Monday, December 9, 2013

[Kame's Reviews]: The Lost and Found Series

Kame: I know I normally review one book at a time, but I just can’t with this series.  I read the first four installments in 3 days over Veteran’s Day weekend. I can’t think of a word to describe my feelings about this series, I laughed, I cried, I yelled at characters – so I decided to write one review of the books I read that weekend, because honestly you will want to read them one after another, too!


If you like a military hero - battling his way back to his new "normal" and the special ladies who love them broken bodies but loving hearts - you need to read this series.




The Embattled Road by J.M. Madden
Publisher: J.M. Madden; 1 edition (December 4, 2012) 
Series: The Lost and Found, 0.5
Genre: Romantic Suspense



In the harrowing prequel to The Lost and Found series, three embattled Marines must deal with their devastating physical and emotional injuries in a world that seems to have turned against them. 

When the rescue helicopter crashes into his convoy in Iraq, Marine First Sergeant Duncan Wilde struggles with the loss of men, his career and the use of his body. Things can't get much worse. Until his fiancée decides she has to move on with her life, and that of her unborn child by another man.

Sergeant Chad Lowell knew when he went to war that it would come with a price. And it did. A young Marine under his command is killed by a landmine. Chad's left with one less leg and a mountain of recriminations. That doesn't mean he wants to be a pitied by every female he comes in contact with.

Gunnery Sergeant John Palmer is furious at the hand he's been dealt. He's served his country faithfully, if not without antagonism, for many years. Now they're turning him out like a relative who has overstayed his welcome. And, since he's not even a real man anymore, maybe it is time to move on permanently. 

Can these wounded warriors use a friendship borne out of adversity to form a partnership rescuing others? And can they find real love in spite of their challenges?




Where to Buy*:
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Kame's Review:



This book is a great introduction to a series. We learn about the three founding members of Lost and Found.  Duncan, Chad and John meet in the hospital recovering from injuries they suffered while deployed. All were planning on a career in the military but now because of their injuries their careers need to take a new direction.



This is not a romance - but the background is crucial to Duncan, John and Chad as characters and is very important to this series. They are heroes, and their path to friendship is very touching.  I am so happy I read this before I read the other books.



 4 1/2 STARS!




The Embattled Hearts by J.M. Madden
Publisher: JM Madden (November 27, 2013)
Series: The Lost and Found, 1
Genre: Romantic Suspense



John Palmer hasn’t felt like a real man since he was injured during combat in Iraq. Though not content with his new life, he is mostly adapting, just like the other vets at the Lost ‘N’ Found Investigative Service. When Shannon Murphy is hired on as the new office manager, life suddenly gets a lot more interesting. Before long, John finds himself wondering if he could ever be the kind of man Shannon needs.

Shannon Murphy wasn’t really looking for love when she hired on at LNF, but finds herself hopelessly attracted to the sex-on-wheels former Marine, John Palmer. The man is grumpy and nearly impossible to work with, but his brand of masculinity appeals to her on a basic level. Soon Shannon is wondering just what it would take for John to want her the way she wants him.

When an old enemy tries to settle a vendetta against Shannon, John insists on protecting her. He moves into her house, fanning the spark of attraction into a blaze. But the danger continues to escalate. Even with all the resources at their disposal, they’re thrust into a fight for their lives.




Where to Buy*:
AmazonKindle | BN | NOOK | ARe
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Kame's Review:

The first romance in this series is John’s story.  It starts five years after Lost and Found was started.  John has become very independent in his wheelchair, but despises every minute his legs are useless.  He grew up in an orphanage and has no one to call family; Chad and Duncan are as close as he gets to a family.  Shannon is the new office manager at Lost and Found.  In the few months she has worked there her deep attraction to John has grown.  She doesn’t realize it but John wishes he could be the man he thinks Shannon deserves, but a threat from her past brings out his deep need to protect her.


This story is told with emotion, humor and suspense.  JM Madden wrote John as a grumpy but refusing to wallow in what was taken away. He is determined to be an integral part of Lost and Found. I enjoyed watching him “thaw” in Shannon’s love.  Shannon was the perfect heroine to love John. She saw the man and never saw the wheelchair. She never doubted he could protect her, even when John himself had his doubts.  I didn’t guess until it was revealed who was behind the threat to Shannon.  My favorite scene made me smile, not to have a spoiler – but the scene had to do with a camera not working – I dare you to read it and not break out in a smile.


