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C.U.F.F. #1
Seized By Darkness
Eight long years hostage Nicole Carson has lived a nightmare as the mistress of a mafia lord. When her captor brings home another kidnapped victim, she seizes the opportunity to save herself, her son and the young girl, leaving the Russian for dead. In order to stay alive and save the family she hasn't seen in years from the mafia family's wrath, she must disappear as if she's never existed.
A sting to bring down the largest human trafficking ring in the country goes south for U.S. Marshal William Haus and his C.U.F.F. team. C.U.F.F. catches a break when the mistress of the Russian kingpin is captured with a kidnapped victim. Will bargains with the beautiful mistress. If she helps secure evidence against the mafia, she'll earn a new life for her and her son. But when Will learns Nicole's true identity, he wants to call the operation off. Nicole begs the handsome marshal to keep her secret and allow her to put her life on the line for her family.
A game of cat and mouse plays out between the U.S. Marshal and the ruthless Russian. The prize neither man wants to give up is Nicole.
A sting to bring down the largest human trafficking ring in the country goes south for U.S. Marshal William Haus and his C.U.F.F. team. C.U.F.F. catches a break when the mistress of the Russian kingpin is captured with a kidnapped victim. Will bargains with the beautiful mistress. If she helps secure evidence against the mafia, she'll earn a new life for her and her son. But when Will learns Nicole's true identity, he wants to call the operation off. Nicole begs the handsome marshal to keep her secret and allow her to put her life on the line for her family.
A game of cat and mouse plays out between the U.S. Marshal and the ruthless Russian. The prize neither man wants to give up is Nicole.
340 pages, Paperback
First published July 19, 2012
61 people are currently reading
2198 people want to read
About the author
Autumn Jordon
16 books153 followersAward-winning author Autumn Jordon is a quiet nut with a reputation for finding trouble. She lives with her husband, who supplies her with support and tons of laughs, along the Appalachian Trail in northeast Pennsylvania.
Crafting stories has always been part of her life. When AJ’s not writing, she enjoys her family, her dogs and cat, her friends, great books, gardening, walking the trails and traveling with her own hero. No matter what Autumn is doing, she’s busy dreaming up ideas to put the characters of her romantic thrillers in grave danger.
Follow her on Goodreads or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/authorAutumn...
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 29, 2012
REVIEW EDITED JULY 29, 2012 (author's e-mail)
A gust blew across the field and lifted a strand of hair across her face. He grabbed the opportunity before she could react and brushed the silky strands back, trailing his fingers along her smooth jaw line.
[image error]
Dear Nicole,
Honestly, I admire your courage and your strength, and you're a good mom too. Having said that, I'm very glad that you never lost hope. Ultimately, it's what keeps you alive and then there's Luka too. Luka is four-years old now, and you have to keep going on for your little guy. You were sixteen when the bad guys kidnapped you. For eight years you were in a very dark and scary place. Gorgon Novokoff raped you and you had to act as a sex slave. He even gave you another name: Katrina. You've learned to respond to the Russian name pretty quickly or you'd suffer the consequences. As a matter of fact Gorgon is a very evil and violent man, and I can't imagine what terrible deeds you had to overcome while being held captive. Rest assured you have my sympathy, and I really believe that you deserve your HEA with Will. It's understandable that you're missing your family so much--your mom, dad, and your siblings. You're clinging to your memories and you're afraid that Gorgon could kill them. I get it that you want to protect them. But time was running out. Somehow you had to leave Gorgon before your son would be infected by his father's evilness.
Enter US Marshall William Haus.
"You're a strong woman, Nicole," Will said behind her.
Will is utterly determined to shut down Novokoff's child trafficking ring. He is offering you a deal. Hence, you believed that Will would be your best bet to get away from the Novokoff family. Indeed. Despite his initial hang-ups, Will helped you to set up your new life. He took you and your little boy into protective custody. Gorgon's father, however, offered a very high reward to anyone who would bring Luka and you back to him. It's a difficult task for Will to keep you and Luka safe. While he's busy doing his job, it's inevitable that you're feeling attracted to each other. Somehow you fell hard for Will. Your romance evolved slowly yet steadily. Frankly, it was cute to see you and Will together. Your love scene was very playful and sweet. I enjoyed it. Furthermore, I loved to see Will interact with Luka. He liked "Uncle" Will a lot. Luka even worshipped the ground on which he stood. And you wished that Will would be Luka's father.
