Manhunt by @lillie_spencer

Take one damsel in distress, add an abusive ex boyfriend and mix in a very hot and very protective ex ex boyfriend and you get the premise of MANHUNT a thrilling novel by Lillie Spencer.

Nikki Wright is in hospital after suffering a horrific attack and the hands of her ex, Sebastian Cross. She’s badly beaten and she’s suffering from amnesia with no recollection of what’s happened to her.  When news gets to Michael – one of Nikki’s oldest friends (and one with whom she has a romantic past with), he rushes back to be at Nikki’s side and be her knight in shining armour, ready to protect her. But in the time it takes him to get in his car and the time he arrives at the hospital, Sebastian Cross is found dead at his house; and when Michael turns up covered in blood at the hospital without explanation and convinces a confused and amnesiac Nikki that she has to leave with him right away, things get extremely suspicious.

What I loved about this story is that we are thrown in the action right from the start and we are made to hit the ground running. Michael gets the call about Nikki; Michael rushes to be by her side; Michael takes a detour on the way to the hospital; Michael turns up at the hospital covered in blood; Michael convinces a confused Nikki to leave the hospital with him… Wait, what’s that about Michael taking a detour?

I would love to tell you the ins and outs of this story and mention the key points that I love, but I fear that would give away spoilers. What I will say is this, the storytelling is extremely good. Spencer paints a picture that is so easy to immerse yourself in. The flashback scenes to Nikki and Michael’s childhood explains their history perfectly and hold the story together in the present day – especially as Nikki’s amnesia restricts her memories of who this hot guy is who has taken her from her hospital bed. You immediately get a sense that, whilst Nikki doesn’t remember, both of them such a strong and significant history that Nikki has no reason to doubt her gut reaction to trust Michael.

Throughout the majority of the book, I was left questioning who was responsible for Sebastian’s murder. Was Michael really capable of such a thing? His alibi was certainly very sketchy plus the fact that he more or less took Nikki and went on the run didn’t help his case.  I also loved Christian – Michael and Nikki’s close friend. Whilst he wasn’t in the story very much, I would definitely be interested in reading more about him – maybe a sequel/prequel in the works, please Ms Spencer?

There is a huge reveal – or what I like to call the Penny Drop moment – when everything becomes clear and it was something I didn’t expect and I have to say it wasn’t in the least bit predictable. I have to give kudos to Spencer for keeping that moment pretty much on the down-low.

One thing about this book, however, that I wasn’t a fan of was the sex scenes. For a story that was so thrilling and fast paced, I just didn’t feel  these particular scenes needed to be so graphic. There are many ways to write an intimate moment, and I, for one, do not need to read about them in such graphic detail.  Whilst I understand the Spencer’s reason to include them, I personally felt that there was enough sexual tension between Michael and Nikki that when they did consummate their relationship the ‘less is more’ approach would be been far more effective. That, however, is personal opinion and I appreciate that others may feel differently.

That being said, the story itself is one that I couldn’t put down. It had be guessing and wondering and predicting outcomes right from the start. The pace was perfect and the ending did bring a sense of satisfaction. I am definitely interested to see what else Lillie Spencer has to offer.

★★★★★ (and a half!)