Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars
M/F Thriller, Romance
Triggers: Kidnapping, Torture, Murder, Stalking, rape, Human trafficking.

This is a fast-paced, thrilling read. I couldn't put it down.

Gray is a tough, rugged, sexy, ex-SEAL. He is helping to right wrongs to innocent people. He has some PTSD in regard to his service, but he wants to do everything in his power to help those who cannot help themselves. When he is sent on a mission, it kind of goes wrong in that he was supposed to recover money and instead, was recovering and rescuing a woman.

Allye is a tough woman. She has been dealt a crap hand from day one. With a family that abandoned her to a life where she doesn't believe in good things happening for her. She has a unique set of features and that sends her down a path of a psycho-stalker.

Gray and Allye have amazing chemistry and their character development was spot on for this story. You got to see their flaws and their triumphs together. I also really enjoyed Gray's "brothers" in this story. They were down to earth and knew when to say something and when to just keep their mouths shut and help.

This is a great first story and I cannot wait for Ro's story. I think I'm going to really enjoy this series. I also hope that we get to see glimpses of Allye and Gray again.


Sarah – ☆☆☆
This is a difficult book for me to review. It is an exciting action adventure but the characters feel underdeveloped and I didn’t enjoy the writing style. The Mountain Mercenaries are ex-servicemen who secretly work to protect vulnerable women and children from predators. This story focuses on Gray, a former SEAL, and Allye, the woman he rescues from a sex trafficker.

There are so many series about private security/black-ops groups at the moment and so far this one really isn’t a favourite. There is something oddly paternalistic about this group of men sent to rescue women in trouble and it doesn’t feel very 2018. I felt like the violence towards women was sensationalised at times in this book and I felt like Allye, with her skill set, could have been so much more than a victim or bait as the Mountain Mercenaries fought back against her trafficker.

I really enjoyed the connection between Allye and Gray when he rescues her at the start of the book. Allye is calm under fire and the banter between them is brilliant. Unfortunately, both Gray and Allye become more bland and predictable as the story progresses and they revert back to type. Gray never becomes more than the alpha male SEAL and Allye becomes more of a victim as she leaves her life behind and hides out with Gray. I think Gray’s possessive declarations about Allye being ‘mine’ are supposed to be sexy but the just feel a little bit whiny and controlling after a while.

The action scenes at the start and the end of this book are great. I enjoyed the hunt for the killer and Allye’s trafficker and loved the suspense at the end. But most of the rest of the story didn’t quite work for me.


Veronica – ☆☆☆
It took me a bit of time to warm up to the story. The beginning is full of action, which was a plus, but it also a dash of the ridiculous (the USB, seriously?). On a mission to stop people smuggles, Gray, a former Navy SEAL, climbs aboard a boat in the middle of the ocean expecting to find money being exchanged but instead he finds Allye. [Side note, the author does after a little while explain how to pronounce Allye but until we read that point in the story I had no idea how to say it. I hate when authors use stupid spellings for names.]

Anyway, they are having big conversations while swimming in the middle of the ocean in complete darkness like it as nothing, like they are at a coffee shop. Allye and Gray’s conversations establish Allye as a strong woman able to handle difficult situations and Gray as the strong hero type. It was bit too contrived for me. The only thing that kept me reading in the beginning was the bad guy. Luke Nightingale is a portrait of evil and I wanted to know if and how they’d catch him, so I kept on reading and I’m glad I did because I enjoyed the hunt for the bad guy.

The romance between Gray and Allye is good and the naked scene appropriately hot. What the author did really well was conflict between the pair. You can see the point of contention coming. They are not arguing of some trivial misunderstanding, which happens too often in romance books and the author gained a lot of points from me.

The story wraps up with a flurry of action and a satisfying happily ever after. When Gray and Allye’s story finishes, we get a sneak peak of the next story in the series, which will be Ro’s. I look forward to reading it.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is an excellent beginning to a new series by Susan Stoker. I will definitely be looking out for future installments. Do be warned though, this is pretty gritty in places, no hiding the realities of the ways that the team get their answers or remove danger.

