Hide and Seek

Family Reunions #1

by Lynette Eason

SHE WON'T GIVE UP Erica James has spent the past three years as a skip tracer, hunting down others and hoping one day it will lead to her kidnapped daughter. Now she has a new suspect-Max Powell's missing sister. Max, a private investigator, has found evidence that connects the two missing girls, and together, he and Erica search for answers. The closer they get to finding answers, the stronger their feelings for each other become. But the kidnapper will stop at nothing-including murder-to keep them from finding Erica's daughter. 

Family Reunions: Bringing loved ones back together

Genres: Romance, Love Inspired Suspense, Christian, Christian Fiction, Love Inspired, Fiction, Suspense

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Lynette Eason grew up in Greenville, SC. She graduated from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, and then obtained her masters in education from Converse College. Author of twenty inspirational romantic suspense books, she is also a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). In 1996, Lynette married "the boy next door" and now she and her husband and their two children make their home in Simpsonville, South Carolina."

Series:
. Amazon Adventure
. High Stakes
. Women of Justice

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
A very good mystery about a mother who simply can’t believe her kidnapped daughter is dead—so much so that she becomes a private investigator of sorts, specializing in missing people, in order to give herself a better chance of finding her precious Molly. I really liked this feature of Erica’s personality.

Max is trying to prove his little sister isn’t guilty of the kidnapping, despite the dark shadows in her life. He’s been trying to prove he can overcome his bad childhood for years, and surely he can’t have failed Lydia that badly...

I liked this couple, and I also really liked how they came to the defense of their accused siblings. It made it very easy to root for them.

[Sarita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this romantic suspense from Lynette Eason. The mystery around Molly's disappearance and Lydia's possible involvement was intriguing. I figured out the kidnapper 50% of the book, but there was a few other suspects thrown into the pool which gave me some doubts about my suspicions, but was not surprised when the kidnapper was revealed.

The ending was realistic given the circumstances.

All in all an enjoyable romantic suspense.

[Hallie (Hallie Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Reading Challenge Categories:
-#Ampersand2019 Reading Challenge: A book with "and" in the title
-#LitsyAtoZ: H

[Joy Crain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Erica James WILL NOT GIVE UP. For three years she has pursued every possible lead that could lead her to find her missing daughter. Now, after years of dead ends, she has a new lead. A young woman's DNA was found on something her daughter wore. Now all she has to do is bring her in for questioning and maybe she'll be able to see her daughter again.

Max needs to find his sister first before Erica does. Erica is sure that his sister had something to do with her missing daughter, but Max can't believe that his sister would ever be involved with something like this.

This was a great read for those who loves cozy romantic suspense.

This book is appropriate for ages 13 and up for violence.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hide and Seek was an okay read. I guessed early on who the"bad guy" was and struggled with how long it took them to figure things out. Also, there were times when characters did things that were just unbelievable to me and that reduced my enjoyment.

The romance was fine, but not a favorite. I didn't connect with any of the characters, so I didn't really care how things ended up with them.

All in all, this was an okay read that I probably won't reread.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

[Dorel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book's story line was okay. This story was very slow but got better towards end. I liked Erica's character. My heart broke 💔 for Erica. I liked Max's character. My heart broke 💔 for Max. I liked ending.

[Joleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good story with decent character complications mixed into the kidnapping of Erica's daughter.

I felt, though, that the romance was a bit much. Romance and goosebumps for a man would be the last thing on my mind if after three years of searching for my child I was given clues and a renewed hope of finding her. It wasn’t realistic. Being his friend as they searched for the people involved in her kidnapping would have been ample. But the kissing and pronouncement of love in only days of their collaboration was a bit absurd.

A bit of a disappointment.

[Jessie Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved

I surely love books written by this author. The chemistry between Max and Erica is slow but there. A HEA with all family members too.

[Hsiau Wei · Rating 3 out of 5]

Erica has never given up hope in looking for her missing daughter despite that it happened more than 3 years ago. Molly was kidnapped during a school trip at the age of 3. A new lead indicated that Molly’s shirt and finger print was found in an abandoned house. She went there in the hope that she would find Lydia, a drug addict whom she believe have a connection to the kidnapping of Molly. Upon her arrival, she heard Lydia’s scream and saw she was being attacked. Following her to the house is Max, Lydia’s stepbrother and a P.I. It was there that both Erica and Max met and the start of an informal cooperation to find the truth behind Molly’s kidnapping. Contrary to what Erica think, Max doesn’t believe that Lydia is involved in the kidnapping but he did acknowledged that she is in deep trouble. He wanted to find her before it is too late.

