His son is in danger And only one investigator and her K-9 can rescue him
Two years after his wife’s death, ex-marine Carlos Ruiz isn’t looking for romance. But then army vet and security expert Natalie Rodriguez and her incredible K-9 walk into his life in the Everglades. Before long, the purely professional relationship turns all too personal, especially once Carlos’s little boy goes missing. Now, as they follow the K-9’s every lead, uncovering the truth becomes vital to the child’s rescue. And to securing their all too precarious future…
From Harlequin Intrigue: Seek thrills. Solve crimes. Justice served. Discover more action-packed stories in the South Beach Security: K-9 Division series. All books are stand-alone with uplifting endings but were published in the following order:
Genre: Romantic Suspense Tropes: Small Town/Opposites Attract Military Protector Romance Release Date: June 18, 2024
Dead to their pasts. Ghosts. No family ties. No connections.
Six men with a top-secret mission move to a small town where they have to navigate local life, protect their secret, and, above all, stay single.
Former Hostile Operations Team soldier Blaze “Shadow” Connolly knows what it’s like to lose everything. He’s got nobody except his job and his team and that’s the way he likes it.
But when he walks into a gas station during a robbery and locks eyes with Emma Grace Sutton, he knows he’ll do anything to protect the pretty girl with the blue glasses.
ER doctor Emma had a bright future until her ex-boyfriend became the kind of nightmare she was certain could never happen to her. With her self-esteem shattered and her confidence in ruins, she left a promising career and returned to her hometown to take over her dad’s small family practice. It’s not what she wants, but it’s what she needs to rebuild her life.
Until she gets that prickly feeling she’s being watched again. Did her ex follow her to Sutton’s Creek or is she imagining things? Is she in danger or is it PTSD? She doesn’t know, but she knows a man with the skills to find out. The ruggedly handsome sexy protector who saved her from a bullet once before.
Blaze isn’t supposed to get involved. Doing so could put the mission at risk. But how can he turn Emma away when the desperation in her eyes hints at even darker secrets? He can’t — and that might just be the final nail in his coffin.
A small town, nerdy girl, opposites attract, military protector romance from NYT bestselling author Lynn Raye Harris
“Attraction and arousal are complicated phenomenons. You have to have the right amount of sympathetic nervous system activity. Your heart races, you tingle, and feel jumpy. That’s the fight-or-flight reaction. But then you have the parasympathetic nervous system which regulates the physical signs of arousal, like genital swelling and releasing sexual fluids. Add in the dopamine hits that come from being around you, and it’s a perfect storm of need and desire.” “That’s your reason?” he asked, his voice hoarse. “It’s biological?” “Mmm,” she said, dropping her mouth to kiss his chest. God, this was so unlike her, but it was also precisely what she wanted to do in the moment. His breath hissed in, his hands closing gently around her upper arms. He didn’t push her away, though. “It’s biological, yes,” she said. “But it’s mental, too. Because you’re you, and everything about you makes me want you. Whether it’s biological, evolutionary, chemical—I don’t really care. It’s a need in my belly, in my core, that I haven’t felt before. Nothing about this makes sense to me. And I feel like, if I fight it, if I don’t express to you that I want whatever you can give, that I’ll regret it on some level. I’m tired of living scared. I want to live with the kind of wild joy that comes from choosing to get on the rollercoaster.” His hands slid around her body to cup her ass. Emma had to bite back a groan at the feel of those big hands on her bottom. “I’m a rollercoaster, now?” he asked with a laugh before he bent to nibble her earlobe. “You might be,” she breathed. “But I want to take the ride.”
AUTHOR BIO
Lynn Raye Harris is a Southern girl, military wife, wannabe cat lady, and horse lover. She’s also the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the HOSTILE OPERATIONS TEAM Ⓡ SERIES of military romances, and 20 books about sexy billionaires for Harlequin.
A former finalist for the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award and the National Readers Choice Award, Lynn lives in Alabama with her handsome former-military husband, one fluffy princess of a cat, and a very spoiled American Saddlebred horse who enjoys bucking at random in order to keep Lynn on her toes.
Lynn’s books have been called “exceptional and emotional,” “intense,” and “sizzling” – and have sold in excess of 4.5 million copies worldwide.
To sign up for Lynn’s VIP Reader List – where you’ll be kept up to date about all of Lynn’s books – go to http://bit.ly/LRHNews.