Any fan of Stoker will recognise the ex-SEAL men who are prepared to risk their lives and use their skills to address wrong, and any fan of Charlie's Angels will see some fun comparisons too, I think!

The initial part of the story, where we first get to meet Allye and Gray, gives us the measure of these two people. They are both strong characters, and in spite of the circumstances, they recognise that they are attracted to each other. However, they do not act on it – to both of them, it seems like it might be a product of the situation, rather than genuine. Luckily fate intervenes, and the rest of the fast-paced drama and romance holds out more hope for a happy ending – well, most of the time!

The underlying plot is strong and intense, and I definitely recommend this thriller to you.

The beginning of this book was very brutal and I almost did not continue reading it. But I kept reading and I loved the book and can not wait for the next book is this series. First books I have read by this author

Love can overcome…

If you’ve read this author before than the premise is not new – strong, capable military-type heroes meet strong, capable women in harrowing situations. It is a trope that totally works for me so I was excited to see this new series from one of my favourite authors.

“One word. He’d said only one word, but it was enough for her to fall in love with his voice.”

The danger and excitement start early as Allye is in the clutches of a human trafficker and time is crucial. Gray is a Mountain Mercenary and is surprised and amazed at the resilience of Allye as they struggle for freedom and their lives… Allye’s composure through it all may not have struck me as completely based in reality but I wanted it to be….

“Yeah, it was safe to say he liked her. Liked her spirit. Liked that she wasn’t freaking out. Liked that she could still throw sass at him…”

Gray and Allye were good together – able to communicate and figure things out when each challenge presented itself. And there were many, including a lingering danger that was pure evil.
As the plot unfolded, the characters, and myself, wading through some truly heinous (and stomach turning) scenes. The dialogue and the surprises continued throughout in a solid start to a (hopefully) long series.

This is book one in the Mountain Mercenaries series and it features Gray and Allye. What they went through together in the beginning had me on pins and needles and the story only got better from there. It was as if they were written in the stars. Compatible in every way, even in the bedroom. Steamy! My heart broke for all that she went through as a child.

Fabulous story with equally fabulous characters. I can’t wait to read the stories of the rest of the Mountain Mercenaries. Great first book in a series!

This one didn't grab me the same way as the author's other books. For some reason I didn't connect with the characters the way I usually do. I'll definitely give it a reread - could just be the wrong book at the wrong time.

Emotionally thrilling, sexy, engaging, action packed romantic adventure filled with danger, mystery and undeniable passion.... could not put it down.

Gray Rogers and Allye Martin are both very smart, strong and courageous individuals with the common goal of taking down the bad guys.... This is a highly entertaining and exciting summer afternoon read that was perfect for relaxing in the backyard with a cold drink.

Susan Stoker did it again. I have read her books and loved them all, the characters and the stories, so with this new series, well I was not sure if I would like it, but gosh darn it, she again wove her magic and I felt that I was part of her story, I was drawn in and fell in love the characters.

I read it straight thru . The story is about a beautifully unique woman Allye Martin a professional dancer and Grayson (Gray) an accountant by day and a mountain mercenary ex military alpha hero .
I think this such a well written story, absolutely great characters . It has a somewhat dark storyline, but I really enjoyed reading it . I'm looking forward to reading more in the series. I highly recommend taking the time to read this wonderful story.

It's intense, gritty, sexy and HOT!

Check out the whole post on: https://shahlas-world.blogspot.com/2018/09/review-of-defending-allye-mountain.html

Get ready to have your world rocked in the new instalment of this highly addictive follow on series from Ace security. The author delivers something that turned out to be sweet and romantic with plenty of drama and intrigue to boot! I just can’t express just how much I loved this book. I was totally captivated from the first chapter, and I read the entire book in just one sitting. I just couldn’t put it down nor did I want to end either. Definitely can’t wait to get “Defending Chloe” need my Susan Stoker hit lol absolutely recommend this book to all book lovers out there

Any book of Susan Stoker’s is worth a read. Be it the Deltas, Firemen, Rangers, Ace Security and now the Mercenaries. Her last book in the Ace Security series is the start of the Mountain Mercenaries Series, with Gray Rogers “Defending Allye” till his last breath.

