Title: Out of Mind
Author: Kendall Talbot
Genre: Romantic suspense
Opens:
From the moment Holly climbed into the helicopter, a sense of foreboding plagued every thought.
Blurb: Holly knew the romantic helicopter ride up to the remote peak of Whisky Mountain was a bad idea. But she never expected it to snatch her fiancé from her—or destroy her life. A few fiery seconds turn a postcard-perfect morning in the Canadian Rockies into a snowy hell, thirteen thousand feet above sea level. And in the midst of grief and agony, Holly catches sight of a scene in the ice that will haunt her until she can return and discover the truth. Oliver Nelson could see the stranger had a mystery inside her. The scars on her face, the pain in her eyes, the insistence that he teach her completely alone—no one needs to learn rock climbing, or so he thought. But the more he gets to know her, the more he admires her drive, her ingenuity, and that little edge of recklessness. If she can trust him with her story, he’s ready to follow her wherever her heart takes her. But nature’s deadly beauty isn’t the only danger waiting for them on Whisky Mountain. To survive, Oliver and Holly will have to move fast—and think faster . . .
My thoughts: Kendall Talbot is one of my must read authors, OUT OF MIND is the second book in the Maximum Exposure series, a sequel to OUT OF REACH which I reviewed here; and it is just as good. In fact pick a book she has written, any book, and you will not be let down.
When Holly’s multi-millionaire fiancé and his son die in a chopper crash he leaves her, the sole survivor, his fortune. Her fiancé’s ex-wife, left nothing, accuses Holly of being a gold-digger and the media frenzy picks up on this and hounds Holly. So with disfiguring scars, and broken in both body and spirit she hides away in a small town where no one can find her. While Holly was waiting on the mountain for rescue she saw a couple frozen in an ice cave next to where she was lying. Watching a documentary about cold cases one evening she sees the couple she decides to go back to Whisky Mountain and find the couple to give their next-of-kin peace of mind. With this plan she starts to put her life back together.
Holly meets Oliver when she demands that he teaches her to climb – private lessons so she doesn’t have to appear in public with the scars on her face. She also goes to a nearby ski field to learn how to ski. These two skills will be needed when she returns to the mountain.
Gradually Holly learns to trust and love again and tells Oliver about her past – and what she wants to do. She isn’t instantly cured – but now she has someone to help her continue on the recovery road. They head off to the Canadian Rockies to carry out her mission. A simple matter you would think – but there has been a seemingly unconnected story bubbling along in the background about a young teen called Regi; he gets caught up with a Crime Boss because of one stupid mistake, and now his life consists of heavy beatings as he is forced to work for to pay off that mistake.
When Holly and Oliver arrive on Whisky Mountain to carry out their mission the pace suddenly cranks up to full ‘edge of the seat,’ ‘can’t put down’ and ‘cook your own tea’ pace!!! The two stories finally make the connection and Holly and Oliver need to fight hard to get off the mountain alive. The build up to, and the actual, climax will leave you breathless and is written beautifully. There is a lot going on in the story, but author Kendall Talbot never drops a thread and cleans all the loose ends (even ones you didn’t know where loose) by the last page.
OUT OF MIND and OUT OF REACH can each be read separately, and there is a third as yet untitled book coming out in the not too distant future.
Rating:
Excellent Stuff – a real page turner and hard to put down. I carved out extra reading time just so I could finish it. This book got carted into the bathroom with me, read over meals, read at work, and/or kept me up late at night. If this author has more work, I will certainly read it
With thanks to Kensington Books and the author via Netgalley for my copy to read and review
Books and Musings from Downunder 
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