Review: The Lost

Reviewed by Jen
 

Adam Bruno is no ordinary man.  Unfortunately, he doesn't know exactly what he is.  As a child, some traumatic event robbed him of his memories.  The only family he has is Salvatore, the adopted father who raised him.  But even Salvatore is wary of his powers.  Adam manipulates energy; he can siphon it from other living things; he can direct it outward; he can even shapeshift.  But there is a growing disquiet within him. Something is missing and he feels a void that he doesn't know how to fill.

We learn early on that Salvatore is planning to betray his adopted son.  He cares for Adam, but he has big plans for his son's gifts. Salvatore has made contact with Alexander, a man who has similar powers to Adam.  Both men, for their own reasons, want Adam to mate with a woman of his own kind in order to create a new generation of power.

While all these machinations are going on, Bobbie enters Adam's life with the force of a hurricane. She is an Iraq war vet, who is recovering from serious injuries. But she still helps thwart a kidnapping attempt on Adam when she sees it happening. There is instant chemistry between these two.  And while Bobbie has never believed herself to be anything other than human, Adam sees more within her. 

Both Adam and Bobbie are terrified of opening themselves up to anyone else.  Adam is afraid of his powers and the damage they can do.  Bobbie needs to hide all of her scars, both inside and out. Yet, they forge a fragile relationship... one that grows as the book progresses. 

It took me a little while to invest in the story.  Several characters are introduced in a very short time and there is extensive world-building surrounding Adam's people.  And honestly, I struggled at times to keep everyone straight.  But despite that, Caridad Pineiro created two main characters that were very sympathic and I found myself rooting for their happy ending.  It's always a peeve of mine when a couple throws out the "L"-word after only a few days together --and unfortunately that was the case here. However, I did enjoy the love scenes and the way they transcend traditional sex.  Overall... I liked it, but I didn't love it.  3 1/2 stars.

P.S. Check out the book trailer:



*ARC Provided by NetGalley

The Lost

by Caridad Pineiro

Release Date: July 26, 2011

Publisher: Forever