Tell your creator that I really liked your story. I appreciate Autumn's engrossing writing style and she sure does entertain her readers. Without a doubt the plot was interesting and I got a kick out of the suspense part. I can't remember anymore when I read my last romantic suspense novel. Therefore, I'm glad I gave your story a go. A lot of the characters are very likable and well-drawn. Additionally, I think some of the secondary characters were set up for future stories. At least I can see some potential here and I hope that we will see more of Chase Hunter and Aden Nash.
Nicole, I truly wish you a life full of love and laughter. You deserve it.
Take care.
Baba
What I disliked
I wanted to read an epilogue. Hence, the ending felt too rushed for my liking.
In all honesty there are just too much grammar/spelling issues and there are missing words as well. It was a bit distracting at times. Admittedly, English is not my mother tongue, and I'm clueless about English punctuation since I've never learned how to apply the rules. However, I think my English is good enough to recognize grammar and spelling problems. Even though I can get past such issues, I seriously doubt that every native English speaker will react so kindly. The bottom line is that I strongly believe that the story could have benefited from better editing.
Here are a few examples
Nicole instead of Nicelle, closest instead of closet, winced instead of winched, etc.
And the first time I met Will he had blue eyes, however, when I was halfway through the book his eye color changed to grey.
Like many men, his blue eyes trailed over her, except his scrutiny held not a hint of lust. Loathing laid in their coolness.
She'd doubled checked her windows… How about: She'd double-checked her windows…
She slid out from under comforter. How about: She slid out from under the comforter.
There's a boy named Tory and then his name changed to Tony.
"Get the boy right of here." How about: "Get the boy right out of here."
I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Autumn! I appreciate it.
UPDATE / AUTHOR'S E-MAIL:
Thank you so much for the great review! I made the corrections you noted. However, I can not find a reference to grey eyes or Nicelle. If you can point them out by page number, line, or %, I'd appreciate it greatly. Next time I will hire a different copy-editor.
I don't know if I should respond to you on GR that the corrections have been made. It would be wrong of me to ask you to remove that portion of the review, since they have been corrected, I guess. If you have an opinion on how I should handle, please let me know.
Again, thank you so much for the wonderful review. AJ
ps: Chase will have his adventure next, and you will see more of Will and Nicole. ;>)
http://www.autumnjordon.com/
Seized By Darkness on sale now.
His Witness To Evil on Amazon
A gust blew across the field and lifted a strand of hair across her face. He grabbed the opportunity before she could react and brushed the silky strands back, trailing his fingers along her smooth jaw line.
[image error]
Dear Nicole,
Honestly, I admire your courage and your strength, and you're a good mom too. Having said that, I'm very glad that you never lost hope. Ultimately, it's what keeps you alive and then there's Luka too. Luka is four-years old now, and you have to keep going on for your little guy. You were sixteen when the bad guys kidnapped you. For eight years you were in a very dark and scary place. Gorgon Novokoff raped you and you had to act as a sex slave. He even gave you another name: Katrina. You've learned to respond to the Russian name pretty quickly or you'd suffer the consequences. As a matter of fact Gorgon is a very evil and violent man, and I can't imagine what terrible deeds you had to overcome while being held captive. Rest assured you have my sympathy, and I really believe that you deserve your HEA with Will. It's understandable that you're missing your family so much--your mom, dad, and your siblings. You're clinging to your memories and you're afraid that Gorgon could kill them. I get it that you want to protect them. But time was running out. Somehow you had to leave Gorgon before your son would be infected by his father's evilness.
Enter US Marshall William Haus.
"You're a strong woman, Nicole," Will said behind her.
Will is utterly determined to shut down Novokoff's child trafficking ring. He is offering you a deal. Hence, you believed that Will would be your best bet to get away from the Novokoff family. Indeed. Despite his initial hang-ups, Will helped you to set up your new life. He took you and your little boy into protective custody. Gorgon's father, however, offered a very high reward to anyone who would bring Luka and you back to him. It's a difficult task for Will to keep you and Luka safe. While he's busy doing his job, it's inevitable that you're feeling attracted to each other. Somehow you fell hard for Will. Your romance evolved slowly yet steadily. Frankly, it was cute to see you and Will together. Your love scene was very playful and sweet. I enjoyed it. Furthermore, I loved to see Will interact with Luka. He liked "Uncle" Will a lot. Luka even worshipped the ground on which he stood. And you wished that Will would be Luka's father.
