Stolen Faith (Trinity Masters: Crossroads Contempt Series)
Mari Carr, Lila Dubois
Blurb:
Izabel didn’t
expect her marriage to include kidnapping and torture. The honeymoon hasn’t
even begun before she and her new husbands are kidnapped by a group of
dangerous zealots.
She only just met
the men she’ll marry, but one of them is hiding his dangerous past. She’ll have
to embrace and accept that darkness, because it will take all three of them
working together to discover who their enemies are, and what they want.
No matter what
their captors do, the one thing they can never reveal is that they’re in an
arranged ménage marriage because they’re members of America’s oldest and most powerful
secret society. If they fail to defeat this enemy, they’ll lose more than their
tenuous bond, or their freedom. They could very well lose their lives.
Themes: Menage
Rating: 4.25 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
What
is this world coming to when a secret society of menage lovers can no longer
rule government and civilization without people getting all self-righteous and
kidnapping newlyweds? In this newest story from partners-in-crime Mari Carr and
Lil Dubois we get to see how three such newly bound individuals will fight for
their lives and their chance at an HEA when a group of bigoted morons try their
hand at kidnapping and exposing the Trinity Masters to the world. I absolutely love this series and have been a
fan since I picked up book number two after being in love with Mari Carr’s
other series, never imaging just how deep and dark some of these stories and
the linked Masters’ Admirability
series were going to take us into the human psyche and the world
of espionage and historical secrets. I
enjoyed this story very much, despite that dark nature of the plotline, but I really
wish there had been more of their time after their rescue and before their
final binding ceremony, just to enjoy their day-to-day lives and watching them
falling deeper in love. I am dying to
see what comes next in these connected worlds and see just what could go wrong
next, but I know whatever it is nothing will prepare us for the triad that
finds themselves called to the altar and whatever amazing adventure they will
live together.
Izabel
Serra knew that when she was finally called to the altar her life would be
changed forever, but she never imagined it would be because her and her new fiancés
would be kidnapped on their second night together. Brennon
Reyes is a sexy Hollywood screenwriter and Rowan Greene is a former special
forces pilot, but none of them are any match for the small private army that
invades their hotel suite determined to take them hostage, despite Rowan’s efforts
and willingness to inflict maximum damage.
When the three of them ultimately wake up in a glorified prison deep in
the woods, none of them know what they are in for, but they know it’s not going
to be a walk in the park. As their captors’
torture and beat them, working to break their bodies and spirits, their
connections deepens and they come to depend on one another, but as the danger
becomes more and more deadly, they know they have to work together to escape. When they are transported to another
location, ultimately, they find themselves reunited with the kidnapped Grand Master
and her husband, and the five of them work together to turn the tables of their
captors, but the damage had been done.
Can they prevent the world from learning about the Trinity Masters and
their malicious and hateful kidnappers from bringing to light a secret that has
been kept for centuries? And in all of that time can three people mutually find
love or have they lost their chance to find a loving connection and a way to
build their future?
These three were put through some serious crap at the very beginning
of their relationship for sure, not to say that others in these series haven’t been,
because there have certainly been darker stories. Izabel is a ball buster and brash from the
very beginning and I was certainly afraid her sassy mouth was going to get her
in trouble with the kidnappers more than once, but that sarcasm certainly
helped her out more than once. She was
able to bring herself back from the brink more than once when I can say I would
have lost my mind for sure, and that strength and determination made her a
beautiful character. I loved seeing her
standing up to their captors, not only to get their attention to protect her
men, but also in order to simply get back a piece for herself, because I
certainly understand that need for vengeance. She was also sweet and vulnerable
when she allowed herself to find that safety in her men’s arms, willing to let
down those thick walls and offer herself to them, so they can see the heart of
her. Brennon is definitely the softest and lightest of the trio, not to say he
was weak, but his ability to find lightness through the dark was definitely the
key to their survival more than once and I respect that ability. He was hilarious, sweet, loving, charming,
and the perfect match for his lovers, bringing them the balance to their
dominance and darkness in order that their triad wouldn’t always be filled with
seriousness and solemnity. Seeing him
bring Rowan out of his dark shell, finding the heart of the man, even as he
backed him up and protected them in times of needs shows that he could be
counted on to be just what they needed and of course he was always the soft arms
that Izabel needed when she was ready to fall apart and release her fears and
pain. Rowan has a lot of demons in his
past, and pain from his time in the military, but his greatest darkness is his fear
that he won’t be able to protect those he loves, so when he finds himself in
just that nightmare, he is almost unable to function. But his dedication to making sure that Izabel
and Brennon make it home safely shows that he will give everything, even his
last breath to protect them and get them out of their captivity. He is strong, brave, clever, intelligent, and stubborn enough to do
whatever he has to, despite his fears, and when he finally opens his heart to
Izabel and Brennon, we see just how damaged he truly is. When they are finally free, able to relax
and live their lives, we get to see that Rowan can heal with his lovers help
and will be the perfect husband to them and support them with every fiber of his
being.
This
story really resonated with me, in this world filled with liars, bigots, and
hate, coming down to truly being a story of one man with entirely too much
power and greed who almost cost five good people their lives and ultimately
would have sacrificed them for his lies.
I’ll try not to spoil the story
but honestly if people just stopped living their lives so self-wrapped and
evil, this story wouldn’t even have ever been able to be conceived by our great
writers of mischief… But I digress. This
story has a great flow, the plotline one we have been dying to see the ending
to, with great buildup, flow, and ultimately an ending to the story arc that
answers all our questions. I was
thrilled to see this throuple find their HEA and get to their binding ceremony to
they can continue to build their lives and give their love a true chance for a
future. Izabel is a strong and sweet
woman that needs two men to counter her and give her the balance she needs and
when she finds those perfect men, despite the deadly circumstance of their time
together she will do whatever it takes to claim and protect them. Brennon is
the lighthearted and sweet one of the trio, though he has no experience in
these situations, he will do whatever is needed to keep his lovers safe and
most importantly sane as they work to escape and turn the table son their
captors. Rowan has given up on ever having
an open and loving relationship, but he will keep his new lovers safe at even
the cost of his own life, but he must find a way to get them all home safely
because the longer he knows them the more he needs them. These three, plus the Grand Master and captured
husband are all that stands between the Trinity Masters and discovery, but they
are up to the challenge. I loved the ending of this story, even though there were
some very dark and tear-inducing moments, so fair warming to those readers that
can’t handle it. The passion between these
three is not as apparent as in some previous stories as they aren’t able to
connect physically through much of the story but the connection is certainly
apparent and as it builds the love deepens and solidifies. I am dying to see
where these series take us next and I suspect that the next story will be in
the Masters’
Admirability series, though it just a guess. As always, Mari and Lila have a deft hand at
leading readers into the darkness to show us that only in the darkness can you
find the true light of love and I for one will keep coming back for more!
*eARC provided by author for the
purpose of an honest and unbiased review.
No compensation was provided.
