No Greater Hell

And I'm back in the adrenaline pumping world of Lost and Found, Inc! And what a way to immerse yourself back with the Wolfe Pack. Jake is still recovering from the surgery to remove his brain tumour as the story begins. He carries the guilt of his actions when he was "Johnny Darling", even though he truly cannot be held accountable for them. He decides to move to his Aunts ranch and recover. He silently slips away and essentially isolates himself and his guilt away. Fast forward a few years and Jake's body may have recovered but he is still feeling the guilt. When a natural disaster strikes nearby and he goes to offer assistance he never imagined he'd meet Holly there. He has done his best to forget her and what he did to her but here she is acting like he's some kind of hero and not the monster that he believes he is. But when Holly once again finds herself in danger from a psychotic madman and his hitman brother, Jake is the only one that Holly calls on. She knows he will keep her safe. ********** I love this series. It's gritty without being too dark and the characters are all important to the story, they're not just there for window dressing. Ms Alexander writes nutjobs like no-one else I know LOL. I truly had my skin crawl when reading about Angel (that's gotta be the worst misnomer ever!) and his equally psychotic brother Ivan. I loved the irony of Jake reeling from guilt for his actions towards Holly and then through the story Holly doing the exact same thing, absorbing guilt for what she could not really control. There was a really high body count in this one. The most fear inducing scene was in Suzanne's apartment (no spoilers). My heart was in my throat and I almost cried in relief by the time the scene was over. So glad that Jake finally got to have his story told. Holly was the perfect foil to his brooding nature. She was capable, empathetic and effervescent even after all she had been through and ready to embrace what she felt towards Jake. So looking forward to more in this series!!!!

The mistake I made when choosing to read this title was not reading the previous books in the series. My failure to do so greatly impacted my enjoyment of NO GREATER HELL. It is evident that the main characters have a history between them, which was explored in the previous installments. Although the author provided information that would allow readers to have an understanding of the events that took place prior to the writing of this novel, I still felt that I was missing something. Because of this, I was not able to connect with the characters on a deeper level. My feelings on the story are somewhat mixed. I loved the suspense, but I was not fond of the romance. In regards to the romance, I found the actions of Jake and Holly annoying. It was evident to everyone that they cared for each other. However, Jake was willing to let Holly walk out of his life, simply because he was unable to forgive himself for something he had no control over. Then there was Holly constantly placing herself in a position to be rejected. Their yo-yo actions were on the verge of giving me a whiplash. The villains in this story were nuttier than a fruit cake. The one that stood out most was Ivan Garza. He is a notorious hitman. He took responsibility for the care of his brother who was not in a good place mentally. To ensure that his brother is monitored, he hired some two-bit criminals to babysit him. However, that did not go too well and his brother was murdered. He blamed Holly for his brother's murder and was determined to exact revenge, even if it meant killing everyone who got in his way. If you were to examine his motive closely, you will recognize that his need to eliminate Holly was deep seated in his guilt over his failure to protect his brother. This only proves how crazy a person he was. This aspect of the story had me on the edge of my seat. I was praying at every page turn that this madman would not succeed with his diabolical plan. I have to admit, though, he was smart and rather resourceful in his efforts to carry out his mission. Every move he made was well thought out and planned. I should warn you, though, if stories with violence are not your thing, then this book is not for you. The author's description of these scenes is detailed and leaves nothing to the imagination. I was disappointed in the manner in which the story ended. After the tug and war that Jake and Holly had in regards to their feelings, I was expecting an emotional ending. Alas, that was not the case. It ended so abruptly that it had me asking myself ‘Where is the rest of the story? Verdict: The story was okay and it would be best enjoyed if the previous books in the series are read prior to reading this installment. Recommended for fans of romantic suspense.