This book tells a story of full of dramatic suspense, action and faith. It is also a story of perseverance and positive thinking. I admired Erica for her belief and her determination to find her daughter despite she have missing for 3 years. Though it is a happy ending in the end, I find it disturbing and feel sorry for Erica. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book despite that it is a story of missing child, a subject that I find it disturbing to my peace of mind in view that I am a mother myself.

[Wendy Sparkes · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 Family Reunions

When her child was went missing 3 years ago Erica James became a skip tracer so she could spend time helping other families with lost children as well as focus her skills on finding her own little girl.

So Finding the Lost was started, and has been very successful at finding children ~ just not her own.

A new clue has just been found.

Erica is going to leave no stone unturned in the hunt for her daughter. Even when the threats arrive telling her to back off.

Private Investigator Max Powell turned his cops badge in for a PI license so he could find his sister. It seems that his sister could be linked to the missing Molly ~ but how. She wasn't involved...was she?


Definitely more of a darker cloud hanging over this story, and I think that has a lot to do with the fact that a child has been kidnapped. There was also a lot of jealousy in this one which I found harder to deal with, but overall was pulled into the story.

#2 #3

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tend to stay away from Christian-fiction for my own personal reasons hat I will not go into here, but after reading the blurb for this one I must admit to being intrigued. So, I thought "what the heck, why not?" and must admit it was an emotional story with lots of family drama concerning a child's kidnapping, drug addiction, and a family that doesn't speak to each other anymore. There were parts I didn't like, but more that I did although I did figure out who the kidnapper was very early into the story. All in all, it was a very clean romantic suspense. I'm glad I gave it a try.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

[Ethan Wells (Ethan's Clean Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great read with plenty of twists and that will leave you guessing.

Negative Content

Brandon, Erica's brother, disagrees with Erica for wanting to forgive her mother for the past, saying she should hate her.

It is thought that the bad guy did something that lead to the death of said bad guy's father in the hospital.

Erica's ex-husband divorced her, bailing on her and their daughter. Erica later gets engaged to another guy, which I didn't agree with.

Because of the things above, it knocked it down to 3 star, but it is still a great book and I would probably read it again.

[JoAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Lynette Eason's writing, because it's not slow paced, but I have to say, this book was a bit too fast paced for me. But other than that, I liked the story line, the characters and the ending.

[DeAnn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have like more character development.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Hide and Seek" is a Christian romantic suspense. Erica's young daughter was kidnapped in a public spot in a moment when she looked away. She now works to solve other people's missing persons cases even as she searches for her daughter. Max is looking for his sister, who seems to have been involved in the kidnapping somehow, but he won't accept that. Since Max's sister is the main clue, they worked together to find her and solve the case.

They bonded over 'I don't believe my sibling is guilty even though the evidence points toward them' as Erica's brother appeared to be involved in several attacks on them. While an enjoyable enough story, I suspected whodunit a long time before they did and rather wondered why no one had suspected that person.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting romantic suspense.

[Donna Satterlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had just finished a couple books by this author I enjoyed and this one was suggested. It was an okay read.

Erica James daughter was kidnapped three years ago and she continues to search for her. Now, after years of dead ends, she has a new lead. A young woman's DNA was found on something her daughter wore. Now all she has to do is bring her in for questioning and maybe she'll be able to see her daughter again.

Max needs to find his sister first before Erica does. Erica is sure that his sister had something to do with her missing daughter, but Max can't believe that his sister would ever be involved with something like this.

Romantic suspense and good characters but it was obvious who had kidnapped her daughter. The ending seemed almost unexciting.

