Customer Reviews

Intimate Strangers

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Nicholas Benteen is an ex-mercenary who now lives alone in a remote part of Northern Nevada in a secluded location. Nicholas has designed his home himself to be an isolated retreat; it is filled with security devices to protect his privacy. He also owns tens of thousands of acres of land that he has created a safe haven not only for himself but for the people who worked and helped him from his past and he has vowed to keep them safe and protect them. Nicholas sees this as his penance for dispensing death to those who prayed on the weak and vulnerable across the globe. Nicholas is worried that those people could come back and hurt or kill him and the people he is trying to protect.

Hannah Cassidy is a first grade teacher who has driven half-way across the country from St Louis Missouri to speak to Nicholas to ask for his help to locate her missing older brother Sean. She knows that Nicholas has a connection with her brother through him being mentioned in some of Sean's letters. She needs to find Sean so that he can come home and see his serious ill mother because this may be her last chance to see Sean.

Nicholas is reluctant to help Hannah; he does not trust her, he thinks she is another adversary intent on exacting lethal revenge for his past deeds. Nicholas goes as far to at first intimidate Hannah to make her go away, but Hannah is stubborn and persistent for him to tell her where Sean is. Despite their differences there is a strong chemistry between Nicholas and Hannah and how will Nicholas handle been torn between his loyalty to protect Sean and the obligation he feels towards Hannah? Why has Sean avoided all contact with his family for so many years?

Suspense, romance and an erotic book for the eyes of adults only. WARNING this book contains some very HOT steamy sensual and fantastically well written sexy scenes. So once again watch you are not reading in a public place to spare your blushes!!! It is a book well worth reading if you are into romantic and erotic books, but I can see it been enjoyed by a much wider reader due to its well written suspense storyline with a tough guy hero who is some what different to so many of the other heroes usually found in this genre. I give this book TOP MARKS for a brilliant read. Written by Laura Taylor, who is an award winning author.

Laura Taylor has a gift for writing heart warming, romantic, and yes, sizzling fiction. "Intimate Strangers" takes the reader into the world of Nicholas Benteen, a secluded, retired mercenary assassin, and Hannah Cassidy, a teacher and protector of abused children. Hannah arrives at Nicholas's Nevada fortress in search of her brother Sean, whom his family has not seen in years. She refuses to leave knowing Nicholas Benteen has information to find him. The story turns into a wonderful love story as Hannah's loving personality slowly breaks down all the walls Nicholas has built around his heart, as he helps her find her brother. It's really terrific entertainment.

Intimate Strangers was my first read from Laura Taylor & it did not disappoint! It was a great book! Laura Taylor did a fabulous job at weaving a sensual and emotional story with good plot development and storyline. An added pinch of suspense as well as good character development were also elements that made this book so addictive. The reader gets attached to the characters as well as the story. Nicholas & Hannah are worlds apart in personality, yet they couldn't be more perfect for each other. I found this on Smashwords a while back & am so glad that it is now finally on Amazon! Highly recommend if you are looking for a good read! This is definitely a steal since it's FREE! Pick up or download this book! You won't be disappointed!

I'm a thriller reader, but I find Laura's novels engaging and fast paced. I'm off to buy the next book!

... be sure that you are willing to get hooked in. I started the novel at 10 PM and forced myself to stop at 2 AM because my eyes were hurting.

Then I made the mistake of telling my wife how much I enjoyed Intimate Strangers. Now she's taken my iPad and I wonder when I'll see it again.

I highly recommend this novel. The characters, the sexual tension and the story are only a few of the reasons why this is a great book.

Basically the first half of the story was about an all American teacher hounding a reclusive man to point her to her long lost brother. They exchanged unneeded heated words and then they kiss and argued the SAME SUBJECT some more as an excuse get their hands on each other. Really I am not kidding, maybe that's why I cannot identify with the characters and get into the story.
Here's my grief and the reclusive hero's question: Why do you want to see your brother? The heroine could have just answered the why (because really with her mother supposedly about to have a heart surgery shouldn't that caused the heroine's urgency?) but the author used the heroine's unnecessary resistance as an excuse to put them together. And while they are together the heroine who is a teacher and abused kids' advocate lost her manners by being mouthy and ignoring her host's rule of the house. (Really when you are at other people's house, where you are reluctantly accepted, and was told to call your host when you need something shouldn't good manners -since she is perfect teacher and kid's advocate - be observed? I hate rude behaviors on visitor's disguised as not wanting to be a bother.)
I can list more things that I think is so out of characters for the hero and heroine but in the end, I just do not like the author's way for forcing the main character's chemistry. Thus their coming together - and the numerous sex scenes are flashed forwarded just because I want to know why she rudely intruded a person's life.
It is a nice touch though for the author's cameo and trying to explain to her reader what her books wanted to show the readers. Where's the action though? The only actions I saw were on the sheets. She tried to TELL not SHOW how tough the mercenaries are but if anybody wants real action read Elizabeth Lowell's St. Kilda series. They are great ACTION for mercenary men. Real strong heroine too that does not have to be rude to show their strength.
The author is big name though that's why I downloaded this book. So maybe I'll check her other books and see if this book is just a fluke or all her heroine are rude characters disguised as strong women.

Hannah Cassidy is looking for her long lost brother Sean. Their Mother is really sick and needs an operation. Hannah's search leads her to north Nevada and the wilderness home of Nicholas Benteen. At first Nicholas is reluctant to speak to Hannah, but she is stubborn and determined, and simply refuses to leave. Hannah decides that she will sleep in her van, but a turn in the weather forces Nicholas to go outside to confront Hannah. Once he brings her into his home he is shocked at his physical reaction to Hannah, but puts it down to his isolation living away from civilisation. It is not long before the sexual tension between them is hotter than either one of them can handle.
Loved this story from the first to the last page. Wonderful descriptive writing that flowed because it was so well paced. The characters of Hannah and Nicholas were so well written with real depth. I just loved Nicholas he was a true alpha male, but without being arrogant and too domineering, a fact that many authors seem to get wrong. Nicholas had led a dangerous life full of secrets and violence. He did not think that any woman could accept him for who he was considering his past. Hannah was a teacher she also worked with abused children. It was her experience in that area that enabled her to see Nicholas's pain immediately,add in the fact that she was seriously attracted to this man, made for an engrossing read.
I recommend this story it is full of emotion that the author manages to convey to the reader. The love scenes are just perfect full of passion but more than that you really believe in the feelings that he h/h feel for one another.

Another good novel from Laura Taylor. Very captivating, full of juicy romance and suspense as you wonder just where it will lead Hannah and Nicholas. Even though she was trespassing Nick's property, she was bound and determined to find the whereabouts of her brother Sean. But she couldn't refuse the passionate challenge Nick had to offer and she was powerless to resist. Her simple life as a teacher takes a turn in this exciting suspense with an unpredictable, but very sexy man. Laura keeps you turning the pages to the end. A good excuse to keep you indoors on a cold winter day! Nice work, Laura!

I was so glad I picked this book and will be looking for more that the author has written. The two main characters sure did make the scenes very steamy. It was truly a romantic book with lots of "adult" steamy scenes. I recommend this to any woman who enjoys passion and romance and any man who likes the mercenary man who lived to tell it. I am so happy that he decided he couldn't live without her in the end! She let him make the decision and I am glad he went with his heart.
I recommend this book and so well worth reading that I couldn't put it down!

I found this book to be a good read overall. I could not put it down but I kept turning the page hoping for more action and coflict that was never found. Story a little far fetched but a good easy read. I would reccommend