Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Lost in Me by Barbara J. Hancock

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Title: Lost in Me

Author: Barbara J. Hancock

Publisher: Harlequin Books S.A. 2013

Only available on Harlequin website HERE and it’s free!

How I read it: Free On-line Read from Publisher

Rating: 5 Cups

Released from hospital into the care of the man whose eyes have haunted her for a year, a troubled artist returns to Belle Aimée. The antebellum New Orleans mansion is the site of a tragedy Chloe's mind will not disclose. It's also home to an unseen presence that traces her steps, visits her studio and lingers near her bedroom.

Waking and sleeping, Chloe grasps at scraps of memory that flutter about her, alighting eventually on her countless canvases. Only under the stormy eyes—and electrifying touch—of Jonathan La Croix does Chloe begin to remember what they once were to each other. What they could be again. Such a man cannot be forgotten forever…. (taken from Harlequin’s website)

 My Thoughts:

 Suffering from amnesia and unable to get the image of an unknown man out of her mind, Chloe’s days and nights are consumed with painting this mystery man, but she finds no matter how hard she tries she cannot get the eyes right and she has no idea why it’s so important to her.

When she’s released from the hospital and delivered to the gates of Belle Aimée, an antebellum mansion in New Orleans, she finds Jonathan La Croix, the man from her painting waiting to take of care of her. While she has found the owner of the mysterious eyes, she is still consumed by the painting that is slowly revealing the memories she lost and the undeniable attraction she feels for this mysterious man.


 Barbara J. Hancock kicks off a new Harlequin imprint, HarlequinE Shivers, and she does it with amazing style and flare. It’s been a while since I’ve read a true gothic tale that intrigued and sent chills down my spine, but Lost in Me did just that. I was hooked from the start with the alluring writing and mystery that was unfolding.


Told from Chloe’s point of view, Hancock’s attention to detail was so lush and vivid I could almost feel the paint on my fingers as Chloe painted. She truly brought the characters to life. I could feel Chloe’s overwhelming urge to paint as well as her struggle to find her lost memories. And Jonathan had that laid-back New Orleans persona that amplified the gothic tone of the story.


What thoroughly surprised me was the way the author flawlessly blended strong sensuality and gothic mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed Lost in Me and purchased HarlequinE Shivers January bundle just to read more from this talented author and this new gothic line.

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1 comment:

Janelle said...

Thanks for sharing the review for this. I had heard about Shivers just wasn't sure when it was coming out.