Previously, during #CrimeFicFridays,
I have featured the following Romantic Suspense novels by Anna J. Stewart:
I started this concentration in 2021 with the following reviews:
Undercover Heat and Colton on the RunAnd continuing in 2022: Gone in the Night & Guarding His Midnight Mistress
I am hoping to read a few before the close of 2024 whilst continuing this series in 2025!
Acquired Book By: I have been actively reviewing for Ms Stewart as a member of her Review Team since 2021. My love her stories began with Return of the Blackwell Brothers – a Harlequin Heartwarming series. The Blackwells have several sequel series and it is a series I will be returning to reading in (2025). From there, I discovered her Butterfly Harbour series, the Honour Bound series and the Hawaiian Reunions series. Shifting into (2025) I will be reading her novels more often and thereby, will be sharing more reviews on behalf of her books as I resume the series I started and continue forward with them in the New Year.
I received a complimentary copy of “Prison Break Hostage” direct from the author Anna J. Stewart in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein. Per the badge at the end of this review, I am also a member of the author’s Review Team.
NOTE: All the Press Materials for this series (Honour Bound) were provided by the author, Ms Stewart for use on my blog. Whether she gifted me the books herself or whether I purchased them – as I asked if I could use them as I blog about this wonderfully lovely series.
On returning to this series two years after I found my footing within it.
You might be curious why I took a leave of absence from reading this lovely series – after I had not only become dearly attached to the characters within it, but I had become achingly hungry to read the next story in the series after I finished Guarding His Midnight Witness. For the fuller context of time behind the years, you’ll have to remember my father entered the hospital two years ago this November, 2024 and exited into long-term care. Aside from the upheaval that provided my family – I also was having issues with my chronic migraines and with my vision; until I realised at long last late last year I was in dire need of Progressive lenses and that, dear hearts changed my life this year. The glasses afforded me a return to reading without straining my eyes to read the words and without the fear of bringing on another migraine, too.
If all things were equal, I would have come back into this series earlier in (2024) – however, as it was overall a hard-won kind of year, I am returning now instead. I felt re-inspired over Summer to pick up the threads of my blog and my socially bookish chatterment online – especially via the portals of #bookstagram and BlueSky. The latter of which happily has a much larger book world community on it now than even before Spring! Whilst taking literary vacations into reading Spookified books in October (via #SpooktasticReads) and Space Opera in November (via #SciFiMonth) you could say I was primed to re-enter my wanderings into Mysteries, Suspense and Thrillers this December!
So much so, it sparked a renewal of interest to showcase a featured set of reviews for these lovely stories as I renew my joy of #CloakAndDaggerChristmas! Thereby, I might have lost a few years but not my love, appreciation and JOY of reading the Honour Bound series. I’m itching to share my reactions about this installment of the series and progressing forward into books six through eight!
a few notations about the series
from “guarding his midnight witness”:
There is a wicked enveloping of night in the opening pages of Guarding His Midnight Witness wherein you can feel the chill in the night air as much as the emptiness of walking the street alongside a seasoned detective. I’ve come to love how Stewart chooses to illuminate the scenes within her novels and when it comes to the Suspense ones in particular, it is how she tucks you close into a scene with her descriptive narrative which gives the best impression of ‘where’ she’s taking us both visually in the moment and throughout the length of the story. I especially appreciated in this installment how she elected to talk about the climate – how oppressive heat can change your mood and how welcome a cooler night is between Spring and Summer.
Jack McTavish is one of those kinds of blokes who doesn’t want someone else to tell him about his own story – on the level that, in this particular case, having suffered a greatly traumatic injury and has thus recovered from it (be sure to read the harrowing details at the end of Gone in the Night) – he doesn’t want others to treat him differently, walk on eggshells or even insinuate he’s half the bloke he was before the incident. He has a self-preserving grit about him which serves him well as a detective but he also has an internal strength and fortitude about him that means business; which is why he doesn’t like the effect of everyone’s supposed kindness towards him to sound as if it holds more pity than sympathy. You can immediately tell his state of mind but you can also recognise he’s a survivor – which is why seeing him back on the job questioning the call he was dispatched on felt good to see him back at what he loved to do.
