I am an avid Susan Stoker fan so was a bit surprised when I started this book as it seemed like I had read it before. Indeed, Defending Morgan has a very similar beginning as Protecting Fiona if 2 women could have such bad luck. Thankfully, Ms Stoker did have Morgan go through some different adventures than Fiona so it was not a replica but the similar beginnings deflated my excitement a bit. Loved the surprise twist at the end.

Defending Morgan
By Susan Stoker

Defending Morgan is the third book in the Mountain Mercenaries series by Susan Stoker and the series just keeps getting better and better! I mean who wouldn’t love to read about a hot hero finding the love of his life in a Caribbean jungle. Ms. Stoker has the ability to ensnare the reader from page one and not let them go until the end of the book!

On a mission to retrieve a kidnapped child, Archer “Arrow” Kane and his band of friends also discover another kidnap victim. One that everyone had thought would never be found. From the moment he meets Morgan Byrd, Arrow can’t hide his interest in her. Her determination and quiet strength draws him in like no other woman ever has. He has watched his fellow brother fall in love with their women and knows somehow Morgan has gotten under his skin very quickly.

Morgan Byrd has lived in hell for the past year. When men sneak in to rescue the child she has been caring for, Morgan is elated and resigned. Happy that the little girl will be out of the clutches of the men that have been keeping her, Morgan is not expecting to be rescued as well. But going home also means that the person who had her kidnapped may try again. Can she trust the men who rescued her to keep her safe? Because Morgan has come to realize that someone she knew orchestrated her kidnapping.

I absolutely loved Morgan. Her resilience after suffering horrifically at the hands of her kidnapping is inspiring and kick-ass. The relationship that develops between Archer and Morgan is very sweet and endearing. I loved watching the interplay between Morgan and the Mercenaries. I love how alpha yet tender Ms. Stokers heroes are. You can’t help but be sucked into their lives. Every book leaves me wanting more from Ms. Stoker. Catching up with old characters, meeting new characters and watching the budding romance is just what every romance reader wants. Ms. Stoker is a fantastic writer and her books never get old. She is definitely an author I love to read. I’m very much looking forward to more in this series and from Ms. Stoker.

Susan Stoker has always been a hit or miss with her books. This one is a miss for this reader. The writing is basic the story line while interesting it is ruined with the lack of background information as well as character development. The characters are flat under developed which leaves the story sub par and a forgettable book.

This book doesn't show the author creative story telling.

Defending Morgan is a forgettable interchangeable with any other basic romantic suspense novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Montlake for the advance copy of Susan Stoker Defending Morgan.

If you are a fan of romantic suspense with hot, alpha men, Susan Stoker is your go-to author. Not only are her military heros commanding and sensitive, her heroines are strong women who can get themselves out of trouble too.

Arrow and his mercenary team find Morgan while rescuing a kidnapped girl. None of them know why she was taken a year ago, but they whisk her out of the Dominican Republic and back to the United States. Morgan is tired of being the victim, and doesn’t feel safe returning home to Atlanta. She also can’t deny the connection between her and Arrow. With Arrow and his team’s help, they search to discover who was behind her disappearance.

Arrow and Morgan are great together, and their scenes sizzle. He is extraordinarily patient with her after her abusive ordeal without compromising his protectiveness/alpha traits. Morgan shows she’s fully capable of standing on her own feet, but also can accept Arrow’s help and concern. As with Stoker’s other series, the author does a phenomenal job of creating a team that feels like family. She also creates characters who all deserve their own happily ever afters, and readers can’t wait until the next installment.

Morgan Byrd disappeared over a year with no trace to her whereabouts. When Arrow Kane finds Morgan while rescuing a young girl, he takes Morgan with them, barely escaping the Dominican Republic and her captors. After hearing her story he and the others in the Mountain Mercenaries are determined to find out who kidnapped Morgan and why. Arrow can barely let Morgan out of his sights and with the two battling parents of hers, she is more than happy to be with Arrow. With things heating up with the two, will they come out alive or is her kidnapper closer than they thought.
Love this series and while you can read it as a standalone, you will want to go back and catch up on the Mountain Mercenaries.

Former Navy SEAL Archer “Arrow” Kane and him team are dispatched to the Dominican Republic to rescue a little girl when they discover someone who has been missing for more than a year. Morgan Byrd disappeared off the streets of Atlanta a year ago and has been abused and has no idea why she has been held captive all this time. When Arrow looks at Morgan he sees a woman of strength that he will do whatever it takes to help her get her life back.