When I finished this book I immediately started reading the next in the series; and when I say immediately I mean read the last page and opened the next book and started reading.  Make sure you have it you will want to not wait either!



4 1/2 STARS!





Embattled Minds by J.M. Madden
Publication Date: June 30th, 2013
Series: The Lost and Found, 2
Genre: Romantic Suspense



Zeke Foster has little to no experience with women over the past couple of years, after being injured in Afghanistan. Brutally scarred, he has no expectation that he’ll ever find a woman capable of accepting him the way he is. But he can’t help but be enamored of Ember, the waitress of a local watering hole.

Ember Norton’s life has turned into one devastating catastrophe after another. When the scarred soldier with the kind eyes brings some security to her life, she’s afraid to trust her luck. She’s been self-sufficient for a long time. But his wounded soul calls to her and she finds herself falling for him. 

In spite of the secrets he continues to keep.



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Kame's Review:


Zeke is an employee of Lost and Found. He is severely scarred. But the fact that he might look scary on the outside has nothing to do with the deep loving man who he is. Ember sees that right away. Ember is a waitress at the bar Zeke frequents with Chad. She looks him straight in the eye when he orders and often lays her hand on his shoulder when she stops to chat with the guys.  Ember is nice to Zeke, but he wonders if she could ever love someone who looks like him?

Wow is a word that is getting overused as I read this series. This is my favorite book in the series so far.


Zeke might just be my favorite hero - I just wanted to wrap my arms around him and give him a hug. Ember is the perfect heroine for him. They need each other so much. This dealt with PTSD like no other book I have ever read (I really don't want to spoil anything for anyone).



This book does happen during the Christmas holiday season, and is set shortly after book 1. We see a glimpse at John and Shannon (and John’s frantic search for the perfect gift for Shannon), and Duncan.  We also get a great look at some other members of Lost and Found, Ortiz is one I can’t wait to read more about. This book can function as a stand-alone but would probably be enjoyed more if it was read in sequence.



 5 STARS!







Her Favorite Hero by J.M. Madden 
Publisher: MMM Publishing (November 11, 2013) 
Genre: Romantic Suspense



Part of the Uniform Desires Anthology

Her Forever Hero by bestselling author JM Madden
When the boss's pregnant, unwed daughter needs rescuing, disabled Marine Grafton Parks proves he's still a hero





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Kame's Review:


Grif Parks has been sent by Lost and Found to Vail to protect an executive’s daughter.  Kendall was a model but the minute her Dad asked her to come back and learn the family business she did. Now she is fighting for the votes to succeed him as CEO so her Dad can relax in retirement. The board is having a hard time seeing Kendall as CEO. She was a model and is single. She wonders what they will think when they find out she is pregnant too?


Graf and Kendall sizzle in this novella. Like all the heroes in this series Graf does not think he will ever find a woman who will look past his limitations and see him as a man they can love. He is self-conscious of his prosthetic and prefers to keep it covered and hidden. Graf and Kendall have tense moments at first when Graf learns that Kendall doubted is Graf was capable of keeping her safe. But true to all of JM Madden’s books in this series the emotions seemed raw and real. 



So in less than three days I read two books and two novellas about these incredible Heroes and the women who love them. Even though they were romance category books the romance took a back seat for me to the intricate characters. They had unbelievable depth and showed a side of the returning soldier we rarely see in romance.  JM Madden tackled some subjects that aren’t typical to romance; she showed that no matter your circumstance everyone can find the one they are meant to love until the end of time.  I look forward to all the future installments in this series. 





 4 STARS!





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Kame bought this books and decided to share her honest opinion of them.

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Meet Kame:

Kame is part of a family of readers; one day she picked up the Nook she purchased for her husband and discovered her love of e-books. A few months later he purchased one for her so he could have his back! Kame’s Nook is never far, and she is hard pressed to pick a favorite book, genre or author. As long as there are characters that make her want to sit down and have a chat and a plot keeps the pages turning, she’ll read it.

Kame's GoodReads 




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Thanks for the review, Kame! :) I can't wait to start this series!

Have you read J.M. Madden before? What was the last series you gloomed in only a few days? 


Oh, and don't forget, The Embattled Road (0.5) is FREE on all retailers! Scroll back up for buy links to Kindle, BN, and ARe! 







Enjoy!



Until Next Time,


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