This series is an off-shoot of the ever popular HOT series and I LOVED it. This time around the team is in deep cover, giving deniability to the President. You wouldn’t think small town Alabama would be a hotbed of espionage, would you?
Blaze aka Shadow is a man who overcame his upbringing. He went from the unwanted and neglected child to an overprotective, special forces soldier. He and his team have orders to stay free and clear, no relationships to leave behind if things go pear-shaped. Sadly, fate said “screw” that and dropped the delightfully nerdy Dr Emma Grace Sutton in his path!
Emma has trauma of her own that’s she’s running home to her small hometown to escape. Now she has a hulking, protective, overbearing and slightly demanding neighbour who seems determined to protect her, even when she tries to head him off at every opportunity.
Emma is an incredibly intelligent, nerdy, determined ER doctor who made a bad choice in the romance department (who hasn’t!) but she refuses to let her skanky ex ruin any more of her life. But the attraction to Blaze is derailing her no men policy fast. Her outgoing best-friend, Rory, adds a splash of colour and humour to her life and I can totally see why these opposites are besties!
I did guess the bad guy but had a great time trying to figure out when Blaze and Co would twig to who he was. The underlying espionage storyline is flowing nicely and I’m intrigued to see what happens in book 2. Fab new story and I heartily recommend this to all my protector romance trope bookdragons!
A fleeting first glance could become a forever connection…
Former SEAL Lane Benning and his friends are in Hawaii for a retirement party hosted by the renowned Brotherhood Protectors. Everything is sunshine and surfboards until a volcano on the Big Island unexpectedly erupts.
Diving in to help, Lane rushes to answer a distress call from the woman he’s been flirting with at their beachside resort.
When Guardian Agency protector Cassie Marner loses contact with her partner and the child he was protecting, she needs backup–fast. The sexy tourist who responds is a surprise, but his military experience quickly proves invaluable.
Rescuing her missing partner and the child are big wins, until gunfire cuts the celebration short. Lane is convinced Cassie is the real target and escalating attacks confirm his theory. Together, they must rely on each other to bring her hunters out of the shadows. Only then will they have a chance to see if paradise can nurture new love into something strong and lasting.
A retirement party for a friend takes on an element of danger when a nearby volcano clears its throat. But when a call from a friend highlights that a child is in danger, Lane jumps into help. When he realises that the Guardian he is set to help is the woman he’s been flirting with, it just amps up his determination to help.
Cassie’s not sure what to make of Lane. He’s been flirty and now she finds out he’s an ex-SEAL. She expects him to take over but finds he is more of team player than she gave him credit for. But when the real target of the plot is revealed she soon finds she needs a protector herself!
I do love a cross over and the Guardian Agency/Brotherhood Protectors world is great one to visit. Cassie is determined, independent/stubborn, a warrior and planner. She is a great partner to Lane, although she is a bit slow to warm up to the teamwork. She wants to see the best in everyone she works with but is willing to see reason when there appears to be a mole.
Brilliant chemistry, witty dialogue and genuinely likeable MC’s. Older than our usual MC’s so they come with a wealth of experience and emotional baggage!
Justus Killion thought things were looking up when she was rescued from human trafficking, but now she must face some of her captors at trial. When someone tries to stop her, Hank Patterson assigns her own Brotherhood Protector, Rafferty Grainger. Justus is furious, believing she doesn’t need or particularly want his protection. But as the days pass, she wants him more and more, and her defenses crumble. Can she handle the passion heating up between them as the trial date approaches?
Rafferty Grainger, a medically retired Army Ranger, is determined to keep Justus safe whether she wants his protection or not. He understands he needs to be careful to not trigger any buttons brought on by her abduction and trauma. But her continuing refusal of his help is frustrating, and yet his heart is threatened to be lost with each passing day they are forced to spend together.
Can the two work through their differences to find a future together or will the danger they face pull them apart forever?
Justus is determined to live life her way after being rescued from human traffickers. She is over having her life dictated to her. So when she is given a bodyguard leading up to testifying against her abductors, she throws a wobbly and refuses to cooperate initially.
Rafferty, and his twin, are deployed to guard against any foul play towards Justus and her best friend. But there is only so much one man can do when his protectee gives him more trouble than the bad guys!
Again, I hoped to like Justus more than I did. She came over as ungrateful and bratty. If I’d been through the heck she had, I hope that I’d take every bodyguard thrown at me! I get that she wanted to get some control over her own life but it just seemed she went too much the other way! I love a girl who can look after herself but everyone has to have help occasionally!
