There is just something about a former Navy SEAL that gets to my heart. (Could be because I’m a daughter and sister of former military members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines.) Military men are protective, strong, and single-minded when it comes to getting something accomplished.
In the case of this story we have a former-Navy-SEAL-turned-author who becomes involved with a female investigative reporter of crimes. The story she’s following involves what she believes to be is a forgery of antiques. Unfortunately it involves a whole lot more. With the addition of a baby (whose father has been kidnapped), our Heroine discovering she’s pregnant (by said former SEAL), and the addition of the “whole lot more”, our Hero has to figure out how to protect, and save, everyone. This story was romantic, tense, sweet, heart-pounding, and sigh inducing.
I received an e-copy of this story for my honest review.

When 1 crime journalist and 1 ex navy seal- book writer run into each other, what do the have in common? The need to find that 1 perfect story to establish them in their chosen profession. But when an unexpected complication comes about, can Simon keep Alisha alive long enough to make both their dreams come true?

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

As usual this author brings you to the book. Describing scenes at times made me feel like I was part of the book. I loved how Simon admitted to writing a romance book but could not use it in real life. Highly recommend this book.

Another good suspenseful romance. It's well-written and has a good set of characters. Enjoyed it and recommended it.

Alisha is journalist that doesnt back away from anything the tougher it is the better until she met Simon again a team member of her brothers unit in the Marines. They were in to some pretty shady things and didnt know who to trust. After getting some pictures and almost closing the story she finds her life up side down when she discovers she's pregnant and afraid she wouldnt be a good mom or that she would have to give up the career se loves to much.

Not your typical "erotic" book. Although Simon and Alisha did have sex that led to an unwanted pregnancy, that storyline actually takes a back seat.

Simon is a former Navy SEAL who has become a writer when he left the SEALS. Alisha is a journalist who is following a story about thugs who are into kidnapping and other malicious crimes. The two come together to save a baby of a man who was kidnapped. When the kidnapped man is saved and reunited with his daughter, Alisha and Simon must decide how they are going to co-parent their child. They separate, but agree to co-parent. Both are heartbroken. Alisha, however, has discovered the thugs are into a sex traffic operation and she is kidnapped. Will she be rescued? Who will be her hero?

A great, exciting read that anyone who likes mysteries as well as romance will enjoy.

I received a complimentary copy of this from NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

I am only giving this 2.5 stars. I had to force myself to finish it (after setting it down several times to read other books). The female protagonist (Alisha) is a first-class B**CH! Her mother spent more time working then raising her two children. Hence when Alisha finds out she's pregnant, she immediately wants to give it up for adoption (even though the father (Simon) said he would raise it.) She is totally selfish would not let Simon give any type of constructive advice without getting mad at him. A total turn off.

Then you have a scene at a warehouse were Simon and a friend of his rescue a kidnapped man. There were no details as to how they were able to escape. It cuts away to Alisha's side and gun shots. No explanations give other than SEAL secrets (BIG eye roll here!)

This is a sexy read so no one under 18 should try and read it.

Guarding His Fake Family
by Katie Knight, Leslie North

Alisha is a brash, up and coming, crime journalist whereas Simon a former Seal turned author, is a friend of her brother.

A well written book. Quick read with intrigue and suspense thrown into a steamy romance .

However Alisha is a bit annoying but in the end that just adds to the storyline.

Really enjoyable just what you expect from these authors.

Guarding his fake family is an original story following an investigative journalist out to prove herself and pushing boundaries in going after the crimes she looks into. Alisha links up with ex Seal Simon as a shared interest in a case joins them together. Cue the arrival of a faintly ridiculous crime family, a parent-less baby who needs looking after and police friends turned traitors to move the story along.
The book is an easy read although jumps around from one part of the plot to another and sometimes glosses over plot parts in order to concentrate on others instead.
You want to the couple to get together and you want a happy ending for the baby however the backdrop is a little too implausible to allow total immersion,

Let me start off by saying that I normally like Leslie North books - they are short, they can be cheesy (but entertaining), and not too much drama. This book just didn't do it for me - I didn't feel the chemistry between Alisha and Simon and the fact that they indeed kidnapped a baby (without calling the police) just really didn't sit well with me.