Kidnapped by a human trafficker, Allye never thought she would be rescued, let alone by a mercenary. The entire rescue op of Allye is the highlight of “Defending Allye”, laying the foundation for Allye’s and Gray’s relationship, as they get to know each other even as they are trying to defy death.

There’s no doubt that Susan Stoker’s stories are as addictive as fine wine as is her mastery of writing captivating and emotional love stories. From her Badge Of Honor Series, Delta Force Heroes Series to Seal Of Protection Series and now to Ace Security series, I’ve literally enjoyed every single one of her books. Protecting Caroline, Protecting Fiona and Protecting Alabama are my top favorites of her books that I’ve visited innumerable times…chicken soup for the soul!!!

Received an ARC from Montlake Romance via NetGalley for an honest review.

Defending Allye is the first book in the Mountain Mercenaries series by Susan Stoker. It is related to the Ace Security series, but it does stand up fine on its own or as a continuation of the previous series.

Ever since his rescue op off the Pacific Coast, Mountain Mercenary Gray Rogers hasn’t been able to forget his latest “job”—Allye Martin. Any other woman would have panicked during a rescue, but the wily dancer kept her cool—even after being kidnapped by an elusive human trafficker. And Gray couldn’t be happier when a grateful Allye follows him home to Colorado Springs. For Allye, finding sanctuary in the arms—and bed—of the former Navy SEAL is only temporary. People are disappearing off the streets of San Francisco, victims of the same underground trade that targeted her, and Allye could be the key to dismantling the entire operation. She’s willing to do anything to bring them down. Gray isn’t—for good reason. But you don’t say no to a tough girl like Allye who refuses to play it safe. Now Gray is risking more than ever before. The Mountain Mercenaries have his back. But is it enough to keep the woman he loves out of harm’s way?

Defending Allye is a quick, exciting read that starts right in the thick of the action. Gray is still dealing with his past and the emotion issues that come with it, and Allye has her own emotional baggage. Dealing with the danger of a human trafficking ring, and the fact that the man in charge of that ring wants Allye for himself keeps the characters and readers on edge for the majority of the story. The unwrapping of emotional baggage and dealing with the emotional ties between Gray and Allye is well done, and I liked the secondary characters and how they had important parts to play in the character's development. I will admit that I spent a good amount of the book waiting for the other shoe to drop, sometimes it felt too long or that it might not ever come, but when it did it was very well executed and had a few surprises for me.

Defending Allye is exactly what I was expecting from Stoker, strong minded characters facing emotional barriers as well as outside dangers. The style is starting to feel a little tired to me, but I think that is more because of me binge reading recently rather than any fault with the book. Fans of Stoker will happily read this, and the books that follow in the new series.

A fantastic start to a new series! Susan Stoker knows how to weave a fantastic romantic suspense with unforgettable characters and Sexy Alpha men who respect their women. Gray and Allye’s story has romance, suspense, a sexy hot Mercenary and strong sweet, funny, quirky heroine. Everything I want in a book, I loved it! 5 Stars! Can’t wait for book 2!

Defending Allye is the first book in the Mountain Mercenaries Series. A perfect blend of action, suspense, passion, and tender romance, Susan Stoker delivers a stunning "militaryesque" romance with a lot of heart. Gray Rogers is a former Navy Seal and a member of an elite mercenary team that serves to protect civilians. When he is sent on a job and inadvertently rescues Allye Martin from harm, a connection is made. Allye, a professional ballet dancer, is spunky and strong-willed. Spending time with Gray, she learns what it means to be truly loved and protected. But with so many dangers lurking around them, the stakes are high for both to stay alive.

