This is the first book I've read from this author and obviously started in the middle of the series. But I had no problem following along with these characters and storyline. It can easily be read as a standalone. I will say that I loved this story and will now go back and read the others.

Delta Force Defender was full of suspense, action and sweet and humorous moments. The spark between Caradine and Issac is hot and steamy and full of chemistry.

4 1/2 STARS!

Secrets exposed! With book four in her Alaska Force series Megan Crane brought my favorite couple yet in DELTA FORCE DEFENDER. The tension is high from the very first page and setting off on adventure for answers really sets the stage for an action packed journey for Caradine and Isaac.

Caradine hates everybody ... or so she wanted us to believe. She's been living a gruff, in your face lifestyle in Grizzly Harbor, Alaska for five fun filled years now and it's all of a sudden crumbling down around her.

Isaac plays the friendly boy next door persona to the town he grew up in, but behind the scenes is a takes no prisoner mercenary if the situation calls for it. He only has one weakness ... and she's hightailing it out of town letting him believe she's dead!

I highly recommend this book and the entire series to anyone who loves a close knit group of military guys who band together when they leave the service to help those who need it as they slowly find their happily ever afters. The series is growing stronger and more fulfilling with each new book.

The beginning of this book captured my attention and pulled me into an interesting story. I haven't read the previous books in this campaign series and that wasn't a problem. I learned about Alaska Force and the small town of Grizzly Harbor along the way. I was mostly interested in the mystery that was Caradine Scott and that kept me turning the pages.

There are a lot of alpha males in this book, Isaac being chief among them. It's clear Isaac and Caradine have or have had a relationship though it seems neither of them will admit it, even to the other. Isaac is a calm man that just gets calmer when things get bad but Caradine has him rattled. He spent 20 long minutes believing she's dead and he's not going to let her forget it. But then she ran.

Alaska Force men (and one women) are all ex-military that don't quite fit in other places. They fix problems with no solutions. Caradine has one of those problems but she isn't willing to let them fix it. It's all about who stays safe and what's chasing her. Then there's the little matter or who she actually is.

While I really liked Isaac, I wasn't a fan of Caradine. She poked at Isaac just to get a reaction and while some of that is fun she got on my nerves. Some of it was her trying to be in character because she is on the run. I get that but sometimes it's too much. Really, I was fine with her until near the end of the book when she poked him some more. It was where I drew my line. I'd had it with her. I think I stopped caring about whether she got the guy.

On the other had, I did want Isaac to get the girl. Isaac is a man with lose in his life. He has fought for everything and doesn't really know how to stop fighting. He needs to figure out if he wants to have a life with another person. It's a lesson he learns the hard way and at the hand of a lot of that poking from Caradine. That may have been my real problem. She poked him where it hurts a little too hard. I know it came from love but I just didn't appreciate it.

The story was pretty good. There was some unknowns that needed to be flushed out. I enjoyed that part of the story. Who was doing what and why. A little suspense, though really mystery. There was some action when things went south a few times. All of that was enjoyable. There was this touch of chic-lit in there about figuring what's important and what you actually want. That's the part that I didn't really enjoy. I felt like that part was too contrived. It came after the climax and felt like a delaying tactic. I guess it was so the characters could grow and develop. But it felt out of place to me. I wish that the issues that Isaac was struggling with were more integrated into the story itself and not left to the end.

Don't get me wrong, it was an enjoyable read. I may go back and read more from this series.

-- Read this review, and others, on my blog at www.hookedbythatbook.com --

Caradine Scott is the prickly and unapproachable owner of the Water’s Edge Café in Grizzly Harbor, Alaska. Isaac Gentry is the leader of Alaska Force’s special ops team, and Caradine’s secret lover. There is no denying the sparks between them, but Caradine refuses to let Isaac become closer to her. Then one day Caradine’s past comes knocking in the form of a bomb at her café, and Isaac chases her on her escape across the country. He catches her, of course, and has the time of his life trying to convince her to trust him to take care of her and her problems.

The book starts off with a lot of suspense and mystery, and the fast pace continues from there. Caradine’s story is intriguing and I was definitely invested in finding out who is after her and how it all will end. She had a very hard time trusting Isaac and his motivations. And even when she started to let him in more, she didn’t lose her sharp edges or her sharp tongue. She also struggled to let the people of Grizzly Harbor in so that they can love and support her the way they want to. But in the end she grudgingly opened herself to Isaac and her friends. Isaac had some issues of his own, and even though he appeared to be more open than Caradine, he also kept a big part of himself closed off, and Caradine called him on it.

