This is the first book in a new series by Susan Stoker. A trademark of all of Stoker's novels are the alpha heroes that once they find their woman, they instantly know she's the one and do all they can to protect her. But the other hallmark of her novels is that even though these women need protection at some point. they are also very strong women on their own. They are not the too stupid to live heroines even if they are open to the occasional helping hand, Riggs/Chappy and his teammates were held hostage in the military and vowed that if they survived, they were going to go into business together in of all things, a lumber business. Fast forward a few years and the men are settled in Maine and running Jack's Lumber. While each of the men will get their own book, this is the story of Riggs and Carlise. Carlise is trying to escape a stalker when she finds herself stranded in a remote cabin during a blizzard. This is a novel of romantic suspense featuring insta-love, forced proximity, with an alpha-hero and a strong heroine. With all of these elements, it's easy to see why this was one of those books I just didn't want to put down. I'm definitely looking forward to see what Susan Stoker has in store for the rest of the series!

What a way to start the new “T𝚑𝚎 G𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 C𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎” series. The Protector is a romantic, intense, steamy story of protection and suspense, with an interesting story line with good twists. Can’t wait to read about Cal in the next book.

I would like to thank Montlake, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this complimentary copy for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.


#TheProtector #NetGalley

I’ve never read Susan Stoker before but I’ve definitely started off with a banger. I loveeeed this story!!!

Some of my favourite tropes:
War hero/s
Cabin in the woods / small town
Caretaking while sick (x2 actually)
Sweet rescue dog!
Protective (but not possessive) alpha MMC

The plot was a bit predictable, and protectiveness / falling in love so quickly was definitely a bit cheesy but it all just added to the intensity of Carlise (had to google how this name was pronounced because I kept reading it as Carlisle, just like she said 😂) and Chappy’s story. It’s really sweet. And quite dramatic but not TOO soap opera-y. Solid 4/5 ⭐️ can’t wait for Cal’s story!

Firstly I wanted to thank everyone who had a hand in my receiving a copy of this book to review, NetGalley, the publishers and Susan Stoker.

I haven't read anything by this author before, but I have heard a lot of really positive feedback, and after reading this book, I will be adding every single one of their books to my TBR.

Now the book itself.
Chappy (Riggs) is ex-military, escaping to his cabin in the woods to chill out and separate himself from the rest of the world.

Carlisle is on the run from her stalk back home and ended up broken down and stuck in a storm. Found by Chappy, she agrees that it's probably best she stays with him rather than brave the storm.

The story spans a few topics surrounding his trauma from serving and her struggle with a stalker.

I am a sucker for some forced proximity small-town instant love story. But what I didn't expect was the twists and turns of the story. This is not your typical plot!

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. I certainly did not expect these twists and turns at the end, when lies are revealed. What I did expect - as it wouldn't be a Susan Stoker book otherwise - is for the fast-paced lovestory of Riggs and Carlisle. A little Bit sappy here and there, but who cares as long as there's some HEA.

Fans of Susan Stoker will be excited to learn that she has created a new series starting with The Protector. In this story, Chappy meets Carlise in a remote area of Maine quite unexpectedly in the middle of a blizzard. Chappy and Carlise are trapped in Chappy's cabin with a stray hero dog. Carlise in on the run from a crazy stalker and Chappy is just looking for a little solitude. The couple's circumstances lead to dramatic scenes that end in a typical Stoker way.

This was a wonderful first installment of what seems to be an exciting new series. I will certainly read the rest of the series when the time comes.

I received an arc of this book. My opinions are my own. First, I will say that I love Susan Stoker. Second, she writes amazing stories. This is a new series from this author. The book starts out with the heroine being stranded after an accident the snow. A dog brings the hero to her rescue. I loved the dog and enjoyed this aspect of the story. This was a slow burner for me. Not a lot of stuff happening during the middle. The end was great. It had a little suspense with a plot twist. That was a good addition. If you like slow burners, this is for you. I feel the series will be a hit. Thanks for the chance to read this book.

Rating : 4

💌 Forced proximity
💌 One bed
💌 Instant love
💌 Small town romance
💌 Romance with suspense
💌 3rd POV

I would like to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. I rarely read romance with 3rd POV so this is quite an experience for me but the blurb was so interesting!

Since this is the first book in an interconnected series, the book introduced 4 military men, Chappy, JJ, Bob and Cal with Chappy as the MMC for this book. After having the traumatic event in the last mission, the 4 of then decided to retire and move to Newton, Maine. They also open up a business called Jack’s Lumber.

Chappy had this habit of retreating into his safe haven, a cabin in the forest, for a few weeks whenever he wanted to chill and rest. He would bring his books and some supplies there but this time, a snow storm is coming.

