GRR Reviews Defending Allye by Susan Stoker

Allye knew she's unusual... Her eyes are different colors, and she has a white streak of hair. For that, she was kidnapped by traffickers for a sadistic "collector" who deals with unusual "things". Fortunately, she was rescued by former SEAL, now "mountain mercenary" Gray. // Gray was surprised to rescue Allye, as he thought he was just there to interrogate the crew about the trafficking ring. But having swum together the whole night toward rescue, their bonding experience made him realize Allye is one in a million... and the only one for him. When Allye found a clue that could unravel the trafficking ring, she was invited to Colorado Springs, and Gray's house. But the collector soon up the ante by kidnapping, torturing, and killing Allye's co-workers, "demanding" her return. Allye is determined to offer herself as bait if it will stop the madness. And Gray may have to let her go if he wanted her forever. But the mountain mercenaries have his back... and hers.

Good intro into the series of semi-vigilantes and a very good way to bond the MMC and MFC together. The bad guy is creepy and sadistic alright, in a Bond villain kind of way. I think the final fight could have been a little more exciting, but it could be just me. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Rescuing Emily by Susan Stoker

Cormac "Fletch" Fletcher rented out the apartment above his garage to a single parent Emily and his young daughter. He just wanted someone in the house who won't trash his place, and it seems Emily can use a break in her life, so he's keeping the rent low. And Emily was thankful. Until a blackmailer arrived forcing Emily to turn over cash weekly by threatening her and child, while Fletch is out on maneuvers. And when Emily misunderstood Feltch's explanation, thinking Fletch is in on the plot, it will take Fletch some hard explaining. When the bad guys stepped up to outright kidnapping, it will be up to Fletch and his A-Team to save the day...

Plausible scenario, a sore loser in the army, psychologically deranged demagogue, going rogue. I guess it's possible he could have surveilled the place and gotten all the camera angles... Esp. if he really was a sniper like he claimed. I just have a problem with Emily trying to do everything by herself. *sigh*...

Category: Contemporary / Romantic Suspense / Military

Overall Rating: 4/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Protecting Summer by Susan Stoker

Sam "Mozart" Reed had been chasing after a serial killer for most of his life, ever since he learned that his little sister Avery was abducted, tortured, and killed. He grew up, and became a SEAL. But this killer was never caught. Years, later, with a lead, he's going up to the tiny town of Big Bear, California. That's when he ran into Summer. Summer had it all, until was all destroyed. Her friends shunned her. With no job, no prospects, she left, and wandered into Big Bear, where her car died, leaving her stranded, with a job that barely put enough food on the table and shivering at night. Then she met Mozart, who promised to come back for her. So she waited. But someone else is waiting... watching...

SEAL with enough free time to travel around, and the rest of his team can find a helo to drop them in the middle of nowhere? A serial killer who's basically a boogeyman, never been found? Who just happy to be a handyman who gave off the 'wrong vibe'? And the killer knew a navy SEAL is after him, almost two decades later? Sorry, the tropes are just too cliche here. At least the author knows how to polish the prose.

Category: Romantic suspense

Overall Rating: 3/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Claiming Grace by Susan Stoker

Logan Anderson moved back to Castle Rock Colorado to start over... when their mom, mentally unbalanced, had abused them for most of their lives, eventually ended up causing the death of their father and then committed suicide. The three brothers started Ace Security in honor of their father, who can't get help because nobody will believe he's the victim of spousal abuse. Logan also has a regret... When he was 18, he ran off to join the army to get away from his hellish family... leaving behind Grace, the only woman he had loved... But she never wrote her back. Now that he's back, he did not want to approach Grace again, until he realized he was looking at the situation all wrong... // Grace had always been under control of her family, despite having tried to win their approval for 28 years, yet getting nowhere. Every one of her dreams had been crushed by her family. Logan never wrote, and she was pushed into office admin degree despite wanting to go into marketing. Only the presence of her two friends kept her sane... Then her mother escalated by trying to match her with another family's son, who's polite (but apparently gay?) When Grace found from Logan that her family had intercepted the letters, she decided to confront her family... and everything went from bad to worse...

Now that's a pretty f***ed up family, yet believable. Like the build-up, but there wasn't enough foreshadowing of the depravity that followed or the resolution which involved someone else taking over the investigation.

Category: Contemporary / Romantic suspense

Overall Rating: 4/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Justice for Laine (Badge of Honor) by Susan Stoker

Justice for Laine is a novella in the Badge of Honor series that for once, did not involve serious violence, but rather about a disappearance. It was a fast read and did not involve any violence against woman.

Realtor Laine Parker had to fill in for her best friend at a volunteer hunk photo shoot for a fundraiser as the photographer's assistant. Laine found the drool-worthy model, Westin King, irresistible. Westin is a genuine Texas Ranger, the boot-wearing, Stetson-toting and badge-hanging kind. Wes hadn't found the woman he had been looking for until he saw Laine, and immediately he woos Laine. Then Laine disappeared. And Wes has to call in every favor, both over and under the table, to hold her in his arms again.

Fortunately in this book we're not dealing with a killer but bad circumstances can kill just as well. It's a rescue story after a meet-cute with abbreviated romance. Fast read.

Category: Romantic suspense

Primary Plot: realtor helped her friend at a photo shoot, wooed by handsome Texas Ranger, then she disappeared... what happened to her? How will he and his friends find her?

Tropes: woman in peril, protector

Overall Rating:  4/5

GRR Review Protecting Alabama (SEAL of Protection by Susan Stoker

Protecting Alabama is a love story between Alabama, a civilian who got a bad childhood, and SEAL "Abe" (as in Honest).

The story was sweet, and there were no kidnappings and other acts of violence involved (except in Alabama's childhood). This is about slow seduction of the most innocent girl and a sweet honest guy baring their soul to each other, then one false accusation (by a jealous third-party) put a huge rift between the two for the darkest hour. Is there a grand gesture that can restore their trust?

The beginning of the book was horribly slow as if the book was just going to do the "accomplished sweet but seductive guy who understands body language seduces the most innocent and hurt woman ever". And it did do it, and it was sweet enough to puke, but the wounds from both sides kept it realistic (there are reasons why both are the way they are) The darkest hour was a bit abrupt, and the grand gesture was left all the way at the end with a LONG pause between darkest hour and the grand gesture (unless you count the last couple chapters as grand gesture). Also, the karma due for the jealous third-party was tell, not show, which left it rather unsatisfying. All in all, this is straight romance, no suspense. Average only

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Sweet girl falls for honest SEAL, until jealous third-party intervened

Overall Rating:  3/5