4 stars

Good story. Noel, our SEAL Hero, comes upon Peyton at some waterfalls. She's undressed and her wedding dress is floating in a pond. She has a couple of bottles of champagne that's she's in the process of finishing off. Peyton's father, unbekown to her has promised her fiancee her share of the brewery on his marriage. Dalton isn't very nice and it's up to Noel to protect her. Noel is suffering from guilt and PSTD and has been sent on leave to recover.

I enjoyed this romance even though I'm not usually a contemporary reader. The working dog, Lucky, is cute and we get to reconnect with Jack and Nicole from the first book but like me it's not essential to have read this story. I think you will enjoy this book, there seems to be plenty of character links to Sandra's other series and potential for more romances.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Guilt and Sorrow. Laughter and Hope. Friendships and Family. Book 2 in Sandra's K-9 Series pinches your heart from the get go. You can read this as a standalone so have no fear. I do guarantee when you finish it you will want to find book 1 , Operation K-9 Brothers. Guilt is running and ruining DD's (Noah) life. Peyton comes into his life in a fascinating, humorous, heart moving way. Their first meet was also a first for me, I have never read that in any book. I laughed and I felt for their heart hurting moments and just new she brought the hope. There is hurt within Peyton's life and Sandra led me down the common road and then did a quick cut back and yelled Gotcha! The family twist was heart moving and the friendships that are explored through out "Keeping Guard" is just the icing on the cake. I am thrilled with this series and hope it keeps on going. Thank you NetGalley. Harlequin - Carina Press and the wonderful author Sandra Owes for the arc. I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions.

Wow, talk about a memorable meeting! I loved every moment of Noah and Peyton bumping into each other and having him step in when she needed his help was utterly delightful. I enjoyed their journey of coming together and falling for each other. The suspense element was nicely woven into the story.
I expected more dog presence and I struggled a little with their lack of communication. The end felt a little rushed and predictable.
I started this book with the intention of reading the first couple of chapters, but ended up finishing it in basically in one sitting;). Despite the issues I had with parts of the story the writing draws you in and pulls you along for the story. I'm definitely curious about the next book in the series.

Guilt and fear is the human condition

Noah is forced to take some time off after an incident in the field led to the death of the his unit's K9 and interpreter. The guilt is eating him alive. Add in some childhood horrors and we have a very closed off individual.

So why does he then blurt some of his story out to Peyton, a runaway bride, in their meet cute? Unable to stay away from Peyton, her slimy ex stalking her becomes the perfect excuse to spend time together. And for Peyton? Coming to terms with feeling unloved and unacknowledged is a journey to self acceptance. It is with her that I felt a personal connection.

The book is well written and has good flow. The story is character driven with a hint of suspense while the heat level was high, the love scenes were less explicit than some I have read. But this worked for the book and is in no way a criticism!. Both Peyton and Noah has to overcome their fear of revealing their feelings to make the HEA work.

In all, a great emotional read for me.

I received a free electronic copy from NetGalley.

Keeping Guard by Sandra Owens is the second book in her Operation K-9 Brothers series. This has been a can't-put-down book for me from page one. Peyton and Noah are such wonderful characters. Add in the support dog, Lucky and you have the perfect combination for a heartwarming story. Due to his guilt over an incident that happened when Navy SEAL Noah was overseas he suffers from guilt which feeds his PTSD. Peyton is soothing for him. The dialogue between Peyton and Noah was lots of fun and the bedroom scenes are steamy. I love this author's voice. I won't pass up a new new release by Sandra Owens because I know I am going to love the book.

I received an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

In this second, stand alone book of the Operation K-9 Brothers series, this very talented author not only delivers an engaging story, but also a thought provoking one.
Noah Alba, a Navy SEAL, has been sent by his commander to Asheville, NC, where he’s to recoup from a mission that not only killed his K-9 partner/dog, but also a man important to the team and him. Noah blames himself for their death , and the guilt has left him with nightmares and not thinking straight.
When he goes to the waterfall that recently gave him some sense of peace, he meets a runaway bride. A woman who would unbeknown to him would change his life as well as hers.
Peyton Sutton is that woman. Minutes before her wedding she discovers the groom was only marrying her so he could gain her shares in her father’s brewery and her money. Escaping to the falls where she meets her “knight” in tarnished armor.
When her deranged ex stalks her, Noah steps in to help. Neither expected that the attraction and friendship that develops would end up meaning more than that.
But what happens when Noah is due to return to action? Will either express their love or will it only be a memory of what could have been?
This is a story about the complexities of family and how our childhood does in fact affects us as adults. It’s also about how guilt will affect our outlook on life , sometimes letting us believe there is no hope. As well as a story about finding love when one least expect it.
In addition , it’s a reminder of how war affects the brave men and woman who are will to give their lives to keep us in a safe and free country. As a nation and individuals we need to help them return to civil life.
Kudos to the author for another engaging, touching and thought provoking story.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

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

While this is a part of a series, you do not have to read the prior story to thoroughly enjoy this one.

This author definitely knows how to stick a knife in my heart and twist it. My heart was in despair at one point. I truly felt for both of the characters. In fact, they seemed more human to me than characters of a book. I think that was due in part to the dual POV format. Reading the characters thoughts really helped to make them more human and easily understandable in a given scene.

I so fell in love with Noah. He is a true warrior and protector at heart. He comes across Peyton at a waterfall. She is a runaway bride. Shortly before her wedding, she hears her intended telling his best man that he was only marrying her for her shares of her dad’s brewery. Noel and Peyton have a lot of hurdles to contend with to get to their HEA. A spurred fiancé bent on revenge, Noah’s demons, Peyton’s dad possible illness and Noah’s return to his Navy SEAL life. Yep this author threw the book at these two.

