It wasn’t until the end of Run to Me that I finally realized I had been mixing up
Christy Reece with another author. I thought, as I read, that the author had really improved her writing, and I was glad that she was
setting the story in America rather than Africa because it was consequently much more believable. It turns out
that those books were written by Stephanie Tyler, but I spent most of this book thinking they were part of the same series; perhaps I am reading too many action-adventure romances!
I
had read books by Christy Reece before but didn’t find them as good as this one. I awarded
Last Chance four stars and No Chance three stars, but Run to Me is definitely an improvement.
This book focuses heavily on Shea Monroe, a woman kidnapped and kept in a drug-induced haze for months, brainwashing her into doing things for her
captor. Shea is rescued by her former lover Ethan Bishop. She has lost her memory, so he knows she doesn’t remember how he failed her in the past.
He wants to make the most of time with her when she doesn’t hate him.
But Shea needs to remember the past to see if she can identify clues as to the location of her former kidnapper, a very dangerous man.
Will this return of memory mean the end for her budding romance with Ethan?
The power in Run to Me lies in Christy Reece's characterization skills.
The initial scenes, where Shea is rescued and trying to see through the fog of her drugged mind what is real and what is programming,
are excellent. Reece paints Shea as an appealing and strong character, and I found myself cheering her on as she made progress.
Ethan is a little more annoying as he seems to behave a bit stupidly at times.
The author doesn't paint as convincing a picture of him. It takes a while before
we learn what causes some of his stranger behavior.
I didn't see a very clever plot twist relating to one of the other kidnap victims coming;
I suspect it may be explored further in a future book. Although Run to Me is marketed as one of a trilogy (with
Rescue Me and Return to Me), as it’s part of the "Last Chance Rescue" series I imagine there are many more stories available with this group of tough characters. Based on the success of this story, I look forward to reading more.