Lost Hearts (Masters & Mercenaries: The Forgotten #1)

Possible spoilers.
Couldn’t really get interested until Chapter 20 and felt the romance between Jax and River was so histrionically soap opera bad (not just the women, but the men too) that it was unbelievable. Too much over the top drama, internal dialogue of he said/she said, oh he lied to me, but love the hot sex so I can overlook everything. I like smart female main characters and River might as well put a kick me sign on her back with her insecure, low self esteem, loser attitude. (She had to be talked into filing a police report on her ex because she’d rather have her pity party than going after him with guns blazing.) Her sham of a marriage to a slick con artist who ran off with all her and her dying father’s money should have taught her a life lesson, but NO she picks up Jax who is a complete stranger at a bar, can’t figure out why such a hottie would be interested in her and has a one night stand because all she’s looking for is sex. When she wakes the next morning and finds him gone, she’s devastated. She was looking for just a night of sex and she’s crushed he didn’t stick around? When she finds out what Jax did to her ex-husband, she doesn’t run for the hills because he could just as easily do that to her, but no she’s cool with it, no alarm bells, no suspicions on his abilities. You have a multitude of characters from previous books showing up, real names and fake names with the same characters which made it hard to keep everyone straight and trying to remember their back story. It isn’t until Chapter 20 that they finally get down to the mission and have had guns pulled on them, not knowing who to trust, and what is the number one goal for Jax and River? To have as much sex as possible out in the woods and get her pregnant. Common sense had left the building long ago, if it ever existed. The story doesn’t end with this book, but continues onto the next one. I’m disappointed enough to just ditch this spin off series . It’s gotten to be a caricature of the original franchise. The first books in the Master and Mercenaries series were great, but now the story seems phoned in and silly. The female main characters lately are all damsels in distress full of self pity and wringing their hands. It’s hard to believe that this is the author who created Charlotte, smart, brave, and so bad ass, but still had romance in her heart.

Ive been waiting for the Lost Boys stories since we found out about them, and I was not disappointed. Memento Mori was a fabulous way to kick off this series, and Jax was a fabulous hero. This first book in Lexi Blakes Masters and Mercenaries: the Forgotten also gave us a lot of our favorite characters from the original Masters and Mercenaries series as well as a look at our friends from Bliss. It was an exciting ride with a lot of nostalgia and laughter.

Jax was a lot more sweet-tempered than most of Lexi Blakes heroes, and I was in love with him. He was unafraid of his feeling and expressing how deeply he cared for and needed River. While I do love her formidable alpha males, Jax vulnerability some of which was easily attributed to his naivet made him one of the most sympathetic male characters Ive read from Ms. Blake. Even though he wasnt as hard as other characters, he was no doubt an alpha male. His instincts ran to the caveman side of things, but he was able to temper them and only let out his protective and possessive compulsions at highly opportune times.

River was more of a wild card for me. She was frustrating to the extreme at times, even if I understood why she vacillated between love and hate so often and easily. I was exceedingly happy she looked out for herself after what shed been through. In the end, though, I was affected by her strength and how much she had grown into her own throughout the novel.

The plot of Memento Mori was excellent. The Lost Boys were equally hilarious and heartbreaking. Their innocence of the world coupled with their criminal pasts and extreme skills in combat and military-level espionage and investigation made this book incredibly unique, since they didnt know how to operate in day to day life, but were easily capable of planning a complex infiltration operation. I loved how Lexi Blake threaded so many different elements weve been following through her other stories into Memento Mori, and it made the experience of the book incredibly rewarding.

Lexi Blake is one of my must-read authors, and this book showed me exactly why. Her characters are complex and perfectly flawed, her plots are intriguing and intense, and her writing complements the action and erotica her includes wonderfully. Ive loved all of her series, to date, but there was something more special about The Forgotten, and I cant wait to see what else she has in store for our Lost Boys.

A new release from Lexi Blake is always an eagerly awaited event with high expectations. Memento Mori not only meets but far exceeds those expectations. I loved these characters who had such depth, emotional fragility, resilience, and intelligence. I was excited by storylines that was imbued with fast paced action, hilarity, drama, intrigue suspense and raw emotions. For me personally a Lexi Blake novel is the ultimate reading experience.

Jax Seaborne needs to break free from the confinement, both real and psychological, that he’s been in since his “rebirth” at the hands of Hope MacDonald. River Lee needs to learn how to live again, love again and trust after being conned out of everything by her ex husband . Maybe finding each other is what they both need. The mission to find MacDonald’s research puts Jax and River squarely in the crosshairs of the warring Agency factions. The need to keep them along with the rest of the Lost Boys safe has Ian Taggart and Ezra Fain using all available resources ans scrambling to stay one step ahead of their pursuers.

This book is a continuation from Lexi Blake’s previous Masters & Mercenaries series and really should be read in order so that you can follow the storyline.

No plot spoilers!

We follow beautiful soul, Jax, as he learns about life again. His longing for connection is written so well it brings both tears and laughter.

This is a highly emotive book of loss and love and it has been a feast for the soul to read.

There is little sex but what there is, is perfectly well written and proportionate.

I fell in love with the Lost Boys when Big Tag named them after freeing them and the author has produced a blindingly good book based on characters and plotlines that have been carried throughout the series.

With their memories erased, all the lost boys can remember is the devastating, brutal past inflicted upon them at the hands of a mad woman. They have now been given a second chance at life. Their mission to Bliss should have been simple. Locate the facility that will hopefully hold the secrets to their original past. For Jax, this was easier said than done. One look at River, the local wilderness guide and hes smitten. She awakens something in him that he thought had been lost forever, hope and love! River herself has her own issues with trust, will she be able to open herself up to Jax or will his past be too much of an obstacle to overcome? I loved the fact that this story is set in Bliss. I get to catch up with some of my favourite residents. This first story of the lost boys blew me away. It was tragic, brutal, dramatic, explosive and devastatingly heart breaking.

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