Greta on the other hand was an artist with a sharp mind who just happened to stop Jack in his tracks so to speak on first meeting! I had a good smirk over how these two had instant chemistry even if they were meeting under more serious circumstances. I loved how ethereal Stewart penned Greta’s personality and presence in the scenes with Jack and Bowie (his short-term partner, whilst his partner is on holiday) as it evoked Old Hollywood and the artist eras of the past where creators like her could be isolated from society whilst they allowed their muses to find them. She was the kind of artist who appreciated being round people but she needed to find the solace and solitude away from them in order to create her art. I respected that and she was one of those characters you felt you could connect with as soon as she started to talk.
My favourite mysteries and suspense novels have one thing in common: interesting and beguiling characters who keep you turning the pages! In this instance, Greta is a no-nonsense kind of woman who feels it’s her duty to help Jack solve the mystery despite his best intentions of disentangling her from being so directly connected to his own case. The irony of course is that he too would like to stay in her constant company but for a different reason altogether which matched her own inclinations as well. It was definitely one of those meetings of the mind where despite the events which brought them together it was the connection, the instant bond and the chemistry they shared which meant more than the dangers lurking in the shadows. They were a wicked good match for each other especially since they shared something in common which united them: wounded souls with a desire to find the light and joy they felt was missing out of their lives.
Ooh my! The ending on this one – it truly eclipsed my heart because I was expecting a shocking surprise and I was given more than one by the time the story concluded! It was such a satisfying ending though – I didn’t want it to stop because I had become so connected to Jack and Greta! Theirs was one of those old-fashioned romances where neither of them felt they’d ever find someone and yet, their connection to each other was marred a bit by an evolving case and a crime which needed to be solved. Stewart pulls at your heart-strings with this one – from her capacity to write such an intricate and spellbinding psychological suspense to knitting a brilliantly lovely romance with two characters you’ll not soon forget. I ached to read more chapters of this one – hardly able to put it down even for an hour, much less a day whilst in the end, my heart cheered for Jack and Greta all over again. They truly had an incredible journey – one that only Stewart could have conceived and given us.
-quoted from my review of Guarding His Midnight Witness
The Honour Bound series:
NOTE: I personally spelt honor as *honour* however, if you follow the feeds socially or socially engage on platforms be sure to use the American spelling #HonorBound to find other readers who are sharing their bookish reactions to the series. I am only spelling it differently as I review it on my blog but note the official title all the same. For me, honor is honour but that’s just a personal quirk.
More than a Lawman (book one)
Reunited with the PI (book two)
Gone in the Night (book three) | (see also Review)
Guarding His Midnight Witness (book four) | (see also Review)
Prison Break Hostage (book five)
The PI’s Deadly Charade (book six)
Deadly Vegas Escape (book seven)
A Detective’s Deadly Secrets (book eight)
View the list and keep tabs on this series via Fantastic Fiction!
Prison Break Hostage
by Ms Anna J. Stewart
Source: Direct from Author
She’s dedicated to helping others…
Now she’s the one in need of rescue.
As a witness to a prison bus crash, Dr. Ashley McTavish is only concerned with saving lives. But when she’s taken hostage, her own life is threatened. Ashley is undeniably attracted to her sole protector, a convict called Lucky. But when Lucky’s true identity as undercover agent Slade Palmer is revealed, he and Ashley must flee for their lives. Can they protect one another as feelings grow and danger looms?
