Christy Reece

Heartless

Last Chance Rescue and Option Zero operative, Olivia Gates believed for two years that her husband, Nicholas Hawthorne, was dead.  When he saves her from an attack by unknown men, she gets the shock of her life to find out that he is still alive and the revelation that some of her friends in OZ kept it from her.  Hawke kept tabs on Olivia for two years, but even though the differences that had torn them apart before he disappeared are still there, Hawke can't stand the thought that Olivia might be able to move on with her life without him.  Before they can tackle their issues, though, Olivia and Hawke must work with OZ to find out who attacked Olivia and how they can stop them from trying again.

In Heartless, the relationship between Hawke and Olivia is very believable because of their history.  Both characters aren't necessarily likable due to the way they have dealt with that history, but their dialogue and actions feel realistic and appropriate to the situation, and their angst is palpable.  The plot does maintain a good balance between the romance and the suspense, making it easy to fly through the story.  The attack on Olivia happens early and grabs the reader's attention from the first page.  The pace does slow in the middle of the book as a great deal of information about the mystery is delivered through narration and feels telling rather than showing.  Overall, however, Heartless is an enjoyable entry in the Option Zero series and a very good read.

Lynn Braden

Last Chance Rescue and Option Zero operative, Olivia Gates believed for two years that her husband, Nicholas Hawthorne, was dead.  When he saves her from an attack by unknown men, she gets the shock of her life to find out that he is still alive and the revelation that some of her friends in OZ kept it from her.  Hawke kept tabs on Olivia for two years, but even though the differences that had torn them apart before he disappeared are still there, Hawke can't stand the thought that Olivia might be able to move on with her life without him.  Before they can tackle their issues, though, Olivia and Hawke must work with OZ to find out who attacked Olivia and how they can stop them from trying again.

In Heartless, the relationship between Hawke and Olivia is very believable because of their history.  Both characters aren't necessarily likable due to the way they have dealt with that history, but their dialogue and actions feel realistic and appropriate to the situation, and their angst is palpable.  The plot does maintain a good balance between the romance and the suspense, making it easy to fly through the story.  The attack on Olivia happens early and grabs the reader's attention from the first page.  The pace does slow in the middle of the book as a great deal of information about the mystery is delivered through narration and feels telling rather than showing.  Overall, however, Heartless is an enjoyable entry in the Option Zero series and a very good read.

Heartless

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