I enjoyed this romance between a broken warrior and a former friend. I received this for free and I voluntarily chose to review it. Add a broken warrior dog to it and it is even more endearing. There was a whole lot of hurting and healing going on in this story. While this is not for the under 18 readers, it does have a lot of heart in it and I love the way it all played out. I've given it a 4.5* rating, and encourage you to read how they worked their way through there problems.
In this thrilling hot must read by Amazon Bestseller Anna del Mar, Ex-SEAL turned game warden, Matthias Hawking is engaged in a fierce battle to end poaching in Africa, but when a beautiful journalist defies the poachers, he will do everything in his power to protect the woman who has captured his heart.
About The Guardian:
Title: The Guardian
Author: Anna del Mar
Publisher: Anna del Mar
Release Date: October 1, 2017
Series: Wounded Warrior #3
Genre: Romantic Suspense
ISBN: 9780979968273
Game Warden Matthias Hawking is a decorated ex-SEAL engaged in a grueling fight against ruthless poachers in Africa. He’s short on resources and long on enemies. There’s a price on his head. The last thing he needs is the unexpected arrival of a beautiful but stubborn journalist threatening to uncover his secrets, an alpha female challenging his alpha male and getting into trouble, a hurricane wearing boots.
Jade Romo is a veteran of several different kinds of war. She’s survived her heroin-addicted mother, the foster care system, and the conflict in Afghanistan. Jade’s tough, confident, cynical, and self-reliant, a woman who doesn’t believe in forevers. But when she defies the poachers and lands at the top of the warlord’s kill list, she’s forced to rely on the skilled, attractive but supremely infuriating game warden who has captivated her body’s undivided attention.
Haunted by his past but driven by his courage, her mysterious guardian will do everything in his power to protect the woman who has captured his heart.
Add to your TBR list: Goodreads
Available: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo
Excerpt:
Matthias
The moment our lips met my heart struck my breastbone with a sonic boom. Every molecule in me came online. It was as if my body had been on an extended blackout and suddenly a generator had kicked in, a massive voltage surge. A switch flipped inside of me and I went from off to on, from zero to a hundred.
The kiss marked the difference between before and now, activating my will to live beyond existence’s basic functions. I was no longer breathing for the sake of surviving, but rather getting high on the heady scent of Jade, gorging on her exotic flavors, getting a fix on a woman who had proven she had all the makings of a dangerously addictive fix…for me.
Jesus fucking Christ. This wasn’t happening, couldn’t be happening, not here, not now, not with this woman. This was wrong, for the mission, for me. And yet this was also right, so right I couldn’t stop it, so pure and exquisite that it demolished the logic that usually ruled me, bulldozed right over my carefully constructed defenses and blew my shields into splinters.
I seized on her lips. I drank her up as if I had a right to flirt with pleasure and happiness. Good, so good. She tasted like chocolate and salted caramel, wholesome and true.
Her mouth responded to me, eager, passionate. Our tongues entwined in a mutual exploration that unleashed the storm within, joy and hope I thought I’d never feel again, and lust, a hunger so raw and violent that it roared through my veins and threatened to destroy not only my control, but my life as I knew it.
Images flashed in my mind, visual effects of the emotions jarring me. Jade, cool under fire. Solid. Reliable. True. Jade, calm, smart and composed as she confronted Kumbuyo. She hadn’t lost it once, not even when that son of a bitch went at her. She was as brave as they came, bold, daring, fearless. The memory of her standing half-naked under the moonlight had me throbbing with need. She was a woman built for a warrior, a warrior worth fighting for; a goddess who’d stepped out of some ancient African legend to right my fucked-up world.
But I couldn’t endanger my mission and I couldn’t betray all that had been entrusted to me. I was trained for duty, which meant I had to pull out of this catastrophic trajectory, now.
It was hard, maybe even impossible. I was trapped in the feel of her mouth. I forced myself to think rationally. This was Jade Romo for Christ’s sake, the woman who had the potential to out me and destroy everything I’d built, including the reserve. While she was here, she was also my responsibility. Another thought hit me, one that killed the joy in me. She’d been seconds away from being raped and moments away from being killed. If something had happened to her under my watch, I’d never forgive myself.
How I ripped my mouth away from hers, I’ll never know. It took all my willpower. My senses reeled. When her eyelids lifted, her eyes glittered with questions and her hand hovered over her mouth, as if her lips stung as much as mine did.
“No, negative, we’re not doing this,” I muttered, mostly to myself. “We can’t. We won’t.”
Copyright © 2017 The Guardian by Anna del Mar
Other Books in the Wounded Warrior series:
The Asset
Anna del Mar’s explosive, sexy debut novel in the Wounded Warrior series, perfect for fans of Lisa Marie Rice and Lora Leigh—the story of a woman desperate to escape her dangerous past and the navy SEAL who would lay down his life to save her.
Ash Hunter knows what it is to run. A SEAL gravely injured in Afghanistan, he’s gone AWOL from the military hospital. Physically and mentally scarred, he returns home to his grandmother’s isolated cottage—and finds a beautiful, haunted stranger inside.
Like recognizes like.
Lia Stewart’s in hiding from the cartel she barely escaped alive, holed up in this small Rocky Mountain town. Surviving, but only just. Helping the wounded warrior on her doorstep is the right thing to do…it’s loving him that might get them both killed.