This is the third book with the Mountain Mercenaries who are loyal, loving awesome protectors. This is Arrow's story and his love interest Morgan. Arrow and the guys go to the Dominic Republic to retrieve a little girl who was abducted by her dad to keep away from her mother. While there they end up saving Morgan who was kidnapped a year ago and her story was heartbreaking. Arrow immediately felt drawn to her and her to him even though with everything that she has been thru it would have been normal for her not to trust men but she felt safe with him. She is finally free and scared because she does not know who she can trust and unfortunately for her it ends up being someone we would never have expected...Grab a copy and Enjoy!

Another romantic suspense from Susan Stoker that is well executed. Arrow Kane, a former Navy SEAL, and his team go to the Dominican Republic to rescue a missing child. Their rescue mission is made all the more complicated with they find another missing person with the child. Morgan Byrd has been missing from Atlanta for more than a year.

Morgan’s captors have not been kind. The book doesn’t go into a great amount of detail but it is clear that Morgan has been sexually assaulted by many men. If that kind of thing bothers you, you might have a hard time with this book. Morgan becomes attached to Arrow very quickly and he returns her feelings. That was the one part of the book that bothered me a little. I can understand them being attached to each other given the intensity of the rescue but it was a little too much too soon for me. I would have preferred a slow burn while Morgan is healing.

The remainder of the book is Morgan and Arrow returning to the states and trying to figure out who was targeting Morgan in the first place.

I like me some Mountain Mercenaries!

I have to say, I would’ve liked to learn how these “new friends” of Ellie’s in the Dominican Republic came about. That part seemed a little unrealistic without an explanation, since Ellie said she made new friends once she moved to Arizona to start over. This took place AFTER her daughter was kidnapped. Would’ve like to see some justice done to those people down there!!

Still, I enjoyed the book and look forward to Black’s story next!

Good story. Stayed up too late to read it. Very realistic knowledge of how Morgan would be feeling after her abduction. As usual, the story was very insta-lovey and my cynical self had a hard time believing any man would be as patient as Arrow, but I loved it and can't wait for the next one.

And the villain was a COMPLETE surprise!

Firstly, a thank you to Montlake Romance Publishing, Netgalley and Susan for my advanced copy for which I voluntarily leave my honest review!

Oh my gosh, this book is amazing! I’ve only recently started reading Susan’s books and I think this series is absolutely fantastic. Each story is so varied and different to the last one that it makes the stories that much better😀 Anywho at the end of book two, Arrow and some teammates are sent into a Spanish speaking country to rescue a five year old girl, whose father had absconded with her. Unbeknownst to them, Morgan, a woman who has been missing for the better part of a year is found with the little girl - protecting her. Arrow is taken with her from the word go. No doubts about the fact that Morgan had been through a huge ordeal, but Arrow is just the person she needs to encourage her positively.

Lots of twists and turns as they try to figure out why Morgan was kidnapped initially and even though I guessed who it was, with an hour left to go in the book, a few might be quite surprised to discover who the perpetrator is!

Loved this story and I can’t wait to see what Harlow and Black bring to this series😍

Great story. Morgan had been kidnapped over a year ago, and was rescued per chance by the Mountain Mercenaries. They were in Santo Domingo to rescue a small child. To their surprise Morgan was protecting the young child. They rescued both and rushed to escape from the kidnappers. Both Morgan's parents hate each other, but the culprit behind her being kidnapped is not who you would think......I don't want to give the ending away...do read it.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Montlakeromance for this ARC

This narrative may contain triggers for sensitive readers as it does revolve around the subject matter of sexual assault.

This is the third book in the Mountain Mercenaries series and can be read as a stand-alone. Stoker, not only, provides adequate background information to familiarize the reader with recurring characters but dangles enough cursory information to entice perusal of previous works. While the premise of this novel was interesting and held potential for a pivotal storyline, the culmination of a recognizable plot and underdeveloped characters gave the writing a novice feel. Rather than getting submerged into character experiences, the reader was brought to the cusp and simply let go. Avid readers of romantic suspense may feel slighted for that lack of deep emotional connection and a faster paced plot. Softer edged novel for this genre, okay read. 2 stars

4 1/2 Star Review.....

Defending Morgan is the third book in Susan Stoker’s Mountain Mercenaries, but can easily be read as a standalone story if you haven’t read the first two books.

As with all Ms Stoker’s alpha male stories, there is a bucket load of action, danger and over the top protectiveness going on, and Archer is caring, compassionate, and loyal to a fault….and let’s not forget sexy as all get out! But on a serious note, the author touches on the sensitive subject of sexual abuse (the incident is not described in detail) and manages to portray her characters with finesse and dignity, while they navigate the fallout from this devastating event.