Alisha is a newspaper journalist and her brother is a SEAL. Through her brother, she met fellow SEAL, Simon a few years ago. One night recently at a bar, she comes across Simon again and she remembered how she used to have a crush on him. Simon quit being a SEAL and exposed some bad deeds through a "tell all" book that became a best seller. Alisha is working on a crime ring case in her city and she prefers to go undercover. Simon decides her topic will be his next big book so he decides to help her. Through their journey, you watch them discover some of the police are corrupted, they watch a kidnapping and then take the victim's baby and hide away, they argue quite a bit, and then they encounter the bad guys themselves. This book has a happy ending, but I just didn't enjoy the journey.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated above are mine without biases.

I received this arc from Relay Publishing for an honest review.
The story opens with Simon who was a Navy Seal and has gone into writing a book and is supposed to be working on a new one. He still can’t get off the fact that his ex is going around saying that he stole what wrote from his first book even though she has no proof.
Sitting at the Bar he is surprised when a pretty woman sits beside him, he does not recognize her at first and realizes she is the sister of one of his former teammates. Alisha Lewis who is a reporter for a local newspaper had always liked Simone even though he was older than her, but right at this moment, she is working on a story not wanting to pick up a guy. She is working on a story when she leaves the bar to follow the men Simon follows her and here is when the two of them become a team, not by her choice.
Though they work together they still have a push and pull with her not wanting any help but yet Simon putting himself into her investigation. Even telling her that he thinks there is nothing to her story, but she keeps looking and when he finds out that she is right they find they work well together in and out of the bed together, he though believes everything is over and again does not go with her gut thinking that there is still more to what is happening, not until she goes missing. Now he must find her and the child she is carrying theirs. What is good about this story is that though he is an alpha male he wrong at times, he makes mistakes, he is not perfect when they are on a stakeout, like dropping his phone. These are only a few examples but together with others make for a really good book and one that is totally different than the many others of the ones that I have read from this author. I a very good book.

Simon meets Alisha at a bar and they get to talking. Simon is a true crime novel writer looking for his next book plot and Alisha is a crime reporter who is willing to have an investigative partner. Their initial connection and conversation is also aided by the realisation that they have a common thread in the form of Alisha’s brother, who also happens to be Simon’s close friend. One thing leads to another and they spend the night together. And I’m pretty sure I’m not giving the plot away here when I say that as a result of that night, Alisha finds herself pregnant.

Alisha is a strong, feisty woman, who definitely knows her mind. She is career oriented and sees the future that she wants for herself clearly envisioned in her imagination. But when she discovers that she is pregnant, she struggles hard with how to proceed. It is quite a battle for her to come to grips with the upcoming changes in her circumstances and I did in parts find her a bit annoying while she was attempting to deal with it all. She sometimes becomes quite selfish and gives Simon a rather hard time, which had me wishing she would stop and think before she would open her mouth at times. But then again, Simon isn’t doing much better – he is struggling too, except he just seems to come to grips a bit faster with the fact that a baby is going to mean that some things have to change.

If you’re an avid reader of romances with SEALs or military guys as your preferred hero, this one is a bit different. Guarding His Fake Family isn’t your usual military / SEAL romance, as the hero has retired from service to be a writer. It will suit those of you who like to imagine the big muscles of military men without having to wade through gun fights and battle scenes, as there is none of that in this book. It is very tame in comparison to many books that have a SEAL as the main man. There are a couple of fight scenes, including a well-aimed roundhouse kick and a few verbal threats tossed into the mix, but overall, it is pretty gentle.

I found Guarding His Fake Family to be an easy, light read. It’s not going to offer you any profound words of wisdom or leave you feeling that you have had an enlightening experience, but it will definitely keep you entertained for an afternoon on the couch, or by the pool with a *insert preferred drink of choice* in hand.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for my copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent read. This story has it all, mystery, drama,suspense, romance and steam. Add this to your “feet up, vacation” read. One of the top Leslie/Katie reads.

Overall this book was decent. It's definitely more of a romance than an action book. As a person who reads a lot of action/adventure books, the action sequences were a letdown.