Clark Riceman had finally retired from the military. It was time to get out and go home to support his sister and see what she had done with the family ranch while he’d been doing what he loved. The day he returned, he hadn’t even reached his home when he suspected that someone on The Broken Wheel Ranch was in trouble. Armed with that knowledge, he finally headed home, making a silent vow to protect everyone on the Riceman Ranch, regardless of which business they worked.
Naomi Alcott had been in an accident years ago and was confined to a wheelchair, but she didn’t let that stop her from doing what she loved—working with horses. Her biggest concern when she realized Clark was home was that he would take her position away from her. When she got to know him, she realized her friends had been right, and he wasn’t like that.
It shocks her that he wants to help her when she starts having trouble with her previous injuries. Can she really fall for the owner of the ranch and not be accused of trying to further her career? Will Clark be there when she finds out who is after her?
Clark has retired from the SEALS to the family ranch, Erin’s Way A lot has changed and he carried some guilt for leaving his sister to shoulder all the responsibility. Bur Erin comes from a long line of strong women and the longer he’s at the ranch the more he realises just how much he missed out on.
His former team-mates have all found love at the ranch and these women, like his sister, all have challenges, disabilities and mental health issues. Naomi has been paralysed after an “accident”, one that she’s pretty sure was a set up by her nightmare of a father. She has overcome most of the hurdles life threw her way but Clark could be another obstacle to overcome with his protectiveness – she wants a partner not a protector.
This hasn’t been my favourite book in the BPW. I really wanted to enjoy it more as a fellow spinal injury warrior but I just felt really disconnected from Clark and Naomi and I’m still struggling to find out why. I don’t think the cover helped as Clark is described in his 30’s and the cover model I’m afraid had me thinking he was nearer my age (late 40’s)
The last thing he expects on his ship is the off-limits woman he can’t stop thinking about—his best friend’s daughter.
After a tough military career as a Navy SEAL, and a member of a covert Ghost Ops team, Lorenzo “Ren” Santoro now calls a research ship home. The ocean, very few people, and solitude…it’s all he needs.
Then as a favor to his best friend, he agrees to take a research team to sea to test a top-secret Navy project. He’s shocked to discover his best friend’s daughter is one of the scientists. The beautiful Halle Bradshaw who Ren once kissed, who ignites a powerful craving inside him. She’s too young, too innocent, and too off-limits.
When strange things start happening to Halle, Ren suspects she’s in danger…and he’ll do anything to keep her safe.
Marine biologist Halle loves the ocean, her work…and Ren Santoro. Being aboard his ship, she finally has the chance to show the stubborn man how good they could be together.
But someone is targeting the highly classified project she’s working on. One she can’t let fall into enemy hands.
The only person she can trust is Ren. Forced to abandon their ship, they will face the danger of the sea and the wilds of a jungle-covered island, all while being hunted by a relentless enemy.
Ren and Halle will no longer be able to hide from their white-hot desire or their demons. She’s determined to convince him to take a chance on love…but first, they have to survive.
Ren loves being out on the water. The solitude helps him deal with the things he did whilst serving in the military, the things that make him think he doesn’t deserve a HEA. His best friend, mentor, and recruiter had a daughter who he has known since she was a young child and he was a teenager. When they shared a kiss at her 20th birthday party, Ren realised his feelings for Halle were no longer brotherly or friendly!
Halle may be younger than Ren but she is smart, determined and knows who and what she wants. When her Marine Biology project leads her to spend time with Ren and his crew, she’s going to use every second of the time she has to make Ren see her as something other than his best friends daughter.
Add in some espionage, high seas adventure and being stranded/on the run and you have yourself a rollicking adventure. Ren thinks seeing him in action will put Halle off but she handles it with aplomb and she knows a move or two herself!
Can’t wait to meet more of the Ghost Ops guys and their HEA’s
And got good people killed. While Adalyn will live with that mistake forever, she finally got justice. Even if it cost more than she’d imagined. But the past has come back to haunt her—and it wants revenge. An old enemy is out to destroy everything she holds dear, starting with her sister. He’s targeting all her former haunts and connections in New Orleans, using the wildness of Mardi Gras week to commit his crimes.
