Appalachian Abduction

Emotionally gripping, sweetly thrilling, action packed, sexy romantic adventure filled with danger, mystery and two people forced to trust each other to survive. Detective Charlotte Helms is a strong, dedicated and on the trail of a human trafficking ring when her best friends daughter is taken. The cabin in the Appalachian mountains she is staying at (broke into) ends up belonging to Officer James Tedder and he wants answers. Loved their chemistry and determination. Highly entertaining and engaging romantic adventure.

Detective Charlotte Helms from the Atlanta PD is extremely dedicated to her work, so much so that it got her suspended for insubordination. The case on human trafficking she had been working on for a year has become personal: her best friend Tanya’s daughter, Jenny, has vanished, and Charlotte fears Jenny was abducted by the traffickers, who seemed to have moved their operation to the Appalachian Mountains. Charlotte is acting on her own in Lavender Mountain, and when the owner of the cabin where she was living makes an appearance, things take an interesting turn. The cabin belongs to Officer James Tedder, and his well-ordered world is about to be shaken. I had really loved Appalachian Prey, but this is even better, and while characters from the previous book are featured, APPALACHIAN ABDUCTION stands firmly on its own. Charlotte and James are fabulous characters, and what I appreciated the most is that they are believable all the way, as people and as police officers. I loved that there weren’t long-lasting misunderstandings, and their chemistry was palpable from the start; theirs was a slow burn that was perfectly integrated to the suspense, and you feel that when it happens, that they are good for the long run. Debbie Herbert has an innate sense of pacing that made this book a pleasure to read: the pace is nice and steady throughout with perfectly timed explosive bursts of action. The romance takes place in a realistic timeframe, and the romantic moments happen at the right place and the right time. There were a few fabulous little details, such as Charlotte’s first uniform and the dye job that are not crucial to the plot, although they do serve a purpose; they were absolutely delightful and enhanced the story. There was also a very clever plot twist that involved something that I never knew was illegal. And now I must come to what really, really wowed me: Debbie Herbert’s writing. The descriptions are vivid, the fights are very creatively crafted, the characters exceptionally well-defined, the dialogues are excellent and adapted to the characters’ personalities, and the prose is amazingly smooth, eloquent, and wonderfully smooth. Ms. Herbert’s writing is subtly elegant, vibrant and dynamic, and all this gorgeousness never distracts from the tightly plotted story. A most excellent book! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Detective Charlotte Helms is on the trail of a child trafficking ring she believes to be in the north Georgia mountains. She’s a cop from Atlanta working undercover. Unbeknownst to her, the cabin she squats in belongs to Officer James Tedder from the local sheriff’s department. After learning why she’s in the area, he joins in the search. There are some really tense moments and I couldn’t seem to read fast enough it was so exciting. This is one book I couldn’t put down. I haven’t read the previous book but this one was fine as a stand alone. It featured characters that were in the previous book Appalachian Prey. I will certainly be reading it soon. I really liked how the romance was woven into this story. It didn’t feel unnatural like some books that make you think it couldn’t happen while on a serious case. It was more subtle and didn’t feel rushed. I love this author’s writing style!