Member Reviews

Legacy Lost is book 2 in Jillian David's Hell's Valley series. I was a little worried when I chose this book being as I had not read the first book in the series. But I was very happy to find that I did not need book one to be able to figure out book 2. I am after reading this book looking for book 1 and eagerly waiting book 3. This is also my first Jillian David book and I am hooked. The book is fast paced a real page turner.

Ms. David has done an awesome job with this book. When I wasn't biting my nails on the edge of my seat I was falling back in my chair sweating. There is a perfect balance of danger, action, suspense, romance, and steam.

The series feature the Taggert family. In this book the only female Taggert. Shelby is the star of the book. along with Eric Patterson an honorary family member. Eric's feelings for Shelby are anything but brotherly, and Shelby who can read emotions tries to hold him off even though she actually feels the same. It was a real adventure watching these 2 come together in the end.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

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“I love you, Eric. I don’t know what to do with a world that doesn’t have you in it.” – Shelby Taggart

Have you ever wished you were able to know what people think? To tell truth from lies, to read emotions and thoughts, to see what truly makes someone tick? Well, the Taggarts would be the first to tell you, it's not such a wonderful skill to possess.

True to what she gave us in the first book, Jillian David went on to tell the story of Shelby next - the only girl of the Taggart family. Now, before I go on, let me remind you that Shelby was Kerr's twin, who could read emotions, and most of the times suffered thanks to her abilities, since everyone's feelings seemed to reflect on her and could seriously wear her down. She also had an on-off thing going with Eric Patterson, Kerr's close friend and partner who helped with the Taggart ranch. In the previous book, Eric found out about the Taggarts' skills when they were all trying to help Sara, Garrison's beloved. It was clear from that particular scene where he defended Shelby and demanded she stopped using her powers if they were taking such a toll on her, that we knew he was gonna be the male lead in Shelby's story. And it was as pleasant as it was expected.

See, Eric didn't exactly have a stellar childhood, and his family could be described, at the very best, to be found wanting. So, he was insecure and kept his heart closed, to the point that even Shelby couldn't always read him - and that's before he found out about her family, which says a lot about Eric's self-control. However, what Shelby at first didn't know, was that Eric held a torch for her - and boy, was that thing blazing hot or what? Let me tell you, people, the moment that Eric snapped out of his tightly kept self-control, was a beautiful one indeed. The man was so full of emotions, and felt everything way too powerfully, it was simply breathtaking. He had a passion the likes of which I have rarely seen in literature, and when the dam broke and he let it all out, it was no wonder Shel freaked out and tried to back off.

This isn't of course to say that she was entirely right in her choices. During the book, Eric got hurt many times, and the poor guy was doing everything in his power to make a name for himself, a good one, all the while tripping over his feet to make Shelby see just how good they were together. I lost count of the times he got a flat out rejection not only with her words, but also with her actions.

But she had her reasons, and I couldn't blame her for that. Shelby had to live with everyone's feelings projected on her tenfold, and that's a big burden to be carried by a single person. However, given her life so far, how she had to always act as the mediator between her brothers, and take care of her father who seemed hell bent on dying before it was time to do so, it's quite understandable why she would be forgetting that she, too, needed help, that she wasn't supposed to do it all alone. She seemed to get it when Eric's life was in danger - and speaking of danger, let me tell you, the way Shelby treated the Big Bad Thing in her book was marvellous! And hilarious, too, I was rolling around laughing my head off!

What I especially loved in this book - other than the hot scenes and the dialogues that can cause abs to form from all the laughter - was the comeback of some much loved characters from the Hell to Pay series. The minute I saw them, I screamed like a banshee on her first date! Holy crap I had missed them! And they got connected with the story, uniting this series with their own, and tying loose ends, all the while giving off a sense of continuation of their adventures, in a way that I had never imagined. Excellently done, Mrs. David!

Now I can't wait to read Vaughn's story - not that he's above Kerr in my Book Boyfriend List, but I sensed a little something between him and that doctor, and maaaan, I love romances where the leads butt heads! They lead to some interesting steamy make-up scenes, as proven by Eric and Shelby!