Told in multiple POV, Defending Allye is a fast-paced read with complex characters and an intense plot. The brotherhood between the Mercenaries is a central part of the plot and the relationships between the entire team has me hooked and I want more Mountain Mercenaries NOW! The passion between Gray and Allye is smoldering hot. Perhaps the best aspect of this read was the way in which these two both grew exponentially by pairing up with the other. The writing flows at a natural pace and when the action was building, I could not turn the page fast enough!

Overall, Defending Allye is an absolute must-read for readers who enjoy action, suspense and smoking hot passion. I had the pleasure of meeting Susan Stoker at Book Bonanza in Denver this past summer and I could not wait to get my hands on her books. This is my first Stoker read and I can guarantee it will not be my last. I am looking forward to reading more from Ms. Stoker!

This is the first book in Ms. Stoker’s new series. It’s an exciting, suspenseful and sexy read!

Grayson Rogers known as Gray is a former SEAL who left the Navy after a mission gone bad. He was contacted by a mysterious man named Rex and recruited for a team called Mountain Mercenaries. The rest is history, he loves his job and his teammates. Their latest assignment is trying to stop a human trafficking group, led by evil maniac Gage Nightingale. Women are disappearing without a trace and apparently sold to the highest bidder. Gray and Black are on a fact finding mission in the middle of the ocean off San Francisco. After boarding a boat, he finds a young woman handcuffed to a bed, with plenty of guards. After an explosion he and the woman head to the ocean from the sinking ship. It is quite a swim, and he finds out her name, Allye, and she’s a dancer. She was about to become a very important clue to their mission.

Allye Martin is a dancer for the San Francisco Dance Company. She had a very distinctive look, one blue eye and one brown. After her rescue by the team she try’s to return to her former life, but constantly has the feeling she is being watched. She does not have Gray’s number, but memorized the mysterious Rex’s number. Allye calls him and confesses her fears and that she has a stolen flash drive from the ship. Next thing she knows, she is on Colorado Springs at a bar called The Pit, and surrounded by Gray and his team. After the second meeting, Gray is determined to keep her safe and close. Their attraction heats up, and so does the danger.
Great suspense, romantic thriller with former SEALs, what more could you want? Looking forward to the second in the series.
Thank you to Montlake Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this exciting story.

Having never read one of Susan Stoker's books, I wasn't quite sure what to expect with Defending Allye. I loved the cover and the synopsis immediately snagged my attention. What did I think about it? Hmmm...

Holy shit! Defending Allye was amazing. I was left speechless when I finished it. The ratio of creepiness to sexiness was perfection. The suspense was really well done. The romance was everything I needed. Seriously, I've been craving hot sex in my romance lately and Defending Allye left me satisfied.

What set Defending Allye apart was how seriously messed up the human trafficking story-line was. It had been a long time I read a really good suspense that involved this kind of crime, plus it's such a horrific thing to happen to a person so that alone made it a little off-putting. What really set me off was the description of the villain's lair and collection. I was up until the wee hours of the morning cringing and even gagged a bit while he was thinking about his "prized" collection. I can devour even the creepiest of suspense books and I loved this one.

It takes a strong romantic suspense author to deliver a book that can creep me out in one chapter and reaching for my fan in the next. I loved Susan's writing style. She creeped me the fuck out, but also managed to make me laugh during the lighter moments. The pacing of the book was fantastic. Nothing felt rushed and I was never bored. Her characters were amazing. I loved Allye and Gray. Allye definitely pulled at my heart strings. She's had a rough childhood, but that made her determined to live. After the deaths of his friends, Gray guarded his heart so he could never be put in the position he was that awful night. Now that Allye is in his life, he can't stand the thought of losing her. Both were strong characters on their own and even stronger together. And boy did I love them together.

If you're a fan of super creepy romantic suspense with some hot sex scenes, definitely pick up Defending Allye. I cannot wait for the next book in the series. If it's as good as Defending Allye was, Susan will for sure become a favorite author.

