This has been my favorite of this series. It really examines the losses that some of the Guardians have had to face when faking their deaths.

Ace, against his wishes, is sent to recruit Kristi to manage the finances of the Guardian program. He was in love with her when he “died”, and he still loves her. Needless to say, once she discovers he’s alive, she’s rightfully angry.

She’s also in danger because of the island on which she lives, an island that has belonged to her family for generations. The solution here is clever!

Unlike Renee, who had no family of her own, Kristi does have a loving family, which throws serious complications into the idea of having a relationship with Ace. She still loves him, but the idea of having to lie to her family is troubling to her.

There’s also a foiled bank robbery, and the recruitment of a new guardian—who gets his own adventure in the next book.

We do not see the Saint Squad in this book so much, though we do see Kade and Renee, Jim and Katherine Whitmore, and their FBI agent son Charlie.

Possible objectionable material:
People get shot. People die. People also kiss.

Who might like this book:
Fans of romance, suspense, or both.

Thank you to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for the eARC, which was provided in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

This book also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2021/12/a-dozen-by-traci-hunter-abramson.html

This was an interesting jump back into the world of the Guardians and how love might still be possible for one of them. This was a fun adventure with some suspense. I'd rate this PG, maybe PG-13 for some thematic violence.

This was an intriguing story full of heart pounding emotion and lots of intense moments that prove true love never dies. This story has an interesting ending that has me wondering how it is all going to work out. Kind of an open ended ending.

I was given this book as an advanced copy, thanks to NetGalley.

This story was a mixed bag for me. I loved the premise of a loved one returning from the dead, it 20 years? Can I really believe that a young woman mourned a man for 20 years? Every bit of the relationship in this book, all I could think was she gave up her youth to the memory of this man, had no children, spent it in reclusive living all because of mourning for 20 years. In the end, I couldn’t get into this story because I never felt it was believable.

Kristi has mourned the death of her boyfriend Ace for 20 years. She is shocked when he shows up on her island to ask her to work for the same secret organization that he does. The plot has intrigue, action, some romance and a great mystery. I love the characters and the the book has plenty of action but not the gore of others.

I really enjoy this author. I have read some of her other books from a different series. Her books have plenty of action and keep me turning the page. In fact on this one, I had less than an hour left but decided I better go to sleep because it was so late. Should have just finished the book because I stayed awake thinking about what was going to happen next! I would definitely recommend this book.

Clean, Undercover Government series, stand alone read, but also light romance. PG-13 for some violence, including murder
Kristi's idyllic and quiet life off the coast of Maine and her past employment and loss of her boyfriend/almost fiance as a young woman, along with her skills as a financial analyst have left her satisfied, but lonely, although loving her independent life.
Ace, her long-lost (supposedly dead) boyfriend reappears in her life. The other operatives, the intel, the Guardian Network, the chases, tracking, and suspense from all that happens on Kristi's island is intense, riveting, and fun. Love all the tech stuff and the different events that lead up to the final (supposedly) chase scenes.
Fun, intense, riveting, and loved the mix of action and romance in with the intrigue and mystery surrounding the events that happen on the island and off. I think I enjoyed this best of all her books. More of a 4.5 for me as a reader.
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. My opinions are my own, but obviously a fan of this author, so therein lies my bias! A great escape!

A clean, well-written spy/thriller sort of tale with some romance added for spice. I enjoyed the characters and the detail, though the ending of the romance was rather far-fetched in my opinion.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Traci Hunter Abramson is one of those authors whose books automatically get added to my TBR and wish lists. She's one of my favorite authors, so whenever she has a new book I start stalking NetGalley so I can request it.

This is book #3 in the GUARDIAN series, but I don't think they have to be read in order. I haven't read the first two yet and I wasn't lost or confused about the backstory. Kristi Hartinger and Ace Samson were high school/college sweethearts until Ace died. That was 20 years ago. But Ace didn't really die--it's complicated and it's going to get more complicated when Ace appears on Kristi's island off the coast of Maine to offer her a job with the guardians--a top secret organization.

Kristi's peaceful, lowkey life is going to be a lot less peaceful when the love of her life, the man she's mourned for two decades suddenly reappears, but Kristi's going to be glad Ace is there when weird things start happening on her island.

