Silent Protector (Verona Bay 3) by Katie Reus-Review & Excerpt tour
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 26, 2021.
Some secrets keep you safe…
Adeline Rodriguez left her violent past behind, buried her secrets and started over in Verona Bay. Now a successful co-owner in a local pet grooming business, she’s made a life for herself in this idyllic community, and has real friends. Thanks to her past, the only thing she hasn’t mastered yet is a real relationship. And when circumstances lead her to finally let her guard down with sexy Mac Collins, he completely ghosts her. Her first instinct is to close herself off again, but she decides to confront him instead—and that fateful decision puts her directly in the crosshairs of a killer.
Others can destroy you…
Mac has wanted Adeline since the moment they met, but she made it clear that she didn’t want a relationship. So he kept his distance. When they’re trapped together in a remote cabin, things change between them. But Mac’s past has come back to haunt him, so he pushes her away to protect her. Unfortunately, it’s already too late. Adeline is now a target too. To save her, Mac has no choice except to end the threat. Only then can he try to win over the woman he can’t live without. But winning over the feisty Adeline might prove to be harder than stopping a killer.
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REVIEW:SILENT PROTECTOR is the third instalment in Katie Reus’ contemporary, adult VERONA BAY erotic, romantic suspense series. This is former US Marine turned woodworker Mac Collins, and pet groomer Adeline Rodriguez’ story line. SILENT PROTECTOR can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.
Told from several third person perspectives including Adeline and Mac, SILENT PROTECTOR follows the building romance and relationship between former US Marine turned woodworker Mac Collins, and pet groomer Adeline Rodriguez. Adeline Rodriguez was spending her time off , her vacation at a friend’s cabin in the woods but found herself sharing said time off with former US Marine Mac Collins. Mac’s friend Derek loaned the use of his cabin to our story line hero never once mentioning the ‘guest’ with whom he was about to face down but the approach of a sudden storm turned violent forcing our couple to reconsider what’s next.
Meanwhile, Mac’s brother Joe discovered a possible meth lab on property adjacent to the family home, and with Mac’s return, a series of attacks including an explosion, fire, and several murders force Mac, his brothers and Adeline on the run. On the run, trying to stay one step ahead of a possible killer, Mac and Adeline’s relationship becomes something more, something neither one realized was about to happen. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Mac and Adeline, and the potential fall-out as a drug dealer turned killer sets his sights on our story line couple.
Mac Collins has lusted after Adeline Rodriguez ever since they met but every opportunity to get together has been cancelled by our hero, including a recent attempt at a Saturday night date. Mac knows Adeline’s past has left many scars both inside and out, and in this, he refuses to place Adeline in the direct line of fire when a killer comes gunning for vengeance and death. Adeline Rodriguez knows betrayal and abuse first hand but struggles with Mac’s on again, off again attraction to our story line heroine. On the run, and in hiding for their lives, Mac and Adeline are often just one step ahead of a man targeting their lives.
The relationships between Adeline and Mac is a sort-of friends to lovers that struggles with Mac’s inability to commit to a date. Not once but twice Mac has bailed on our story line heroine, and in this Adeline battles between head and heart believing Mac is unwilling to move forward from the past. Time spent together brings our couple closer, and with a killer on the loose, Mac and Adeline must be ever vigilant in an effort to survive what vengeance has in store. The limited $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
We are introduced to Mac’s younger brothers Joe and Dylan,as well as Chief Robert Hayward, his son Harlan, and the return of Serenity and Lucas (Dark Memento 1), and Autumn and Lincoln (Deadly Past 2). The requisite evil has many faces.
SILENT PROTECTOR is a small town romantic suspense story with plenty of action, betrayal, vengeance and death. The fast paced premise is intriguing, inviting and captivating; the slow building romance is seductive and encouraging ; the characters are edgy and consuming.
Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Dark Memento
Deadly Past
Copy supplied by Netgalley
Reviewed by Sandy
“Not open,” Mac’s deep, rumbly voice called out from the back about a second before he stepped out from his workshop. His eyes widened when he saw her.
And he stood there looking like deer in headlights. Good.
“Adeline,” he began.
“A text? Seriously? You blow me off with a freaking text,” she snapped out, her boots stomping forward of their own volition. That burning fire that had spent days kindling was licking up her spine now as she worked up a good head of anger.
He closed his eyes briefly as he moved toward her. “Look, it’s not what you think.”
“Really? It’s not what I think? You didn’t send me a dismissive, crappy text about an hour before our date? After spending all that time together and becoming…friends.” Or she’d thought they had. Obviously she was wrong. “So you didn’t blow me off after all that? And then ignore me right in front of people on Main Street?” It was quite literally possible there was actual steam coming out of her ears right now.
Guilt flickered across his expression for a moment but then his face went carefully neutral. “Look, I didn’t know how else to handle it. I just don’t think we should see each other. I shouldn’t have ignored you and I should have called, but—”
She’d took another step forward, hands on hips, when the front door behind her swung open with a bang.
She jumped and turned to find some guy stalking in. He had on heavy-looking boots, jeans, a short-sleeved T-shirt, and there was a chain hanging from his back pocket attached to his belt. And he had some ugly-looking tattoos on his arms. Prison tats.
Katie Reus is the New York Times, USA Today, and IndieReader bestselling author of the Red Stone Security series, the Moon Shifter series and the Deadly Ops series. She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom’s stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it.
However, she didn’t always know she wanted to be a writer. After changing majors many times, she finally graduated summa cum laude with a degree in psychology. Not long after that she discovered a new love. Writing. She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense. Her book Avenger’s Heat recently won the Georgia RWA Maggie Award for Excellence in the fantasy/paranormal category.
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