With plenty of action and intrigue, this book drew me in right from the start and kept my attention all the way to the end. I was really rooting for Caradine and Isaac, and really hoping that she can find a way to live a life free of fear. I can definitely recommend this if you are interested in romantic suspense.

Thank you to Berkley for providing me with an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Delta Force Defender is a fast-paced romantic suspense set in beautiful Alaska, and to be honest, I think I loved the setting as much as the romance and the suspense. Megan Crane does an excellent job of transporting you to this small town in Alaska. The romantic couple was intriguing to say the least. Isaac and Caradine are both strong characters and with that comes a fair amount of butting heads, mostly because Caradine is indeed prickly, just like the blurb says. Granted, she has good reason to keep people at a distance, but it does become a bit much at times. Nevertheless, the story is a good blend of romance and suspense, and it comes together for a hard to put down book. This is the fourth in a series, but I had no problem following the story, so I would say it works well as a standalone. I will add that after meeting the characters in this one, I'll be checking out the earlier books in the series.

My thoughts

Rating: 4

Would I recommend it? Yes

Would I read more of the series ?Yes, because I already book one and was hooked.

Would I read more by of this author? Yes

First off I want to thank Berkley Publishing Group for once again letting me revisit Alaska's Grizzly Harbor and the men who defend the town as well as the people and as well as met their forever loves. IN this one we get to meet Caradine and see more of
Isaac as well as get more of their background stories. The one of the things I loved about the two main characters was their inter acting between the two as well as well as the inter acting between Issac and his group of men that was more like family then anything else. Other thing I loved was how the descriptions and how you get such a sense of the locale, the family feel of the town, and the business.And with each turn of the page I wanted more of the story,because it had me on the edge of my set, completely lost in the story and I couldn't put it down if I wanted to. With that said I also want to thank NetGalley for letting me read and review it as well.

Does it count as enemies to lovers if they’ve been sleeping together for five years but hiding it? A molotov cocktail shakes up all that by blowing up Caradine’s cafe, causing her to flee. Isaac tracks her and it doesn’t go well. She still refuses to tell him about her past so he has Oz run her prints to get the story. It’s upsetting to him that she won’t allow him that trust.

The romance in this book is fascinating because it’s between two characters who don’t really think about the future. Plan for it, yes, but those plans are around safety and protection. Their plans are not around having a life or building one together. So the overall arc of the story is getting them to sort out who is after Caradine now and what it could mean for them if they stop them. What if they could just have each other’s backs and be together? The way they show trust and vulnerability to each other is different from most because of their backgrounds. Their communication can be antagonistic because self-protection is a priority.

There’s a lot of suspense along the way as they work to figure it out. Perfect for readers who want the feel of an action movie in their romantic suspense.

When a casual relationship becomes a dangerous adventure!

Isaac and Caradine have a snarky, hate-to-love dynamic that is mostly fought out between the sheets. After five years of a seemingly normal frenemies-with-benefits arrangement, her past comes roaring through their small town, sending her on the run with him close behind.

It's a good thing that the private security/special forces team he founded specializes in rescuing women from exactly this kind of situation. Or it would be, if Caradine would accept their help. What started to look like an unusual "captive narrative" morphed into a "family meeting" scene that cemented the assignment and was nearly heartbreaking in its honesty as Caradine struggled with feelings she's buried for the past decade.

There's plenty of action in this suspenseful romance, but the story never strays far from the core relationship that is steadily peeling back their layers and demanding that they both push past their comfort zones to admit that they desperately need what they fear the most.

Isaac and Caradine are intensely, intimately romantic, and I couldn't get enough of them! Even though the story starts after the romance has begun, it still manages to encompass the entirety of their relationship and leaves no emotional stone unturned. There's a bit of an extended "No! You can't leave it like this!" section, but be assured, they do get their HEA in the end. It's completely unlike any book I've read before, and I highly recommend it. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed this continuation of this series. The romance and suspense elements blended well and were both thoroughly believable. I was sucked in!

I really enjoyed this story. I have been looking forward to Isaac's book. The relationship between Caradene and Isaac is fascinating. Always looking over your shoulder for the next hit has to be exhausting. It's great knowing Alaska Force has your back. Caradene and Isaac just seem to fit perfectly together.

Delta Force Defender by Megan Crane is the fourth book in her Alaska Force series. There's plenty of action in this story. It is a fast-paced romantic suspense story. The storyline flows really well.