This is a sexy read. I would highly recommend this to someone over the age of 18. If you love a sexy Navy SEAL, a runaway bride and a lovable dog, then you MUST read this!!! This book does give a glimpse into the hero of the next book. Holey hot cakes Batman!

Guilt is a nasty emotion, and misplaced guilt even worse. And yet Noah walks through life with the weight of his combat mistake ruling his days and nights. Enter Peyton, the runaway bride who has the ability to soothe that guilt and make Noah feel that just maybe he's worth a small amount of the love he's never had. Noah is such a tortured soul, his nightmares invade every waking and sleeping moment, and yet even with the heavy emotional toll it takes on him, Ms Owens still injects moments of humor and plenty of romance. As always, her characters are real, people you might meet in your day to day life and as usual these characters become your friends an family. This is another great read from a favorite author. Stay tuned for the last book of the series. As always, the reader will be sad when they read the words, The end.

If you like stories about dogs and Navy SEALS and that have elements of romantic suspense - you have hit the jackpot with this book and this series. Noah is a SEAL on leave to work on his mental health after a series of events left him with PTSD and a crushing amount of guilt. He's in Asheville to work with his friend and former teammate who now runs a program training service dogs for veterans. Noah wants nothing to do with any of it and is only there because he was directly ordered there by his commanding officer. Noah meets Peyton shortly after she ran away from her wedding. Dressed in nothing but the underthings she had on under her wedding dress and drinking champagne, Peyton is definitely a sight.

Peyton found out, minutes before her wedding, that her fiancé was only marrying her to gain control of her family's brewery. Her now ex-fiancé is definitely not who she thought he was and as it turns out - she doesn't really know her father all that well either. With her life turned upside down - she and Noah connect and he helps her through. That quickly turns into protection as Peyton's ex

I loved Peyton - she was smart, fun, and an overall amazing person. Her commitment to Noah was something I wish was present in more books - she didn't let him push her away and stayed patient with him as he worked through things. Noah is really one of the good ones. He did not have an easy life - even before the military - and his experiences there have amplified his PTSD to a very serious degree. One of the best parts of this book is that it focuses on Noah getting therapy - not just relying on love to help him.

Overall - I have really been enjoying this series and can't wait for more!

Content warnings - <spoiler> physical and mental abuse, parent estrangement and loss.</spoiler>

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

An amazingly good story.
A beautifully written heartfelt, sexy, emotional & intriguing book that will
pull at your heart-strings.
I adored Noah & Peyton.
Wonderful characters & a story of love,
hope, forgiveness & understanding. Captivated me from page one.
Can't wait for Book 3!
A Definite Must Read!!

It's been a while since I read Sandra Owens after her K2 Team and Aces And Eights Series, and just like that I know why I loved her books :)

Her new K9 series is just as charismatic and swoon worthy! Noah Alba ends up "Keeping Guard" on Peyton Sutton, from her ex-fiancee who is hellbent to marry her for her legacy. Runaway bride meets wounded Navy Seal, and add in a some cute canine charm, and you've got a winner of a read!

Runaway Bride meets Wounded Warrior. Noah is on leave after a situation that leaves him questioning his judgment and unable to allow himself to live life again. He has found his way to former teammate, Jack, who runs a K-9 rescue operation. He trains service dogs for fellow servicemen and women in need. Noah is ordered there and is required to undergo psychiatric treatment.
One day, looking for peace he rides up in the Smokey Mountains to sit by a waterfall. Instead he finds Chaos in the form of Peyton: dressed only in the veil and corset from her wedding gown, crying and drunk on the two bottles of champagne she brought from the wedding reception-that-never-was.
Peyton was set to marry the man of her father’s choice but overhears that jerk telling his best man that the only reason he was marrying her was so he could get the shares in her and her fathers brewery- shares that Peyton thought were hers. Peyton has had little approval or love from her father but she has worked her way up to Master Brewer to gain his respect and believes he’ll deed the shares to her. She is doubly crushed by the perfidy of her fiancé but also what she sees is the ultimate rejection by her father.
Unfortunately the father and the jerk show up and try to get Peyton to go with them but Noah plays the hero and hauls her away over his shoulder to take to her home.What follows is a lot of intimidation, stalking and physical abuse of Peyton by the jerk putting Noah in savior mode.While Noah continues to think he has no right to his budding love of Peyton she tries to subtly show him love and a way to forgive himself.
This book works- the runaway bride meme fell into step quite easily in the wounded warrior meme.The main characters are well written and the secondary characters have some charm, even the doggy. This the second in the series so it is nice to see old friends from the last book. The action in the book fits the rest of the plot as well.
Although this is part of a series it could easily be read and a standalone. I would recommend this book to my patrons.

Good book, a few lulls but an amazing story with fantastic characters and I love the humor in this book that is so serious a topic. Right from the beginning it grabs you and keeps you there right until the end.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a winner! This is a fast paced story that opens with Peyton becoming a runaway bride. Once she's made her escape, Noah encounters her at the waterfall, but isn't sure what to make of the almost naked bride. When she unloads on him, he takes pity on her and brings her to his home to escape the groom and her father.

Noah is in town working with his friend training dogs and working on his PTSD so he can return to being a SEAL. When he realizes that Peyton is at real risk, he steps in to help, all while fighting is attraction to her. However, as he quickly learns that Peyton is a force to be reckoned with, even if she is a bit of a princess.

I loved their story and especially loved how Peyton embraced the "this princess saves herself" belief. Their story is fun and engaging, while also touching on domestic violence.

If you are a fan of the genre, you will love this book and want to put it at the top of your TBR list. The author is on my must read authors' list.