HOSTAGE
Series: Criminals & Captives #2
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Authors: Skye Warren & Annika Martin
Release Date: January 30th, 2018
I never knew when he’d come to me. Only that he would.
I’d never even kissed a boy the night I met Stone. The night I saw him kill. The night he spared my life. That was only the beginning.
He turns up in my car again and again, dangerous and full of raw power. “Drive,” he tells me, and I have no choice. He’s a criminal with burning green eyes, invading my life and my dreams.
The police say he’s dangerously obsessed with me, but I’m the one who can’t stop thinking about him. Maybe it’s wrong to let him touch me. Maybe it’s wrong to touch him back. Maybe these twisted dates need to stop. Except he feels like the only real thing in my world of designer labels and mansions.
So I drive us under threat, until it’s hard to remember I don’t want to be there.
Until it’s too late to turn back.
HOSTAGE is a dangerous standalone romance by New York Times bestselling authors Skye Warren and Annika Martin. It’s set in the same world as PRISONER, but can read separately!
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It’s him or me. It’s stand here and let a man die, or do something—for once in my life, do something that’s not wearing a dress and smiling and getting it all wrong.
So I run out there. I watch myself do it, like a movie almost. “Stop it,” I yell.
The attacker just keeps on, a dark storm, all fists and fury. My presence means nothing to him. My words don’t touch him. It’s as if I’m yelling at thunder.
My heart beats out of my chest. I’ve risked everything, come out in the open, but it’s not enough. I stamp my foot to get his attention, crushing gravel beneath my mother’s Louboutins.
“The cops are coming,” I say.
The man stills and looks up. It’s a shock when it happens, even though I’ve been trying to get him to see me. His eyes seem to blaze into my chest, hot and bright.
Breathless, I back away.
He stands, leaving the man in a groaning, whimpering heap.
I retreat slowly, showing him my phone, as though that might protect me. “Cops are coming,” I say again. A lie. I couldn’t punch in the code.
He’s coming at me, expression unreadable. He’s a few years older than I am—late twenties, maybe.
My back hits something hard. The van.
He keeps coming. I try to spin and run, but he grabs my arm and slams me back into the van. “Where do you think you’re going, little girl?”
I stare up at him, panting.
His warm breath is a feather on my nose; the heat in his eyes invades me. He grabs my hair and tilts my head back, forcing me to stare into his face, as if he’s trying to read my eyes.
A moment later, he looks up at the night sky. He seems almost wolfish, and I’m conscious, suddenly, of my bare neck so close to his snarling mouth. I wonder if he’s staring at the moon. It’s like he’s going to howl or something.
Then I get it. He’s listening for sirens.
“You’re a little fucking liar.”
My bones turned to stone over a decade ago. My blood to dark sludge. I’m like the abandoned hotel we stand on top of. Some of the pieces are still here, but most of me is gone. I only have one purpose now, and that’s making sure all the guys get their revenge.
It’s been a few years since I read Prisoner, but I distinctly remember three things about that book.
1. I beyond loved it. Like 5+ star loved it
2. It had one of the most intense H/h first meetings ever
3. I became instantly intrigued by the gang’s leader, Stone.
So when I saw this book was coming out? I didn’t even bother to read beyond the fact that it’s Stone’s book before jumping at the chance to read it.
These two authors are a powerhouse together, and I can only hope that we’ll be getting more in this addicting series. Hostage was everything I had hoped it would be, and so much more. It was intense, emotional, brimming with dark undercurrents, and a romance that’s both sizzling hot and full of feels.
I’ll be honest, I was a tad bit concerned since the heroine was only 16 years old at the beginning. Not only because of the age difference, but I was afraid she’d be too naive and sheltered for my tastes. I shouldn’t have been concerned on either front, because the authors pulled it off flawlessly. One, the book spans over a few years, and two, the heroine was the furthest thing from naive. She was young, yes, but she knew exactly what she wanted and what she was getting into with Stone.
Stone was a character that my heart just bled for. He’s this eerie combination of deadly and determined with a hidden vulnerability that you couldn’t help but feel for.
If you haven’t read book 1 in this series, I highly recommend it. It will truly give you a more complex understanding of the boys and what they’ve been through. However, this book also gives you plenty of background so you never feel lost.
Stone has lived and breathed revenge for years. His life has become nothing but blood and memories in his never ending search to find those responsible for what he and his ‘brothers’ suffered and making them pay. One by one, he’s getting closer to finding the main players. But when an innocent girl stumbles into his warpath, the last thing he expects is for the connection that blooms between them.
What first starts as a hostage situation ultimately grows into something more. But instead of dissipating over time, it grows into something much stronger and a lot more than either one of them were prepared for but can’t fight.
I couldn’t get enough of these characters. Their connection was incredible and full of chemistry, but with plenty of suspense and twists to have readers glued to the pages. Definitely a strong follow up to the incendiary Prisoner, and I only hope with more to come!
Skye Warren:
Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance such as the Endgame trilogy. Her books have been featured in Jezebel, Buzzfeed, USA Today Happily Ever After, Glamour, and Elle Magazine. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, sweet dogs, and evil cat.
Connect with Skye:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skyewarren
Twitter: https://twitter.com/skye_warren
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SkyeWarrenBooks
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/skyewarren/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/skyewarrenbooks
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2CnW33B
Website: http://www.skyewarren.com
Newsletter: www.skyewarren.com/newsletter
Annika Martin:
Annika Martin loves fun, dirty stories, hot heroes, and wild, dramatic everything. She enjoys hanging out in Minneapolis coffee shops with her writer husband, and also likes birdwatching at her bird feeder alongside her two stunningly photogenic cats, especially when she should be writing. She’s heavy into running, music, saving the planet, taking long baths, and consuming chocolate suckers. She’s worked a surprisingly large number of waitressing jobs, and has also worked in a plastics factory and the advertising trenches; her garden is total bee-friendly madness and her most unfavorite word is nosh or possibly fob. A NYT bestselling author, she has also written as RITA award-winning author Carolyn Crane.
Connect with Annika:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnikaMartinBooks
Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AnnikaMartinFabulousGang/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Annika_Martin
Stay up to date with Annika by joining her mailing list: http://www.annikamartinbooks.com/newletter/
Website: http://www.annikamartinbooks.com
THE QUEEN
Damon. Lost. Not sane. He has gone through one of the worst childhoods in the history of ever, being abused physically and mentally in every way. I love that we learn all about Damon in this book. Why he is the way he is. He owns the city, and yet he owns nothing. He uses Penny with no remorse. Of all the men in the world, he really isn’t worthy of her, and that’s not an exaggeration.
Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance such as the Endgame trilogy. Her books have been featured in Jezebel, Buzzfeed, USA Today Happily Ever After, Glamour, and Elle Magazine. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, sweet dogs, and evil cat.
GLAMOUR
Jessica. We meet Jessica in The King. She is a single mom who has had shit handed to her, but she is just trying to make the most of it. She was sold as a young girl to the mafia and we can only guess what she went through. This short story begins when she is pulled over at the side of the road and she meets the sheriff. Jessica has the ability to look on the bright side despite what she has been through, but she still has trust issues.
THE KING
Well…holy hell. I mean, damn, people. When Skye Warren first intrigued me with Damon and Penny back in 
RELEASING SEPTEMBER 19
THE PRINCE
You’re probably like, “Wtf with the mermaid gif?” WELL, you should read the book to find out wtf :).
THE CASTLE
Alright, confession time.
True story. And usually the mere thought of a trilogy is enough to make me break out in hives. Why? Because I’ll usually find book two to be more filler, and I’m pretty much bored and uninterested by book three. So you may be asking yourself, why on earth did this crazy heifer read a trilogy then? And to that, my doubting friend, I only have one answer for you. Skye Warren wrote it. It doesn’t matter what this woman writes. She can write the damn alphabet and I’ll read it.
