Review and Giveaway: High Seduction

High Seduction (Adrenaline Search & Rescue - Book 3) by Vivian Arend

Publication Date: 02/04/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Books
Genre: Erotic Romantic Suspense
Pages: 304
ISBN-10: 0425263355
ISBN-13: 978-042526358

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Books)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound

Vivian Arend on the WEB: website, blog, twitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series: 

High Risk (2013), High Passion (2013), High Seduction (2014)

Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

WARNING: The content of this excerpt and the book may not be appropriate for readers under the age of 18 years. 

Excerpt from, High Seduction, courtesy of the author's website.

Synopsis:

LIFELINE: an elite search-and-rescue squad based out of Banff, Alberta. Specializing in high-risk rescue missions, this team goes wherever the job takes them…

As the chopper pilot for the elite Lifeline search-and-rescue team, Erin Tate is used to handling power. Calling the shots in the air is one thing—in the bedroom it leaves her cold. What she wants is a man strong enough to strip away her control.

Paramedic Timothy Dextor has a wild card reputation, and the dark appetites to prove it. The only thing missing is a woman he can share them with. Landing a position on the Lifeline squad puts his old flame back within reach. He already knows what Erin needs, and this time he’s not letting her go.

But when an emergency throws Erin and Timothy together in unanticipated ways, the stakes are raised—on the job and off. Now they’ll both discover the real meaning of control…and the risks that come from falling in love.

Thoughts:

Vivian Arend continues her fast paced romance series, set in the Canadian mountains of Banff, Alberta. High Seduction is the third book in the Adrenaline Search and Rescue series, which will have readers holding their breath and reaching for a cold drink by turns. Filled with all the passion and high stakes rescues that readers can handle, this book hints at darker more primal needs. A helicopter pilot and a paramedic have a past that needs some closure, but circumstances tempt fate and put them in line to start over with a second chance at love. 

What I liked:

This is my first book by Vivian Arend and I was really excited to see what she had to offer. I absolutely loved the theme of this novel. The whole Search and Rescue world is fascinating and Arend did a fantastic job of showing the kind of person it takes to work in the field. Her characters were a cut above the normal erotic romance couple. They had depth and passion that was hard to deny in their line of work and their in their private lives. The combination of high adrenaline rescues and over-the-top sexual exploration was amazing. Readers will find themselves in a quandary as to which aspect of the book was the best.

Tim and Erin are not unacquainted. In fact they used to be in a relationship. Erin runs away and ends up with the Adrenaline Search and Rescue team as their helicopter pilot. Now several years late Tim shows up as a candidate for the paramedic opening on the team. But it's clear that he has one mission in mind: win Erin back! Readers don't have to guess at the underlying agendas with this one, it's pretty straight forward and I found that refreshing. Arend doesn't beat around a bush and that writing attitude carries over into all aspects of this book. It's very open and brash in some cases. I found that intriguing and fun.

Erin has created a life for herself here. She is brassy and strong and has all the necessary passion to pull off working in this high risk, high reward career. She comes off as resilient, resourceful and ready... ready for life and ready for love. Tim is a no nonsense kind of guy. In control and on top of his game. He's a darn good paramedic and he knows it. I loved the passion both of these characters exhibited in every aspect of their lives. That's the kind of person it takes to work in that kind of field, and it's the kind of person it takes to make the BDSM world work in their sexual life. These two characters had zeal to spare and Arend does a fantastic job with their characters.

The addition of Tim's friend Matt, also brings out a different side to Tim and Erin's relationship. Adding an element of surprise and suspense to the reading of this novel that had little to do with rescuing. It amped up the sexual side of things and put Erin's trust in Tim to the breaking point. I think readers will find this secondary character very interesting. I for one hope the next book features Matt. After reading about him here, readers will only want more. Arend shows just how important characters other than the main couple are to moving the story forward and giving it new and interesting directions. 

What I didn't like:

I thought Erin and Tim had amazing chemistry and I thought the use of a past history between them was a great idea to boost the time it took them to get back together, but I did have a little issue with how quickly Erin was able to put her complete trust in Tim. She left him the first time for a reason. She got scared. He did some things that fractured her trust in him and I thought they needed a little more build up to the ultimate test of their trust in each other. A little too fast, but not an ender for how much I liked the book.

Bottom Line:

My first experience with this author was a very enjoyable one. I look forward to reading her other books. I felt like she did an amazing job with both the search and rescue elements of this story and the sexual elements. It was hard to decide which was written better. Suffice it to say this was a hot one in more ways than one. 

High Seduction is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Vivian Arend in one word: Adventurous. In a sentence: Willing to try just about anything once. That wide-eyed attitude has taken her around North America, through parts of Europe, and into Central and South America, often with no running water.

Her optimistic outlook also meant that when challenged to write a book, she gave it a shot, and discovered creating worlds to play in was nearly as addictive as traveling the real one. Now a New York Times and USA Todaybestselling author of both contemporary and paranormal stories, Vivian continues to explore, write, and otherwise keep herself well entertained. High Seduction is the third book in her Adrenaline Search & Rescue series which also includes High Passion and High Risk.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of High Seduction by Vivian Arend.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, March 3rd.

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