Places to find the book:
Heat Factor for Romance
ISBN: 9781335759603
Also by this author: Undercover Heat, Colton on the Run, Gone in the Night, Recipe for Redemption, Guarding His Midnight Witness, Her Island Homecoming, Their Surprise Island Wedding
Series: Honour Bound
Also in this series: Gone in the Night, Guarding His Midnight Witness
Published by Harlequin Romantic Suspense
on 25th January, 2022
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 283
Published by: Harlequin Romantic Suspense (@HarlequinBooks) | imprint of Harlequin
Converse via: #ContemporaryRomance, #RomanticSuspense and #HonorBound
NOTE: One of the reasons I’ve come to love reading Stewart’s Contemporary Romantic Suspense novels through Harlequin is her ability to write a wickedly delightful slow-burn romance. However, her stories in this imprint are also very ‘heated’ romantically in regards to how the romance is explored and definitely has more heat in it than most of the romances I regularly read by Harlequin because this series and imprint is different than the others I read – especially for content inclusions. Thereby if you’re new to this imprint just know this is writ more like a traditional Contemporary or Historical Romance. This particular story was definitely at the upper end of the flame index – if there were a 5.5 option, I would have used that one!
This story took the award for Best Contemporary Romance (Suspense).
a note about the author’s note:
I was delighted to find out this story was bourne on the road during a trip with new friends! I’ve taken so many beloved road trips with my Mum over the years – some of which were quite distant from where we live, too! All of them hold fond places in my heart because there is something wicked special about the open road, conversations and the memories you create between arriving and leaving your planned destinations! Laughs. Plus, I could well imagine how a writers’ eye would catch one particular detail and then, spin a whole story round it!
I loved how this was about an undercover detective, too! When I first saw the book in my hands, I had a feeling there was more to the story than meets the eye – as I’ve come to know Stewart’s signature styles of narrative and building Romantic Suspense in her stories. She has a lovely, layered styling about her writing and she dives deep into the psyche and heart of her characters.
my review of prison break hostage:
Goodness! I lost my breath as soon as Prison Break Hostage began as Ashley was quite literally in over her head! On a dark night’s drive home, she witnessed a wreck of a site. A prison bus crashed and tossed itself across the interstate and left some dead and others dearly injured. Being a physician, she couldn’t help herself from helping those afflicted, but it put herself in a deadlocked dance of wits with convicted killers. Now, she was a hostage and one who knew the risks involved with becoming one – if not for her brother, Jack who was a seasoned cop with his own experiences, it was the years she spent with her husband which trained Ashley on the harder realities of undercover work and hostage situations. Not to mention her own training working in hospitals. Yet, it was her determined spirit and hopeful optimism which was anchouring her to reality and convincing her she had a chance to survive.
It all spun out of control so fast, and yet, Stewart managed to give us breadcrumbs of hope to hold onto as we felt as if we were following in Ashley’s footsteps each step of the way. From the wreck and carnage on the highway to the cabin in the woods with the tall trees. Nothing can prepare you for these moments in life – where others have control over your life, and they choose if you live to tell the story or if your life grows a bit shorter in years. With the entrance of Lucky aka Slade (the undercover FBI Agent) as a bonefide hardened criminal himself (as it had more to do with the psychological effects of being undercover than the truer realities of a criminal) – it put the story on an adrenaline piercing coaster of emotions. For his part, Lucky didn’t want to see an innocent fall victim to the company he was keeping. Yet, at the same time – the company he was keeping was part of a larger undercover gig which he wasn’t even sure was still in operation. There were a lot of moving parts to this story – so much so, it kept your nerves taut as you turnt the pages!
Ashley and Slade were an interesting pair. She had a keen mind and a sharp instinct for medicine, but his instincts were about the ways in which they could both survive the impossible situation they were caught inside. The crime boss who was on the brink of death and his team of criminals who wished nothing more than to have something to do aside from waiting out the hours locked inside a cabin. This is the kind of psychological suspense narrative I love to read or watch in a film. You never know what will break the tension or who is going to make the first mistake which tips off the wrong person and upends the balance of power. Slade and Ashley were each walking a tight rope – both with each other and with the others in their company. You had a feeling that no one was safe in this story – except for the people who had the most to lose if plans were foiled and ultimately lost.