[Carmi Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erica James has a skip trace business specializing in finding lost children. The one child she can’t find is her own daughter Molly, who was kidnapped while on a field trip to the zoo. From page one this book is fast paced and exciting. The police find new evidence about Molly’s disappearance and on page one we find Erica looking for a crack house attempting to locate Lydia Powell, the girl whose fingerprints were on the new evidence. Lydia’s brother Max is also at the crack house trying to find her. Erica and Max go through quite a lot in this fast paced Christian suspense. I will admit I had my suspicions about who the kidnapper was but was not sure until it was revealed. Another win for Lynette Eason!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. So many moving parts. The main theme of Erica searching for her kidnapped daughter was suspense enough. Then Max enters the picture. His sister, Lydia, is wanted for questioning in connection with the kidnapping. Erica's brother, Peter, is a drug addict and is always in the places where someone is trying to kill Erica. Max and Erica have lots of people helping them try to solve the mystery. Max and Erica are falling in love but wonder if Lydia and Peter's problems will keep them apart because each believes their sibling is innocent. Who ends up being the kidnapper is totally and unexpected suspect but a great ending to the book.

[Vera M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read. Great suspense, while I had a strong suspicion of who it was early on, it didn't take away from the story at all. I feel like there could have been more in depth with some of the characters, but it wasn't completely lacking either.
A "clean" romance happens and it was done pretty well. While it is one of those instant love/like things, it didn't feel completely forced and out of place either. It is a christian fiction and done in a very nice way. Still has most of the elements everyone would look forward to in a romantic suspense.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twists & turns

Hid & Seek revolves around the kidnapped daughter of a woman who would never give up on finding the daughter who was taken @ 3 years of age and who had been gone for three years. In the search she meets Max, who is hunting for his sister Lydia--the same Lydia that Emily is seeking as a suspect in the kidnapping. Max & Emily team up & in the process of the search they fall in love. Putting aside reality helps a bit when reading this book. But its a quick read and i would recommend it for light reading.

[Mishael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, solid thriller ... another, I should say. Lynette Eason hasn't disappointed me yet. The mystery wasn't too much of a mystery. I knew who the bad guy was before the main characters did, but that's forgivable in a suspense. There's plenty of action and sweet romance ... although the romantic hero's hatred of all homeless people is weird. Still, people DO make weird choices in the face of trauma. So, it's not completely unbelievable. If you're looking for an enjoyable romantic suspense story, you'll find one here.

[Samaria McKnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Warning: SPOILERS** This is the fastest I’ve ever finished a novel. I think it’s because I COULD NOT put it down!!! From the loving nature between Max and Erica to the plot twist near the end of the book where it was Erica’s best friend Denise who took Molly. It was ALL GREAT! I feel bad for Molly because she only knew Denise as her mom cause she had been kidnapped and held with her for 3 years. I hope the therapy helped her more and more. I would love a second book that continues their story.

[Andrea Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story. I loved how the missing persons cases were presented. Each lead had a missing relative: his sister and her daughter. That ramped up the stakes from the beginning. Missing persons cases are a favorite trope of mine, and this one was very well done.

I liked Max’s faith thread. It was great to see him learn not to judge people by their looks.

I might have figured out the guilty party long before the big reveal, but I loved how many options there were to choose from!

Content: drugs

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. raising to 4 stars.

First book I've read by this author. Book group choice. I enjoyed reading, thought I knew who kidnapper was, a couple of red herrings thrown in.

Clean romance. Faith and prayer mentioned often, fine with me. The story and the characters were the focus, and well done.

[Mariah H · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a new author to read I highly recommend Lynette Eason. I find that she writes very well, she has complex plot lines that keep you entertained till the end.
I will say that if you have trouble with frightening scenes or heavy topics then her books probably aren't your cup of tea.
but over all, a riveting read.

[Judine Brey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the premise of this novel, which is a mother creating a missing persons company while she continues to search for her daughter. Erica's search for her daughter created a nice counterpoint to Max's search for his sister. The criminal was properly foreshadowed, and lent to the story's believable ending.

[Patricia Hagge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

A very good story about the growth and maturing of character through some astounding circumstances. An abduction of a child, a persistent mother, and other characters that brought the story to life. I didn’t figure it all out, only parts of it. It tied up nicely in the end.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lynette Eason is a consistent "five-star" author with her exciting Christian romances. She continues that tradition with this book.

Editing errors: called / caller ; may / might ; try and / try to. Missing from text: do.

[Emslo · Rating 3 out of 5]

An exciting romantic suspense featuring two people searching for missing family members, who team up to solve the mystery. The resolution wasn’t a big surprise to me, but I did like the main characters, as well as the plot features of homeless shelters and drug addiction recovery.

[Patricia M. Marston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story!

This book kept my interest on many levels - family dynamics, trying to solve the mystery, and Christian values. I didn't want the story to end.