Three years ago, Alec McClane and Raegan Devereaux lived every parent’s worst nightmare: their one-year-old daughter, Emma, was abducted from a park when Alec turned his back for just a moment. Emma was never found, and presumed dead. The crushing trauma, plus Alec’s unbearable guilt, ended the couple’s marriage.Now a four-year-old girl matching Emma’s profile is found wandering a local park. … park. Alec and Raegan are heartbroken to discover she’s not their daughter but are newly motivated to find closure…and each secretly feels desperate to be in the other’s presence again.
Alec suspects his vengeful biological father is behind Emma’s disappearance. But as Raegan investigates other abductions in the area, she sees a pattern—and begins to wonder if Emma’s kidnapping is actually linked to something more sinister.
As Alec and Raegan race to uncover the truth, a long-burning spark rekindles into smoldering passion, and they realize they need each other now more than ever.
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This book broke my heart, and yet was so well written I couldn’t set it down.
A parent’s worst nightmare comes true when young Emma disappears during a father-daughter excursion to the park. Alec and Raegan’s marriage buckles under the stress and they go their separate ways.
Three years later, another missing child suddenly appears at a nearby park, and though it’s not their daughter, Alec and Raegan are drawn to the case. Using their connections as reporters they chase a series of leads, desperate to believe Emma might be found.
I was chilled by the realism of this story, and could easily imagine the heartbreak this couple had to live with every single minute their baby was gone.
A couple of my favorite lines:
hope was a dangerous thing. It was a mirage in the distance, flickering in the fading light and dragging a person forward like water draws a parched man. Only, when you got there, all you found was sand. Dry, grainy, throat-clogging sand that could kill you if you gave it the chance.
Naughton, Elisabeth. Gone (Deadly Secrets Book 2) (p. 6). Montlake Romance. Kindle Edition.
He’d been wrong. He did still have a heart. A shadow of one that twisted so hard in the center of his chest it felt as if it were ripping in two.
Naughton, Elisabeth. Gone (Deadly Secrets Book 2) (p. 88). Montlake Romance. Kindle Edition.
I give Gone 5+ lovely kisses- This is a must read!
Alec and Raegan’s life and marriage fell apart when their daughter Emma was kidnapped. Three years later, they cross paths with a potential break in their case…only to discover a false alarm. Or was it? Raegan refuses to give up and convinces Alec to help her investigate other abductions. As clues come to light, Raegan and Alec are also reminded of just how much they meant to one another and what it means if they choose to start over.
This was a riveting read! The romance was good, but the details given on kidnapped children was what captured my attention. There was a lot of food for thought. Processing the why’s behind the missing children, the heartbreak of the families left behind to deal, Alec’s addiction, Raegan’s hopefulness for Emma’s return, and the evil twisted minds of some people…
Naughton’s writing was full of suspense and serious overtones, yet overlaying the topics was a deep thoughtfulness that pulled me in from the start.
Overall, this was slightly darker than I expected, but I’m so glad I delved in and gave Gone a chance. Part of the Deadly Secrets series, Gone can easily be read as a stand alone.
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!
Gone is the second book in the Deadly Secrets series and is a great read just like the first book. Alec and Raegan’s story is a second chance romance with steam, heartbreak, mystery, danger, action, and suspense…….everything needed for a great romantic suspense. Absolutely loved the ending and that they got their HEA.
Gone is Book 2 in Elisabeth Naughton’s Deadly Secrets series. These stories stand fine on their own so while they are all great, they can be read out of order.
This one packed a huge punch! Anything involving children just rips me in two. Lots of strong emotions in this one; alcohol addiction, 2nd chance romance and child abduction.
An excellent addition to an outstanding series!
Decent book. A light reading book.
Great read. Escapist literature meets its mark.
Great book; great characters. Didn’t want to put it down until I saw how it ended. Highly recommend it!
It was a good read.
Poorly written-grammar errors. Lots of cheesy sex Predictable.
This book dragged on and the author spent more time describing the feelings between the two main characters and not enough on details of the disappearance of their child. It was very distracting and I ended up skimming a good portion of it.
I wished for more story plot of the missing child and less of the relationship. The relationship just went on and on. Good book just needed more storyline less relationship.
Wow. Elisabeth Naughton has once again written an amazing book — GONE.
GONE is the second book in Ms. Naughton’s Deadly Secrets series. It is the touching story about Alec McClane and his ex-wife, Raegan. They have experienced the ultimate heartbreak – the disappearance of their only daughter, Emma. Alec feels an enormous amount of guilt because Emma disappeared while he was with her. As he loses himself in his grief and haunting messages of demons when he’s drinking, Raegan loses herself in the hope that Emma will be found.
While both Alec and Emma have tried to move on, the person who separates them – Emma – seems to bring them together again. When their paths cross again, the emotional tug-of-war continues. And now that Alec has stopped drinking, he finds himself opening to Raegan and allowing himself to hope again. In turn, Raegan finds herself letting go of the hurt from Alec pushing her away, also allowing herself to hope again.
In the process, Raegan realizes she still loves Alec, “The one who could rock her world with just one look.” And Alec realizes that he had, and still has, everything he’s always wanted, which is the love of his soulmate.
Ms. Naughton does what she does best by telling the story of two broken people trying to pick up the pieces of their lives and move on. Will they move on together? Will they find Emma? If they don’t find Emma, where does that leave their relationship if they even have one anymore?
You don’t need to have read the first book in the series. You can start with GONE, which releases Jan. 10, 2017. But be prepared, you will fall in love with the whole family will want to read the first book in the series. GONE is emotional, touching and filled with faith, hope and love.
A truly great read! I’m really loving Elisabeth Naughton’s books. This series is true romantic suspense without too much crime drama. She keeps the main plot about the romance and that’s what I want out of my romantic suspense. Alec and Regan’s story felt pretty true to life and their characters were well rounded and fleshed out well. They seemed humanly flawed and their actions realistic. The progression of their relationship was paced really well and intertwined with the suspense plot masterfully. I had a hard time putting this book down, and when it ended, I was sad to see the third book in the series isn’t released yet. Thankfully, Elisabeth has a pretty big catalog to choose from.