Author:Laura Scott
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Publication Date: July 2020
He’ll put his life on the line…
If it means protecting a little boy and his pregnant mom.
After months of searching, security expert Ryker Tillman finally finds Olivia Habush and her young son—just as they are attacked by armed mercenaries. Now safeguarding Olivia, her unborn child and little Aaron is the former special ops soldier’s new mission. But to save the family burrowing into his heart, Ryker must figure out why someone wants them dead…
If it means protecting a little boy and his pregnant mom.
After months of searching, security expert Ryker Tillman finally finds Olivia Habush and her young son—just as they are attacked by armed mercenaries. Now safeguarding Olivia, her unborn child and little Aaron is the former special ops soldier’s new mission. But to save the family burrowing into his heart, Ryker must figure out why someone wants them dead…
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My thoughts:
Guarded by the Soldier was a quick clean romantic suspense. For the most part, I enjoyed the book. It is the second in a series, but the great things about these is they hold up well as stand alone books. I liked bot Ryker and Olivia. Olivia and her son are being pursued by men who want something from her and Ryker ends up helping them. There was an added level of danger since Olivia is 8 months pregnant. I won't give too much away, but the book opens with Olivia in danger and doesn't stop until the end. Check out the excerpt below to read the opening scene. I do recommend this one.
Enjoy this Excerpt:
- from GUARDED BY THE SOLDIER by Laura Scott
Olivia Habush closed and locked the office door, then
shouldered her large zebra-striped bag before heading out the back door of the
church. The early June evening was warm, and she resisted the urge to fan
herself. Early summer in the quaint town of Harrisburg, Illinois, was much
warmer than what she was used to when she’d lived in Madison, Wisconsin.
The edges of her oversize blouse flapped around her large
pregnant belly as she made her way across the street. Mrs. Willa Bentley was
watching over Olivia’s three-year-old son Aaron while Liv did her weekly
Thursday- night bookkeeping job for the We Are One Church. As an accountant,
she enjoyed working with numbers and it was the least she could do for the nice
people who’d welcomed her with open arms.
Upon turning the corner, the hairs on the back of her neck
rose in alarm. For the second time this week she had the distinct feeling she
was being watched.
The Blake-Moore Group.
Was it possible the organization her late husband worked for
had found her again, after all this time? Having overheard details about what
the former soldiers belonging to the Blake-Moore Group had gotten involved in,
she knew they were not to be trusted.
Resisting the urge to glance over her shoulder, she began to
run, her movements awkward and clumsy be-cause of her pregnant belly. Her
oversize purse/diaper bag banged against her hip as she moved. The run didn’t
last long, and she slowed to a fast walk while frantically looking for someone
nearby.
But there wasn’t anyone around. For whatever reason, the
streets of the Garden Ridge neighborhood were un-usually vacant and quiet.
Liv pulled her phone from the front pocket of her bag,
intending to call 911 despite her determination to avoid the police, but before
she could push a button, large, strong hands roughly grabbed her from behind.
“No! Let me go!” She managed to get most of the words out
mere seconds before a firm, calloused hand clamped hard over her mouth. Her
phone fell uselessly to the ground with a loud clatter.
She couldn’t breathe!
Panic flared, paralyzing her with fear. They’d found her.
After all this time, the men employed by the Blake-Moore Group, the men who’d
turned her husband into a monster, had found her!
Dear Lord, help me!
Desperate to save herself and her unborn baby, she lashed
out against her attacker with all her strength, kicking backward with her feet and
scratching at every exposed inch of skin on his face and hands.
“Knock it off,” her attacker growled, his voice low and
rough in her ear as his arm tightened painfully around her. “Or I’ll kill you
right here and now.”
Kill her? No! This couldn’t be happening! She thought about
her son, Aaron, and her unborn baby. Her eyes burned with helpless tears as her
attacker easily subdued her feeble struggles and began to pull her backward,
away from the streetlights and deeper into the shadows.
She stopped struggling, in an attempt to preserve her
strength while reminding herself that she’d escaped once before and could do so
again. Granted, that was six months ago, when she’d only just discovered she
was six weeks pregnant instead of thirty-four.
How had they found her?
“Oomph.” The man holding her in his iron grasp abruptly let
go. Still off-balance, Liv felt herself falling backward, even as she flailed
her arms in an attempt to stay upright.
A pair of strong hands caught her before she could hit the
ground, gently pushing her upright so that she was back on her own two feet.
Her bag was somehow still on her shoulder and she hitched it higher, feeling
relieved for a brief moment before realizing this could be another guy from the
Blake-Moore Group.
“Let me go!” She shouted as loudly as she could, but the
words came out like a weak croak. “Help! Police! Help me!”
“Olivia, please be quiet. We need to get out of here and
pick up your son before this guy regains consciousness.”
The stranger’s use of her first name pulled her up short.
She twisted out of his grasp and stared at his face, but he didn’t look
familiar. She noted he was dressed from head to toe in black, making it easy
for him to blend into the night. Then her gaze dropped to the body of a man
lying on the ground, also dressed in black, apparently unconscious. The silver
glint of a knife blade lying on the asphalt beside him caught her eye, making
her swallow hard.
What was going on? Who were these men?
“Olivia, I’m not with the Blake-Moore Group,” the stranger
continued in a tone she was sure he meant to be reassuring. “I’m here to keep
you and your son safe.”
About the author:
Author bio: Laura Scott is honored to write for the
Love Inspired Suspense line, where a reader can find a heartwarming journey of
faith amid the thrilling danger. She lives with her husband of twenty-five
years and has two children, a daughter and a son, who are both in college. She
works as a critical-care nurse during the day at a large level-one trauma
center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and spends her spare time writing romance.
Visit Laura at www.laurascottbooks.com.
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1 comment:
I want it and I want it now!
I love books that are in a series but yet can stand alone. The series aspect makes it just a little more special.
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