WOW!!! I thoroughly LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, Caradine Scott and Isaac Gentry’s amazing race for justice and love in Delta Force Defender by Megan Crane, book four in her Alaska Force series. This story had me on the edge, lost within, and not putting it down, as I drank in each page. Two extra strong characters, vowing to never let anyone close or to cede control to another person become involved in a relationship of love, desire, and fear.

Caradine barely escaped an explosion that killed most of her criminal family, changed her name as she sought a new life, determined to never let anyone get close to her. For the last few years she runs the Water’s Edge Café in a rugged little town on the edge of nowhere. After a career in the military, as a commanding officer he once was in the Marines and beyond. Isaac returned home to Grizzly Harbor where he created and commands Alaska Force; a group of former military personnel doing special ops, like they did when they were still in military. Isaac and Caradine have a love/hate relationship; which is a challenge neither can ignore. When Caradine’s old demons locate her, her cafe isn’t the only thing that blows up. Her past ends up pushing them together, and closer to accepting a future that’s been teasing them all this time. They just have to survive long enough to enjoy it.

Ms. Crane wrote an intense, emotional and exciting romantic suspense filled with sizzling chemistry, magnetism, wonderful dialogue, and endearing characters that is not to be missed. This story grabbed me and did not let go until I reached the end. I highly recommend Delta Force Defender and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Delta Force Defender by Megan Crane is the 4th book in her fantastic Alaska Force series. I was thrilled to see that the two people we waited for, Caradine and Isaac, were the leads in this book. 😊

Isaac Gentry, a former marine, is the head of Alaska Force, the special ops firm (former military/mercenaries/police) that helps those in need. Over the previous 3 books, we have seen Isaac’s and Caradine’s attraction to each other, even though she comes across as snarky and distant.

Caradine Scott, has lived in Grizzly Harbor for 5 years, and runs the local Water’s edge Café in town. She keeps to herself, not allowing anyone to be close to her, with those understanding that she is hiding secrets. Though she tells Isaac that she hates him, they both act on their lust for each other on occasion, but that is as far as it goes.

When there is an explosion at the café, Caradine ups and runs away, since she suspects the people she has been hiding from have found her. Isaac is desperate to find her, and help her; and when Isaac is determined to use all of his contacts, he finds her and brings her back to Grizzly Harbor. The Alaska Force team, and Grizzly Harbor residents show a lot of love to Caradine, which she has a hard time handling. But her true identity is revealed, with everyone is shocked that she is the daughter of a powerful mafia gangster, who was killed 10 years ago, with Caradine (Julia) having thought to be dead, but she escaped. Caradine does not want anyone’s help, fearing that they will all get hurt; but Isaac and the team plan to protect her and find who is trying to kill her.

What follows is an exciting, intense, suspenseful, intriguing story, with a romance that we rooted hard for, as well as a few revelations that caused Caradine to protect someone else. Despite Isaac and his team helping, Caradine puts herself into danger a number of times, in her need to protect others. There were a couple of surprises, as we raced to the climax to fight the real culprit, with Isaac determined to save Caradine at any cost. Will Caradine’s stubbornness push her away from Isaac?

I really loved Isaac and Caradine, and prayed they would find a way to be together. The secondary characters of this series are awesome, as we do get to see our previous heroes. Delta Force Defender was a great addition to this series, and very well written by Megan Crane. If you enjoy romance suspense, with lots of action and suspense, you need to read this series.

The fire between Isaac Gentry and Carradine Scott has been smoldering through out the series and readers have been waiting for the flames to take over. That it would take an incendiary device to burn down Carradine's restaurant and bar is not the way I expected this story to go but it definitely seems to do the trick. What an unexpected thrill ride this one turns out to be. 
Carradine always knew the hammer would drop and now that it has she puts her escape plan in action and takes off. She's constantly looking behind her shoulder but finally settles down that she's not being followed until Isaac shows up and rescues her from an impossible situation. Now we learn that Carradine under a different name was once born into the MOB but thanks to a bomb was able to escape her family but she's been on the run since then barely resting until she came to Alaska where she felt safe enough to put down temporary roots. 
The prologue where we are introduced to the two sisters born into the Mafia, each radically different yet smothered under the weight of family expectations find an unexpected escape when a bomb destroys their home and kills their family is a wonderful touch.  The bombing in Grizzly harbor now sets off a new chapter in Carradine's life but she has Isaac now at her back with the resources of Alaska Force so things will be different this time around, right? 
The story is past paced and will leave you gasping as danger comes fast and furious and Isaac and Carradine twist and turn to stay safe while making time to finally indulge in their insane chemistry. The final twist comes as Carradine's past is finally put to bed but now Isaac's wakes up with a vengeance. Will they be able to work through all the roadblocks and finally find what they both need? 
I absolutely love Ms. Crane's exciting with the right amount of heat style and can't wait to see what she has in store for us next.