I think this is the first book I've read of Susan Stoker, even though I have piles of her ebooks in my cloud (been meaning to start one of her series for a long time now). And I think I will definitely be on a Stoker binge soon.

Allye is a professional dancer who catches the eye of a powerful man who paid to acquire her. Yep, acquire her. Allye is kidnapped off the streets and is inadvertently rescued by Gray, Mountain Mercenary operative out to bring down the woman trafficking boss Nightingale. Allye and Gray, swimming to shore after the rescue, learn more about each other than if they went on a first date. And later, when they meet again, fall even harder for the other.

Allye is great, strong and tough and with so many scars. Gray is a good, strong man, with scars of his own as a former Navy Seal. And they're just great together. Their love is tested when Allye decides to do something about the man obsessed by her. Nightingale is a sicko. He'd make a nice villain in a murder mystery romantic suspense genre. Shudder.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book.

Really wanted to love this one, and it started out promising, but Allye's character just fell flat for me. The events in her childhood should've made me feel bad for her, but as it was described it didn't really stir any emotion.

Discussing your life story while trying to stay alive and swim to safety in frigid water didn't really ring true for me either.

A copy was kindly provided by Montlake Romance via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

In this first volume of the new romantic suspense series by the author, we meet the former Navy SEAL Fray when he rescues Allye during an information mission on human traffickers.

Like the good Navy SEAL he formerly was, Gray is going to swim for miles in the night and in the Pacific ocean while dragging Allye to reach the meeting point, and arrive just slightly tired. Fortunately Allye feels the effect of the cold more which make the scene a bit more realistic. They take the opportunity to get to know each other by talking during all the time to keep themselves awake. I already tried to chat at the swimming pool and that wasn’t so easy, but they’re at it as if they were on the sofa when they’re swimming in cold water in the dark for an hour. And yes Grey has a distress beacon but he doesn’t put it on as it has a short life battery – talk about crappy equipment. So you’ll have understood I wasn’t convinced by their meeting.

After a breve separation, Allye, feeling unsafe again (she had been kidnapped when Gray found her but nobody put her under protection when she came back) contacts the hero’s boos – because she has a super memory and remembered the number she glimpsed on Gray’s phone the night of her rescue – and crosses the country to put herself under the group’s protection, which allows the couple to get closer. Once again we have characters likeable separately as together, but the feelings come too fast. Fortunately Allye has a big emotional blockage because of her unhappy childhood which has her dig her heels and take their relationship one day at a time, at the great displeasure of the hero who’s at full-speed from the day he sees her again.

The investigation moves in slow motion, the bad guy kidnapping and killing some of the heroine’s colleagues to force her to come back and the police as the hero’s team members doing little progress to unmask him. We have several scenes where we follow the comings and goings of this bad guy, not just his thoughts but his behavior with his collection, his human “zoo”, and once again it’s a really warped person. And it ends with the heroine saved at the las moment by the hero and his team in a quite satisfying scene.

To conclude it’s a correct romantic suspense by which I wasn’t really hooked in spite of its qualities.

Ridiculous. This whole freakin book was over. the top. ridiculous.

I’ve read many books from Ms.Stoker’s other series: SEAL of Protection, Delta Force Heroes, Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes. I’ve enjoyed her writing. Obviously. But this first one in the Mountain Mercenaries series was a bit of a hot mess to me.

Why? Everything was over the top awful.

Starting out, Gray single-handedly invades a yacht in the dark with the purpose of gathering intel about a sex-trafficking ring. He’s badass, but also ruthless. The scene was disturbing, and a little too graphic for me. He threatens bodily harm and then almost immediately makes good on the threat. Several moments later he’s neutralizing another bad guy - in a permanent way - without much thought. I know these were both bad guys, but I’m not used to such vigilante behavior out of someone who’s supposed to be a hero.

