Memento Mori by Lexi Blake Blog Tour

Six men with no memories of the past
One leader with no hope for the future

A man without a past

Jax woke up in a lab, his memories erased, and his mind reprogrammed to serve a mad woman's will. After being liberated from his prison, he pledged himself to the only thing he truly knows-his team. Six men who lost everything they were. They must make certain no one else gets their hands on the drugs that stole their lives, all while hiding from every intelligence organization on the planet. The trail has led him to an unforgiving mountainside and a beautiful wilderness expert who may be his only hope of finding the truth.

A woman with a bright future

River Lee knows her way around the Colorado wilderness. She's finally found a home in a place called Bliss after years lost in darkness. The nature guide prefers to show her clients the beauty found in the land, but she also knows the secrets the mountains hold. When she meets Jax, something about the troubled man calls to her. She agrees to lead him to the site of an abandoned government facility hidden deep in the forest. She never dreamed she was stepping into the middle of a battlefield.

A love that could heal a broken soul

Spending time with River, Jax discovers a peace he's never known. Their passion unlocks a side of himself he didn't even know he was missing. When an old enemy makes his first move, Jax and River find themselves fighting for their lives. But when his past is revealed, will River be caught in the crosshairs of a global conspiracy?

Book 1
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“This place is beautiful,” he said when she hesitated.

She nodded but didn’t move from her seat. “I love it here. I went to college in Denver, but I always missed this place. When I was younger, my dad had a house in Creede. He started the business there, but when he could, he moved us out of town. My dad was a loner, I suppose. Creede has a population of four hundred and Dad thought that was way too many people.”

“I know the feeling. I lived in London for a while. That was definitely too many people.” He kept his tone even. It was odd. Now that he was here, that hunger he always felt was tempered by her fear. He’d thought he would take anything offered to him, but he couldn’t having met her. If the blonde had offered herself up, he would have turned her down. Over the two hours they’d sat in the booth, eating fried food and drinking beer, he’d figured something out. Some people were more special than others. River was special. He should be more cynical. He could hear Damon Knight telling him to be cautious, but he couldn’t make himself do it. Perhaps it was the fact that he didn’t have a long well of history to draw from and to teach him that this was likely a mistake.

It didn’t feel like a mistake.

“Wow. I’ve never been farther than Kansas City.” She still wasn’t moving and her voice had taken on a tremulous tone.

His heart constricted, and it was surprisingly easy to not listen to his dick. His dick was pleading with him to get aggressive. His dick was trying to convince him that if he could get inside her, she would accept him.

Yeah, he wasn’t going to listen to his dick.

“If you’ve changed your mind, I can call my brother to pick me up. I have a phone and so does he. His number is programmed in. I don’t want to scare you. I had a good time talking to you tonight. It was one of the nicest nights I’ve had in a long time.” Ever. It was the best night ever. It was the first night he felt normal, though he wasn’t exactly sure what that word meant. Comfortable was a better one. That tight feeling in his chest had eased as he’d sat in the booth with River and Tucker and Heather.

Although he’d hated lying to her.

She finally turned, looking at him. Her eyes shone in the moonlight. “You mean that, don’t you?”

He wanted to touch her. He’d had to force his hands not to move toward her all night long. The most he’d allowed himself was to have their hips and shoulders touch as they’d sat next to each other. He’d decided it had been a good thing he’d sat next to her because he was fairly certain he had a case of Big Tag’s crazy eyes, and she would have seen them had he sat across from her.

“I do mean it. Please don’t get me wrong. I want you. I would like nothing more in the world than to take you into that cabin, lay you out, and make a feast of you. I want to kiss you and when I say that I don’t merely mean your lips. I want to put my mouth all over your body. But more than I want that, I want you to like me.” It was important somehow. He wouldn’t see her after tonight, but he couldn’t stand the idea that she was afraid of him.

Everyone was afraid of him. Everyone he knew was waiting for his powder keg to blow, but he’d sworn to himself earlier in the evening that it wouldn’t blow around her. He would protect her even if it was only for one night.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars
M/F Romance, Thriller
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

While this is the first book in The Forgotten series, I suggest that you read the previous books in the Masters & Mercenaries, as there are quite a few crossover characters and plotlines that follow in to this series.

This is Jax's story. The Lost Boys are on the trail of their past and despite the dangers, they want some answers. This story takes them to the mountains and they will need all of their wits about them to figure this mystery out. It also helps that there is a local who is unwillingly, willing to help them.

Jax is immediately connected to River. She's everything he could ever want and despite having such a limited past, he knows that he needs to treat her well. With their growing connection, Jax has to decide whether the mission is more important than his connection with River. He wants to fight her battles for her and protect her from all of the harm they might be walking into.

