THE PROTECTOR (Game of Chance 1) by Susan Stoker -a review

THE PROTECTOR (Game of Chance 1) by Susan Stoker-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 14, 2023

Riggs “Chappy” Chapman didn’t expect to be disrupted at his remote cabin in the woods. But when a stray dog arrives on his porch, he winds up finding a stray woman, too, trudging through the snowstorm in search of shelter. His military days may be behind him, but Chappy is hardwired to protect her from the storm and whatever it is she’s running from.

Carlise Edwards didn’t expect her car to break down in the Maine wilderness. All she wants is to escape whoever is stalking her back home. There’s no way anyone’s going to find her and Chappy deep in the forest, especially not in dangerous weather. But she finds it hard to mind the circumstances when the company is this stimulating.

As the snowstorm rages, Chappy and Carlise find that, despite the cold, they can generate plenty of heat of their own…but there’s more than just natural dangers lurking in the woods.

•••••

REVIEW: THE PROTECTOR is the first instalment in Susan Stoker’s contemporary, adult GAME OF CHANCE erotic, romantic suspense series focusing on a group of former US Special Forces soldiers (Callum ‘Cal’ Redman, Kendrick ‘Bob’ Evans, Jackson ‘JJ’ Justice, Riggs ‘Chappy’ Chapman) who own and operate a tree service, search and rescue, Appalachian Trail maintenance company called Jack’s Lumber. This is thirty-four year old Riggs ‘Chappy’ Chapman, and thirty year old book translator Carlise Edwards’ story line.

Told from third person perspective THE PROTECTOR follows the building romance and relationship between thirty-four year old Riggs ‘Chappy’ Chapman, and thirty year old book translator Carlise Edwards. Three years earlier, Riggs, Callum, Kenrick and Jackson found themselves imprisoned by a group of terrorists. In between their torture and waiting for a rescue, the foursome made a pack to quit the army, and start a company of their own. Fast forward to present day, Riggs ‘Chappy’ Chapman is looking forward to some lone time, having ventured off towards his own cabin in the backwoods of Maine, where he will encounter his future in the guise of Carlise Edwards. A snow storm has his this particular area of Maine, and Carlise, on the run from an abusive ex, had to abandon her car when an accident left her stranded and alone.Wandering in the ice and the snow, Carlise will be found by a mangey dog, and what appears to be a very sick man. Enter Riggs ‘Chappy’ Chapman, the man with whom Carlise will fall in love. Riggs is sick; the winter flu has taken hold, and three days will pass before Riggs realizes he has probably survived with the help of the woman he found. What ensues is the quick building romance and relationship between Riggs and Carlise, and the potential fall-out as Carlise past returns to finish the job.

Carlise Edwards has a stalker, a stalker she believes to be her abusive ex-boyfriend but with no wifi or cell service, Carlise finds herself worried for the people she left behind. Without the help of Riggs ‘Chappy’ Chapman, Carlise probably would not have survived but their mutual attraction finds our couple professing their love within days of arrival. Riggs Chapman never expected to come face to face with another lost and wandering soul but Riggs suspected Carlise was hiding a secret, a secret that is about to threaten the life of the woman with whom Riggs is falling in love.

The relationship between Carlise and Riggs begins as a rescue but quickly turns into something more. Carlise spent three days nursing Riggs back to health, three days in which Carlise battle her attraction to a man she knew nothing about. Riggs knew immediately that Carlise is the woman that calls to his heart, and our hero is determined to claim Carlise as his own. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Riggs fellow, formers US Special Forces teammates: Callum ‘Cal’ Redman, Kendrick ‘Bob’ Evans, Jackson ‘JJ’ Justice, as well as Carlise mother; her friend Suzie, and Riggs and Carlise foundling dog ‘Baxter’. Callum Redmon’s story line is next in THE ROYAL.

THE PROTECTOR is a story of betrayal and vengeance, jealousy and madness, family, friendships, relationships and love. The fast paced premise is intriguing and captivating; the romance is seductive and intense; the characters are energetic, charismatic and charming.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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Code Name: Ghost by Sawyer Bennett-Review Tour

Code Name: Ghost (Jameson Force Security #5) by Sawyer Bennett-Review Tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 30, 2020

I knew the risks of this job when I signed on with Jameson Force Security. Knew my time as a marine would prepare me for the danger I would face. But no amount of training could have ever prepared me for the helplessness of watching my teammates die, the agonizing mental and physical pain of torture, or the despair of captivity.