When their path diverted from the others, we found Ashley and Slade on the run for their lives. I knew that moment would come because they were quite literally sitting ducks. I didn’t buy the fact that Slade’s cover story would hold – there was something wonky with how he was able to get this close to someone as powerful as his foe and not have the guy sort out the truer details of Slade’s past. Something just didn’t sit right with me about how he was still undercover after such a long time and yet, then, part of a prison break? In the storyline, Slade was contemplating the same issue I was – why was he part of the prison break and why would they want him to be out with them?
I have to admit, watching Ashley feel conflicted about her emotions and reactions to Slade was hard to watch because, we, as readers knew the truth behind Slade. He was one of the good guys who fought for the innocent and lost. Yet, she didn’t know his personal history and thereby, she was considering far more than she ought to have about why she felt connected to him and what that said about her own character. Stewart put so much time into their relationship being developed incognito from the others purview that by the time they separated themselves from the group – you could feel how fast their attraction was developing into a romance. They both shared that electric charge of chemistry between them and neither of them was willing to admit it wasn’t there.
I love when Romantic Suspense stories have more than one surprise awaiting the reader – in this particular case, it is a surprise I won’t spoilt for anyone but let’s just say Ashley isn’t as alone as she felt whilst a hostage. I was so hugged inside this novel, the pages just flew past my fingers – I was pulled so wholly into the orbit of Ashley and Slade’s romance. As there was another cabin which became their refuge from the storm which was brewing to destroy them both. A cabin wherein they both could heal a bit but also sort out their connection to each other and if it had room to breathe. That cabin became an oasis of calm and I felt it was well placed in the story. Part of me had hoped it wouldn’t be the last time we’d see them there it truly became a special place for them.
Slade and Ashley understood each other on a soulful level of connection, and I believe that was part of what fuelled the story for me. Stewart gave us a close and personal glimpse into who they could be outside of this situation and also, gave them the chance to be themselves inside that situation too. It was a unique romance from that angle of insight. As these were two people caught inside an impossible circumstance and neither of them were free and yet, romance blossomed all the same! When the story concluded, the emotions were high – not just for the characters but for myself, too, as I felt as I had lived it with them. The beauty of course, was the promise of a new tomorrow – for everyone and Stewart left me with a thankful heart as all the loose ends of the story were beautifully resolved and connected in the end.
on the contemporary romantic suspense styling of anna j. stewart:
Bringing Jack back into the series was lovely – except to say, he felt like the old Jack, the laser focused one who didn’t exactly play by the rules but knew how to get the answers he needed for a case. This time of course, it was much more personal for Jack as Ashley was his sister. Stewart truly tucks you so close to the action in this installment of the series, you dare not put the book down because even a few seconds (or passages of chapters) is enough to alter the balances between life and death in this story! She definitely knew how to write a nailbiter – where you’re eagerly hoping everything will turn out okay in the end, but you’ve gathered a few doubts about how it can work out that way as you read deeper into the novel.
I wasn’t surprised that a portion of the story involved human trafficking as it is an issue that is constantly in the headlines in our society and an issue that isn’t readily being addressed or resolved. I felt the ways in which Stewart integrated this into the story was believable and at the same time a scary reminder about how much work is still needed to be done to end this from continuing to happen over and over again. One continuing thread of narrative in the Honour Bound series is traumatic events which happen to young girls and women. Including but not limited to kidnappings, deaths and abductions. All the stories are uniquely crafted together – through shared traumas and experiences as well as how the individual characters all become interconnected to each other. She reestablishes this bond and connection within the storyline of Prison Break Hostage as well when Eamon stays with Eden and Cole.
