I really had problems rating this book. Maybe it was me, but it felt nothing like reading a thriller. Not the first 10 chapter into the story. The focus was more on the relationship between Reagan and Alec. And it was page upon page about, how they still love each other and that they still wanted each other. Too much drama about them and too little information and progress on Emma. I wanted to know more about Emma and what had happened the day she got taken. At this point I wanted to give 2 stars, it was an okay read. Then things started to change and the last 6 chapter were so well written, that it was hard to stop reading. Finally, there was the suspense I'd waited for. And in the end everything fell into place. Happy end. Believable? Well....maybe not. But still, I liked the ending. And after finishing the whole book I think, 4 stars are an fair rating and if I would have thought about it more of a romance book instead of thriller, it would have got a higher rating.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley and Montlake Romance!

4.5 stars
Gone is the second book in Elisabeth Naughtons Deadly Secrets series. Children are going missing and when one of them was your own it can cause devastation. Alec McClane and his wife Raegan couldn't recover from the loss of their missing child. He turned to alcohol and she held onto hope. After the divorce they still carried deep feelings.

As a parent myself this book twanged my heart strings. The families of the other missing children did as well. This was a page turner with a steady pace. The author really painted a clear picture without cutting corners. I want more of Alec and Raegs even at the conclusion of the book.

I received a copy from NetGalley for an unbiased review.

Gone by Elisabeth Naughton.....Oh my, this is a Gripping, page turning story that pulls on your heartstrings. Three years ago Alec and Raegan's daughters is kidnapped and their marriage can't take the heartache. This story is a romance suspense thriller that hits all the emotion buttons. Elisabeth Naughton is one of my favorite authors, she know how to connect the readers to the story. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Alec and Raegan are living a parent's worst nightmare. When their toddler is taken from a playground on Alec's watch the sheer guilt and grief send them spinning out of orbit. Unable to overcome what he feels are his shortcomings, Alec pushes everyone as far away from him as he can. He's sure his father is the one responsible for what happened to his daughter and he can't afford for his vengeance to touch any of the people he loves.

But when a four year old girl resembling his Emma is found, hopes rise once more. And this time Raegan is determined not to allow him to push her away. As she digs deeper into the bevy of child kidnappings a distinct pattern appears. The only case that doesn't match is Emma's. Alec and Raegan are the only ones who understand what the loss of these children means to their parents. But the ones behind the missing children are ruthless and have power that far reaching. And they both must be prepared to risk everything to uncover the truth.

I would like to thank Elisabeth Naughton, Montlake Romance and Netgalley for giving me an advance copy for my honest review.
Review By Stephanie
Alec and Raegan's 3 year old daughter was abducted from a park when Alec looks away for a meer second. Their reality is every parents nightmare. I must admit I was totally on the fence about requesting this book since the topic is horrific to parents. But I love the author so I requested it.

Their daughter Emma was presumed dead since she was never located. This forced so much guilt and pain on Alec and ultimately ending the marriage. 
Then a 4 year old little girl matching Emma was found in their park but sadly it was not Emma. Another blow to these heartbroken parents. This sparks their need for closure so their start investigating the disappearance again. 
The hurt unravels some nasty stuff and has Alec looking in his biological father's direction. 

What a thriller this book was, I was glued to my kindle until the last detail was revealed!

This is my only my second book from this author (Wait for Me being the first) and I had forgotten just how wonderful a writer Elisabeth Naughton is. She takes her time in telling the heartbreaking story of Raegan and Alec and how their love and their life fell apart one sunny day at a park. When their sweet daughter Emma was stolen from them and how their hearts went missing right along with her. Told in the 3rd person, we get both sides of the story. How their world was suddenly destroyed and how despite everything since, they still are drawn to one another.

But this is so much more than just a slow burning second chance romance. Raegan and Alec find themselves deep in the mystery of other missing children and with the sinister John Gilbert (Alec's presumed birth father) smack dab in the middle of these crimes, it seems the drive to find Emma all these years later becomes even more urgent. The author does a great job combining a love story with unsolved mysteries and it makes the book that much more intriguing.

There is great passion between Alec and Raegan and watching their hard-won reunion was beautiful! I loved that it didn't happen quickly and the author allowed their passion to simmer just below the surface. There are also some wonderful secondary characters, whether loving or diabolical, and they all add just the right touch.

It's a good read for a Sunday afternoon and I'm hopeful we get more from this series.

A solid 4 stars!

