Customer Reviews

Stolen Fury

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Dr. Lisa Maxwell, is a brilliant archeologist who has uncovered a rare marble carving or `relief' that she thinks may well be one of the original three Greek "Furies". The origin of the carving is explained in the book so I won't spoil that with a discussion here. After she excavates the carving in Jamaica she goes to Italy to give a lecture and plans to have her find authenticated. At the closing of her lecture she is `rescued' from an unwanted suitor (not that Lisa needs rescuing from anyone) by a tall drop dead handsome Latin who introduces himself as 'Raphael Garcia', a history professor from the University of Barcelona.

Little does Lisa know but Mr. Latin Lover is actually Rafe Sullivan and he knows she has the relic and is intent on stealing it. Lisa hasn't enjoyed male company in a long time so needless to say one thing leads to another. Following a romantic dinner Rafe ends up back at Lisa's hotel room where he slips her a Mickey Finn. The scene prior Lisa falling into a drugged slumber is quite funny because Rafe gets more or less, so to speak than he bargained for. I couldn't help but laugh.

Rafe steals the Fury and is long gone when Lisa awakens in the morning with a vicious hangover. When she finds the artifact missing, she is frothing at the mouth angry. This heroine has a nasty temper, a sharp rapier wit, and a mouth to go with,that caused me to bark with laughter. Old Rafe has no idea what he is in for when Lisa tracks him to Florida and promptly reaps vengeance in front of a sweet young thing he is about to entertain on his pretty sailboat moored at a dock in Key West.

Following some rather terse verbal exchanges with respect to Rafe's actions in the hotel room in Italy, Lisa soon learns she isn't going to regain possession of the relief, unless she joins forces with the untrustworthy thief. He wants to find the third of the three piece set of marble carvings and knows Dr. Lisa Maxwell is the only one who may be able to help him find it. This sets the stage for a plot that is extremely fast paced and full of twists and turns. The really great thing about this story is that I couldn't identify who the bad guys were until the near the end of the book.

Rafe Sullivan is a complex character, at first, despite the fact the guy is the epitome of all I find outlandishly attractive in a hero, I decided he did do the heroine dirty after all AND stole from her. So, he therefore needed to be clocked in the chops or something equally painful preferably administered by our heroine. However, Rafe does redeem himself fairly swiftly, I couldn't, much like Lisa, stay mad at the guy.

Dr. Lisa Maxwell is my favorite kind of heroine, she is smart, feisty, doesn't give up and is completely comfortable with her sexuality. She is vulnerable and has a secret past linked to the carvings and her previous mentor Doug. I was flipping the pages to find out more about her.

The dialogue in this book is packed full of verbal sparring between these two lovers which is great sport and heightens the sexual tension until it crackles. This isn't a book that is laden with sex but the intimate scenes sort of sneak up on a reader, very intense and very hot. Their love story is much like a "slow burn" laced with action and near death experiences.

Rafe has a partner, his best friend Peter, who I will say is a good guy and another hottie to boot. Ms. Naughton wrote lots of mystery into the plot surrounding Pete. He is an Antiquities dealer and collector, I'm hoping he is a main character in one of the two sequels which are part of a trilogy of stories.

Lisa's twin brother Shane also plays a pivotal role in the plot and there is a lot of innuendo surrounding this interesting character as well.

Just when I thought I had the plot of Stolen Fury all figured out, Ms. Naughton would slip in another surprise that confounded me. Or the guy, who I thought was the evildoer turned up dead! I could feel the chills rocketing down my spine as Lisa and Rafe barely escape one scrape after another, then murders start, seemingly following their activities. Their quest to find the third of the missing relic's with bad guys on their tail is riveting and exciting.

FYI: Ms. Naughton has posted an Epilogue to Stolen Fury on her website which is wonderful!

I'm looking forward to the next book in Ms. Naughton's trilogy, "Stolen Heat", which will be available in July 2009.