This is also a highly emotional story, not only because of what happened to Morgan, but due to the presence of her overbearing and opinionated parents, and their total lack of support for their most precious gift; their daughter. Ms Stoker has again pulled at the reader’s heartstrings, leaving us emotionally drained, but loving every moment. I can’t wait to read what comes next.

Well, she did it again!
I really enjoyed book 3 in this wonderful series! (Can be read on its own, but then you miss out on what happened before this point.)
Morgan was kidnapped, abused and kept for a over a year when Arrow and his teammates come across her while rescuing a young girl. Arrow recognized her and helped her escape her captures. Arrow and Morgan have an instant connection. Stronger then anything he has ever felt with any woman in general. He know she is it for him. But first, he must help her be set free. If all she wants is friendship, then he will take it. He wants her happy. No matter what, he will always protect her.

Seriously - this one is worth a read! I loved it!

Susan Stoker has once again created a character that I swoon over and wish existed in my life! This story has so much depth to it, that you will probably not want to move on to another book for a while. It's that emotional. She touched on a lot of sensitive subjects, one being sexual assault, and the way it was handled was so well done. Probably the best of any book I have read with that material within it. There aren't any scenes where it happens, but it's discussed and the two main characters have to work through the aftermath. It felt very realistic, and you can tell Susan did her research.

Archer "Arrow" Kane thought his mission was like any other - get in, rescue the kidnapped girl, and get her back to her family. He never expected that to find another victim alongside his target, protecting her with a fierceness that hid her own abuse and trauma at the hands of their captors. Morgan Byrd had been missing for a year, with no leads and no one even knowing she was still alive. When she is rescued by Arrow and his team, she sees him as her miracle. As they become closer and Morgan sees him as someone she can trust, she and Arrow work together to not only heal her physical and emotional wounds but also keep her safe from her kidnappers...and the one who sent them for her in the first place.

Arrow and Morgan were really a strong couple from the very beginning. Morgan was no damsel in distress, and she made sure Arrow knew it. She relied on him when she needed to, but she also protected him when the situation called for it. They became a team, and Arrow never looked at Morgan as a liability, only a worthy partner. It's always interesting to see how authors handle romance when the hero or heroine has been sexually abused. And as I said above, Susan Stoker handled it with amazing accuracy and sensitivity. I loved how slow the relationship developed, in order to give Morgan time to heal, and Arrow was alongside her every step of the way. He never reacted selfishly to the situation and showed how truly generous and kind his soul was. Even as the story progressed and they both wanted to be intimate, Morgan set the pace, and I felt that was written really well. Yes, it's definitely a slow burn romance, but the emotions you get out of both of them are so much deeper than you would expect. It's very heartwarming to read.

The book ended with a teaser about our next Mountain Mercenary, Black, getting his own romance, and I can't wait to read it! I liked him as soon as I read about him, and I'm sure his story is going to be amazing.

**I received a free copy via NetGalley and this is my honest review.**

Another incredible story in this series! Such a well written and amazing plot with a twist I did not see coming! As always Susan gives us a totally swoony hero who is as strong as he is tender. Who has a protective streak a mile wide and an abundance of sweetness! Pair him with a kick ass super strong heroine like Morgan who has been through absolute hell yet she is still standing and you have an emotional journey well worth taking. Archer "Arrow" Kane is the perfect man for Morgan. When he and the other Mountain Mercenaries rescue her, he is positively bowled over by her strength and resilience and obvious will to live. As he gets to know her there is simply no way he is ever letting her go. Morgan has been through a year of brutal captivity in which a plethora of unspeakable things were done to her. She wants to work through it all and move on with her life but there is so much there to work through. Can these two people who are perfect for each other work through the past enough to have a future? Go ahead and read it and find out!

Susan Stoker can write mercenary stories that are riveting. I have loved her writing style for a long time and have never found a reason to stop.

This story is about the Mountain Mercenaries located in Colorado. It's the third in the series. I loved the relationship development between former Navy SEAL Arrow and Morgan (the survivor). I was a little taken aback at the quick physical relationship that began with them considering how she spent her last year of life. It did not detract from the story for me, but I did give it some thought.

It you want another Susan Stoker winner, pick up a copy of this book!

I love this series. This book was amazing. Arrow and Morgan are perfect for each other. It was a nice addition to the series.

A lot darker than I thought it would be. Similar to Fiona's book bit more descriptive to what happened and not leaving anything to the imagination as to the horrors she went through. The villian was not who I expected and the reasoning I was having trouble with. Not as strong of a plot as others had been.