Gone is a romantic suspense second chance romance that has a really heartbreaking premise. Three years ago Alec and Reagan's one year old daughter disappeared from the park. It was just for a few seconds that Alec lost sight of her and since then she has never been found. He spiraled into alcohol and depression while Reagan felt helpless in trying to reach out to him at the same time holding out hope that they can find their daughter again. Three years later, a four year old child in the same park where their daughter disappeared is found. After all these years both Alec and Reagan face each other again and this time they both try to solve the mystery of disappearing children while they work through their own relationship.

Gone features characters that are definitely broken in different ways. Alec feels like a failure, while Reagan can never really move on. The plot is well executed, the tone and pacing excellent, the ending satisfying, the characters are memorable and they feel very much three dimensional. The chemistry between them just sizzles not just physically but very much emotionally. You know they belong together and even the tragedy that they have experienced can never really keep them apart. Gone is the second book in a series but it can definitely stand alone. It also makes me as a reader want to pick up the previous and the next books as well.

Gone
Deadly Secrets, Book 2

by Elisabeth Naughton

Description
Three years ago, Alec McClane and Raegan Devereaux lived every parent’s worst nightmare: their one-year-old daughter, Emma, was abducted from a park when Alec turned his back for just a moment. Emma was never found, and presumed dead. The crushing trauma, plus Alec’s unbearable guilt, ended the couple’s marriage.

Now a four-year-old girl matching Emma’s profile is found wandering a local park. Alec and Raegan are heartbroken to discover she’s not their daughter but are newly motivated to find closure…and each secretly feels desperate to be in the other’s presence again.

Alec suspects his vengeful biological father is behind Emma’s disappearance. But as Raegan investigates other abductions in the area, she sees a pattern—and begins to wonder if Emma’s kidnapping is actually linked to something more sinister.

As Alec and Raegan race to uncover the truth, a long-burning spark rekindles into smoldering passion, and they realize they need each other now more than ever.

A few thoughts about this book going into it was that I wasn't going to like it. I just had that vibe that it was going to be like Adam Walsh all over again with some romance thrown in and I'd hate it but I was surprised. I loved it. It was fast paced and the characters had depth. You hurt for them and you felt what they were feeling. It's a hard task to take on something about child abduction and how it tears a family apart but I felt like the author did an awesome job tapping into the family dynamics of it. It doesn't just affect the parents but everyone involved.

The sexual content had some heat to it but it wasn't so intense that you needed keep flipping pages cause it was excessive and unnecessary. It was enough without being over the top. You have a very flawed hero who knows he's got his flaws and owns up to it - which to me, I found way sexier than the alpha male persona that is so over done nowadays. The heroine is strong but she isn't afraid to show that she wants a second chance...I just like the fact that it wasn't angst with these two. Yes, there was sorrow but there wasn't the angst that you see so much in books today that just make you want to throw your kindle at the wall and scream "why are you doing this to me?" So, yes this was a book that was finished in 5 hours because I wouldn't allow my family to bother me and when they did, I just ignored them. Is it worth the time and money? Yes, it is. It's worth spending an evening with some cocoa and kicking back on the chaise lounge and blocking out the rest of the world.

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions.

3.5 Stars

This book started in a different place than I was expecting...which is not a bad thing, but it did mean that I went into it not sure what I thought was going to happen, which was a fun surprise.

I liked the characters, and I liked the storyline. And, I am not really able to say much more about the plot itself without revealing what can only be considered as spoilers, especially in a romantic suspense, where things I thought were obvious will surprise others, and vice versa.

Alec and Reagan were compelling and 3 dimensional. You see them as people, as parents and as romantically involved, all at the same time, so you really are left with the idea that you have gotten to know them, which is both great and a risk as an author, as when your readers feel they know the characters, there will also be more opportunity to have them act out of character, which was not an issue with this book.

The only issue I had is that I thought the first 25% was a little slow and then it picked up, which made it a little difficult at first to fully engage with the book and the events. However, once the book got going, it was an excellent and believable ride.

I do recommend this book.

4.5 stars

I have been a fan of this author since I read her first Eternal Guardians story, and I continue to enjoy her new works no matter which series or romantic niche they fall into! Alec was introduced in the first book of this series, and while Repressed is definitely worth reading on its own, you do not have to have read it to enjoy Gone.

For the last 3 years, Alec has been living a nightmare. His daughter was kidnapped while he was at the playground with her, and the weight of that guilt caused him to spiral into a self destructive depression that nearly cost him everything. Although his wife Raegan did not blame him and never lost hope that Emma would be found, Alec couldn’t get past his own self-worth issues and self-hatred that he had been struggling with for most of his life, and it eventually led to the loss of his marriage as well.