Elisabeth Naughton's debut STOLEN FURY cost me precious hours of sleep, and it was completely worth it! I absolutely love this book - from the relatable and entertaining characters, to the settings I could vividly picture in my mind, to the action that kept my eyes reading as fast as they could into the wee hours of the morning.

STOLEN FURY has been called "Romancing the Stone" meets "Indiana Jones" by Publisher's Weekly. Those are films I love, and this book was even better. Here's a quick list of what I enjoyed about this book, and hopefully it will encourage you to give it a try.

1) Naughton has found a solid balance of action, romance and snarky humor. Personally, I prefer romantic suspense books that are more evenly split in those areas, books with much more suspense than romance don't keep my interest. STOLEN FURY is an even mix, and Naughton crafted the romance in a way that was believable in the midst of stressful, suspenseful situations.

2) The characters are likable, realistic and believable. One of many ways Naughton excels with this book is that the reader can see why Lisa and Rafe, the heroine and hero, belong together. They complement each other and help each other deal with their fears, insecurities, and flaws.

3) Although the best quality of romance novels is that they are usually character-driven, the plot of STOLEN FURY makes the read even more entertaining. I get frustrated when I love the characters of a story, but their situation is not believable, or doesn't fit the characters. You won't have that problem with this book. The pace kept me turning the page, needing to know what was next. I kept telling myself I'd stop reading at the end of the chapter and go to bed. But I couldn't! She kept me hooked and reading more. Anyone who enjoys Greek mythology or treasure hunting should give STOLEN FURY a try.

I usually prefer paranormal and contemporary romance, but Naughton has convinced me to add romantic adventure to my preferred reading list. I absolutely can't wait to read the rest of this trilogy. The characters she introduced in STOLEN FURY will appear in the later books, and I'm looking forward to it.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
On the book's cover, the story is compared to the movies Indiana Jones and Romancing the Stone - a lot of action scenes with stealing treasure and bad guys chasing good guys. It had the ingredients for romance, but it had no spark for me. It was missing something. The characters sounded like they should be interesting, but I wasn't drawn to them emotionally. I didn't find myself smiling, chuckling or being surprised enough. A minor point, but noticeable, was the use of artificial cliffhangers. On several occasions, the author stopped a scene in the middle of a dramatic moment, to be continued a few pages later. I'm willing to accept limited use of this by authors, but in this story, it bothered me. I also had problems with the ending which confused me.

STORY BRIEF:
Lisa is an archaeologist searching for three ancient Greek marble sculptures called the Furies. She found one. Rafe steals it from her. He offers to give it back if she helps him find another one of the Furies. She agrees. Bad guys chase and try to kill them during the process.

DATA:
Story length: 339 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 4. Total number of sex scene pages: 17. Setting: current day Jamaica, Milan, Italy, Chicago, Illinois, Miami, Florida, Bahama Islands, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Copyright: 2009. Genre: romantic suspense.

Dr. Lisa Maxwell has encountered all kinds of scrapes and difficult situations in her fourteen years as an archeologist. Now on vacation in Jamaica, one cave threatens to get the better of her. Far worse than any expedition or any cave, is the sexy history professor Rafael Garcia, the professor from the University of Barcelona, man whose words on Greek mythology strike her to the core and whose body turns her thoughts in all directions. Dinner needs to a night of mindless sex and passion. The next morning Lisa awakens alone and an empty safe. After years of searching, the one found Fury in a set of three ancient Greek reliefs is gone in a flash. A quick investigation uncovers the true identity of the culprit --- Rafe Sullivan, the man who called himself Rafael! Rafe just messed with the wrong woman. Tracking him down, Lisa plans to take back her Fury and find the other two. Rafe has his own motivations but he knows Lisa has the key to finding the other two reliefs. On a race to beat the other yet needing each other, Rafe and Lisa's quest suddenly becomes even more dangerous when other treasure seekers enter the fray. Passion runs hot as the race for the Furies beings them closer and closer but the motivations and intricate web of alliances and jealousies threatens not only their growing love but their lives. Can two people with such different goals learn to trust one another in this deadly race?