Caradine Scott has spent the past ten years hiding from her criminal family’s past after an explosion almost took her out. She has been playing a persona as a crabby take no prisoners owner of the local café where the denizens of a remote Alaskan town, Grizzly Harbor, like to hangout including one particular ex special-ops man who enjoys a prickly relationship with Caradine. Now it seems she has been outed and the criminal elements are after Caradine again in a deadly way.

Isaac Gentry heads up a group for other ex-military who needed a home and a mission after surviving the vagaries of war and a grueling life. They specialize in difficult and dangerous situations protecting the vulnerable and rescuing those who need it. When Caradine goes on the run, Isaac is determined to find her and learn everything he can about her past while protecting her despite what she wants. Caradine has no interest in acquiescing to Isaac’s desires and does her best to outwit and outmaneuver this man whom she considers infuriating and irritating though she is quite attracted to him. Their relationship has been all sparks and sparring until now; however, a lot of Caradine’s behavior comes from her life on the run as well as her very difficult upbringing. She has been protecting herself for a very long time.

Isaac is determined to help Caradine for a variety of reasons not the least of which is his intense attraction to her. He has a lot of ghosts of his own to deal with from his military past; however, despite the obstacles, Isaac wants Caradine in his life. They go through some difficult and fraught situations and as neither are easy people, Caradine and Isaac have a lot of work to do to resolve her situation as well as their issues as a possible couple. This is the fourth book in the Alaska Force series, but this story can be read as a standalone.

Delta Force Defender is book four in Megan Crane's Alaska Force series featuring a group of elite special forces operatives based out of a remote location in Southeast Alaska.  I haven’t read the other books, and although the central romance between Alaska Force leader Isaac Gentry and prickly café owner Caradine Scott has obviously been building throughout the series, Delta Force Defender worked perfectly well (for the most part) as a standalone.

The book opens with a prologue set ten years earlier in which we meet sisters Julia and Lindsay Sheeran daughters of a dangerous and violent criminal and arms-dealer with connections to crime syndicates all over the world.  Julia – who is paying her own way through college against her father’s wishes - has been summoned home, but as she arrives, Lindsay comes outside to warn her away, and before she can say more, a massive explosion destroys the house killing everyone inside.

Ten years later, Isaac Gentry is woken in the middle of the night by a phone call telling him the Water’s Edge Café in the tiny fishing village of Grizzly Harbor has blown up. The news momentarily stuns him, but he quickly makes his way to the village, arriving to find members of his team on site who tell him the place was fire-bombed but that it seems to have been a warning rather than intended to kill. Indications are that Caradine got out alive, but she’s yet to come back - and when all the signs point to the fact that she’d been prepared for such an eventuality, Isaac knows she’s running.  They’ve been sniping at each other and occasionally falling into bed together ever since she first arrived five years earlier, and Isaac has always sensed that she’s been holding something back. There’s no doubt about their mutual physical attraction, but Caradine has refused to let anyone close, even him – maybe especially him – and after waiting for her to tell him the truth, Isaac decides it’s time to drag the ghost that was Caradine Scott out into the light, no matter what happened.

Julia – Caradine – spent the first five years after the explosion at her home moving around from place to place, never settling anywhere for long and staying under the radar.  She’s always known that staying in Grizzly Harbor for so long was asking for trouble,  but somehow she’d found herself becoming Caradine, settling into a life she’d known could never be hers, making connections with the villagers and a man she had no business wanting.  Leaving it all behind is hard, but she’s done it before and she’ll do it again.  She must.  Even if the memories of Grizzly Harbor and the man she knows will want to save her won’t leave her.

A week or so finds Caradine on the other side of the country and at last starting to think that she has actually managed to evade Isaac, whom she has no doubt has been searching for her.  But she’s quickly proven wrong when she wakes up in the middle of the night to find him standing by her bed in the small Maine B&B she’s staying in.  Adopting her most sarcastic, jaded, cutting manner, she pointedly tells him she doesn’t want or need his help – but nothing she says will sway Isaac from his purpose. She’s getting his help whether she likes it or not, before whoever is after her catches up with her and finishes the job.

