Customer Reviews

Caught (Gemini Men)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ethan Taggert is a gorgeous guy who's never been much into relationships - women fall all over themselves for him making it easy for him to basically just have sex with women and then say goodbye the next morning. No "relationships" for him. He's considered the pretty boy at Gemini Security, the security company he runs along with his 2 brothers.

Toni Crawford is a PI who lacks confidence in herself regarding men - she's the classic nerd who's been burnt - she moved down to this area of CA to live with her boyfriend who proceeded to dump her. She's leery of relationships and especially of any guy as gorgeous as Ethan.

These two meet when the daughter of Jerry Kramer (who hired Gemini Security) and his ex-wife (who hired Toni to investigate Jerry during divorce proceedings) disappears. Is it just a teen runaway or is there something else going on? And how do they investigate it? Do they work together or go their own way?

Sure this sounds like a familiar plot line, but what sets this apart from other books is just how well written and likeable the characters are. Yeah, Ethan sounds like a jerk but his reasons for acting as he does becomes apparant as we learn more about him. And Toni is just so very believable as the nerdy woman who just can't believe that someone like Ethan would be interested in her.

The mystery here isn't intense - unlike many books in this genre, we know what's happened to the victim and why - we're just waiting to see when the hero and heroine figure it out. There's a nice balance of sex and plot, though let's face it - this is Jami Alden, so the sex is pretty hot (though not overdone so that's all that's happening). If this was the summer, I'd say this is a really good beach read.

My first Jami Alden book was Delicious and I haven't been disappointed yet whether I'm reading her romantic/erotic novellas (as in Italian Stallion) or full length romance/erotica books. She's become an auto buy for me. This is a great start to this series - I can't wait for the next book which deals with brother Derek.

I'm ashamed to admit this is my first book by Jami Alden. How I missed her I don't know. I absolutely loved Caught! Ethan was everything and more you've always wanted in a hero. Sure you might think he's a jerk, much like Toni did upon first meeting him. He had lipstick on his ear from another woman the night they first met and no it wasn't from his granny's kiss.
Ethan, an ex-military man, isn't just your alpha hero with no feelings. He, and his brothers and father, have been dealing for years with the loss of their mother who just up and left one day. This still haunts him, evident by the tracking devices he and his brothers and father carry in their watches. Ethan never again wants to lose someone he loves. He is a strong, handsome and extremely confident man.
Toni is almost the opposite. While it would be great to see her as the shrinking violet type she really isn't. She is a "bookish" looking woman. I guess when you wear glasses you're considered bookish. She isn't a raving beauty, but something about her draws Ethan undeniably to her. She doesn't trust his want or desire of her but she's powerless to stop it. Toni also has had loss in her life, when her sister ran away as a teen. Because of this she is drawn to the case at hand of missing Kara.
I appreciated the way Toni felt guilt that she and Ethan had found passion during the case of missing Kara, she couldn't understand how she could be so happy with Kara missing. This seemed a very real emotion to me and I appreciated Ms Alden's take on it in her story.
I also really liked how Toni thought it was too soon for Ethan to have deep feelings for her. He asks her how long does it day, a day, a month a year? And honestly who does know the answer to that question? How come you can't be in love after just one day?
The sex between Toni and Ethan is hot and very believable. Nothing crazy and over the top, just two people truly finding pleasure in each other.
I'm so anxious for both Derek and Danny's story. I would love to see Ethan's father also find love.
If you love macho, alpha heroes with a bit of a tender side, and tall "bookish" heroines who are anything but, this book is an absolute must read for you!
I'm so pleased to have found another "keeper" author!

First, the suspense aspect of the story is well done and is interesting - it's about minors being involved in Internet pornography; battles over technology; a kidnapping, etc. A lot of romantic suspense titles nowadays would put nearly all of the focus on those plots, leaving a relatively scant number of pages for the romance. That's not true in this case. Alden interweaves both aspects of the story in such a way that readers won't feel short-changed by either of them.

As for the romance - it's hot. Ethan is pretty much the archetype for a romance novel hero: he's gorgeous, intense, and he has slept with lots and lots (and lots) of women. He's also got the requisite commitment issues, but they arise from a relatively surprising source, which I won't go into, as it could be considered something of a spoiler.

Toni, the heroine, is a character that is pretty likable. She's super-smart and focused, and she's tough; she's not someone who suffers fools gladly. She's also beautiful, but not in the stereotypical, petite, girly-girl kind of way. She prefers jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers over getting glammed-up (but when she does get glammed-up, Ethan has a very favorable response :) ), and she wears glasses. Plus, she's tall - nearly 6 feet. As I, myself, am I woman who is that height, I have to say that it was refreshing to read about a tall heroine for a change.

