HIS TO PROTECT by Karen Rock Review, Excerpt & Giveaway!

Mission: Keep his eyes on the skies…despite one sexy distraction!  

HIS TO PROTECT

Uniformly Hot!

Karen Rock

Released Oct 1st, 2016

Harlequin Blaze

Subject: Lt. Commander Mark Sampson 

Mission: Keep his eyes on the skies…despite one sexy distraction! 

There are things a man can never undo. For Coast Guard search and rescue pilot Mark Sampson, it was the agonizing decision that cost him a teammate—and his faith in himself. But an unbelievably sexy blonde on a secluded beach may help him forget…if only for a night.

Cassie Rowe needed a distraction—and, boy, did she get one! How was she to know the brooding stranger who rocked her world was the pilot who'd left her brother to die? And now they're on the same mission. She should hate him. But she can't fight the storm of desire threatening to pull them under…

This story was so good from beginning to end. I loved the concept of a Coast Guard search and rescue pilot, I never really read a story featuring one before. Mark  Sampson is still dealing with the loss of his friend on a mission and is being eaten alive by guilt. Cassie is a nurse who wants to pay homage to her late brother and find out what really happened. She wanted to hate Mark, but the more she knew him, the more she knew that he could not have done things differently and should move on with his life. Soon she found herself starting to care for a super stubborn man.

     This story deals with change. You see how Cassie decides to stop being meek and mild and grab hold of life just like her big brother had. She comes to know first hand how hard it can be to rescue people at the same time as keeping your crew safe. She reaches out to Mark and things get super steamy, now he only has to let go and forgive himself.

     I found Mark so totally relatable, men have such a hard time dealing with the death of those they care about. His career involved making tough choices sometimes. Nobody could punish him more than he did himself and he had to learn to move on, with Cassie's help. He comes to care for her and nearly blows it when she decides to join the search and rescue life. While Cassie was growing and becoming stronger , he wanted to protect her. Stubborn male! Their road to the happily ever after was  rocky, but it was worth it. I really enjoyed this sexy and emotional story and Mark and Cassie make a great couple. This is a fast-paced gem of a story!

     

     Cassie brushed back a strand of hair and the light gleamed on a charm dangling from her silver bracelet. An anchor. Recognition exploded in Mark’s gut. He’d been with Jeff when his friend bought a birthday gift for his beloved sister back home. Of course Cassie had worn it here. She carried her brother’s memory as Mark did, had followed it into the worst storm of the century.

     As if he wasn’t feeling enough for her, tenderness swamped him at her dogged, gutsy determination. What was more, he desired her with a wild rush that shoved him to the edge of his control then drop-kicked him over it. The last shred of his resistance shattered.

He wanted her. Wanted the peace, the mindlessness that night in Clearwater had offered. Reason wasn’t working. Not even with himself.

     “I still don’t want you on board tomorrow, but just dancing with you is killing me.” Bending his head down, he found the beat of her pulse and he brushed his lips against it. “What if we forget everything else for tonight and just…”

     Her lips curled into a sexy, sassy smile and then she veered through an opening in the shrubs beside them. What the…?

     At her shouted challenge, he leaped onto the beach. Her long hair flew behind her as she raced down to the water and excitement surged. The masculine need to capture, conquer, dominate galloped through him and he sprinted after her.

     Just before she reached the water, he grabbed her waist and swung her around. Their laughter rang out then slowed when he turned her in his arms and lowered her slowly along the length of his body, feeling every luscious inch of her.

     Above them gulls rode the winds, screeching and calling to each other above the noise of the surf, but his mind was too filled with Cassie to notice.

     He placed his hands around her face and pulled it gently to him. “You’re not meek,” he whispered against her mouth.

     He ached. Throbbed when her lips curved and her eyes danced up at him.

     “What am I, then?”

    “Mine,” he groaned and his mouth captured hers, feasting. He wanted to banish her hurts. Erase the pain that shadowed her eyes. He didn’t know if he could protect her from the storm tomorrow, but he could shelter her tonight, comfort her the only way he knew how.

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Award-winning author Karen Rock is both sweet and spicy—at least when it comes to her writing! The author of both YA and adult contemporary books writes red-hot novels for Harlequin Blaze and small-town romances for Harlequin Heartwarming. A strong believer in Happily-Ever-After, Karen loves creating unforgettable stories that leave her readers with a smile.

She enjoys returning to her teaching roots when speaking at regional and national writing conferences and interacting with other writers. She has a Master of Fine Arts in English and has continued to learn and grow professionally through her work with YA co-author, fellow romance author, friend and sister-in-law, Joanne Rock.

When she’s not writing, Karen is an avid reader who’s typically immersed in three different books at a time, all in different genres. She also loves cooking her grandmother’s Italian recipes, baking, Christmas (no need to specify—she loves every bit of it), and having the Adirondack Park wilderness as her backyard, where she lives with her husband, daughter, dog and cat who keep her life interesting and complete..

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