Raegan still continues to hold out hope to this day that Emma is alive somewhere, so when she receives news of a child about Emma’s age being found wandering in the park where Emma was abducted, she rushes to the hospital only to finally Alec waiting to cushion the blow of disappointment. Despite their divorce and the time that has passed, her feelings for him are still as strong as ever. Alec won’t admit it but he feels the same. Her optimism and hope that Emma still lives is the exact opposite of his determination to believe that his acceptance of her death is accurate; in fact, it is a matter of survival for him at this point. Unfortunately he has hit rock bottom once and had his family’s help to pull him back from the edge, but he knows he won’t survive it a second time if he gives in to his feelings to give his relationship with Raegan another try.

Raegan can’t give up hope and she begins to dig into the disappearances again, searching for new abduction reports and any link between them. The man who raised Alec can’t really be called a father in my opinion after discovering the details of Alec’s childhood in this story, and the despicable excuse for a man is currently in prison but still trying to mess with Alec’s head. He is only too willing to try to scare Raegan away from her search when he is approached with the job, and Alec knows he has step in to help and protect her.

My heart broke for both Alec and Raegan so many times over the course of this story as their search for the truth ramps up and they have to face old hurts head on if they have any hope of moving forward. Their feelings for each other were both clear and stronger than ever, but the added weight of the events in Alec’s life since their divorce have them both walking on eggshells. As their search for Emma led them deeper down the rabbit hole, Ms. Naughton provided us with many poignant moments of insight as they met other families who experienced the same heartbreaking fear, loss and devastation but had less resources to try to pursue justice or assistance. The twists and turns kept coming right up until the last page, and I couldn’t put Gone down for wanting to find out exactly what the heck had happened! I definitely recommend grabbing yourself a copy of this well written and engaging story.

Elisabeth Naughton's newest book, Gone, in her newest series, Deadly Secrets, is a must read. I've long been a fan of her Eternal Guardian books, but I must begrudgingly concede that this series is every bit as good.

I love that she has chosen to write about a family unit, the first book featuring Ethan McClane and now Gone featuring brother Alec McClane. Alec is a rough, tough guy, who battles his inner feelings and must find a way to be rescued himself before he can rescue his own loved ones.

There are many villains in this book, both major and minor, as there are in real life, which helps to make Gone so gripping. There are also many heroes who do their part along the way, each day, trying to make the world better, or at least more sane.

As always, Ms Naughton's characters are fully fleshed and well developed which I think is her true talent. Her storyline for Gone will reach into you and gnaw at you. As with book one in the Deadly Secrets series, once I started Gone, I could not put it down and read deep into the night to finish it in one sitting.

Elisabeth Naughton is one of my favorite authors and Gone one of my favorite books by her. The book stands alone well so you do not have to have read the previous book in the series to enjoy Gone. Please give it a try and you'll be pleased.

Great book a real roller coaster ride.characters are well developed

3.5 Stay Strong Stars.

Every parent’s worst nightmare is turning around for a split second and then finding out your child is gone. This is what happened to Alec McClane and since then he struggles every day. After all this time it isn’t much better. He. Lost. Everything. And most of it was his fault no not losing his daughter but everything else that came after that.

Alec received a call from the FBI that a child has been found, a child that resembles is missing daughter Emma. It isn’t Emma.

Imagine experiencing that hope of a phone call every time and then it being torn away from you.
Raegan McClane lost everything that her daughter was missing. All she wanted was for her husband to choose her and not the bottle. Raegan never doubted that Emma was killed. She still firmly believes that Emma is alive.

Although three years have passed they still have strong feelings for one another. Receiving the call from the FBI she runs to the hospital and finds out that it isn’t Emma. But she sees Alec. The feelings are still the same and in the end she digs deep with other missing kid cases. Alec helps her and patterns start to develop. They see that there was more to everything. The outcome at the end? Cracked me heart open a bit.

I enjoy Ms. Naughton’s books very much and this worked very well for me even though it is a second chance romance under these conditions of their main characters split and them getting back together is bittersweet. The rollercoaster ride of emotions and for the fact is that being tasteful about writing about missing children isn’t always a feat but in this case it is perfect.

IMO better than the first one in the series. But different strokes and all that.

