**Update 7/21/12 - This book is now available for free on Amazon.Wow! What a ride!Stolen Fury is the story of Dr. Lisa Maxwell, an accomplished archaeologist. Lisa is on a quest to find three ancient Greek artifacts – reliefs of the Three Furies. The book takes us on a chase through Italy, Greece, Chicago, Miami, and the Caribbean. While in Italy, Lisa meets the suave Rafe Sullivan, who woos her and manages to steal one of the Furies. Lisa is furious and enlists her police officer brother Shane’s help in tracking Rafe down. She finds Rafe, confronts him, and then becomes partners with him in order to track down the remaining artifacts. I really enjoyed the story. It did feel like a female Indiana Jones story, albeit without the whip. The author maintained a good sexual tension between the two main characters. The supporting characters were interesting as well and I understand that the next books will focus on them. The villain was especially deranged and a little bit of a surprise. At first, I disliked Lisa’s character. I mean, someone drugs her and steals a precious artifact from her, and she travels from Italy to Florida to confront him? On her own? And then partners with him to find the remaining artifacts? Lisa, have you no sense of self preservation? But Lisa’s character grew on me and by the end of the book, I really did like her. Part of my initial dislike of Lisa’s character was due to her attraction to Rafe Sullivan. Rafe is described as being an Antonio Banderas lookalike. (What’s not to like there?) Rafe is a thief with a conscience and a duty to his family and friends. Rafe really has a difficult time reconciling his need to steal the artifact from Lisa and his attraction for her. Eventually, the attraction does win out and the sparks begin to fly. I liked how the author slowly revealed parts of Rafe’s life and his personality so we could see exactly why Lisa was attracted to him.I found the book to be a great distraction during this busy holiday season. While I could not believe all that went on in the novel, it was worthy of suspending belief and just enjoying a good read. I’m starting the next novel in the series Stolen Heat today.Check out my review (and more) on Badass Book Reviews