Kristi is a practical, self-sufficient woman who is used to taking care of herself. She moved to the cottage on the island she inherited to get away from the fast-paced city life she had lived for so long. Kristi never had a serious relationship since Ace "died" because she's never stopped loving him. Ace didn't stop loving Kristi either, but I don't think he thought he'd ever see her again. He's a great "agent" (for lack of a better word) and seemed resigned to not finding that special someone because of the demands of his job with the guardians.

The only reason it took me three days to read this book is I had a lot going on that week. If I could have, I would've done nothing but read all day. It's a page-turner; once the action starts it doesn't stop. Kristi living alone on a small island that's mostly forest is a great setting for mystery and suspense.

This book contains mild violence, danger and romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Covenant Communications for my copy to read and review.

Sanctuary is an awesome book. Love the plot, setting and the author’s writing. Suspense fans will not be disappointed.

Sanctuary by Traci Hunter Abramson. Rating: 2.75 Stars.

Read from April 16 to April 19.

I was given an e-ARC of Sanctuary for review by Covenant Communications through NetGalley. I was originally drawn to the story because it takes place off the coast of Maine in the Fall (and the cover is beautiful as well). But then I was pulled in by the premise of an undercover operative showing back up in the life of an old girlfriend who mourned his death 20 years ago. I liked the idea of love lost and a second chance romance. The action also had a part to play in me requesting the novel. Sadly, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

At least part of my low rating for this one stems from the fact that this is the third book in a companion series and I went into it not knowing that. Although, it could be argued that since it IS a companion series that the ground work should be laid out in this one and I shouldn’t have to read the others to pick up on the background and set up. The characters have such a close and quick bond to each other despite the fact that there’s no build up or groundwork laid out ahead of time. Also, I had to wrap my mind around the Guardian program throughout the novel as it wasn’t explicitly explained at the beginning of the novel. (This is despite the fact that the main character is being brought in to do some work for them which would have been a great opportunity for it to be explained without being too much telling and not enough showing.) I think if I had gone into the novel having already read the first two books then I would have given it at least another half of a star.

There are two other things that drove me a little crazy as I was reading this. Firstly, the author has a side moment in the story where we meet someone who I assume is going to be a main character in the next novel. Which is all well and good except that everything is being laid out for the next book in the middle of this one. It really seemed to detract from the story since we spent a solid 50 or so pages meeting him and setting him up for the Guardian program. But the part that really annoyed me about that whole situation was that the author came so close to pulling it off. When we meet this other person it’s during a moment of crisis for our current main character who is still doubting her ability to be with one of the other main characters. And the moment of crisis and the lack of support from him just adds to her fears. I wish that the female main character had spent a little more time worried about that or angry at him for leaving her high and dry. It really would have made this chunk of the book make more sense. Secondly, the last 50 pages have to be mentioned as a section of the book that just does not work for me. I loved a lot of the action, but I would have swapped out about half of it for a better conclusion. The action just stops and then two chapters later the book is over which felt jarring. The action here felt never ending and the ending of the book came at me too fast.

But I adored the land the main character lives on and her whole life there. I loved seeing her in the day to day. Even when a little action happened here or there, it felt plausible. I could have read another solid 50 pages in the middle of the book of her day to day life with the members of the Guardians at her place. I also felt like the author did such a good job making this undercover agency seem possible. It definitely helped that the author has a background in the financial side of stuff like this. So there wasn’t a single moment where I questioned anything about the Guardians or their set up. It all seemed possible. Also, out of all the characters I really liked Kade and Renee’s dynamic the most. There’s this push and pull that works really well in their scenes and I liked that Kade sometimes got to be put in his place. I could read a whole book about just the two of them.

My suggestion is to read the first two books before you pick up this one so you don’t have the issue I did with diving right into the story. Also, this is really quick paced and easy to read since the chapters are so short so just give yourself a solid afternoon to read it.

I enjoyed this next installment in Traci Hunter Abramson’s Ghost series. It follows the story of Ace and Kristi, who were in love once-upon-time before Ace “died.” Ace has now been sent to recruit Kristi for financial guidance for the ghosts. What neither of the, immediately realizes is Kristi’s life in in danger for completely unrelated reasons.

I enjoyed the story and found myself reading at every opportunity so I could see how the story would resolve itself. If you are looking for a romance that develops over time this is not the story for you, as their relationship starts off where it ended. However there is plenty of angst regarding how they would even make a relationship work. I did feel there were several loose ends at the end that the couple would have to figure out how to resolve, but overall it was a good ending.

