**REVIEW** ~ Silence of A Stranger, by Elizabeth Bailey

A Romantic Suspense Novella

Blurb

Secrets, danger and an enigmatic stranger, a twentieth century mystery romance.
Is Bea’s life more at risk than her disobedient heart?
SILENCE OF A STRANGER
Her car broken down, Bea Russell goes for help and walks straight into hell. Three armed men and no answers. Held captive, strip searched, her dignity in shreds, Bea is horrified when she responds to the attraction of the man who grabbed her out of the dark.
Who is the fugitive Rad? Escaped rapist or spy? No one will talk. Yet Bea is forced to share the danger, fleeing across rough fields in the deep night hours. At a deserted house by the sea, she looks fate in the eye. One wrong move could change her life forever.

My Review

Captivating Romantic Suspense! *****

I loved this read, which hooked from the very start! The heroine Bea, fleeing her cheating ex, inadvertently seeks help from three armed and apparently dangerous men doing their utmost to avoid all contact with others. At first she is treated with violence and suspicion and strip searched. Even when deemed no immediate threat, she becomes their captive, as the men fear that to release her will compromise their location. The narrative is gripping and full of danger, mystery and suspense and I loved the romantic element.

As the novella progressed and the tension between Bea and her captors developed, my mind like that if the heroine was full of questions: Who are these men? Who is the dark, attractive and brooding Rad with whom she develops a mutual attraction? Are they escaped criminals? Is the truth something even more complex?

The key elements of both the suspense and romance are excellent and the plot had me guessing throughout. Bea is told nothing by her captors, a terrifying situation. I really admired her spunk as she stands up to them and when it is clear that she cannot easily escape she tries to make the best of a situation which becomes more and more dangerous. She nevertheless goes through the whole gamut of emotions: fear, apprehension, anger, frustration and resignation and most unexpected and disconcerting of all, growing desire for Rad, one of her captors.

Bea desperately tries to come to terms with her feelings for Rad, a character who becomes more mysterious and complex the more she gets to know him. I particularly liked how the author showed the growing sexual tension between the couple. Is Rad the criminal she fears and what if any future could she have with a man who harbours so many secrets and who blows hot and cold?

This read contains some violence and sexual situations, but overall the romantic elements are sweet. I recommend it to readers of romance and romantic suspense who are after a captivating read.

Reviewed by Tina Williams

Please note, a copy of this book was given to me by the author for the purpose of a fair and honest review.