Then Gray discovers there’s a woman on the yacht that is sinking quickly with them on it. There’s bad guys, an explosion. She, of course, is handcuffed to the wall. They escape, only to spend an hour swimming in the ocean. It’s like a Mission Impossible plot.

So Gray and Allye escape, and she’s all snarky and sarcastic. Totally not how you’d expect a woman to behave after being kidnapped and held prisoner on a yacht. It didn’t quite jive with the situation, but I was getting past it. Then we learn about her terrible, horrible, rotten childhood. Good grief, there just isn’t much else that could have been heaped on this poor girl. And we learn she’s a professional dancer - despite never having any formal training growing up. Just a couple years of dancing and now she’s making a living off it. Yeah, that’s realistic.

Apparently, Allye has somehow attracted the attention of a sadistic rich man who is willing to pay a huge amount of money to have her kidnapped so she can be his sex slave. But never mind that. Once they make it back to the shore, Gray and his teammate, Black, say “peace out homey” and leave her in the care of some random old man no one knows to drop her off alone at her apartment. Because it totally makes sense to let the kidnapped woman go back home all by herself. What the heck?!

Then Allye remembers she snagged a thumb drive out of the computer one of the bad guys was using in front of her (these were apparently not very bright criminals), and now the Mountain Mercenaries have decided she needs their protection 24/7. When it’s evident the head “bad dude” is kidnapping other women close to Allye, she wants to do what she can to help catch him. Because of some bad stuff Gray went through when he was a Navy SEAL, he’s not in favor of Allye using herself as bait.

And the bad guy. He's REALLY a bad guy. Again, it was disturbing how bad this bad guy is. Maybe this is going to be a darker series for this author. At any rate, I didn’t really enjoy it. It all ends with happily-ever-after, but was fraught with ridiculous all along the way.

I know this is fiction. Sometimes I am able to overlook certain characterizations or story lines when things stray super-far from reality. But only if the writing is really, really good. Sadly, in this instance it wasn’t. Common, overused phrases were used repeatedly in the same chapter (for instance, “once and for all”), and the banter between the Mercenaries was often cringeworthy.

This was my first ARC of a Susan Stoker novel, so maybe there was some additional editing done before official publication which cleaned up the repetitive phrasing and other loose prose. But I still don’t think those things would have fixed this story for me. I’m also willing to concede that maybe my reading tastes and preferences have changed in the past several years since I started reading Ms. Stoker, and her writing is no longer appealing to me. I don’t know. I just know I almost quit this book at the 30 percent point, at 50 percent, and then again at 75 percent. But by then I talked myself into finishing since I was so close to the end. At any rate, I won’t be reading any more of this series.

* thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Susan Stoker is a must read for me. Automatically I read all of her books. She could write a phone book and I'd request it. This is the start of a brand new series - the Mercenaries series and it's the start of magic!! She has such a way with her stories and words and I can't wait for the next one in the series that I'll be requesting that one as well. This one had such depth in the storyline where others try and set up the storyline for other books to come. Well done!!

Gray’s mission is simple…stop the money drop and hopefully get information on the sex trafficking. He never expected Allye. But now that he saves her can he keep her?
Defending Allye is first in Susan Stoker’s Mountain Mercenaries series. I thoroughly enjoyed returning to these men Ms. Stoker introduced us to. I love seeing these men who do the right thing, with little to no fanfare or support, find their happily ever after. I also loved that Allye was no victim. She may have been down but she was definitely not out. Ms. Stoker is wonderful about giving us strong women who need a bit of help, even as they help themselves. I love that Allye kept her cool and did what she could to save herself. I love that she allowed Gray in even though their initial meeting did not bode well for a future relationship. Ms. Stoker allowed Gray and Allye time even as she gave us unexpected twists and turns. I loved seeing Gray and Allye thrive under less than ideal circumstances. They fit and I loved seeing that. This story is full of action, support and love. I can’t wait to see where Ms. Stoker will take us next in this new world she is creating.