Great new series

This was an amazing start to a new series but one of my favorites authors. This book was a lot less military than the other, more of the after effect of service. The close bond between Chappy, JJ, Cal and Bob are both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I can’t wait for the rest of the guys books. Chappy and Carlise story is so sweet. It was great to watch Chappy win Carlisle over with just being a good guy. This was a wonderful story. And of course Ryan West was amazing. He is my favorite male narrator. Ava Erickson was good too.

5 people found this helpful

Very “fluffy”

The romance portion of this story was cute. The hero was actually a good guy, which was nice.

The instalove was blatant and ridiculous. I actually LIKE instalove trope usually. But this one was a little hard for me to accept because it just made her look stupid and him look desperate. Her because she supposedly has been so burned by abusive relationships in the past. So she wasn’t given a reasonable backstory of someone who would lack caution. And him because he just kept going on and on about wanting a “woman”, but he’s in the middle of nowhere. So when she shows up, he’s instantly in love. And… it just felt like he’d have been in love with ANY woman. Literally, any woman of child bearing age would do. However, if you decide to just roll with it and “convince yourself” their feelings are real, you’ll probably be fine.

The sex scenes made me cringe. It wasn’t that they were too spicy. I’ve read plenty that were more spicy. But the language had me alternating between 🤮 and 😂. She used phrases like “glove up” to describe using a condom and all those words that regularly make those “top five words that give ick” lists on TikTok.

But the kicker was when they are in the middle of the “act” and he starts thinking about how much he’d like to get her pregnant. I was okay with that. Him picturing her pregnant? Ok. Then, WHILE he’s still in the act, he starts imagining these children, older and running around the cabin. Then he starts thinking about the renovations he’ll do on the cabin to enlarge it. The man is only snapped back to awareness that he’s having sex when she “finishes”. Before that, he’s drawing up floor plans in his head for these supposed future children. Stuff like this happened through the whole book. Little things that constantly made me go “What??” Weird overreactions…or underreactions. Or just out of place things that constantly reminded me that these are definitely not real people.

The thriller portion is where this really fell apart. Plot holes everywhere. Weird crap like a character having a bullet in her shoulder and feeling a “twinge” in her shoulder when she moves. A TWINGE with a bleeding gunshot wound.

You’ll know who the stalker is almost immediately. But the fmc won’t know…even when she has a gun pointed at her. The fmc is saved by coincidence over and over again. Both mc’s are honestly some of the dumbest characters I have ever read.

And then the final nail in the coffin. At the end, when they look into the stalker’s “hidden past”, we discover they had a history of mental health hospitalizations. That’s right. Though they managed to look completely normal for years and live completely normally, this person went off their meds and therefore became a murderous villain.

We don’t even get a diagnosis. Just a random toss in that the stalker was “crazy”. And, frankly, I’m sick to death of writers doing this. It’s lazy, for one. To take a character that has no motive or reason to be “evil” and then just say “well, they’re crazy”. And for another, this is an incredibly harmful stereotype. Having a mental illness doesn’t make someone evil. If the writer didn’t want to do the work to create a believable villain, then maybe she shouldn’t write thrillers.

She KNEW she didn’t give any context or reason for the stalker to BE a stalker or for the fmc not to have any clue. So she just said “They’re crazy and off their meds. Surprise!”

I wasn’t going to write a review at all. Instalove? Cringe sex scenes? Plot holes? Whatever. But that last pushed my final button from just not being impressed—to being angry.

If you’re going to write characters with a mental illness, research it, make it real, and don’t use mental illness to “explain” someone being evil.

3 people found this helpful

cutesy romance, tiny bit of conflict

This book was too "fluffy" for me. I like there to be a bit more action and conflict. This book is called The Protector and has a male on the cover but, the MMC really doesn't do any protecting. His military background and skills don't even come into play. Basically his protecting of her consists of catering to her every moment of the day and constantly reassuring her and seeking permission for everything. I'm all for consent but when you have to consent multiple times or for every single thing it just isn't sexy.

1 person found this helpful

beware of TW...

Certain parts of the story were hard to listen to (POW & abuse), but overall, I enjoyed it. The narrators did a great job, and I was surprised by the stalker.
I look forward to the stories for the rest of the guys!

1 person found this helpful

Yess!

A good start to another series! As a military spouse I like the depth of telling what happens to our men and women during war. Telling of them still having triggers, PTSD, nightmares, issues with sudden movements needs to be put out there. It’s not always roses. This touched my heart and I look forward to the other stories to come. Short to the point and real.

1 person found this helpful

a nice time to get stuck in a cabin

Riggs & Carlise: TRIGGERS: domestic violence, stalking, military deployment, P.O.W., PTSD. This was really good, I absolutely love books that involve being trapped somewhere because of the weather. So this book starts out kind of rough, not really in a bad way, it's just hard to read/listen to. However when the book actually starts we find Riggs living in a cabin in the mountains where he prefers to stay. He's dealing with PTSD and currently the flu when he hears a dog. He follows the dog and finds a woman in the snow. Carlise is running from her home, from her ex. Unfortunately while running, she drove into a ditch and got stuck in the snow. While trying to walk to find help she eventually is found by Riggs. They get to know each other while stuck in a blizzard and learn a lot each other. And oh man .. the plot twist got me... I was not expecting what happened but man it was good. Riggs and Carlise are extremely hot together and Riggs is also extremely protective. What a great start to the series.

1 person found this helpful

Absolutely Beautiful & Romantic

These narrators bring this story to life through their passionate narrative. These men have such devotion not only to each other but the devotion and determination that this group of former special forces deserve to find their happiness. The narration captures all the emotional turmoil, the dedication to each other, their amazing friendships and the way it feels when one of them finally finds the love they have been missing. You will fall hard for Riggs “Chappy” & Carlise. They are adorable together and their meet/cute is beyond words. It’s a perfect blend of these narrators that capture the pure beauty in their love story! Happy Listening!!!

The I love you!

I liked the Audible, l loved the story because I just knew it was the crazy Ex, then the floor opened up! !!!!
What I didn't like was the I Love you sooooo mush in 3 days , I'm in love with you, your it for me .
Now I'm moving on to the next one , The previews sound great.

TSTL

Really who enjoys a meek fmc anymore? Who gets pleasure reading of a woman escaping abuse in their youth to only be victimized of it again. Then is physically and mentally incapable?! Yuck.

Romantic Suspense at its Best

Hot Special Forces men and a lady in danger make for an enthralling story. I am planning to read the rest of this series soon. Susan Stoker is a great writer.