Many thanks for Leslie North for writing another excellent and thrilling book.

I loved Eric and Beth's story with the heat at times and the thrilling way that she does anything for her story and he will do anything to keep her alive.

Guarding His Pretend Wife was an okay read. I like the fake relationship trope but this book wasn't interesting enough for me.

Arc provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Who doesn't love a fake-dating and brothers-best-friend story?

This is the second book in the SEAL Endgame series and the second book I've read by this author. I wish there would have been something tying together the first and second books in this series; getting that progression through a team of characters is one of the best parts of reading a series, and it just wasn't here. I don't think there was anything connecting the two?

This was another novella-length insta-lust/love story. While I enjoyed the concept and the potential was there, there still wasn't any connection between the two MC's or a depth to their characters. I also couldn't believe how they weren't piecing things together on the island. These were two people who were supposedly very intelligent, and yet...

For me, there are much better romantic suspense series out there, so I think this is going to be my last read by this author. But I hope others enjoy this book and others because there's quite the backlist to work through!

Beth knew that there was something happening at a resort designed to help couples find themselves again. Having her brother’s best friend Eric along for the ride was just a added perk of the job. The attraction was undeniable and the threats to her safety brought them closer together. Will they find the answers to the questions of who is threatening Beth? Great continuation of the series.

Pretending you are in love while going undercover on a couples retreat, what could go wrong? Beth, a reporter goes undercover on a tropical island, but gets more than she bargained for when she asks her brother's friend Eric, a Navy Seal healing from an injury, to fill in as her partner for the retreat. Their story takes on a bit of danger, suspense, mystery, and falling in love with a smattering of steam. A story that is a winning combination for a fun and relaxing afternoon, it is the second book in the series, and a stand alone read. **I was gifted "Guarding His Pretend Wife" and leave my review voluntarily based on my reading** 4 Stars!

Book Title: Guarding His Pretend Wife
Author: Leslie North
Pub Date: September 17, 2019

***ARC was provided to me by Net Galley and the Publisher for a fair and honest review***

Overall rating: 3/5

Heroine (Beth Williams): 3/5 She is determined to prove herself as a real reporter. To the point of throwing herself into the lion’s den.

Hero (Eric Harvey): 3/5 He is a SEAL on medical leave who is looking for something to do when his friend asks him to check on his sister.

Plot: 3/5 Beth needs a partner to go on a couples retreat so that she can uncover the secrets that the resort is hiding. Her brother unwittingly sends her his friend Eric when he hasn’t heard from her in a few days. The two head off to the retreat in search of the scoop of the decade. Will they be able to focus on work?

Personal Review: I liked Eric but Beth seemed to be more attached to her story than her safety. I also wish the confrontation toward the end lasted a little longer. Overall a decent read.

Eric Harvey is asked by a Seal teammate to check in on his sister for him. Saying yes because he is tired of rehab for his injury. He catches Beth William, a journalist just as she lost her fake husband for an expose she has been wanting to do on an exclusive only couples retreat. After apologizing to Eric she takes him to lunch and explains her dilemma. He decides to help her out.
Once arriving at the island the two of them begin to feel that something is off, especially when they begin to know more about the couples that were shared on the forms.
Something is off between them as well, and the hands-off rule that was put in place slowly begins to be taken away. See how the catch the host and if they will go from fake couple to real couple in this good story.

Guarding His Pretend Wife is the second novel in Leslie North's Seal Endgame series, but it is the first book in the series I've read, and while it was a fast-paced, one-sitting read, it was just an okay read for me, and because it easily could have been better, if left me rather unsatisfied, and for that reason, the best rating I can give it is 2.5 stars.

The plot of this novel is rather simple. Aspiring investigative journalist Beth Williams has had her reporter's eye on the pricey and exclusive LoveFix Couples Retreat, and she senses something off about the entire operation, especially when she learns that in the space of 3 years, it's founder has become a billionaire. She's got her editor's backing to go there with a fellow reporter, Jeff, posing as her fake husband, but Jeff, who, the day before they are scheduled to leave, bails out because he was diagnosed with Hepatitis A, and will be hospitalized for a least a week. Beth is bummed out because she senses that breaking this story will give her a huge career boost into the big leagues, but when her older brother, a Navy SEAL, sends one his SEAL brothers, hunky Eric Harvey, to check up on her her plan might still be saved. Eric is on medical leave after being shot in the shoulder, and Beth manages to convince him to pose as her fake husband, and they leave for the island retreat the next day. Neither Beth nor Eric wants a relationship, but they are certainly attracted to one another, and it doesn't take long before they can't seem to keep their hands off one another, even though Eric has issues with getting involved with his SEAL brother's younger sister, and Beth also has issues, preferring to pursue her career over getting involved with any man after her last relationship ended when she was unwilling to give up her career, so that her fiance could pursue his own career.

Once Beth and Eric arrive on the island, they try to do some level of investigating, but, at least for this reader, they were far more interested in investigating their sexual attraction rather than seriously searching for dirt on this resort, and when they do figure it out, it's not all that earth-shattering, and for this reader, I couldn't see how exposing what was really happening behind the scenes on the island would be a major career boost for any journalist. It was clear from the outset that this operation was a great way to separate wealthy clients from their money, so as suspense goes, I found it lacking, just as I found Eric and Beth's insta-lust lacking in the romance department.