Tell your creator that I really liked your story. I appreciate Autumn's engrossing writing style and she sure does entertain her readers. Without a doubt the plot was interesting and I got a kick out of the suspense part. I can't remember anymore when I read my last romantic suspense novel. Therefore, I'm glad I gave your story a go. A lot of the characters are very likable and well-drawn. Additionally, I think some of the secondary characters were set up for future stories. At least I can see some potential here and I hope that we will see more of Chase Hunter and Aden Nash.
Nicole, I truly wish you a life full of love and laughter. You deserve it.
Take care.
Baba
What I disliked
I wanted to read an epilogue. Hence, the ending felt too rushed for my liking.
In all honesty there are just too much grammar/spelling issues and there are missing words as well. It was a bit distracting at times. Admittedly, English is not my mother tongue, and I'm clueless about English punctuation since I've never learned how to apply the rules. However, I think my English is good enough to recognize grammar and spelling problems. Even though I can get past such issues, I seriously doubt that every native English speaker will react so kindly. The bottom line is that I strongly believe that the story could have benefited from better editing.
Here are a few examples
Nicole instead of Nicelle, closest instead of closet, winced instead of winched, etc.
And the first time I met Will he had blue eyes, however, when I was halfway through the book his eye color changed to grey.
Like many men, his blue eyes trailed over her, except his scrutiny held not a hint of lust. Loathing laid in their coolness.
She'd doubled checked her windows… How about: She'd double-checked her windows…
She slid out from under comforter. How about: She slid out from under the comforter.
There's a boy named Tory and then his name changed to Tony.
"Get the boy right of here." How about: "Get the boy right out of here."
I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Autumn! I appreciate it.
UPDATE / AUTHOR'S E-MAIL:
Thank you so much for the great review! I made the corrections you noted. However, I can not find a reference to grey eyes or Nicelle. If you can point them out by page number, line, or %, I'd appreciate it greatly. Next time I will hire a different copy-editor.
I don't know if I should respond to you on GR that the corrections have been made. It would be wrong of me to ask you to remove that portion of the review, since they have been corrected, I guess. If you have an opinion on how I should handle, please let me know.
Again, thank you so much for the wonderful review. AJ
ps: Chase will have his adventure next, and you will see more of Will and Nicole. ;>)
http://www.autumnjordon.com/
Seized By Darkness on sale now.
His Witness To Evil on Amazon
July 22, 2012
Autumn Jordon has written another edge of your seat thriller. You are on a rollercoaster of a ride from the opening scene to the last.
Nicole Carson was kidnapped by a Russian mafia lord when she was 16. In the 8 years since she has been his mistress and had a child with him. She has been planning for years for ways to get her and her son away from him. Her chance finally comes when he brings home a 13 year old girl and asks her to get her cleaned up and ready. Her fear that this girl was brought in as a replacement for her and that he would now kill her finally gave her the strength to kill him and make her escape.
US Marshall William Haus has been trying to bring down one of the largest human trafficking rings in the country. They have had two agents undercover within the Mafia family for over a year and in one night it’s all blown apart. When Will goes to interview the woman they found with the missing teenager in her trunk he realizes this is the mistress and thinks she has to be in on what is going on.
Nicole refuses to tell anyone the truth about who she really is in fear that her family will be targeted by the Russians. Will tries to make a bargain with her that backfires and causes her to leave her son with him thinking it’s the only way to protect him. Once Will catches up with her and she finally tells him the truth the dynamic of their relationship changes.
From the moment this book started until the last page you are on the edge of your seat. I cannot image what it would be like to be kidnapped at such a young age and basically made a sex slave. All Nicole ever knew about sex was from mafia lord. It was heartbreaking to see her struggle with her feelings for Will and not know if they were real and also to not feel worthy of love.
I cannot wait to see what is next from Autumn. I have to come to love her stories.
Nicole Carson was kidnapped by a Russian mafia lord when she was 16. In the 8 years since she has been his mistress and had a child with him. She has been planning for years for ways to get her and her son away from him. Her chance finally comes when he brings home a 13 year old girl and asks her to get her cleaned up and ready. Her fear that this girl was brought in as a replacement for her and that he would now kill her finally gave her the strength to kill him and make her escape.
US Marshall William Haus has been trying to bring down one of the largest human trafficking rings in the country. They have had two agents undercover within the Mafia family for over a year and in one night it’s all blown apart. When Will goes to interview the woman they found with the missing teenager in her trunk he realizes this is the mistress and thinks she has to be in on what is going on.