Soon, Ash realizes he’s not the only one tormented by the past. Pushing the limits of his broken body, testing the boundaries of her shattered soul, he’ll protect Lia until his last breath.
Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks
The Stranger
Ex-military pilot Seth Erickson is fighting his own demons, but when he finds Summer Silva, a beautiful, warmth-loving, Miami woman stranded in the frozen wilderness, he’ll do everything in his power to keep her safe from murder, treason, and the ruthless Alaskan winter.
When a mysterious stranger is your only hope…
The scars of the past have left their mark, both physical and emotional, on former military pilot Seth Erickson. Off-grid in the far reaches of the bitter Alaskan wilderness, he wants only to be left alone with his ghosts. But he can't ignore a woman in need—beautiful, stranded and nearly frozen with fear.
Summer Silva never imagined that the search for her missing sister would leave her abandoned on a wintry back road, barely escaping with her life from a cold-blooded killer for hire. Now, hiding out in the isolated cabin of the secretive wounded warrior who saved her, Summer knows she must do what she fears most. Putting her trust in a stranger is all she has left.
All defenses are down
After a fiery first night together, Seth and Summer are bound by a need as powerful as a Bering Sea superstorm—and vulnerable to enemies just as fierce. For Seth, reawakened by desire, there is no sacrifice too great, no memory too dark, to keep Summer safe. But murder and treason lurk everywhere and Summer may not survive Alaska's ruthless winter.
Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks
About Anna del Mar:
Amazon Bestselling author Anna del Mar writes hot, smart romances that soothe the soul, challenge the mind, and satisfy the heart. Her stories focus on strong heroines struggling to find their place in the world and the brave, sexy, kickass heroes who defy their limits to protect the women they love. A Georgetown University graduate, Anna enjoys traveling, hiking, skiing, and the sea. Writing is her addiction, her drug of choice, and what she wants to do all the time. The extraordinary men and women she met during her years as a Navy wife inspire the fabulous heroes and heroines at the center of her stories. When she stays put—which doesn’t happen very often—she splits her time between Colorado and Florida, where she lives with her indulgent husband and a very opinionated cat.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
Rafflecopter for The Guardian Blog Tour Giveaway:
Anna is offering one (1) lucky Grand Prize winner a $25 Amazon Gift Card and three (3) Runner-Up winners with an eCopy of one of her Backlist Titles (winner’s choice)! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:
Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b050ef29424
Make sure not to miss Leslie North’s Massive Military Romance Sale on August 7th only!
All of her Military Romance boxsets will be $0.99 (a 70%+ Discount)!
PLUS: 100% of revenue will go to the Wounded Warriors Project.
All boxed set details and links can be found here!
Author Bio: Leslie North is the pen name for a critically-acclaimed author of women's contemporary romance and fiction. The anonymity gives her the perfect opportunity to paint with her full artistic palette, especially in the romance and erotic fantasy genres. The truth of the matter is she loves her fictional persona, Leslie North, more than her normal, day-to-day persona! Her bestselling books focus on strong characters and particularly women who aren't afraid to challenge an alpha male. Inspired after years of travel, her stories are set all over the world, from the tough streets of Russia to the beautiful beaches of the middle east. Leslie fell in love with romance when she first picked up a scrappy, dog-eared romance book from her local library. She began writing soon after and the rest, as they say, was history. She now lives in a cozy cottage on the British coast and enjoys taking long walks with her two Dalmatians, George and Fergie. She LOVES reader feedback, and if you have any comments, don't hesitate to contact her via e-mail: leslie@leslienorthbooks.com.
GIVEAWAY! a Rafflecopter giveaway
Title: Wounded Warrior, Wounded Wife: Not Just Surviving But Thriving
Author: Barbara K. McNally
Publisher: Koehler Books
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:
"Wounded Warrior, Wounded Wife: Not Just Surviving But Thriving" by Barbara K. McNally
My Thoughts...
Wounded Warrior, Wounded Wife was a very interesting and courageous read that really is out there to help any combat veterans and their wives. The way this author shares some extraordinary stories that have been faced by many military families 'especially for those who have had to shift their daily lives and even became the caretaker.' This novel is definitely a book for military members, especially to those who have had to shift their lives ad become the caretaker.' I found this a excellent read as one meet wives and partners who drew upon their inter strengths as they 'share an intimate tale of reuniting, recovering and rebuilding their lives.' What a collection in this reads of 'some personal stories of the aftermath of war on the home front that offered some good resources of advice and hope.' With this author [Barbara McNally] who was a physical therapist witnessed a man who had jumped off a bridge inspired her to find out more about 'PTS and its effects on those who have participated in war' and what all she found out was truly something definitely needed for the wives of those wounded military survivors. Ms. McNally's treatment plan SPA [Support, Purpose, Appreciation] would bring these [20]women together as a retreat giving them a day away for the caregiving role where many were able to vent with others who had similar situations. Some of these stories had some happy ending while others are still being worked on. In the end there was a list of nonprofit and charitable agencies out there to help these 'wounded warriors.' In the end I found "Wounded Warrior, Wounded Wife" offering not only advice but hope not only to our warriors but to their families understand. This was definitely a read that will give the reader especially a military family a better knowledge of what challenges that many families have had to face when a love one has returned home injured from war and even more so that the general population need to hear.
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