There are good guys, and then there are highly trained good guys—the kind who make the world a safer, sexier place . . . Former military and ex-FBI agent Ethan Worth is searching for a new way to serve and protect. On a break in Beaufort, North Carolina, he just may have found it. It starts with saving a tipsy damsel in distress from a shady troublemaker. But it ends with the surprisingly sober … surprisingly sober beauty outraged by his rescue. That’s all Ethan needs for his expert instincts to kick into high gear . . .
Riley Jones is back in Beaufort for one reason only: to find her missing best friend, Hanna. If that means using herself as bait for the kind of guy who’d prey on a vulnerable young woman, so be it. She doesn’t need a rugged knight in shining armor like Ethan distracting her, and she doesn’t want his help. But it turns out she needs it. And together, as the heat between them rises, so does the danger. Until both their lives are on the line . . .
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Bait is the second novel in Samantha Keith’s Dangerous Distractions series, but it’s the first one I’ve read, and while it wasn’t a bad read, it wasn’t a great read either–although it was fairly well-written, I found it so derivative, that as far as romantic suspense novels go, there wasn’t much romance or much suspense, so for those reasons, and several others that I’ll mention, I couldn’t give this novel more than 3 stars.
For starters, Riley, the heroine, quit her job in Boston, and hurried to Beaufort, NC, when she learned that her lifelong best friend, Hanna, has disappeared. The police have no leads, but having watched enough true crime shows on TV, she knows that the longer Hanna is missing, the less chance there is of finding her alive, so, after finding Hanna’s journal, she thinks she has an idea of how to catch Hanna’s abductor, by using herself as bait–hence the title. The journal clued Riley in on the type of men who were hitting on Hanna at the local bars, and Riley believes that if she dresses slutty enough, and drinks enough, that one of guys who hits on her will be Hanna’s abductor. Dumb, dumb, dumb idea!
Riley has zero self-defense skills, can’t hold her liquor, and her new next-door neighbor, Ethan Worth, who, unbeknownst to Riley, is former military and an ex-FBI agent, is worried about her behavior, follows her, and saves her from being raped on two occasions. Is Riley grateful? Nope. She’s ticked off because he interfered, and she won’t give him a reason for her unusual and risky behavior. The two are physically attracted to one another, but that’s pushed aside by Riley, who chooses to risk her life to save her friend and to do so alone. To say I disliked her is putting it mildly–the foolhardiness of her mission, her lack of self-defense skills, and the rude way she treats Ethan, were among the many reasons I disliked her.
Not surprising at all was that Riley soon attracts the attention of Hanna’s abductor, and the fact that since little attention is paid to him as a viable suspect, makes his identity too obvious, and pretty much killed the suspense for this reader. One of the reasons I seldom read mystery novels is that I know that the culprit is usually the character who is pretty much ignored throughout the book, and that’s true in this novel as well. When Ethan finds that Hanna’s home, where Riley is staying, is bugged, she reluctantly stops fighting his attempts to help protect her, but again, she does so grudgingly, and only because he’s got the skills to protect her, FBI connections, and is ruggedly handsome.
While I liked Ethan as a character, liked his protective nature, and came to understand some of the reasons why he left the military and the FBI, neither he nor Riley were given much depth, nor was the culprit, who wasn’t even given a real reason or enough of a backstory for readers to understand why he preys on women as he does, or even what he does to them after he abducts them–a glaring omission, in my opinion.
Add to the aforementioned issues, the fact that the course of this novel, and the mystery of who abducted Hanna was so familiar and predictable, and the romance between Ethan and Riley so lightweight that it was practically nonexistent. Unless you’re looking for a quick romantic suspense read without much character development, romance or suspense, I’d suggest that there are far better novels in this genre than this one. For this reader, Bait was just a so-so read.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
An entertaining page-turner storyline with intriguing circumstances which kept my interest
Bait is Samantha Keith’s second novel. It follows the same set of heroes as her debut novel, Abducted. Bait is less steamy than Abducted because the heroine, Riley Jones, does everything she can to avoid the hero, Ethan Worth. She has come back to town after the disappearance of her best friend, Hanna. When the police essentially give up on the search, Riley takes matters into her own hands. Though reputedly an intelligent woman, she repeatedly does totally stupid things, with one TSTL (too stupid to live) moment after another. There are a couple of inconsistencies that should have been corrected in editing. This is a good beach read.
Samantha Keith brings the heat in the second book of her Dangerous Distractions series. She’s taken the fast-paced action she did so well in book one and transferred it to a charming seaside town in North Carolina. Riley is a smart, head-strong herorin on a mission. She’s the type of friend I’d want in my corner! Ethan is a hot sensitive guy searching for his place in the world. He’s the kind of guy I’d like to have in my bed! Together they’re a dynimic duo out to find answers all while carrying crazy chemistry! The fast-paced suspense will have you turning the page and the heat in the pages will have you searching for a cool place to catch your breath! If you’re looking for a talented author who leaves you begging for me, Bait is the book for you!
First time in reading author but I was glad I opened this one up. In this one we meet Ethan whom will have us looking closely at him and Riley whom is on a mission. Good thing for her he is ex military and FBI that will be a plus for what she has to do. She will though disagree with my opinion and think she needs none of that. As you go in this you will be caught up in what is going on with not trying to miss any action. The suspense will slowly get to ya and you too will want answers soon. Page turner to the end with this being the kind I like to read.
Riley moves back to her hometown after her best friend disappears. She lives in her house and after reading some of her friends journal, starts going to bars and trying to find the man she described. Ethan just quit his job with the FBI and is vacationing in North Carolina. He rents a house next to Riley and has rescued her twice when she’s been out and drunk. She doesn’t want rescuing but Ethan doesn’t know that. Riley finally starts to thaw towards Ethan, when he tells her he’ll help her look for her friend. The
police are no help and then Riley starts getting notes and other things start to happen to her. Then they get closer to who kidnapped Hannah, her friend, and Riley gets taken too. Ethan will do anything to get her back and love her forever.
This is the most heart pounding, sexy, suspenseful book I’ve read in awhile. I thought I knew who the bad guy was and BOOM! I was totally shocked. I read this story in a couple of hours. Could not put it down. This is one story you don’t want to miss.
* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for Netgalley *