EXPOSED (Captive Series, Book 2) by Brighton Walsh
Publication Date: July 28, 2015
Genre: New Adult/ Romantic Suspense
Love can be lost but never forgotten. Beautiful, sophisticated, and engaged to the son of a Senator, Evie Masterson has the perfect life. Except for one thing: it’s all based on a lie. Five years ago, she created a new identity for herself and cut all ties to her criminal past. But she can’t run forever, because something she witnessed years ago comes back to haunt her. And the only person there to help is the man she thought she left behind forever—the one man she’s never been able to forget.
Devastatingly gorgeous and just as ruthless, Riley Everett is the criminal for hire who once stole Evie’s heart. Years have gone by, but he’s never been able to forget her either. Now her life is in jeopardy, and even after all this time, he’d still do anything to protect her, even if that means breaking into her mansion and stealing her away.
As they hide from the world, their long-lost passion reignites. But despite their undeniable chemistry, Evie can’t give up the perfect life she’s been working toward…and Riley has no part in it.
When I once again had the mask in place, I pushed off from the wall and turned to face him. And even though I’d taken the time I’d needed to get myself in character, it hadn’t helped. I might as well have done nothing at all as the shock of seeing him once again after so long with only my memories to keep me company hit me full force, a roundhouse kick to the chest.
I’d been right—he had filled out since eighteen. While still not as bulky as Ghost, Riley had grown, his once lanky body transforming to something lean and muscular. His hair was longer than it’d been when I’d known him, no longer the buzz cut he’d once favored. The sides and back were trimmed close now, but the top was grown out a bit more and shaggy. His eyes, even in the dim light, were still just as piercing as they’d always been, the crystal-clear blue of the ocean reflecting back at me. His jaw was shadowed with a day or two’s worth of stubble—something he’d never done back when he was a kid. It made him look older, harder, harsher —another thing he’d never been in all the time I’d known him. Though he’d tried, though he’d put on a front because he looked up to his brother and wanted to be like him— something I knew he’d never admit to—he hadn’t ever really fit in with the crew. He was too laid back, too easygoing, too happy to truly fit in with a group of people who broke the law for a living.
And yet here he was.
How much had these past five years changed him?
Forcing myself to snap out of my musings on the kind of guy Riley was now—because it shouldn’t matter; it didn’t matter—I asked, “Why are you here?”
He was quiet for a moment, and if he was shocked to see me, he didn’t let on. Had he known I was here this whole time? I wondered if, despite my attempts to keep myself hidden from him, he’d found me anyway somewhere along the line. The thought that he’d known where I was but hadn’t made any effort to see me shouldn’t sting the way it did.
His face was a mask, hardly different from the one I put in place every day. Finally, he said, “Ghost sent me.”
I swallowed against the disappointment I felt, pushing it down, down, down. Burying it deep where it belonged. There wasn’t room here, in the life I lived now, for those kinds of emotions. Especially not when they were for Riley. “Why?”
He stared at me for another moment, then blew out his breath and shook his head, a hollow laugh leaving his lips as he looked toward the floor. “Apparently my ex-girlfriend, who I thought was dead, is alive and well, living in a fucking mansion in Minneapolis.” He looked up at me, his eyes locked on mine. “Engaged to a rising attorney.”
He didn’t let me answer, didn’t even give me time to contemplate the look in his eyes, before he plowed on, “A picture-perfect life to anyone looking in. Not for long, though. You’ve got a bull’s- eye on your back, and people are coming to collect. Soon.”
Exposed is the second book in Brighton Walsh’s Captive series. It was edgy without being too dark. It was an emotional second chance romance that tugged at my heart strings. The romance was hot, the characters were vivid and the plot was unique. I really love Brighton Walsh’s writing style. She’s a great storyteller and really draws the reader into the lives of her characters so you experience their story along with them. I enjoyed the first book, Captive, but Exposed was even better. I fell in love with Riley! He was a secondary character in the first book and he intrigued me enough to want to read his book. He’s a swoon-worthy protective hero and you’ll fall in love with him too. I recommend you read both books in this series but each book can be read as a standalone so you don’t need to read Captive in order to enjoy Exposed. I recommend this series for romance lovers looking for a love story with suspense, danger and heat.
*Review copy provided by SMP Romance in exchange for an honest review.
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Also check out Book 1: Captive by Brighton Walsh
REVIEW 4 Stars | Kindle | Amazon PBK | B&N | Kobo | iBooks
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Brighton Walsh spent nearly a decade as a professional photographer before deciding to take her storytelling in a different direction and reconnect with her first love: writing. When she’s not pounding away at the keyboard, she’s probably either reading or shopping—maybe even both at once. She lives in the Midwest with her husband and two children, and, yes, she considers forty degrees to be hoodie weather.
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