In her debut work of romantic suspense STOLEN FURY, Elisabeth Naughton writes a fast-paced romantic adventure full of hot passion, exciting page-turning suspense with action and clever twists. STOLEN FURY puts an intelligent, spirited heroine together with a mischievous hot blooded rogue. The sparks fly! Danger threatens at every corner as these two race around the globe and delve into the secrets each keeps from the other. Each precisely measured successive plot revelation leads into an outer thrilling hunt for the mysterious Furies while each clue leads to an exploration of the darker corners of the heart. STOLEN FURY raises both the level of romance and suspense, rather than sacrificing one for the other, in a non-stop thrilling race to discover the archeological mystery. Add to that non-stop action, exotic treasures, powerful emotions, and hidden personal motivations and STOLEN FURY will capture the reader looking for adventure. The only thing more satisfying than the last pages to this reader is the discover that STOLEN FURY is the first book in series.

COURTESY OF BOOK ILLUMINATIONS

In Italy archeologist Dr. Lisa Maxwell puts aside her life goal of uniting the three statues of the Furies, dedicated fifteen years ago when her lover died, for the night. She celebrates her finding her first ancient Greek Furies statue, Alecto, by having a tryst with Rafe Sullivan. However, he seduces and then drugs her. The next morning she is furious and frustrated with herself for letting her hair down and irate with her one night stand lover who turns out to be an art thief. He stole Alecto from her.

She vows to find him and take back what is rightfully her discovery. Her twin brother Chicago detective Shane Maxwell traces Rafe to Key West where he believes he will locate Megaera. Lisa arrives shocking him while making it clear to him that without her he will not have more than the one he took from her. Feeling some guilt, but plotting to abscond with Megaera and Tisiphone when she finds them, Rafe cuts a deal with Lisa. However, other treasure hunters, a lot more dangerous than either Lisa or Rafe combined are on the prowl and willing to kill anyone who possesses any of the Furies. To stay alive and to find the Furies, they need each other; and to fall in love, they need each other.

This is an exciting romantic suspense thriller that starts off hot with the sexual encounter and from there turns up the heart and the action. Rafe is sort of a modern day Hans Solo-Indiana Jones rogue while Lisa is more of the by the book professional. To find the statues and survive, they each need to adapt some of the other's core values; love complicates the already difficult task. Elisabeth Naughton provides readers with a stirring archeological thriller.

Harriet Klausner

I believe when it comes to romance, most people have a preconceived notion of helpless, bored women who lie around waiting to be saved by some steel-jawed handsome hero that can do no wrong. I was one of these types. I wasn't prepared for what Elisabeth gives the reader with her lead heroine, Lisa Maxwell. Lisa is a strong woman, smart, beautiful, and not afraid of her own sexuality. I also wasn't prepared for the great plot and an enticing storyline that kept me turning the pages.

Lisa Maxwell is an archeologist. Her current obsession: a set of Greek reliefs. After collecting one of these priceless relics, she's seduced (although I believe she was the seducer) then betrayed and robbed of her recent find. Rather then pouting and running for the arms of a lover, Lisa takes control to track down her betrayer. What follows is an adventure in danger, love, and a partnership that Lisa didn't expect. The action scenes were as intense as the romantic ones and again took me completely by surprise.

Elisabeth has an amazing ability to write great scenes of tension, both sexual and suspenseful in nature. (I wasn't kidding about the blushing) By the end she helped me realize two things: The first is strong women are HOT and the second is a different outlook on romance novels. If you're looking for a fun read that will excite on different levels, then I highly recommend STOLEN FURY.