P.S.: I finally realized how the titles connect with each sibling, and it was freaking awesome!

“Shelby Taggart, would you consider a long-term relationship with a cynical cowboy like me who wants to do some pretty bad things to your body?” – Eric Patterson

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***

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Post goes live 12 JUNE

Having read book 1 in this series, I couldn't wait to get started on book 2. I do want to add though - even though I have read book 1, I don't think that it would be required to read this book.

I love the paranormal aspect of this story though. The story itself just drew me in and I couldn't get enough of it. Eric and Shelby were both great characters, and you could tell they both had chemistry that they were both trying to ignore.

One thing that I really loved about the book is where Shelby is a strong independent woman, Eric isn't trying to stop her from being that way. He just wants her to be safe. And when push comes to shove he does try his best to protect her.

Being able to see as the family deals with everything that is going on was fun to watch. Seeing as they all stopped what they were doing to help and protect each other was so great to read about. Most times, family doesn't help when things go wrong. But in this family? They are all there to support in anyway they can.

Overall - another great read from David and I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

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I was not able to download this book to read and therefore did not include on my shelf.

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Legacy Lost by Jillian David is the 2nd book in her Hell’s Valley series. This can be read without reading the first book ( Legacy of Lies), but as there are characters from the first book, and an underline story going on, I would recommend you read the first book first.

Legacy Lost is set a few weeks after the last book. I won’t give any details away, but it does explain a few things in this book.

Shelby has a gift, she calls it a curse, she has the ability to “find” people, she is able to locate anyone, so it’s a great help in her second job, a search and rescue member. But this “gift” has a price, with it comes terrible headaches and more recently temporary blindness! But it doesn’t stop Shelby from using it. And in addition she has the ability to feel people’s emotions ! So Shelby tends to keep to herself, relationships for her are too painful, to feel her partners feelings, their regrets and heaven forbid, if it was a horrible experience for him, she would get all those feelings.

All Eric has wanted since his family left him, was for somebody to love, and finding and making friends with Shelby’s brother gave him that family to care for, the only blip on his horizon …… Shelby. Eric has loved her for ages, but he can’t get past his letting go of his rigid control to tell her how he feels, and past the “friend” label Shelby has saddled him with.

Eric has no knowledge of Shelby’s gift until it was revealed in book one. And when he does, he’s angry and hurt, he always thought he was family, but family doesn’t keep secrets from each other.

Things take a passionate turn when Shelby almost dies; this spurs Eric’s feelings into action. And from there they struggle with their feelings. Will Eric let go of his rigid control and let Shelby set the pace for their relationship? Will Shelby let all her guards down and truly let someone in?

Things keep happening to the Taggart family,and the Brand family are a big part of the problem. And I have a feeling it’s only going to escalate.

There is a connection to the last book, and it just adds more questions to my list. But it’s a good read, the mystery surrounding the family, and if you’ve read some of David’s other books, you’ll notice a few old characters. That was a lovely surprise.

I’m loving this series and can’t wait to read more about the scary force trying to kill the Taggart family, and the rest of the Taggart men finding their women 😉

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Wow! This book was not at all what I expected. It is the second in a series and I was worried that I might feel lost since I have not read the previous book. I was pleased to learn that that would not be the case. It is quickly explained that some nefarious happenings have taken place and as a result the couple in this book are learning how to deal with the consequences of them.

The Taggert siblings have “gifts” and Shelby’s is the ability to feel the emotions of those around her. She has perfected the art of filtering and sheltering herself from picking up the greatest part of those emotions. The process has left her somewhat alone and unable to form meaningful relationships. Eric doesn’t understand the struggle she faces daily and thus begins some push and pull between them.

I am normally not a fan of the push and pull but in this case it just worked. Both the hero and heroine had valid reasons for their own actions and they worked together to overcome them.
The writing style was quick paced, light, smooth and flowed well. It never got bogged down by details that were unnecessary and yet gave me all the information I needed in short order. Ahh, perfect.