Nicole refuses to tell anyone the truth about who she really is in fear that her family will be targeted by the Russians. Will tries to make a bargain with her that backfires and causes her to leave her son with him thinking it’s the only way to protect him. Once Will catches up with her and she finally tells him the truth the dynamic of their relationship changes.
From the moment this book started until the last page you are on the edge of your seat. I cannot image what it would be like to be kidnapped at such a young age and basically made a sex slave. All Nicole ever knew about sex was from mafia lord. It was heartbreaking to see her struggle with her feelings for Will and not know if they were real and also to not feel worthy of love.
I cannot wait to see what is next from Autumn. I have to come to love her stories.
July 25, 2012
This is the second book by Autumn Jordon that I've read and I am hooked! Seized By Darkness is a fantastic blend of romance, suspense, “keep you on the edge of your seat”, roller coaster ride of a story. Your heart will break for the young heroine Nicole who was kidnapped at the young age of 16 to become a the mistress of a Russian Mafia boss. Autumn really shows Nicole’s struggle to overcome her inner demons and save the life of her and her son. I couldn’t put this book down! I had to find out what was going to happen next! The only complaint I have with this book, is that I felt it needed an epilogue. By the end of the book, you’re so invested into the characters, which I wanted to know more about their Happy Ever After.
October 5, 2012
I almost didn’t read this book, thanks to a review which stated so many grammatical errors. But then I read that the author has corrected them so I was happy to immerse myself in the story.
This was an amazing story. This Romance/Thriller kept me hooked. It was fast pace and a well develop story with endearing characters.
I’m sorry we didn’t get to see more of Will Background. I think there was a story there left untold.
This was an amazing story. This Romance/Thriller kept me hooked. It was fast pace and a well develop story with endearing characters.
I’m sorry we didn’t get to see more of Will Background. I think there was a story there left untold.
September 25, 2012
Poor writing and terrible editing made this book work. Overall it was an intersting, if predictable story. Still not a bad read.
August 11, 2019
INTENSE THRILLER
What an emotional drama about a young woman who was kidnapped at a very young age . She was sold as a sex slave to a Russian Mafia Lord where she spent 8 years under guard. Finally able to escape with her 4 year old son. Even when she rescued by the U S Marshalls, she still continued to worry about her young son. The characters created for this story are dynamic; strong willed and survivors.
What an emotional drama about a young woman who was kidnapped at a very young age . She was sold as a sex slave to a Russian Mafia Lord where she spent 8 years under guard. Finally able to escape with her 4 year old son. Even when she rescued by the U S Marshalls, she still continued to worry about her young son. The characters created for this story are dynamic; strong willed and survivors.
September 22, 2019
Seized by darkness
Most captivating book i have read in a while,did'nt want to put it down,now i have to read Chase story and Jolene's as well anyone wanting a good series to read try these,you will be glad you did.
Most captivating book i have read in a while,did'nt want to put it down,now i have to read Chase story and Jolene's as well anyone wanting a good series to read try these,you will be glad you did.
October 5, 2020
Excellent read!
This is the second book I’ve read from the US Marshals CUFF series and I absolutely loved it. A great story with fantastic characters.
This is the second book I’ve read from the US Marshals CUFF series and I absolutely loved it. A great story with fantastic characters.
February 10, 2026
just fine
Quick read. Pretty predictable. Not bad though. I’m curious as to where the series would go after this first one. Might be worth a read, but it’s a toss up
Quick read. Pretty predictable. Not bad though. I’m curious as to where the series would go after this first one. Might be worth a read, but it’s a toss up
October 25, 2012
This book grabbed me right from the beginning. It's full of suspense, and the bad guys are captivating. The build-up of a relationship between the hero and heroine is nicely done, as is the relationship between the heroine and her son. I haven't read a lot of romantic suspense, but this one was a good read.
July 18, 2014
I was engaged in this book and could not put it down.
I was engaged in this book and could not put it down.
The heroine had the strength and courage to save not only herself but others. She has sacrificed so much but feels the guilt for other's actions.The hero helps her through this and comes to love her strengthens and courage. Very well written.
I was engaged in this book and could not put it down.
The heroine had the strength and courage to save not only herself but others. She has sacrificed so much but feels the guilt for other's actions.The hero helps her through this and comes to love her strengthens and courage. Very well written.
own-under-diff-title-or-anthology
August 15, 2015SUMMER KISSES: Ten Golden Heart © Authors Boxed Set
March 15, 2013
Not my usual fare, but well worth reading. Fast-paced, edge-of-the-seat suspense. Kudos.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews