ARC Review: The Perfect Hostage by Misty Evans

I’m not the biggest fan of novellas, since their short length generally leads to some often-unbelievable insta-love and minimal characterization that always leave me wanting more. When THE PERFECT HOSTAGE came across my desk, I didn’t even realise it was a novella (and one coming after four books in a series, to boot): all I saw was ‘Misty Evans’ and thought “done”. Especially when the premise is as intriguing as this one: an everyday woman who ‘kidnaps’ the ex-spec-ops operative she’s got a crush on for a weekend of no-strings-attached sexytimes (that will hopefully turn into more). THE PERFECT HOSTAGE is a fast-paced novella with scorching chemistry and nonstop action, but I felt like I had been dropped into the middle of the action without knowing all the players and would have benefitted from reading the previous books in the Super Agent series.

From what I could piece together, heroine Lucie Morgan is the illegitimate and foreign-raised child of billionaire financier Charles Morgan. In a previous book, she and her CIA operative half-sister were kidnapped by terrorists and rescued by hero John Quick and his partner and Lucie’s soon-to-be brother-in-law Lawson Vaughn. Attraction and shenanigans ensue before they part ways for reasons unknown to me, and now they’re back in the same place under the guise of Lucie’s sister’s baby shower but really as part of Lucie’s master plan to seduce him into getting over his relationship issues. The way John sees it, Lucie belongs in the rarefied world of the jet set that goes hand-in-hand with her surname and trust fund, and not with some middle-class bloke with a dangerous job that could be the death of him any day and no idea how to deal with emotions. But Lucie doesn’t care about money or social standing: all she wants is a family (especially since the only Morgan who doesn’t treat her like a leper is her half-sister) and to belong. Preferably to John, star of her fantasy sexcapades since the rescue. Even though we only get a short time with Lucie, I really liked her: she’s not afraid to go after what she wants (namely one sexy operative—see the entire premise of the weekend), but her need for her father’s approval and a sense of belonging also give her a relatable edge of vulnerability. John is your typical alpha hero with a crappy childhood: badass, a (former) player with commitment issues, and an innate protector, but I really liked how he stood up for Lucie to her wanker of a father and called him on his snobbery. And the two of them have great chemistry that’s equal parts hot and fun and that Ms. Evans writes with great aplomb (getting caught in the middle of a major snogfest by Lucie’s father? Hilarious).

The entire story takes place over a weekend, so the unrealistic insta-love of novellas comes into play but is mitigated by John and Lucie’s pre-existing ‘relationship’. In the middle of their idyllic weekend, a villain from their shared past breaks in and all hell breaks loose, kicking the story into high gear. The villain’s motivation is a bit hokey and John practically turns into Superman when facing the bad guys, but suspend your disbelief and hang on for the over-the-top thrill ride. Ms. Evans does a great job writing fast-paced action scenes that are a blast (no pun intended) to read: you won’t blink an eye when someone full-body tackles a gun-toting villain after being stabbed in the back with a cake server because you’re having so much fun rooting for the good guys.

As with all novellas (for me), THE PERFECT HOSTAGE didn’t have enough substance to make it a top-notch read, but it has everything I love about Misty Evans and makes for a quick read with enjoyable characters, humour, and hot sexytimes in novella-sized doses. It piqued my interest in the Super Agent world, so I’m off to check out the rest of the series.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | B&N | Kobo |