Dr. Lisa Maxwell is happily teaching a lecture in Milan, smug in the knowledge that nestled in her hotel safe lies one of the three fabled Furies. After fifteen years she finally has one of the Furies in her possession and she's already on the hunt for the next one. She's at the top of her game and she figures nothing is going to stand in her way. Until she's slipped a mickey by the suavest, most lust inducing man she's ever encountered, who has the most delicious panty dropping spanish accent she's ever heard. When she wakes up she's enraged to discover that she's lost her treasure just after finding it and she tracks Rafe Sullivan to Florida where she proceeds to show him hell hath no fury like a woman slipped a mickey and robbed in the middle of the night. Rafe may have lost his panty dropping Antonio Banderasesque accent, but he's still got enough to charm his way out of her righteous anger. He proposes a deal. Lisa will help him find the next Fury and he'll return the Fury he stole from her. (Yeah, right) Lisa is no one's fool, at least not twice, and she figures the only way to beat Rafe at his own game is to at least get into the game. Their new partnership takes them from Florida to Chicago and then to the Bahamas. Lisa and Rafe discover that while they may have teamed up and gotten an edge over the competition, so have a lot of other shady characters. This story has bullets whizzing, bodies dropping like flies, encoded secrets lost in time, and the emergence of three small statues that will change history.

If you like action adventure movies then you will love this book. It's like Fool's Gold, Romancing the Stone, National Treasure, and Into the Blue all rolled into one paperback novel. Rafe is sexy and roguish and has enough hidden depths to make him interesting. Lisa has got quite a past which definitely comes back to haunt her and it allowed Elisabeth Naughton to throw a few curveballs our way in regards to the plot. There are also the requisite sidekicks in Lisa's twin brother Shane and in Rafe's ex-wife who tags along for the ride. I can already sense the raised eyebrows with that little tidbit but there are no romantic entanglements between Rafe and his exwife Hailey and in fact, Hailey and Shane might possibly get it on in a later book in this series.

I really enjoyed this story. Some parts were slow, but when this story got moving, it really moved! The sex in this book was pretty tame. No words that rhymed with rock and no catlike references to female genitalia. Lisa and Rafe are in their late thirties and early forties, which just means that when the bullets were whizzing by they were old enough to know better, but figured what the heck and went for it anyway. The sexual heat between Lisa and Rafe was good but this book's strength definitely lied in it's fun action. Stolen Fury is pure popcorn entertainment complete with a feisty, independent and capable heroine and a handsome, dripping wet sexy rogue, all backdropped against the bright blue Caribbean Sea. There's definitely something for everyone in this fun, fast paced new book by Elisabeth Naughton.

I got this book after starting her Gaurdian series and enjoyed her writting style. I was not disappointed with this one either. The story took twists and turns making you ready for the next page to come. Oh and its not who you think ...

Described as a suspenseful romance I have to say that adventure should also be thrown in there because there was enough adventure to satisfy the little thrill seeker buried deep, deep under my skin. A change from the usual paranormal romance I tend to gravitate to Stolen Fury was both enjoyable and entertaining. From the very first few pages the story pulls us into the archaeological, treasure seeking world of Dr. Lisa Maxwell our heroine and from the moment Rafael Sullivan joins her we get action filled chase scenes, expected steamy moments and enough jet setting to bring on my travel bug.

Love: What I really liked about Stolen Fury was that the side characters were fleshed out, and I could just imagine a few of them having their own book, and I hope they do.

Nitpick: Not sure if I can pick at this because it is a romance novel but there were a few cheesy moments I had no problem skimming over.

I have read all of Elisabeth Naughton's books and plan on leaving this same 5 Star rating for each. Well written and entertaining. Characters are fun, identifiable and endearing. Action is logical but not predicable. Never a dull moment, nothing repetitive and always new and exciting twists and turns in every chapter. Good versus bad and the good always win. I love the books and E.N.'s style of writing. Enjoy!
PS-For adults only - intimate scene content.