Written in both Shelby’s and Eric’s point of views, there is no cheating or abuse. A completely safe read with a few steamy, sexy scenes. I was so taken up in the story I never realized until now that there were only a couple of sexy scenes.

So glad I was given this ARC for an honest review. I will definitely be checking out the previous book and looking forward to the rest of the Taggert’s stories.

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Legacy Lost, Jillian David

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  Romance,

I was a little neutral on the first book in this series, but got on far better with this one, understood the storyline and characters more.

We met Eric and Shelby in that last book, and learned of her Gift, and how much the newly developed parts cost her.
She's still recovering from that and the fire, Eric is still trying to hold back his growing feelings, the family still struggling to pull through after the last disasters. You feel these poor guys deserve a break.
Not yet though....that Darkness, that Evil is still stalking them. We still don't know what it is, but we do learn more about its motivation. Its some scary stuff in this book, and the family need all the help they can get. they really are lurching from one crisis to the next, both financially, physically and practically.

Eldest son Vaughn is still away, I'd like to know exactly what happened, but we do know he was involved with Garret's ex, and Garret knocks down Shelby's suggestion of asking him for help.
Their dad seems to have given up on life, and we really do see a family on the verge of breaking up. There's only so much people can deal with, even when they do have some extra abilities.

I love Eric, and can see exactly how he felt, always welcomed as part of the family, but its fact that he's not.
He's been a close friend to Shelby for years, best friend to her twin, but his feelings have changed and he doesn't know whether to risk losing what he has by telling her. It could go well, he could be part of something perfect with someone he loves, but equally he could lose everything if she doesn't feel the same.

Events overtake them though, bringing them both into severe danger, and once more they face this anonymous Evil, the entity that they're coming to realise means to kill them all.
I got the feeling when Odie and Ruth came into the story that they had a connection somewhere and looking it up I can see they're from the other series. I've not yet read that, but if you have then you'll know more about what they can do. For now Ruth is nursing Shelby's dad and Odie is helping on the ranch. They need that help!

It's a fun read, I liked that the supernatural came into play more in this one. Loved Eric, but Shelby made me a bit irritated at times with how she treated him. Still, I could sort of see where she's coming from.
With Shelby and Eric both being attached to the Ranch most of the action takes place there but there are a few minor scenes in town, where they run up against Wyatt from the last book, who's still acting weirdly. 

Stars: Four, interesting novel, with some supernatural drama running through the love story

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

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Book two in the Hell's Valley focuses on Shelby and Eric. They have both secretly had a thing for the other for years, and after she put herself in harms way to save Sara and Zach and Eric learned the truth about her psychic abilities, well tensions have run high. He has become far more protective and in her eyes overbearing. She has a stubborn self-sacrificing attitude that he has run out of patience with. On a rescue mission she uses her abilities again causing her to go blind for several hours. He is coming to his breaking point and fears her hurting herself permanently. Well the tension snaps and the proverbial cat is let out of the bag and neither truly knows what to do now. While they figure out how to take a lifelong friendship to the next level, evil is building up power and using the Brand family once more to carry out its evil deeds. Will Shelby and Eric come to terms with their feelings and her growing abilities or throw in the towel before things really heat up? Once together will they stick it out or push each other away? In the end the adventure and love story were great (though I think I have to say I liked book 1, Legacy of Lies, a bit more. There was just something about Garrison and Sara that just heated up the page). Book two was fun, fast paced, tense in the emotional category, and full of passionate moments. Never pegged Eric for the take-charge-and-be-in-control-in-the-bedroom kind of guy but it worked for him. I'm glad both of them found their happily ever after and that in the end they knew what they had and fought to keep it. Great book and the series is getting better and better.

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Legacy Lost is book two in the Hell’s Valley series by Jillian David. Much like the first book in this series, this book is non-stop suspense and of course, some hot romance. In this book, we feature the only female of the Taggart siblings, Shelby. And also, their family friend, Eric Patterson.

