Kelly Underwood: Defending Honor

 By Kelly Bridgewater

She trusts no one…

Bodyguard Laila Rabbinowitz is all business. Tough and stoic, she was the perfect Mossad agent…until a terrible betrayal led to her worst nightmare. Being a bodyguard with the Elite Guardians allows her to keep her heart safe—she’ll never get involved with a client, never let anyone close enough to betray her again. And she’s certainly not going to trust anyone who doesn’t earn it.

He needs protection…

Billionaire Preston Whittaker walked away from his famous family after a terrible event, but he’s put that behind him—or so he thinks. When his father and brother are killed in a suspicious boating accident, he must take the helm of the family business and carry on the family legacy. But someone doesn’t want him at the helm. They want him dead.

She’ll have to pretend to be his wife to save his life…

Enter the Elite Guardians. Preston is going to need someone by his side 24/7, and the only solution is…a fake marriage. Laila needs to pull off acting as the trophy wife to the country’s most eligible bachelor. With the eyes of the paparazzi on them, she’ll have to convince everyone that she and Preston are in love.

But what will it cost her heart?

Preston’s reputation as a party playboy precedes him, and Laila doesn’t belong in his world filled with parties and money. But is there more to Preston Whittaker that the world doesn’t see? Maybe, in time, he’s someone Laila could learn to trust. Only problem is, the danger is closer than they both know…and time is running out.

My Review:

Defending Honor by Kelly Underwood is a bodyguard protecting a rich boy who ran away from his inheritance. From the opening chapter, Underwood throws Laila into the fire with bullets flying. The secrets of the mansion and the hidden passageways were a nice touch to the description of the mansion. The tension plot builds up as the story progresses. Bullets kept flying and a car ends up underwater. A huge fear of mine. Underwood was mentored by Lynette Eason, so of course, the suspense kept building as the story progressed. With Susan May Warren and Lynette Eason, how could this series go wrong? Both wonderful writers who know how to capture their audience’s attention. The revealing of the bad person was not a surprise. I figured out who the person was before Underwood revealed it. Not a lot of red herrings. Couple of bullseyes if the readers paid attention. Overall, Defending Honor by Kelly Underwood fits nicely into the romantic suspense genre and the Elite Guardian’s series.

I received a complimentary copy of Defending Honor by Kelly Underwood through Sunrise Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase Defending Honor

About the Author:

Kelly Underwood’s favorite things are reading, writing, and drinking coffee. She was born in New Hampshire, but don’t ask her about snow, because she’s been a Florida girl since she was twelve. She writes book reviews for her blog bestinsuspense.com and is an active member of the Central Florida chapter of the American Christian Fiction Writers. She’s a sucker for a good suspense novel, the kind you have to read cover-to-cover until the mystery is solved and the bad guys are in handcuffs. If you’re looking for her, she’s probably on her back patio with a Kindle in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

Lynette Eason: Chasing Secrets

By Kelly Bridgewater

Elite Guardians bodyguard Haley Callaghan may be in South Carolina, but when a photo leads investigators in West Ireland to open a twenty-five-year-old cold case, her life is suddenly in danger. Haley knows how to take care of herself; after all, she's made a career out of taking care of others. But after an uncomfortably close call, Detective Steven Rothwell takes it upon himself to stay with her--and the young client she has taken under her wing. A protector at heart, he's not about to let Haley fight this battle alone.

In a sweeping plot that takes them into long-buried memories--and the depths of the heart--Haley and Steven will have to solve the mystery of Haley's past while dodging bullets, bombs, and bad guys who just won't quit.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Lynette Eason knows exactly what the readers of romantic suspense want. If they are anything like me, then they want non-stop action with someone's life in danger. I have devoured Always Watching, Without Warning, and Moving Target, so I can't wait to see what Eason had in store for me in Chasing Secrets. I recommend Eason's books all the time to fellow readers who claim to want tons of suspense with a hint of romance. Eason has not disappointed me yet.

