Series Name: SEAL Endgame, # 1
Everything about her spoke of fear—from the way she clutched her son to how her eyes darted around the room. An instinct deep inside him rose to the surface. He had to help her. It was almost a compulsion that he already knew he wasn’t going to be able to tamp down or deny.
Guarding the Single Mother is a quick and easy romance suspense perfect to read on a snowy afternoon.
Retired Navy SEAL, Clint Backwater, enjoys his solitary life as owner of the Ask Questions Later gun range. It’s the kind of place you find because you know a guy. So when Leila Ortiz, a petite woman with a “baby on board” sticker on the back of her car—and an 18-month-old boy in her arms—shows up at the range, panicked and desperate for a gun, he knows something is wrong. Having grown up in the foster system, Clint has seen what happens when you let yourself get too invested—things get messy, people leave. He made himself a promise to never get emotionally involved again, but the former SEAL in him feels the tug to help this woman and her child.
Leila’s ex-husband is being released from prison early on good behavior and she found out too late. He was supposed to serve five years, not two, and Leila is unprepared to protect herself and her son. She promised him they’d never run again—they’ve made a nice life for themselves and the last thing she wants to do is leave it all behind.
When Clint refuses to give Leila a gun without lessons, she agrees to return to the range to learn. At first, Leila won’t say why she’s so desperate for protection, but when the threats from her ex escalate, it becomes clear what she’s afraid of.
Clint is a loner. Always has been, always will be. So when Leila and her little son enter his life, it hits him—hard— maybe being alone isn’t what he needs. Still, having his solitary life disrupted when he invites the little family into his home is a bit tougher to take than he thought. With Leila and her son in danger, though, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep them safe—even putting up with stray toys and changing a nappy or two.
But the biggest danger might be to his heart, when it starts to look like the safest thing for Leila and her baby might be to leave her problems—and her budding relationship with Clint—behind.
If you are looking for a quick suspense romance that is super easy to sink into, you should try this book. It’s a short novella (roughly 125 pages) with a gorgeous navy SEAL and a pretty interesting story. I love a good single mom who is in danger story. They don’t come up too often, so when they do, I know I need to get my hands on it. I enjoyed reading this book. It’s short, so don’t expect a lot of details and extended scenes. Things move quickly; it’s just a fun, quick romp. I like Leila and Clint. They have that chemistry that works for me. This is a high-tension, high-stakes book, which helps to fuel those lusty emotions they are feeling for one another. What surprised me was that the spice level was not as high as I had thought it would be. It’s pretty tame, so if you are looking for that has a lot of sexy times in it, then this book isn’t for you. I enjoyed this book for what it is: a quick romance read that satisfied an itch I have been having.
Thank you, Relay Publishing, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
