REVIEW: Uncharted by Adriana Anders

Uncharted by Adriana Anders is the second book in the Survival Instincts series, and it is action-packed right from the start. Leo Eddowes and her team are in search of a man believed to have stolen a virus that, in the wrong hands, could be used for evil. Leo is on her own, and when provided information she’s led to someone in danger, only it wasn’t who she was expecting.

Elias Thorne, believed to be a mass murder, has been hiding out in the wilds of Alaska with a secret. When danger comes for him, he finds himself with Leo, attempting to outrun the bad guys. Leo and Elias, along with his dog, Bo, race through the Alaska wilderness to get back to Elias’s grandmother and the residents of town, who are now in danger as well. Elias may not be who Leo was looking for, but he does have information that her and her team needs. The only question is will they make it out to relay that information to the rest of her team?

While this may be considered romantic-suspense, it leans more towards the suspense side. If you’re looking for a story that has a good balance of romance and suspense, this is not it. I didn’t feel the chemistry between the pair, as more time was spent building up the action than on their developing relationship. As a result, I found myself much more interested in what was happening with the virus, their attempts to survive, as well as what was happening back in town than I was with their budding relationship. It didn’t bother me, but readers who are looking for more of a romantic connection between the two main characters will be disappointed.

I haven’t read the first book in the series so I did feel like I was missing some things, like information about the man Leo’s security team was looking for and the company that was searching for the virus. It didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the story, but I would recommend reading the first book, Whiteout, before this one because of this.

Elias’s grandmother, Amka, brought some humor to the story, as the woman who could barely see and hear takes it upon herself to try to single-handedly save the townspeople. I admired her determination, as well as all the creative ways she came up with to try to bring the enemies down.

A mysterious man is introduced, seemingly first to be on the side of the enemies, but then tries to help Leo and Elias. I’m interested in learning more about him and why he’s interested in the virus, so I hope he’s brought back in future books.

Uncharted is a gripping thrill ride from beginning to end. While the romantic relationship could have been developed more, all the suspense made up for it. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next in the series.

Book Info:

Publication: August 24, 2021 | Sourcebooks Casablanca | Survival Instincts #2

Hotshot pilot Leo Eddowes is afraid of nothing and no one. So when she’s asked to evacuate a man from the wilds of Alaska, she doesn’t hesitate. But with enemies in close pursuit and the weather turning sour, what should have been a simple mission quickly shifts to disaster.

And there’s only one way out.

When Elias Thorne disappeared, he was America’s most wanted. Now he’s spent more than a decade in one of the most remote places on earth, guarding a dangerous secret. Leo’s arrival, quickly followed by a team of expert hunters, leaves him no choice but to join forces with her—and run. Neither is prepared for their reluctant partnership to flare into something as wild and untamed as the frozen world around them…but as desperately cold days melt into scorchingly hot nights, Leo and Elias must learn to dig deep, trust in each other, and forge a bond as strong as the forces of nature.

Stranded together in a frozen wilderness,
There’s nowhere left to run.