Fatal Pursuit by Elisabeth Naughton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Completely ridiculous but I loved it.

This is the third book in the Aegis series and this time the story focuses on boss of the security firm Jake Ryder and Assistant Marley Addison. Feeling frustrated and angry with Jake for taking advantage of her loyalty to the firm and leaving her out of plans Marley is on the brink of quitting when she receives a distress call from an ex she thought was dead.

Thinking this is a good way to prove her ability as an operative and assuage some of her guilt over how things ended with her ex, Marley steals/borrows her boss’s plane and heads to Columbia to rescue him. Jake, being a little angry about her stealing his plane and worried about her heading off to Columbia alone, soon tracks her down and decides to help her track down her ex. They journey through the jungle together and have to learn to rely and trust each other in order to survive.

It’s safe to say that sparks really fly between Jake and Marley. This is one of the best romance/thriller/adventure books I’ve read in a while. The section in the jungle reminded me a lot of the film Romancing the Stone however Marley is far from the damsel in distress and really proves her survival skills. She shows Jake just how much he’s underestimated her and ends up having to save him a few times. Jake is forced to reconsider his perception of her and starts to notice just how attractive she is but being a commitment phobe he’s scared to act on it.

There is a lot of action in the book as they run into paramilitary groups, mercenaries, local tribes and a landslide and their troubles aren’t over when they finally find the truth. As I said a lot of the story borders on ridiculous but if you relax and just go with it it’s a great read. There was one scene in particular that reminded me of when we first meet the Ewoks in Star Wars (if you read it you’ll know what I mean) and it was hilarious.

The characters are fantastic and Marley in particular is very likeable. The relationship is hot, hot, hot and there are some really steamy scenes dotted throughout as well as some fiery arguments.

If you’re looking for some escapism, adventure and romance I’d definitely recommend it.

Big thanks too to NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.