If you're looking for a quick, somewhat sexy, brother's best friend romance, this one will probably fit the bill, but for this reader, it lacked any real character development and any real suspense, nor did I find this novel particularly well-plotted or well-written--it was a barely okay read for me.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

I voluntarily read this ARC in exchange for an honest review - all thoughts and opinions are mine

I love Leslie North's work and this is a part of a series I am thoroughly enjoying

Romance with a bit of mystery / thriller involved

This is a great, quick read

Loved the story, the characters are well written and sympathetic and really like the writing style - can't wait to read more from the author

I received my copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Guarding Hid Pretend Wife is the second book in the SEAL Endgame trilogy by the lovely, mysterious Leslie North. Oh, how I'd love to know her true identity!

All Eric thinks he's doing when he agrees to check in on his SEAL team buddy's sister Beth is verifying all is well. Next he finds himself agreeing to lunch, then to being her fake husband while she plays investigative journalist for a fishy couple's retreat on an island, hoping to finally launch her career out of its small town newspaper rut. He tells himself it's to keep her safe. Little does he know it'll end up way more than that.

The story reads like a harlequin...quick, not a lot of thinking needed to enjoy, but that is honestly part of its charm. It's a quick read, the writing is good, the characters charming. Like a harlequin, it's not horribly believable, a romance happening as quickly as it did for Eric and Beth, but I was totally OK with that!

5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC of Guarding His Pretend Wife in return for an honest review.

The characters are well development and likable. The mystery was a bit too easy to figure out making the ending a disappointment.. At times the story seemed unbelievable and lagged only to be rushed through in other areas. With that said, I am glad a read the book. It was a nice read, but I was expecting a bit more in the mystery.

I thought that this story was good and I enjoyed it!

The characters were well developed and I liked the author's wruting style.

I have read a few books by this author now and she does not disappoint, my only minor criticism is that the story lacked imagination for me in places and it was a little predictable.

I would have liked a few twists to the story to keep me engaged and to make this one a 5 stars read, it is 4 stars from me for this one and it is definatley still well worth a read!

SEAL Endgame series. Eric and Beth’s story is full of intrigue, fake relationships, and a whole lot more danger than either expected when they agreed to this game of pretend while investigating the resort that Beth is planning to write an expose about.

Normally I’d talk a bit about the general background of this story, yet that Cover Description truly gives you everything (and more than I would) about this story that you’d need to make the decision to try it. I found GUARDING HIS PRETEND WIFE to be fast-paced, intriguing, steamy sizzling with danger and laughter throughout the story. I liked Eric better of the two main characters, Beth could at times, get annoying but perhaps that was simply the personality the author gave her. I enjoyed this one and will be starting on the third story in a day or so. If you love a sexy Romantic Suspense then you’ll want to check this story and this series out for yourself.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

The second book in the SEAL Endgame series, Guarding His Pretend Wife is another well delivered, enjoyable read. Eric and Beth are engaging characters and the mystery and intrigue may the storyline compelling. I look forward to reading more.

Beth is a newspaper reporter and feels she is on to a big story with a story based on a couples retreat on a tropical island. Only problem is her original partner has gone sick. In steps her brother's best friend.
Will this be the story of her life or will it cost her her life?
An exciting romance.
I was given this book by Netgalley and the publisher. This is my voluntary and impartial review.

Good read! Suspense with a little humor and steam. Looking forward to the next books in the series! Will definitely read this author again.

Beth is a reporter, trying to do an expose on a crooked therapist. When her fake husband got sick, she talked Eric, a seal friend of her brother, to step in. Arriving at the island, many things do not add up. Snooping around she begins to ask too many questions, and is soon being attacked. Overall, not a bad story, and the action was good. Mainly I felt it was a little too rushed though, and could have been best as a longer story. Plus the ending, considering both didn't want a relationship, seemed off. Still though, a fun read and would give it 3.5 stars. Would recommend.

I thought it will be some nice novel, but it ended a fast-forwarded story. Everything was rushed in it, and it made me so angry. It wasn't realistic at all. And the end? what the actual heck?
Anyway, I can't leave anything positive about this book unfortunately.

Another fantastic story from Leslie North. I couldn't put it down, it was a page turner for me!

Guarding his pretend wife turned out to be a lot more than I expected. Beth is a reporter, who was scheduled to go on an assignment with her work partner. When he got sick it put all her plans on hold, she thought she was going to have to cancel the plans, but this was a big assignment that could really be a big break for he career.

Just when she was giving up her brother's SEAL friend, Eric shows up to check on her. She finds out that he is off on medical leave. She made him an offer and he accepted..the rest is a story made in matchmaker heaven.
This story takes you on a number of twist and turns, but it is so very well written that you are never confused. Fantastic storyline, with fantastic characters! LOVE IT!!

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Eric & Beth - their names were so commonplace, but the mission not so much! Had fun with this story, even though I figured out the gist of the suspense part pretty quickly. They were a fun couple to read! Quick read, quick romance!