Fast-paced suspense coupled with a fast-paced romance. Jason is a former Marine, haunted by his inability to save the woman he loved. Between that and his PTSD, Jason finds it more comfortable to live as far away from people as he can. He has his cabin in the woods and his job with search-and-rescue, which is his way of atoning for what he sees as the mistakes of his past. When he gets the call about rescuing Samantha, it brings back unwelcome memories, but he can't refuse the job.

Samantha is a beautiful woman who is much more comfortable in the lab than at society functions. The story opens as she prepares to be the center of attention when her boyfriend proposes in front of party guests. All of that goes out the window when she finds him in a compromising situation with her younger stepsister. Furious, Samantha takes off, only to be kidnapped on her way out of the hotel.

Sam and Jase are complete opposites, but the sparks flew between them from the moment they met. There was also an unexpected connection, thanks to the tragedies both have experienced. I liked how Sam was able to get Jase to talk about his past, helping to relieve some of the guilt he lives with. The loss of Sam's mother was a significant factor in the way she holds herself back from people and is exacerbated by the betrayal of the man she thought she loved. I enjoyed seeing Sam's quirkiness, intelligence, and compassion work past Jase's walls into his aching heart. At the same time, Sam experienced what it was like to be respected and protected by a man, instead of always being put down. I liked how quickly she came to trust Jase. She also gained the confidence that she lacked before and recognized the truth of her feelings for him. I loved the scene in the hospital, followed by the epilogue that showed the difference love made in their lives.

The suspense of the story was great. It started intense with Sam's kidnapping and maintained that intensity throughout. The immediate questions that came to mind were whether the abduction was related to the kidnapping and murder of Sam's mother, was it strictly ransom-based, or does someone have a grudge against her father? I was on the edge of my seat from the moment Jase appeared next to Sam as they raced to stay ahead of the kidnappers. The imagery was vivid as Jase and Sam fought the mountain as well as the bad guys. The final confrontation was a nail-biter as they were betrayed by someone they thought they could trust. I loved Sam's part in their success and laughed at the part about the cellphone and keys. ( )