The Castle was the perfect conclusion to a series that captivated me from the very first. The Endgame trilogy was a story that kept me glued to the pages. The intensity built with each new book. With each secret that gets revealed. With each depravity that comes to light. It was addicting. It was heart pounding. It was completely unputdownable.
I forever worship at the altar that is Skye Warren and kept wait for more. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to rock myself in a corner somewhere, drinking my feelings, until The King comes out. Because DAMON!!!!
GABRIEL. Can I have him? Seriously, I want you to write a Gabriel story EVERY…..DAY and send me the story. No one else. Just me. Especially not Lana. BECAUSE HE’S MINE!! That’s why I want you in my basement. So no one else can have Gabriel. It’s a completely reasonable request.
Dear, Skye. I’m just over here with your favorite thing to lure you into my house so I can lock you up in my basement. (Jk. I’m not a crazy person…..not really.) Seriously. I want to meet you. And brunch with you. And just…..talk. Because you are brilliant. I love your words on pages. I love your STORIES. Ugh, your stories. I love those people in your head that talk to you and make you put them on paper. Ugh, all your characters. I am completely intimidated by you. This whole series and all of your books leave my jaw on the ground.
TOTALLY FREE!
THE KNIGHT
“Sinfully sexy and darkly beautiful, The Pawn will play games with your heart and leave you craving more!” – Laura Kaye, New York Times bestselling author
THE PAWN
This was easily my favorite by this author to date. Gripping. Captivating. Magnetic. Dark. Erotic. It was EVERYTHING I love about a dark romance. It’s not gratuitous violence and scenes thrown in for pure shock value. It’s a mind fuck. An incredibly written, twisty, and delicious mind fuck that I couldn’t put down from beginning to finish; with a heroine you’ll want to root for, and an anti-hero that you’ll want to hate only slightly more than you love him.
Growing up in privilege and money, Avery had an enchanted life. She idolized her father, she looked forward to her future and starting college, she had a doting boyfriend that she suspected only wanted her for his status, she had little worries aside from questioning her relationship…until it all crashed down on her…
If you’re a fan of this author, and you love a well written dark romance, this is one book that you do NOT want to miss. I may go crazy in my wait for the conclusion, but I don’t regret a moment of it because I have the best book high after finishing this. All of the stars!
Title: To the Ends of the Earth (A Stripped Series Novella)
We first met Luca & Beth in Pretty When You Cry, where Luca is a bodyguard/enforcer and saves Beth from the cult. This book picks up at their beginning. I loved getting to know Beth’s story from her point of view. Beth comes from…..hell on earth. I cannot even imagine growing up in a cult. I can’t. If I even begin to think about it, I get this crazy rage inside me because it just makes me so angry. Which is why I really liked this story because Beth breaks free from that life of horror. Even though Luca saves her, she is the one who saves herself. After finding out that she is pregnant, she fights for herself and her daughter. I loved that Skye gave her a while to be on her own without Luca. I think her character truly needed that, even though it was hard. But once Luca finds her……DAYUM! Beth is still running from the cult, so Luca has to fight to protect her. He doesn’t let go. He doesn’t her leave or fight on her own any more. And he literally fights for her.
If you’ve read the blurb, then you probably picked up on the fact that it pretty much tells you nothing. As far as descriptions go, it’s very vague…AND THAT’S IMPORTANT. I’d advise you to read as little reviews about this book if not any before diving in. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it that much more. What are some things I can tell you about it?
He was such a tortured character, but he also had a very endearing vulnerability to him as well. Maybe that’s also why I wasn’t as bothered by the couple’s almost instantaneous connection. It somehow fit the both of them. Don’t get me wrong, Grayson was not a soft man. Fuck no. He was intense with an undercurrent of brutality, and yet there was always something about him that no matter what fucked up thing he does, you can’t help but love him.
