm, the author is giving away a $20 Amazon gift card.
ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE
The Escapist Book Blog is not responsible for this giveaway
Author Bio
Leigh Lennon is mother, veteran and a wife of a cancer survivor. Originally with a degree in education, she started writing as an outlet that has led to a deep passion. She lugs her computer with her as she crafts her next story. Her imaginary friends become real on her pages as she creates a world for them. She loves pretty nails, spikey hair and large earrings. Leigh can be found drinking coffee or wine, depending on the time of the day.
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