Returning home to Pittsburgh following a mission gone wrong, I am riddled with guilt and haunted by nightmares. I spend my days trying to regain the parts of myself I lost in that desert, the pieces that made me the Malik Fournier I once was. While the physical effects of my torture are fading, the emotional ones are proving much more stubborn and I find solace from the last person I should ever seek such comfort.

Anna Tate lost even more than I did in that mission. Now a widow and a single mom to the daughter she gave birth to shortly after her husband’s death, Anna offers me comfort I don’t deserve. As my feelings for Anna grow, I worry that once she learns the truth about what happened, she’ll turn her back on me.

I pull her to me just as tightly as I push her away. Hoping this forbidden love will save me from the ghost I’ve become.

•••••••••••

REVIEW:CODE NAME: GHOST is the fifth instalment in Sawyer Bennett’s contemporary, adult JAMESON FORCE SECURITY romantics suspense series focusing on the men and women who work for Jameson Force Security. This is former US Marine Malik Fournier, and PA Anna Tate’s storyline. CODE NAME: GHOST can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Malik’s story has been building for several instalments. There is a slight cross-over with the author’s Cold Fury Hockey series.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Anna and Malik) CODE NAME: GHOST follows in the wake of Malik Fournier’s imprisonment and torture in the Middle East in the aftermath of a mission that went all to h*ll. Five months would pass before Malik is rescued and our hero struggles to move on with his life. Riddled with survivor’s guilt, Malik begins to fall for his late friend’s wife, a woman who lost her husband just months before giving birth. Blaming himself for the death of his friends and Anna’s husband, Malik battles between head and heart when Anna makes it known she would like to take their friendship and relationship to the next level. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Anna and Malik, and the potential fall-out as Anna begins to struggle with the reality of Malik’s job.

Malik Fournier was captured and tortured for close to five months, and never expected to survive. His rescue and return home came with the grief and remorse of losing his friends, and the guilt that he takes upon himself. Weeks of counseling and talks with family and friends slowly begins to pull Malik out of his own mind, and into a world where the woman he loves is willing and waiting. Anna Tate lost her husband the day Malik went missing but Anna never once suspected that Malik was to blame for her loss. A single mother, working for Jameson Force Security, Anna is up close and personal with the men and women who have traversed a world of evil and war.

The relationship between Anna and Malik begins as friends and co-workers to lovers but Malik continues to struggle with survivor’s remorse as well as the unwritten ‘bro-code’ of dating his late friend’s available wife. Anna is the first to make a move on our story line hero, and in this Malik continues to battle between head and heart. The $ex scenes are intimate and intense without the use of over the stop, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and familiar secondary and supporting characters including Jameson Force security owner Kynan McGrath, psychiatrist Corinne Ellery, security specialists Tank Richardson, Merritt Gables, and Cage Murdock, as well as Malik’s siblings Max, Lucas, Simone and her husband Van (Cold Fury Hockey), and their parents Marilyn and Laurence Fournier Cage and Jaime’s story line is next in Code Name: Rook.

CODE NAME: GHOST is a story of loss and love; forgiveness and acceptance; second chances, relationships and falling in love. The premise is emotional and haunting; the characters are inspiring and spirited; the romance is passionate and dramatic. CODE NAME: GHOST is an encouraging and inspiring look at survival and grief.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews

Wicked Force
CODE NAME: GENESIS
CODE NAME: SENTINEL
Code Name: Heist
Code Name: Hacker

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Since the release of her debut contemporary romance novel, Off Sides, in January 2013, Sawyer Bennett has released more than 30 books and has been featured on both the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists on multiple occasions.

A reformed trial lawyer from North Carolina, Sawyer uses real life experience to create relatable, sexy stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From new adult to erotic contemporary romance, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.

Sawyer likes her Bloody Marys strong, her martinis dirty, and her heroes a combination of the two. When not bringing fictional romance to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to a very active toddler, as well as full-time servant to two adorably naughty dogs. She believes in the good of others, and that a bad day can be cured with a great work-out, cake, or a combination of the two.