The Taggart’s have about all they can handle on their shoulders. Their father is home and recovering from his stroke. But he seems to have given up. It is killing his children to see him this way. With their barn burned down, they are forced to keep all the animals in the smaller barn and hope to raise a new barn soon. Strange goings on are still happening on the neighboring ranch belonging to the Brand’s. And somehow the fence keeps turning up damaged between the two properties. Then there is their oldest brother, Vaughn, who left and hasn’t been heard from since. They need him now more than ever.

Shelby and Eric are both members of the local search and rescue team. Each of the Taggart siblings has a special ability. Shelby has a sort of homing beacon. She can home in and find a missing tourist. Her secret is out to Eric now since she had to use her ability to find her older brother’s girlfriend, Sarah, and his son, Zach, in the previous book. Ever since then, though, her power has changed, grown. She has no idea what is going on. This is all uncharted territory. Then there is the damage to her lungs from rescuing her horse from the barn fire in the previous book. No matter how much she wheezes and coughs, though, when the rescue team calls, she goes. Her involvement can guarantee that the lost person will be found. No matter the cost to her health.

Eric Patterson was abandoned by his parents at an early age. The Taggarts are the only real constant he has in his life. He’s known Shelby forever. He can’t say exactly when it happened but his feelings towards her have changed. He keeps thinking about all the things he would love to do to her. He also feels protective of her more now than ever. It is killing him to see what she is doing to herself on the rescue mission. She shouldn’t even be out there the way her lungs sound. What would she say if he laid it all out there and told her what he really wanted from her? Can he risk ruining a lifelong friendship?

Shelby used to think of Eric as one of her brothers but that has changed. She certainly doesn’t feel any brother vibes coming from him either. She knows he is attracted to her. But what would it do to her family if they tried and failed? He was as much a part of her family as her brothers were. Shelby can also feel the emotions from other people. So, it’s practically impossible for her to have close relationships with other men. She can feel their disappointment in her. She doesn’t feel that now with Eric but it would only be a matter of time.

As Eric and Shelby both fight and give in to their mutual attraction, there is a darkness nearby. Shelby can feel it. She can smell the sulpher. She doesn’t know what is going on but knows that it is bad.

“I want you to be mine. I don’t want to have just something. I want you. Body. Mind. All of it. Or nothing.”

As I said, this book is fast paced, suspenseful, and pretty darn hot! The dark evil has focused on the Taggart family. We get a hint later on in this book why. And I love the crossover from Jillian David’s previous book, Flame Unleashed, from her Hell to Pay series. I’m thinking that is going to be ongoing in the next book. I can’t wait to see where that goes. As always, you can positively read this as a stand alone, but I urge you to read the first book in this series, Legacy of Lies, and meet Garrison. You will love him and also have a better understanding of this family and everything that is happening.
I’m not sure who the next book will focus on but I can’t wait to find out what comes next for the Taggart family.

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Oh yes! Give me a ruggedly hot cowboy who has secretly fallen for the feisty and psychically gifted woman. Add some danger, sizzling tension and life-threatening circumstances and you have another fabulous read from Jillian David! This time out, in spite of the frigid temperatures, LEGACY LOST will have you in need of a glass of ice water and a fan as Jillian David raises the passion and heat on Romance!

Eric has found the family he has always needed with the Taggerts, but Shelby is bringing rise to more than brotherly feelings, but how does he let her know? Shelby avoids closeness, her “gift” allows her to read emotions and to be like a human Geiger Counter with her ability to find people lost in the mountains. Lately, her “powers” have been morphing, becoming both more powerful and more painful. Any chance of discouraging her from joining in on any mission, no matter the price she will pay, falls on deaf ears.

Eric’s feelings are coming in loud and clear though, and as much as Shelby wants to return his ardor, she cannot or will not and her excuses are many. Can Eric break through her self-imposed prison to capture her heart?

Yowzer, Jillian David has definitely mastered the art of fine romance, tension and heat! But, even with her vast writing skills, can she create a Cupid’s moment for two deserving people who clearly love, lust and long for each other?

I received an ARC edition from Crimson Romance in exchange for my honest review.

Series: Hell's Valley - Book 2
Publisher: Crimson Romance (March 27, 2017)
Publication Date: March 27, 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Paranormal
Print Length: 268 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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