GONE (Deadly Secrets, #2) by Elisabeth Naughton
It is a good thing I didn't know a thing about this book when I started reading it. If I knew this was about an abduction of a child, I know I would have skipped this one. I am so glad I read it because it wasn't depressing or bleak. I ended up loving this book. There is so much more to this book than children being abducted. Having two likable parents for main characters really gave this book many dimensions. By adding the narrative of Alec and Raegan as the parents, along with the way they both love each other really helped make for an uplifting story. I will explain how this book stands out from your typical missing child story. The story also incorporates the themes of deep love, understanding, forgiveness and the power of two adults who can turn towards each other to help them deal with their loss.

This book was very enjoyable despite the child abductions because of all of the positive dynamics. Alec, in the beginning of the book is closed off to his emotions because he was the one who turned his back for a second and his daughter Emma disappears. Alec blames himself for many reasons and instead of turning toward his wife for love and support turned to the bottle. Raegan who is Emma's mother is a very positive person who never gives up hope. When Alec realizes that he still really loves Raegan and looks to her for strength and support he realizes that the alcohol just temporarily numbed the pain. Raegan and Alec discover that relying on each other and being able to be there for each other helps them endure their loss. When Alec and Raegan turn towards each other for love and support they begin to search for Emma.

I really loved Raegan and Alec's ability to grow as individuals and as a couple. Their ability to get back together enriched this story. This story had elements of love, trust, forgiveness and stability. It was very suspenseful and a pulse pounding read. I stayed up all night to read it because I couldn't put it down. I hated to reach the end of the book. It was written very well and I know when I am mesmerized and not saying to myself when is the book going to end, that the book is well worth reading. This was the second book in a series. It can be read as a stand alone. I enjoyed this book so much I am going to read the author's other work. This story was interesting and has many positive messages.

Thank you to Net Galley, Elisabeth Naughton and Montlake Publishing for providing me with my digital copy for a fair and honest review.

When I began reading this book, I remembered why I quit reading books labeled "Romance." All the pulling and pushing away seems to go on forever. Luckily, Ms. Naughton knew when to quit and got on with the story. It turned out to be an interesting book about a couple's relationship after their child went missing and about their attempt to find out what happened to their daughter. I felt like the characters were well developed and the plot was good. It held my interest after the "iffy" beginning and was well-written. I would recommend this to anybody who enjoys suspense novels.

Gone is a story about Alec and Reagan. Their daughter was abducted 3 years ago when she was 1 years old while Alec was watching her. The story follows how Alec and Reagan are 3 years after the abduction and how they rekindle their relationship in the hopes and search for their daughter, Emma.
I had a hard time getting totally into this story. Maybe it was because of the subject of child abduction, child trafficking or possible child murder that gave me such a hard time getting into it. I did like how the main characters, Alec and Reagan interacted and did get into quite a few parts of the story.
Unfortunately the story just wasn't for me. I usually love everything that Elisabeth Naughton writes and hate to not write a great review but I can't. I give it an overall score of 3 stars. The writing was still good although I did not care for the subject matter.

Wow, what a roller coaster of mystery and suspense! The story is one that could have been taken out of today's headlines. The characters are very relatable and believable. The book is hard to put down, with wanting to know the outcome. Highly recommended!

GONE, the 2nd book in Deadly Secret Series., by Elizabeth Naughton.
Story jumps in with Alex and Reagan, at the hospital, a girl has been found. But it isn't Emma, their girl that was kidnapped 3 1/2 years ago.
Alex believes that John Gilbert is involved in it. Yet, Reagan, has discovered the link to something even more sinister. The kidnapping tore them apart. Feelings and hope still connect them. An emotionally book , of dealing when your child is abducted. Good reading and another winner for Elizabeth Naughton. Given ARC by Net Galley for my voluntary review and my honest opinion I have given.

With a second book in this powerful series of uncovered secrets, Elisabeth Naughton brings us the heartbreaking story of a kidnapped child and the fallout for the parents afterward. It's sad, it's powerful and it's intense. Great characters and story line!

Alec McClane and Raegan Devereaux were living the happy family life until tragedy took it all away from them over 3 years ago. Their one year old daughter went missing from the park, never to be found and Alec's guilt ate him alive and made him end their marriage, abandoning Raegan just when she needed him most.

More than three long years have passed, and they've existed separately, with each still secretly yearning for the other. When the FBI calls each of them notifying them a 4 year old matching their daughters description has been found, they each rush to the scene, only to be heartbroken again when they discover it's not her.

Forced to have contact again after all of these years makes a lot of feelings rise to the surface again. When Raegan stops to look at the details of the little girl that was found, she sees some eerie similarities to other missing children cases. Alec agrees to help her look into it to try to get some closure, but he's still sure that his evil biological father was behind Emma disappearing, and is sure he killed her just to spite him. Will they find the answers they are searching for?