Stay with Me by Cynthia EdenStay With Me by cynthia eden
Series: Lazarus Rising #3
Published by Hocus Pocus Publishing on December 12, 2017
Genres: PNR
Pages: 164
Format: eBook
Source: Advance Reader Copy
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five-stars

Shelly Hampton intends to spend the holidays alone in her family’s mountain cabin, but when a snow-covered stranger appears on her door-step, her plans are shot straight to hell. The man before her seems oddly familiar, and he stirs a dark need within her.

It’s soon apparent that John Smith is far more than a normal man—he’s too strong, too fast, and she could swear that he seems to read her thoughts…and know her most secret desires.

But is John a man that she could love…or is he someone she should fear? Because even as the snow fall deepens, a deadly threat is closing in on her little cabin. And soon, Shelly will be trapped on the mountain with a dangerous man…a man who swears that he has come back from the dead, just to be with her.

STAY WITH ME…A “Lazarus Rising” Novella

Author's Note: All of the books in the Lazarus Rising series are stand-alone titles.

This book begins with our heroine Shelly heading up from Miami to her family cabin in the mountains to spend Christmas alone. She’s picking up the keys from a friend at his bar when a man walks in, intent on finding her. And when he does, she’s surprised by the strong pull she feels for him.

John Smith has spent every waking moment since escaping the facility (government facility that recently exploded) searching for Shelly. He has no memory of anything before waking up there. No memories that is, except for Shelly. It’s not just one memory either, it’s a lot of them. And he knows that if he can find her, she’ll be able to tell him who he is.

Shelly…doesn’t know the man.

But she feels a loss as he leaves the bar. And when she goes to her car, we find out he didn’t go far. But a strange man following her scares her, so when he figures out her brakes were cut, he begins shouting at her to get out of the car. She of course, floors it. Luckily he’s basically a super soldier, so he chases after her, steals a truck, and saves her. While she’s freaking out, someone shoots at them, and kills him. But these super soldiers don’t always stay dead.

The sheriff is a good friend of hers and John and Shelly let him in on the secret. Together, they’re able to find out his name is John Smith, that he used to be in the Army Special Forces, and that he was killed in Miami several months ago. Miami, where Shelly lives. This brings up a lot of questions. In the mean time, someone is trying to kill them. And the big question is who is the real target? Shelly? Or John?

This story is different from the first two in that we don’t have as much time spent in the compound, nor is there the same feel of his being used as a weapon by the government that took his dead body, reanimated it for secret missions, and treats him like nothing more than a tool. There’s a small glimpse of what powers he’s gained, and there are hints at what happened to Willow, another super soldier who escaped the explosion.

I was glad that the previous heroes came up there to check in on him. It also brings up some big questions on what will happen in the next book, which I truly hope is not the last one. This book is like Universal Soldier meets the Bourne Identity, but better. The suspense and the action are well-done, the characters are well-written, and the book kept me on the edge of my seat. Another hit from Cynthia Eden, Stay With Me kept me glued to the pages.

***ARC courtesy of the author via Netgalley

five-stars