Loved this story! A great quick read where you can still get attached to the characters and invested in the story. The action was a great back drop to this lovely forbidden/best friends sister romance. I think there was a little bit of lack of realism, like were they even interviewed by the police after the first part? But overall the storytelling was excellent and I really enjoyed this book. Hope to read more by these authors!

This was a quick and easy flowing read. Just the right amount of action/suspense for me. Alisha is a strong woman not afraid to step up. I wasn’t particularly fond of her initial attitude toward Simon and his feelings about the baby, but I enjoyed seeing her change her mind and realise that she loves him and wants to be the mother of his baby. It was nice to see them stumble through looking after a baby with Amy, very relatable.
The ending was very sweet and touching and rounded off the book nicely.
3.5 stars.

A little predictable for me but a nice solid read nonetheless! Action packed with a nice strong female protagonist and a sexy alpha SEAL. No slow burn romance here, it gets hot and heavy quick and doesn't disappoint. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys Military or Contemporary Romance, caring Alphas and daring heroines.

I really liked the story line to this book i was intrigued and wanted to find out who the bad guys were!. However, i found myself skipping quite a bit of it because of Alisha, I just couldn't take to her, I thought she was very self-centerd and selfish and ruined the book at times. Simon, the sexy navy seal, i loved from the beginning he was so caring and genuine, I just hated how he took the blame for everything in the relationship.

I did not like Alisha at the beginning. Part of it I think was because she was too brash. She grew on me though. Simon on the other hand was perfect I thought. Considerate, intellectual and a Navy SEAL. I enjoyed reading, Guarding His Fake Family.

Guarding His Fake Family
by Katie Knight, Leslie North

📚💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💕📚

Takes off from the start!

Oh my oh my this book takes off with a bang! In yet another amazing book from two seasoned authors we her a best friends sister sorta forbidden romance. What a rollercoaster ride.

The writing is flawless, and the words are so captivating, the plot had so many twists and turns and none that I was expecting, and many shocking moments. I really enjoyed this book and it kept me engrossed throughout. I really loved the characters and the way they interacted with each other. This is a fun, hot, romantic must read book and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

Authors Blurb: Former Navy SEAL and true crime author Simon Stone needs a break, not a girlfriend. After initial success with his first book, his reputation was smeared by a backstabbing ex and now he’s looking to redeem himself. Alisha Lewis, the sister of one of his former squad mates could be his ticket to his next bestseller. She’s sexy, smart and just happens to be an investigative reporter working on what might be the perfect story for his next book. A smuggling operation in a local auction house is intriguing, but so is Alisha. After the adrenaline rush of a stakeout gone bad, they share a night of passion, one they both agree was a mistake especially after a cop buddy tells Simon that the story is all a fabrication by Alisha. But that one night of passion has lasting consequences when Alisha learns she’s pregnant.
Alisha’s life has certainly been better. She’d been on the cusp of exposing a major smuggling operation and now she’s pregnant and thanks to Simon confronting her in the middle of the newspaper office she’s been pulled off investigative stories. She’s got more than a bit of a grudge, so while she feels obligated to tell Simon about their little surprise, Alisha makes it clear that she doesn’t need his help. She didn’t expect him to insist on coming along to keep her and the baby safe. And she definitely didn’t expect to need his protection when they stumble on an abduction in progress. Soon, they’re up to their necks in crooked cops, kidnappers, and the kidnap victim’s abandoned baby. Not to mention the red-hot passion that continues to flare between them. It’s enough to give a girl fits. Worse yet? As they work to solve the mystery, Alisha realizes she’s starting to fall hard for the sexy SEAL. But will they be able to survive long enough to fall in love?

This book has everything I love in a book. Then you add that it's beautifully written and believable. It is easily a five star read. Written in dual POV my personal favorite this story flows so incredibly well that the next thing you know your 80% into the book and loving every second of it. The believable way the characters interact is perfect. Run, Hop, Jump or use your (1 click) finger to do whatever you have to do and get this amazing book. It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and it'll let you discover that love just might conquer all. The chemistry is steamy and sweet and oh so romantic.

Thanks Netgally for letting me read and review.📚💕