THE UNTAMED HEART - Ally Blue
Samhain Publishing - www.samhainpublishing.com
ISBN - 1- 59998- 881- X
March 2008
Erotic Gay Romantic Suspense

Los, Angeles, California, Anchorage, Alaska, and Vancouver, Canada - Present Day

Working as an assassin for a government organization, Leon Fisher, ice cold and fearless, was the best in his line of business until his lover was brutally murdered. Leon got revenge by assassinating his lover's killer, but it left him emotionally empty.  Leon now seeks solace in alcohol, and the organization he works for has given him an ultimatum; go to Alaska to dry out or else.  Leon knows that the 'or else' part does not mean a nice severance package but a bullet in the brain, so he agrees. Once in Alaska, Leon enjoys the state's wild beauty and taking long walks even though he is warned that the vast forestry surrounding the property where he lives can be dangerous. People who have strayed from the main path's trails have gotten lost, never to be found again.

Out walking one day, curiosity gets the better of Leon when he sees a pair of eyes staring at him through the forest's lush green bushes. He thinks about turning around, pretending he had not noticed, but Leon changes his mind. The next thing he knows, he is hit in the back of the head and is pulled, thrashing and struggling, into the lake's fierce tide. Leon manages to save himself, but passes out just as he reaches shore. When Leon comes to, he is naked, his wounds have been tended to, and a fire is blazing. Leon's savior is named Grim.

THE UNTAMED HEART has plenty to recommend it. A well written story, richly, drawn settings that were really a joy to read, and a brash, edgy, wounded and, lethal hero, who just happens to be gay. There is plenty of suspense and action, but some awful stuff happens to characters in this book, and Grim, as a romantic interest for Leon, makes for some uncomfortable reading. Grim is truly damaged emotionally. The sex between Grim and Leon is at first uneasy and awkward, to say the least, as Leon is never sure if Grim wants him or is putting on an act. When Leon finds out more about Grim's past, he wonders if two wounded souls, such as they, can forge a real relationship. What about Leon's dangerous past?  Grim is about twenty-years old, eleven years younger than Leon, so if  you are uncomfortable with an eleven-year age difference between romantic interests, maybe this book is not for you.

I recommend THE UNTAMED HEART, but it is not a lighthearted story.  The characters are emotionally damaged and capable of doing terrible things. In the end, any peace they find is tainted.

Nickole Yarbrough