Toni also has her fair share of issues, mostly of the trust variety. Her feelings are certainly understandable and definitely make sense in the context of the story. However, her doubting Ethan's feelings for her does get a bit repetitive. That said, it does ring true that she would be reluctant to believe him at first, as the entire story takes place over about 5 or 6 days. She simply doesn't believe at first that people can fall in love that quickly. What was a welcome change of pace here, though, is that our commitment-shy hero does freak out a bit about falling for her so quickly and so completely, but while he struggles to reconcile that with how he usually deals with women, he winds up being surprisingly accepting of how he feels about Toni. He quickly becomes protective and possessive of her (but not in the uber-alpha way that tends to turn readers off), and though he realizes how fast all of this happens, that doesn't make him question what he feels.

As for the love scenes - they are plentiful, and they are hot. Ethan is a guy who enjoys talking dirty, and he indulges in that quite a bit over the course of the book. Sometimes dirty talk can be so over-the-top that it quickly plunges into cheese territory, but happily, that doesn't happen here. When Ethan becomes. . . descriptive, it only increases the steam.

All in all, this was a surprisingly enjoyable book. There were some repetitive parts, but even those didn't detract all that much from the story. The suspense is handled well, and the love story is written with some actual depth and a whole lot of passion. This was definitely a great read, and makes the reader anxious to see what happens with Ethan's twin brother in the series' next installment.

High profile wealthy CEO Jerry Kramer hires Gemini Security and Investigations to keep his firm GeneCor safe from extremists opposed to the stem cell research conducted by the company. He calls Gemini co-owner (along with his brothers) Ethan Taggart when his seventeen year old daughter Kara vanishes. Ethan comes immediately to the affluent Atherton estate to see the security gate wide open and his client nasty and abrupt with the local police.

Ethan, who usually gets the pretty boy assignments, and private investigator Toni Crawford search for the teen together. They quickly widen their inquiry when it seems unlikely an anti stem cell fanatic took the girl. Instead the clues lead to a nasty underground world of sex, drugs, and abuse; ruled by a brutal master.

CAUGHT is a strong romantic private investigative thriller starring two likable lead characters who fall in love, but keep their priorities straight as saving the client's daughter comes first. The search mystery is complex as each step closer to achieving the mission is exponentially increasingly dangerous from a deadly malevolence. Fans will enjoy this fine Gemini Men tale (twin Derek to come).

Harriet Klausner

From the book back:
Got an investigation situation? Call the Gemini Men: Ethan and Derek Taggart. Yeah, they're twins. Double the trouble and twice as sexy--women can't get enough of them or their older brother Danny, who keeps `em in line when things get wild. The three Taggart men are hot, hard, and ready to take on all comers...

Ex-military. Tall. Chiseled. Intelligent and arrogant. And so hot he's on fire. That's Ethan Taggart. Male to the max. Toni Crawford, computer genius turned PI, can't stop looking at him and Ethan's returning the favor. Nice and slow. Those piercing blue eyes of his are about to melt her down but...nothing doing. Toni has to stay cool. Focus on the assignment: the teenage daughter of a multimillionaire just vanished in plain sight. Chasing down leads, investigating every freaky angle, pushing past the boundaries of a hellish underworld of sex and drugs, Ethan and Toni are forced to work closely to stalk an unseen enemy with a taste for cruel games. Risking their lives to save the missing girl is only half the battle. Their blazingly sensual attraction grows every second, until there's no turning back. Their passion is about to explode...and Ethan and Toni soon find that danger breeds the hottest desire of all...

My View:
To be honest I started this book a couple of months back and then put it down after the first chapter. I'm not really sure what I didn't like about it, but it just didn't catch my attention at first. That happens sometimes, so I put it down and happen to leave it on my night stand. Today I picked it up again and started from where I left off. I won't say I couldn't put it down because it was so exciting, but I had some time on my hands and just kept reading.

Caught is listed as romantic thriller, but honestly I didn't catch the thrilling part. Pretty much it was a nice romantic read. The two lead characters were likable enough and of course they are attracted to each other. The mystery in the story has a lot of detail, but easy enough to keep everything straight. As the beginning of a series readers get to meet the other players in future reads, which were rough around the edges, but not all that appealing yet, maybe they will do better in their own book. All and all this was just an okay book.

Computer-savvy PI & handsome womanizing ex-Navy are each hired to find missing teen daughter of divorced wealthy parents . Both can't resist their attraction but heroine thinks hero's just giving her same lines he gives other women he sleeps with & doesn't trust him esp with her cheating ex-BF history. Hero's stirs clear of any commitment but finds himself caring & wanting to protect heroine while both are working to find missing teen.

My 1st Alden book & was delighted. Good action-romance. Well put together. Likeable characters & believable character & emotional development, even though it all happened within a week's time. Hot sexual chemistry & spicy sex scenes.

Definitely recommended.

Ethan Taggart and his brothers, Derek and Danny own Gemini Securities. Jerry Kramer is one of Gemini's top clients. When his daughter Kara disappears, Jerry calls Ethan to find her. Toni Crawford is the private investigator Jerry's ex-wife hired when they got divorced. Now she's asked Toni to help find Kara. Sizzling attraction is steadily growing between Toni and Ethan, right alongside the mystery of Kara's disappearance. When it turns out that something much more sinister than anyone believed is going on, Ethan and Toni have to work together to find Kara before it's too late. In the process, the king of one-night stands is falling hard for the girl he says isn't his type.



