Lost But Not Forgotten [Paperback]

Alison Grant had been doing research for a pharmaceutical company deep in the Amazon before literally vanishing off the face of the earth. No one was certain if she was alive or dead. Jake O'Malley had missed his high school friend every day she had been gone those long four years, and his first conversation with her after coming home had to be that her mother had died while she was gone. He landed her another blow when he told her that he now owned her mothers house. Jake couldn't just let it be auctioned, so he sunk his last penny into buying it because he couldn't imagine Allie living anywhere else. He loved her, even after all this time, he simply loved her.

Alison didn't disappear, she was injured on the research expedition in which she now knew important data had been stolen, and while she was dealing with amnesia, she was suspected of stealing the research. She didn't know what to do, but agreed to stay with Jake until she could make some decisions. When the first phone call came in as a hang up, she brushed it off as a prank, but when they continued, she got a little nervous. Allie was also trying to brush off her growing feelings for Jake. They could barely keep their hands to themselves, and when they could stand it no longer gave into the lust that was out of control. Allie was surprised to learn of Jake's darker dominant sexual tastes, but found herself craving things she never dreamed of.

When Allie is shot, Jake vows to protect her, and find out what is going on. He has a sickening feeling that she is the target. The strange phone calls were coming in more frequently, and the police became involved when the caller finally became bold enough to tell her she was a dead woman. There was no doubt now that she was in danger.

Jake and Allie make such a terrific pair! He has loved her most of his life, and has been waiting for her to come back to him. Allie is a strong woman, but has been pushed beyond her limits, and welcomes Jake's help. Their friendship is evident, and seeing the relationship evolve is heartwarming. Plenty of very sexy and erotic scenes throughout this story. Characters are well developed, and cleverly written.

Jake had always dreamed of having Alexis Knight handcuffed to his bed, but finding the long-lost Allie in just this state when he returned home took him completely off guard. But hanky panky is the last thing on either of their mind at the moment. Allie has just regained partial memory after having amnesia for the last year, and Jake knows he must be the one to deliver some devastating news to his life-long friend and crush.

Allie has been lost for so long, and she needs more than anything to come home to something familiar. What she finds instead is that her entire world has changed, nothing is as she left it, and even her childhood friend Jake has changed in ways she never dreamed of... Surely Jake didn't look this hot before? He certainly never managed to aggravate her as much then as he does now. Worse, he seems to take a certain delight in doing so. And her quiet friend Jake wasn't this dominant - was he???

A few near accidents almost take Allie's life, and suddenly they don't look quite so much like accidents anymore. It becomes ever more evident that someone has made Allie a target, and if Jake can't protect her, he will lose her forever.

Mackenzie McKade has a reputation for the ability to make readers feel everything her characters feel. Her newest release, Lost But Not Forgotten, is a prime example of this talent! McKade ran us through the gamut of emotions in this book: fear, love, desire, pain, and more. With everything that happened to these characters, my emotions were right along with them every step of the way. Truly, it is the kind of writing that makes you forget these are fictional characters instead of friends, even if just for a short time.

The character of Alexis `Allie' Knight absolutely broke my heart. What she has been through for the last year, with only the hope of coming home to sustain her, and what she finds when she returns is just heart wrenching. If she had not come home to find her best friend Jake there to stand by her in this time of her greatest need, I am not sure how she would have coped. Although she is a strong, independent woman, the trials this woman has suffered are enough to thrust anyone past their breaking point. Dependable, trustworthy Jake proves the perfect salve to her wounded soul.

Jake is probably one of the most stand-up heroes you will find in a romance novel who never comes across as unrealistic. Jake seems real. He seems possible. I find myself hoping against hope that I will meet a man like Jake who can slip easily into his role as my best friend and lover just as Jake did for Allie. But this good guy is no pushover - in fact he is an oh-so-sexy Dominant who knows what he wants and exactly what his lover needs in the bedroom, and he is more than ready to prove it to Allie.

There were enough small clues in the suspense plot that I was able to deduce the identity of the villain in this story, although the motivation behind the culprit's dastardly actions were definitely a surprise when the big reveal came. Still, figuring out who the villain was early did not detract in the slightest from the excitement at the end of the story when everything culminated in a very exciting action scene.

Lost But Not Forgotten is a must read for anyone who enjoys tension ridden suspense plots and explosive love scenes in their romance novels! I've read it twice already and know that I will enjoy it again and again through the years.

Alexis `Allie' Knight's life has been forever altered and she has no idea what happened or why. She's spent the past year recovering physically and mentally from a trauma she suffered while working as a documentarian for a pharmaceutical company in the Amazon. Somehow she managed to escape the fire that engulfed the compound where she was staying and was found by a tribe who cared for her until she regained enough of her memory to return home. Only the home and life she remembers have undergone some major changes which she's going to find hard to accept - and all of them seem to involve her friend, Jake.

Jake O'Malley may have once been a shy, four-eyed bookworm but he's definitely changed a lot since Allie last saw him. Jake has been in love with her for years but she'd never seen him as anything more than a friend. Since her disappearance a year ago, he'd spent a lot of time with Allie's mother waiting for word from Allie - up until two weeks ago when Mabel passed away. Now he's the proud owner of Allie's childhood home and he's making changes that are just as titillating as they are shocking.

Jake had given up hope of ever seeing Allie again so coming home and finding her handcuffed to his bed is a dream come true. The only trouble is instead of her expression being desirous, she's spitting mad and their friend Johnny Cane, one of Arizona's finest, is a direct recipient of all her ire. He'd grown up with Allie and is well aware of her temper. For her safety as well as his own, he's restrained her in order to relay the news that the house she's entered no longer belongs to her mother. Not only has Allie lost a year of her life to amnesia, but she missed her last opportunities to be with her mother. Everything Allie's known and loved is gone or no longer belongs to her. Allie isn't going to take Jake's possession of her mother's house lightly and Jake isn't going to give it up without a fight. Together they may just find a way past the grief of losing a woman they loved but it's going to take some self discovery and a sexual awareness that will bring them together - just like Jake dreamed. Hopefully they can discover what really happened in the Amazon and the identity of who is trying to kill Allie before it's too late.

Mackenzie McKade's LOST BUT NOT FORGOTTEN takes readers on an emotional journey along with the characters. Allie's turmoil over her memory loss, mother's death and current circumstances really pull at your heartstrings. I couldn't help but like Jake. His love for Allie shines through the pages just as strongly as his determination to not allow her headstrong personality to set the tone for their relationship. LOST BUT NOT FORGOTTEN contains a combination of memorable characters, hot BDSM scenes and enough suspense to keep you engrossed in the story until the very end.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)