The violence in this book is significantly more than I recall in Abramson books, so I would warn readers about this.

The romance in the story is clean.

This is a stand-alone story, so you do not need to read the first book in the series. Reading the first book would help you understand the Ghost program a little better. That being said, it has been quite a while since I read the first book and I don’t remember a whole lot about it, and I did fine following the story line. It did make me want to reread the first title!

I love Traci Hunter Abramson's insight look into the military! I cannot even imagine those who have given up their lives to become GHOSTS so they might continue to protect others.

And then there are those who fall in love with them and want to be with them-- only to have to keep their love a secret.

This book is a perfect blend of suspense and romance --
I highly recommend it!

After a couple of books I made myself a rule: Never start a Traci Hunter Abramson book close to bed time. I get sucked in completely and don't want to go to bed until I finish! I was worried that I wouldn't remember enough about the Guardian series to pick this one up, but it is written with enough background that beginners and series followers will enjoy the story.
Kristi is struggling to remain in control of the private island left to her. When Ace shows up 20 years after his "death" her life gets turned upside down. Explosions, kidnapping & attempted murder will keep the reader on the edge of their seat right up until the concluding pages. Definitely another winner from THA!

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was the second in a series and I enjoyed it not having read the first. There was tons of action in this novel regarding a land deal with sinister parties and almost seemed too much. The small sideline story of the romance (a long ago flame literally back from the dead) was clean and I felt added to the storyline in a way to balance some of the tense action. Overall nice read that kept me turning the pages.

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion. Sanctuary was a nice, clean and easy romance with a little suspense thrown in. The guardians are an elite government agency under the radar. Ace must see his high school sweetheart and convince her to work for them. The problem is, she thinks he is dead.

Great read and one I would read again.

This was such a fast-paced and action-packed story! The suspense had me on the edge of my seat at times and kept me hooked into the story.

This book is part of a series, and I would definitely recommend reading the other books before to better understand the premise and what’s going on. Having already read the other books, as well as the entire “Saint Squad” series, it was fun to revisit favorite characters and read Ace’s story.

Ace and Kristi had such an interesting past- high school sweethearts who were torn apart by Ace’s sudden “death”. Now, nearly 20 years later, Ace is finally able to come back into Kristi’s life and reveal the realities of what happened.

I really liked the way the romance wove into the action/suspense of the story. Ace and Kristi are both older and more mature, but after 20 years there is a lot they have to learn about each other and about building a relationship together. While trying to work out problems and difficulties with Ace now back in her life, Kristi suddenly finds herself the target of a faceless enemy. The suspense and danger are very real and believable, and build up the tensionIn the book really well.

Being able to see a couple other characters from the previous book was so fun and added more to this story. It was fun to see the bantering between Ace and Kade as well.

There are some other characters you get to see in passing, who I hope we get to read more about in the future. Another fantastic story by the talented Traci Hunter Abramson!!

Wow!

An excellent story full of heart wrenching emotion and heart beating intensity that shows true love never dies. A unique ending that has me wondering how it is going to work long term.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

Ace Samson has been dead for twenty years and his former lover, Kristi Hartinger, still visits his grave. Then why does she see him walking towards her at the marina? Ace had to fake his death years ago and is now a member of the guardians. The guardians are a secret organization that operate beyond the realm of the F.B.I. or the CIA and handle protection for those in need. Ace is there to see Kristi and offer her a job with the organization as a trust manager…someone to handle the allocation of funds to the various “ghosts”. Kristi lives on her family’s island off the coast of Maine and someone has decided they are interested in her property, to build a resort, whether she wants to sell or not. When vandalism starts to escalate to attempted murder, Ace knows that he needs to be there to protect her. He has help from Kade and Renee (from the first book) as they investigate who is behind the attacks on Kristi and the island. The attraction between Ace and Kristi is still strong, but what can they do when Ace must remain a ghost? I thoroughly enjoyed this unique story and characters and look forward to reading the first book about Kade and Renee. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

#Sanctuary #NetGalley

A quiet island in Maine, a ghost, danger and renewing an old friendship. Kristi lives on an island, that she inherited. from her grandfather, and is fighting to keep it. When Kristi is offered a new job from an unexpected dead boyfriend, things are never the same. I loved this story so much, I gobbled it up and now I'm sad that it had to end.