As an accomplished writer, I'm sure that Eason will know how to write into deep point of view without distracting me from the story. The setting comes to life and keeps me anchored in the story without any question or pulling out to watch Eason explain things for me. I empathized with the characters as they struggled with their identity and moving on from the past. The character of Haley is a dynamic character who places children first in her life. She loves them and wants to help improve their lives, which is shown in the center she runs and how much time she invests in their individual lives. I enjoyed watching Haley's transformation story as she went through the story. As for Steven, he is a wonderful parallel to Haley and compliments her and her need to overcome the mysteries of her past. Steven also changes by learning to forgive and letting go of some of his past anger issues.

The plot is original and unpredictable. Eason is a master at allowing me to not to figure out who the villain is before the end of the novel. When she introduced the bad guy, I was shocked. It was not who I thought it was. Good job, Eason! I loved being proven wrong  . . . or right when reading a suspense.

The spiritual element of forgiveness and letting go off the past affected by main characters, and I'm glad that Eason allowed this change to happen naturally, not force it on the characters. I don't believe some readers will be turned off by the spiritually of the story; it was not the driving force of the plot, just there to deepened the characters.

Overall, Lynette Eason's Chasing Secrets is a fabulous conclusion to her Elite Guardians' series, and I enjoyed spending time with all four heroines and loved watching them change and mature as the series deepened. I highly recommend Chasing Secrets for fans of Lynette Eason's other books or romantic suspense in general. A great read!

I received a complimentary copy of Chasing Secrets by Lynette Eason from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Lynette Eason: Moving Target

By Kelly Bridgewater

When Maddy McKay and Quinn Holcombe don't show up for Quinn's surprise birthday party, his friends know that something is very wrong. Their search turns up little beyond evidence that Quinn and Maddy just decided to take off for a long overdue vacation. But it soon becomes apparent that they did not leave of their own accord.

Maddy awakens in a cement room with no idea where she is. But it's not long before she realizes she's in the clutches of a madman exacting revenge by hunting. His prey of choice? Humans. Now Maddy and Quinn must run for their lives, hoping to find their killer before the next game begins. Because if they don't win this game, they die.

From Amazon

My Review:

Lynette Eason is one of my favorite romantic suspense authors. She knows what the readers want and she doesn't let me down. I have read everything that Eason has printed, and I don't regret my discussion. She always gets me with her suspense and a hint of romanc, but has me begging for more.

Eason is at the top of her game in her writing. She creates realistic settings and allows it to explode in my mind. I have no problem anchoring myself in the setting. In Moving Target, she places me on an island for a while, and I can feel the ocean breeze and hear the rustle of the wind through the leaves. Speaking of writing, Eason does a great job at using concise writing where she invites me into the character's point of view and completely understand their hurts and pains.

One of my favorite elements of Moving Target is the plot. With a little mixture of Hunger Games, Eason created an unique suspense story that kept me on my toes the whole time. I didn't want to put the story down. Every time I believed I had a break in the story, Eason upped the anty and made me want to turn the page to the next chapter. She really knows how to create a non-stop action story that I had a hard time putting down.

One of my favorite thing about Eason's romantic suspense is that she downplays the romance. Don't get me wrong. It is there but subtle, which I really enjoy when I spend time in a romantic suspense novel. I want more of the suspense than the romance. In Moving Target, the romance between Maddy and Quinn has been forthcoming, and it was nice to see it come to fortuation. Even though the ending to their romance was completely cliché.

Maddy and Quinn both have issues with their families, and this plot helped both of them solve those underlying family issues. Maddy and Quinn are both threaten a number of times, but they are both brave characters who don't let the villains get the best of them. I adore them for that.

Moving Target is a unique and totally unpredictable novel that I enjoyed spending time with. The research into the crime scene investigators and other police task force run seamless and felt completely real. The spiritual element is there, but it's part of what makes Maddy who she is. She doesn't force it on anyone. Moving Target is a great novel for fans of suspense like Irene Hannon, Brandilyn Collins, Kathy Herman, or Christy Barritt. I highly recommend Moving Target.

In conclusion, Lynette Eason's third installment in her Elite Guardian's series, Moving Target, is an unique, fast moving story with light romance and characters who beg to finally tell their story. I really can't wait to read the final installment, Chasing Secrets.

I received a complimentary copy of Lynette Eason's Moving Target from Revell Publishing and the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I LOVE everything Lynette Eason writes!! How about you? How many of her books have you read? Is there a go-to author for you? If so, who? Why?