What I love most about how Stewart keeps the continuity of the series foremost as a focus for readers who are moving through the different installments of Honour Bound is how beautiful it is to read how connective these characters remain in each other’s lives. Some authors only briefly have characters from different installments flicker in and out of a new installment of a series, but Stewart takes it a step further and truly showcases how integrated they’ve all become to each other. So much so, it is one expansive family unit – wherein, everyone chooses to be in this newfound family and everyone cares for each other with equal affection and admiration. It is one of the more beautiful aspects of the series for me as I love getting updates about characters who were focused on in the past whilst embracing other characters’ who are now in the spotlight and central focus of the current installment.
readers who gravitate towards the same stories to read.
This review is cross-posted to LibraryThing.
This review is part of my #CloakAndDagger showcases:
I originally participated in #cloakanddaggerchristmas in (2018 & 2019) – however, I lost track of the readathon in the years since then and decided to resume my concentration of reading these kinds of stories this December. As mentioned on #TheSundayPost.
A tentative list of stories I”m attempting to read for #CloakAndDaggerChristmas this year are as follows: Prison Break Hostage & The PI’s Deadly Charade by Anna J. Stewart, Death on the Golden Mile by Caleb Wygal, King of the Night by DJ Williams and Counter Attack by Particia Bradley.
whilst courtesy of the author:
This is the debut of this lovely badge I’ve created to reflect the fact I am part of the Review Team for Anna J. Stewart. As such, per my usual disclosures when I have a connection to an author – I approach each story I read by an author with fresh eyes and give my honest impressions of how a story sits with me as a reader. I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time or continuing to read their releases as they are available. In regards to being on an author’s review or street team – each story is uniquely told in of its own and my opinions and thoughts upon those stories are reflective of each experience I have with reading the stories I am given an opportunity to read.
About Ms Anna J. Stewart
USA Today and national bestselling author Anna J. Stewart writes sweet to sexy romance for Harlequin's Heartwarming and Romantic Suspense lines as well as ARC Manor. Early obsessions with Star Wars, Star Trek, and Wonder Woman set her on the path to creating fun, funny, and family-centric romances with happily ever afters for her independent heroines and the men who love them.
A former RWA Golden Heart nominee, Anna’s books have finaled in the Daphne DuMaurier and National Reader’s Choice awards. Her sweet romance RECIPE FOR REDEMPTION was recently turned into a holiday movie for UPtv (A CHRISTMAS RECIPE FOR ROMANCE) which aired during the 2019 holiday season.
Since her first novella with Harlequin in 2014, Anna has written and published more than forty romances in multiple sub-genres. Anna lives in Northern California where she deals with a serious Supernatural and Jason Momoa addiction and two slightly nutty cats named Rosie and Sherlock. When she's not writing, you can find her cooking and baking, binge-watching classic TV and cooking shows, attending fan conventions, or heading to the movies.
You can read more about Anna, her books, and the writing workshops she offers on her website linked in this biography.
{SOURCES: Cover art for the Honour Bound series “More than a Lawman”, “Reunited with the P.I.”, “Gone in the Night”, “Guarding His Midnight Witness”, “Prison Break Hostage”, “The PI’s Deadly Charade”, “Deadly Vegas Escapade”, “A Detective’s Deadly Secrets”; synopsis for “Prison Break Hostage” as well as the author’s photograph and biography were all provided by Anna J. Stewart and are used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. LibraryThing banner provided by librarything.com and used with permission. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: #CrimeFicFridays banner, #CloakAndDaggerChristmas badge, Anna J. Stewart Review Team badge, 11th Annual Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards badge (Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.) and the comment box badge.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2024.
I am a social reader | I share my bookish life on BlueSky and #bookstagram
This post was shared on #bookstagram as I read the book and after I shared my review
This post was shared on BlueSky as I read the book and after I shared my review
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- #CloakAndDaggerChristmas 2024
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