He thought she betrayed him and never looked back…
Rowan, veteran Marine, has hated Adalyn for getting his team killed. Until he discovers that the former CIA agent risked everything to stop the real perpetrator. Now they’re racing against the clock to stop a faceless madman determined to kill them and as many people as possible before the week is over. If they can’t figure out who he is or what his endgame is, an entire city could go up in flames—with them in it.
Adalyn carries a burden of misplaced survivor guilt. Her intel may have led to her team’s death but she was not responsible – she trusted her source implicitly. That didn’t stop Rowan, who until then had been her friend and possibly more, from blaming her. Now working for RHS, she’s had to work with Rowan a few times now and he has come to terms with his grief and his misplaced hatred of Adalyn. But can she ever risk taking the leap with the handsome former Marine?
However, it looks like their joint past is back to haunt them and someone is using the cover of New Orleans Mardi Gras to strike terror into the heart of Adalyn!
Rowan is a great MMC. He has learned from past behaviour, recognises that he was the problem and is trying to redeem himself towards Adalyn. Adalyn is not such an easy nut to crack though. She has built a shell around her heart – it was the only way to survive with the CIA after all. But Rowan and his happy, optimistic outlook soon chip away at that shell.
There were plenty of twists and layers to the story. I loved meeting Fleur and Auntie Collette – she was a hoot. Adalyn is very much her own hero in this book – Rowan is clearly aware of her skills and wants to support her, not smother her. Brilliant banter between our grumpy CIA agent and her wannabe partner.
Be careful who you like as secondary characters in this story ‘cos sadly not all of them survive.
A security expert and his K-9 will protect a stable owner at any cost
Owner of a thoroughbred racing stable, Teresa Rodriguez is about to testify against her former trainer. Is he the one behind all the recent sabotage? When security expert Matt Perez joins the investigation, Teresa is grateful for the extra protection he and his K-9 offer. Now, as Matt and his dog, Butter, stand beside her 24/7, the attraction between them can’t be denied. Even as the danger escalates.
I have read a few of this author’s other books, but not anything from this series. However, I easily centred myself in the world and was able to keep all the characters in line.
I loved reading this story – what a fabulously Latinx-centred world. Theresa loves her horses, way more than she loves most people. She could have come across as a spoiled rich girl but she is full of grit, determination and empathy. Matt is the perfect image of tall, dark and handsome. He does have a bit of a chip on his shoulder when it comes to rich girls, but to be quite frank, after reading what he went through I’d have a chip the size of NY on my shoulder too!
The chemistry between Matt and Theresa was palpable and they smoothed each other’s edges. Everyone else could see the attraction before they did, lol. But the star of the show for me was Butter – I am a sucker for a K9 and she was an angel. She wasn’t the perfect working dog but she was a new addition to the team so little foibles are to be expected.
There were some great secondary characters and enough twists to keep me intrigued. I’d happily read more books in this series!
It all started with a turtle and a pair of designer sunglasses…
A bodyguarding gig in the Caribbean? Living the dream, right? Former Navy SEAL Knox Livingston soon finds out the trip is no vacation. Pop princess Luna Maara is a pain in everyone’s ass, including the local judge’s. When Luna finds herself sentenced to a month of community service at a turtle sanctuary, Knox hopes she might finally rethink her behaviour, but little does he know, the nightmare is only just beginning.
Caro Menefee moved to Valentine Cay to escape her past, and the last thing she needs is a rich brat and her entourage invading the peaceful paradise. Although Knox and his equally cocky buddy sure are pretty to look at. And that’s all she’s going to do: look. She swore off men before she left California, and she has quite enough to worry about without adding two toned six-packs into the mix. The turtle population is declining at an alarming rate, and she’s not convinced it’s all down to natural causes. Will Knox help or hinder her quest to save a species? And will Caro join the turtles on the endangered list?
Luna is a PITA for everyone. Her latest escapade has landed her with community service, helping at a Turtle Sanctuary. Knox and Ryder aren’t exactly enthused at the thought of a month babysitting this pop starlet but they go where ordered.
Caro is the mainstay of the turtle sanctuary. She understands that having Luna there may get her PR for her sanctuary but dealing with Luna and her hulking bodyguards may not be worth the effort! Caro and Luna start out as very different women but as the book progresses we realise that they have more similarities than differences.
Whilst this book is about Caro and Knox, there is background layering of the potential romance for Ryder and Luna building in the background. Caro and Knox may be opposites but they click on so many levels. I loved learning all about turtles and their environment. I always tell people that I learn something new in every book I read and this was very true in this one!
Romantic Suspense
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