Delta Force Defender is an entertaining read with a well-executed suspense plot and lots of sexual tension between Caradine and Isaac, a pair of equally stubborn, determined, capable individuals who obviously care a great deal for each other even though they try pretty hard not to show it.  Caradine is a strong-willed, spirited heroine who has learned that the only person she can rely on is herself, so letting others in goes against her strongly ingrained sense of self-preservation.  I like a plucky heroine who can give as good as she gets, but I have to admit that it took a while for me to come to like her because some of the things she says are mean-spirited and deliberately meant to wound. I know it’s her self-defence mechanism and because she doesn’t want anyone to get hurt on her account, but even so, she came off as spiteful and dismissive as a result.

Isaac is pretty much your common-or-garden ex-special forces badass alpha male.  He’s gorgeous, hot and highly competent, he wants to keep Caradine safe no matter what, and if he had his way, would wrap her up in cotton wool while he and his team flush out whoever is after her.  Fortunately, he knows all too well that there’s no way Caradine is going to let him do that; he might not like it, but he accepts the need for her to be involved with his plans, and they work together surprisingly well.

There’s plenty of action building to a high-stakes finale as Isaac and Caradine get closer to the truth, and I really appreciated that the romance plot is never sidelined;  Caradine and Isaac spend a lot of time together on the page, and the author keeps the chemistry between them bubbling nicely along.  I was, however, a bit confused by the turn things took near the end.  It’s hard to say much without spoilers, but when, for most of the book, Caradine has been the one trying to keep Isaac at a distance, and she then turns around and accuses him of not really wanting her now she doesn’t need to be rescued,  I did a cartoon-character-style double-take.  She gives him all this guff about how she’s ready to commit, but all he knows is the fight, and how he doesn’t want to win, but wants to suffer… I was scratching my head and wondering where it was all coming from.  Maybe if I’d read the previous books in the series, it might have made more sense, but I was completely baffled; throughout the book I’d seen a man who wanted desperately to keep someone he loved safe and who would do whatever was necessary to do it - and who was possibly more invested in their relationship than Caradine was.  That wasn’t a man who was only interested in saving damsels in distress just for the hell of it, and I honestly don’t know what the author was trying to accomplish apart from an unnecessary delay to the HEA that was obviously on the cards.

That part cost the book half a grade point, and if anyone who reads it can explain what the hell happened there, I’d really appreciate it!  Otherwise, Delta Force Defender is a fast-paced, entertaining and suspenseful read; I liked the rapport among the Alaska Force members, the evocative descriptions of the various locations and, apart from that late-book huh? moment, the romance is nicely done.

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Great story with a bit of suspense and tasty, brooding, tough ex military men.
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I love the unique location the author chooses for the basis of the story and the series. She does a great job with the descriptions and you get such a sense of the locale, the family feel of the town, and the business.

The story is very detailed and very interesting. Crane came up with just a great plot that really captured my attention from the very beginning.

A lot of the focus was on the female character, Caradine, but you could definitely feel the heat impression with her significant flame, Isaac. A big hunk of a man who had a hard time letting go and did everything with her in mind.

She does have some qualities that I did not care for, and while I knew they were self-preservation tendencies, her coldness and angry attitude sometimes got a bit difficult to take.

This Delta Force story is a wonderful read with plenty of heat and offers plenty of suspense filled action too. Definitely one to check out if you’re into romantic suspense.

Delta Force Defender is the fourth book in Megan Crane’s Alaska Force series. It can be read as a stand-alone but I definitely recommend reading the series in order.

In this book we finally get Isaac and Caradine’s story! We met both characters in the first book and have seen them in every book since. I’ve been curious about their relationship from the beginning of the series so I was super excited to finally get some insight.

This book was so worth the wait! I don’t want to spoil anything so I will just say it was not what I expected. I mean that in the best way! I read this book in a day because I could not put it down. This series in fantastic and this is my new favorite. I cannot wait for the next Alaska Force book!

I was a little iffy about this book, while there was plenty of action ,it kind of fell flat for me?! The story line didn't flow easily for me and I times my mind wandered?! I'm sure there will be plenty who will enjoy reading this book it just wasn't for me! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

Another great story by Megan Crane! We delve deeper into the enigmatic leader of Alaska Force as well as Carradine his grumbly love interest. She has quite the story and he doesn’t want to lose her. It was amazing yet unbelievable at the same time. The chemistry was off the charts and I could not put it down. The journey to HEA was a wild ride full of emotions. I definitely recommend it!

Loved this story. Caradine is the most snarky character I've read in a while, but I enjoyed seeing her soft center, her vulnerability. The suspense kept me hanging on and I read it in one sitting. Great title and I look forward to reading more by this author.