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The Christmas Cowboy Hero (Heart of Texas #1) by Donna Grant-Review and Book Tour

THE CHRISTMAS COWBOY HERO (Heart of Texas #1) by Donna Grant-Review and Book Tour

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THE CHRISTMAS COWBOY HERO
Heart of Texas #1
by Donna Grant
Release Date: October 31, 2017
Genre: adult ,contemporary, romance

The Christmas Cowboy Hero

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 31, 2017

’Tis the season for ex-Navy SEAL Clayton East to come home for the holidays―even if the mood at home is anything but festive. His father is ill. The East Ranch is in financial trouble. And now it’s on Clayton, the prodigal son, to make sure his family doesn’t lose everything.

Headstrong Abby Harper is like a mother to her younger brothers, who she’s helped raise since she was a teenager. Keeping them in line is no small task while she’s also working toward her college degree. And now that one of her brothers has been arrested for stealing cattle at the East Ranch, Abby is at her wit’s end. But there is a silver lining: Clayton East. He believes in second chances, and is willing to give one to her brother this Christmas. Letting beautiful Abby―and the inescapable longing in his heart―off the hook, however, is a whole ’nother story. Could it be that the woman of this local hero’s dreams has been back at home all along?

•••••••••••

REVIEW: THE CHRISTMAS COWBOY HERO is the first instalment in Donna Grant’s contemporary, adult HEART OF TEXAS romance series. This is Navy SEAL Clayton East, and accounting clerk Abby Harper’s story line.

Told from several third person perspectives including Abby and Clayton THE CHRISTMAS COWBOY HERO follows Clayton as he returns home, a few weeks before the Christmas holidays, to take over the family’s struggling ranch in the face of his father’s recent stroke, cattle rustlers, and a significant amount of missing money from the family’s business coffers. With the arrest of a local juvenile, Clayton East will come face to face with his future in Abby Harper-the woman with whom he will fall in love. What ensues is the building relationship between Abby and Clayton, and the potential fall out as the investigation into the missing money and the theft of the cattle places Abby and her family in the line of fire. Clayton’s Navy SEAL training will be called into action as the take down of the people responsible requires more than one or two good men.

Abby Harper is the legal guardian to her two younger brothers, Caleb and Brice, and struggles to make ends meet including feeding two hungry and growing teens but her sixteen year old brother Brice is caught in a war not of his making that will target everyone he knows and loves. Clayton East’s memories of home are saddened by the long ago death of his older brother, and our hero never intended to return to Texas or take over the ranch. Meeting Abby Harper helps to lighten Clayton’s soul but uncovering the people responsible for the near destruction of the family ranch is secondary to keeping Abby and her younger brothers safe. Clayton offers Abby and Brice a second chance thus allowing our hero to get up close and personal with our story line heroine.

The relationship between Abby and Clayton is one of immediate attraction but Clayton battles his need to protect and care for the woman he will come to know as she struggles with two adolescent boys, and everything it entails. Physical and personal threats against Abby and her brothers push Clayton forward in his plans for a happily ever after, inviting the Harper’s to live at the family’s ranch. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate and seductive.

We are introduced to Abby’s younger brothers Caleb and Brice, as well as Clayton’s parents Ben and Justine East, ranch manager Shane, and local sheriff Danny Oldman. The requisite evil has many faces including some familiar faces to our story line couple.

THE CHRISTMAS COWBOY HERO is a story of family, friendship, romance and love; betrayal and jealousy. The premise is intriguing and entertaining; the characters are colorful, charismatic and real; the romance is provocative and energetic. THE CHRISTMAS COWBOY HERO is a romantic tale of two people fated to fall in love; of two families connected by circumstance; of one couple’s happily ever after.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

The Christmas Cowboy Hero teaser

About The Author Black and Red

donna_grant_newDonna Grant is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the sizzling Dark King series featuring dragons, immortal Highlanders, and the Fae.

She was born and raised in Texas but loves to travel. Her adventures have taken her throughout the United States as well as to Jamaica, Mexico, and Scotland. Growing up on the Texas/Louisiana border, Donna’s Cajun side of the family taught her the “spicy” side of life while her Texas roots gave her two-steppin’ and bareback riding.

Despite deadlines and voracious reading, Donna still manages to keep up with her two children, four cats, and one long haired Chihuahua.

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