River is a strong woman, despite recently being kicked while she was already down. Even though she needs the work from Jax's group, when a steamy night with Jax kicks off what could be a dangerous hike/search, River isn't really willing to listen to Jax's lies. River will need to decide if love is a healer or just a cruel word for her. Attraction isn't always enough and even though she knows she could care for Jax, the strange world he lives in might not be for her.

Sides will be taken, lives will be changed forever, and the mystery behind some of the secondary characters is deepened. The mystery within the mystery is great and I can't wait for the next book – I hope it holds more of a key.


Mary – ☆☆☆☆☆
Memento Mori is the first book in The Forgotten series and I really need to go back and read the Masters & Mercenaries series to catch up on the back stories of these Lost Boys.

The men have come in search of the place where experiments were done that wiped out memories of men like them, maybe even their memories. But can they find this hidden place before those wanting to keep it hidden use it for evil?

Jax meets River and he has found an emotion he never knew anything about, or that he can remember. He wants to spend time with her because of the way she makes him feel.

River is tired of men using her, maybe she needs one night with this stranger to help her move on in her life. He says some weird things, but she can't explain the way he makes her feel.

Can Jax and River continue to see each other without outsiders interfering? Can he keep his nonexistent past from her? Will River learn the truth and push him away? Will Jax give up his life to save her?

This is a first for me from Lexi Blake, but I do have a lot of her books on my “To Be Read” list. I love a good romantic suspense and this one hits all of those buttons. If you are looking for a really good who-done-it and I never thought that one was a bad guy story, then you should read this one. I'm going back and read the Masters & Mercenaries series so I can learn more about these men. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did. I can't wait for the next book.


Shelby – ☆☆☆☆
Memento Mori is the first book in Masters & Mercenaries: The Forgotten series. The "Lost Boys" are a group of men who've been abducted and used for nefarious purposes. These men have no idea who they WERE, where they're from, or any important information.

To be completely honest, the beginning of this book was super confusing. There are multiple characters immediately introduced, we're in the middle of a rescue/extraction, and I had to read the first chapter a few times before I was able to get everything and everybody straight. Once I was comfortable and proceeded on, I found the flow of the story was much easier to follow.

Jax is a lost soul. His adult memories consist of some horrendous abuse, terrible crimes, and being surrounded by his "brothers". No family, no love or affection, no pleasant memories of any kind. He's ready to join the real world and experience life and love.

River has serious trust issues (well deserved, if I may say so). She's dealing with grief, has been screwed over, and is at a low point. When Jax notices her, she can't believe it's her that he's interested in.

This story contains sweet romance, action, intrigue, and a bit of suspense. There are so many characters that I can't mention all of them, but they each play their part in the story. I liked the "Lost Boys" story line and this is what kept my interest. I removed a star due to the heroine's antics.

I do want to know what happens next as I'm totally interested in each of these guys’ stories!


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is a fantastic new spin-off from the Masters & Mercenaries series. I would highly recommend that you read that series as it is brilliant and will also give you a better understanding of where this story is rooted. You will not regret it, as it is a brilliant series, combining thriller and espionage with some very hot and erotic romances.

As a newcomer, you will soon learn about the heinous crimes committed on the Lost Boys, and how they went on to commit crimes themselves. But one can only ever feel sympathy for these men, even if they are hardened and ruthless at times. The M&M team have been working hard to protect them, and to try and help them assimilate to civilian life. But first they have to try and find the research that caused them to be what they are, both to prevent it happening again and possibly to help them regain their pasts.

Jax is one of the Lost Boys, and he is finding it strange not living as they had but is also desperate for a more normal life. Even if on a mission, time in nature brings him comfort. Meeting River is like opening his eyes to the possibility of positive emotions and a brighter future. But he also knows that the road to a relationship is long and complicated, and fundamentally dangerous. However, he really has no choice but to pursue her, as she makes him feel.

As we follow the mission, and the romance, it is almost impossible not to become invested in the outcome and wish for it to work out well. There is still plenty of drama to play out in this complex, convoluted thriller, but it is a great start to a new series.


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
This novel is classic Lexi Blake. I love being back in Bliss and catching up with old friends.

The life that Jax is living is not the one he had hoped to have had – that is if he could remember what it was like to hope. He's been tortured, abused, and coerced to kill on behalf of his "mother", the evil Dr. McDonald. Her death may have freed his body, but his mind and soul are still caged by what was done to him.

His one chance to find out who he was before "mother" took him, brings him to Bliss and into the path of River Lee. River has lived her own version of hell, which includes watching her father die of cancer and marrying a con man who stole all of her savings and is now threatening her further.

Ms. Blake has an uncanny ability to write stories that hook the reader from the first paragraph to the last and immediately want more. I'm one of those readers, wondering what I'm going to read between now and March when book two comes out.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Memento Mori (Masters & Mercenaries: The Forgotten #1; Masters & Mercenaries #17) by Lexi Blake to read and review for this tour.