Caught is a thrilling novel of suspense, action, and sensuality. From the dark edge of the villain's sinister plot, to the eroticism in Ethan and Toni's relationship, I couldn't put it down. Toni is sexy, smart, and beautiful. And Ethan is gorgeous. He radiates masculinity. I like that Toni didn't fall at Ethan's feet like every other woman does, but I would have eventually caved under his piercing blue eyes too. I unfortunately saw what was coming `the morning after' for Toni, and I expected Toni to feel and react the way she did. Ethan is a one-night stand kind of guy. He coined the phrase `love `em and leave `em' so it's no surprise that Toni would feel played the next day. Ethan may have been acting like his usual self, but he wasn't feeling like it. I wasn't sure if Ethan could win my heart like he did Toni's. Not that winning her over was easy, but I couldn't get his womanizing out of my mind, until his feelings for her became obvious, then I fell for him too. I think Toni still has a few challenges ahead of her though. Like deleting all the women's numbers from Ethan's Blackberry!



Caught is action-packed, exciting, erotic, and romantic. I'm looking forward to reading about the other sexy Taggart brothers!


Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Ethan and Toni's story was engaging. I found both character's held their own. I enjoyed Ethan's struggle to determine what made Toni different from all the other women he has known. An average love story but the hint of the other brother's story and the mystery about their mother kept me going.

When you're number 13 or so in a review group, you find it hard to add something new to the information. So I'll just say what I liked about the book and why others may enjoy it (which is the point of a review).

The contrast between the characters, who where well described and fleshed out enough to be real and likeable. Ethan is the guy that gets laid faster than cheap floor just by smiling. Toni is the Geek Girl who avoids his type like the plague. So the race is on! They're both attracted and both fighting their own attraction at the same time.

You actually grow to like Ethan and understand him. You root for Toni and understand her standoffishness and reistance. You want them together but you want it honest and real...not pushed or contrived. Well, thats the way it happens (yippee!)

The story isn't over the top in drama or contrived villainy. It hits the right balance of interesting versus "OK, can they save X Y & Z". There are rescues, gun shot wounds etc...but nothing to put you in a panic or be so brutal you don't want to go on with the book.

The sex...is good. Lots of it but not superfluous or kinky to show 'wow, see how cutting edge I am' from the author. Like someone else said, just two folks growing closer emotionally as well as physically. In fact, there is a great sex scene the beginning where Toni in the middle of it all-- and then remembers she's in bed with a guy who'll probably just see her as a notch on his belt. And reacts normally. He reacts normally. Alden doesn't go the 'swept away and stupid with passion' route either. I really appreciated that.

Recommended with 5 stars. Oh, maybe I should also say I transfer my laptop ebooks to my Iphone if I really REALLY like them so I can re-read at will. This book got transferred.

"Caught" is a well-done romance with just enough suspense to make the plot interesting. But the strength is on how the hero and heroine change their dating MOs and put aside their baggage to allow for their unlikely romance.

Plot Summary:
Security specialist Ethan is hired to find a rich client's missing daughter Kara. The client's ex-wife has also hired a PI Toni. Ethan and Toni quickly join forces to track Kara down by sharing resources, computer skills, contacts and, of course, beds.

Pros:
I loved the opening showing Ethan having a fling. So many romance novels tell you the hero was a womanizer before he met the heroine, but this book actually shows you, which I really appreciated. That was brave on the author's part and well done. Besides giving us a baseline to show us how much Ethan changes through the story, the visual helps us accept and sympathize with Toni's insecurity.

The sex scenes were really well done, and though definitely fictional, they weren't as crazy unbelievable or physically impossible as some erotic fiction, and the emotional element was always in each scene. I particularly liked the first love scene with Toni's inner commentary troubling over Ethan's amorous past and causing her to pull away.

Cons:
Maybe a little more tension and build up and some winning over would have been nice before Toni and Ethan hit the sheets. I understand the intense attraction, but I thought a thinker like Toni would let her intellect rule--at least for a while. Not sure why the whole romance needed to occur in four days. Even as Toni pointed out, "no one falls in love in four days." So the condensed time made the declaration a little less credible for we more skeptical readers.

Nit-picky writing cons:
The names were a little sloppy. Most authors avoid similar looking names (same first letter, same length). I found the club scene with Toni and Toby a little hard to read, as well as the dinner scene with Danny and Derek. The names were sometimes inconsistent: Conners was also referred to as William and Wilhelm; Jerry also as Kramer. This book needed better proofing. There were some missing or wrong words and on p. 298 Megan is accidentally called Michelle.

"Caught" is the first book in the Gemini series and my first read by this author. Alden is very good and I look forward to reading more. I've already ordered the next two books, "Kept" and "Unleashed". Recommended. 4 stars.