Carlisle Edwards was running from a stalker and by chance, she stumbled upon Chappy and his cabin. Due to the snow storm, she had to seek refuge for a week in his cabin. Despite Chappy being a stranger to her, she would choose him any day compared to being frozen in the storm. The first few days were uneventful as Carlisle spent her days caring for the sick Chappy.

If you know me, I am never a fan of instant love and lust but this book! Somehow the instant love works out for me. I could actually see the connection between the two of them. Yes, it was instant connection, but I love how the author did some build up with the connection. They weren’t like all head over heels with each other from the start.

Despite being haunted with his trauma, I love that Chappy was such a gentle guy with his protectiveness. He made it his mission to make Carlisle comfortable and feeling safe with him. I definitely am curious about JJ, Cal and Bob! Can’t wait to see those guys in their own book!

The plot twist with the stalker was so good! I did have my suspicions with the stalker identity, and the moment it was revealed I was like OMG! I knew it but it was such a shocking to learn the motive behind the stalking. I can see the suspense and romance go hand in hand in this book!

Susan Stoker has written another absolutely swoon worthy hero!
I loved this story, it had a great plot with the perfect amount of drama. I love all of her books but this one might be my favourite yet!

If you love a good damsel in distress and a handsome hero coming to the rescue then this book is perfect for you!

First of all, this book has everything I love as a romance reader! Forced proximity, a protective MC, a strong plot and found family. Yes the romance in this is very insta-love which I normally don't love but it was done right and I believe it. I liked the main characters, however I would have preferred a double POV for this book. I am more of a 'don't just tell me, show me' kind of reader and would have liked to see how they felt, see him protect her, ... instead of having it said 100 times over that he is a protector and would keep her safe, ... But I do absolutely love this kind of MC and I am really looking forward to reading more about the Jack's Lumber crew.

𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬: 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝚋𝚢 𝚂𝚞𝚜𝚊𝚗 𝚂𝚝𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚛
𝘙𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦:𝚂𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚗, 𝚂𝚞𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎,𝙴𝚡-𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚢
𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝟷𝟺𝚝𝚑 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚑 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎!

𝙸𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚊 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝.

𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚐𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚣𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚋𝚘𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝙸 𝚠𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐. 𝚁𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚣𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚆𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝙱𝚊𝚡𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚕𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝙲𝚕𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚁𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚜.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝙸 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚝. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚏𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚊-𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚜𝚒 𝚏𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚗𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕.

𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚖 𝚎𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔.

𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝙽𝚎𝚝𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙼𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚢.

I just reviewed The Protector by Susan Stoker.

Carlisle leaves her home to get away from her stalker, but she crashes her car in the middle of nowhere in a snow storm. With the help of a stray dog, she find her way to Riggs who is enjoying the solitude of his mountain cabin, but who is also very ill. She ends up looking after him when he can hardly move for a few days and even although he is unconscious she is drawn to the quiet man. When he is feeling better, they are still snowed in and this gives them the perfect opportunity to get to know each other. They quickly realise that they are meant for each other in every way and although it is scary they vow to make their relationship work when they get back to the real world. They have suffered through trauma in their lives, her an abusive father, him being held captive and tortured when he was in the army. Her stalker manages to find her and she goes through quite the ordeal trying to make sure she survives to have the life she wants with Riggs. This book is very sweet and hot, but was also pretty slow, definitely more about the romance than suspense. I loved Baxter (the stray dog) and Riggs relationship with his friends.

This was suspenseful and gripping and had a swoonworthy romance as well.

Carlise and Riggs had great chemistry, and I’m personally such a sucker for a rough MMC that is a secret marshmallow when it comes to caring for the love interest, so Riggs softer side had me melting. Carlise is a great FMC. Strong willed, confident, happy to stand on her own two feet… but also recognises when she needs help and isn’t afraid to ask for it or seek it from Riggs. They both balanced each other well.

This was my first read from Susan Stoker, and I will definitely be picking up something else from her backlist!

Wow…. sizzling suspense about the romance that blossoms between two strangers during a snowstorm and the stalker who threatens them both.!

When I'm in a book funk, I can always count on a Susan Stoker book to pull me out of it, and this first book in a new series did just that. I'm a personal fan of her insta-love alpha-hero stories, so her books are something I look forward to reading. Riggs, Carlise, and Baxter's story is riveting, with plenty of intrigue. This new series is set in the backwoods of Maine, and the setting alone provides plenty of opportunities for havoc. The circumstances under which Riggs and Carlise not only come together but then are kept together for many days make the strong connection in such a quick time period believable. And the added dimension of caring for the abused and scared Baxter makes the story even more enjoyable. I will be waiting not-so-patiently for the next book in the series.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing an ARC for review.

The problem with reading an early copy is when you realize that you have to wait so long for the next book! The Protector was emotional and a wonderful forced proximity novel. It is the start of a new series and I admit, as a huge fan of Susan Stoker, I'll follow her through any of her series. The 4 men in this series were all Special Forces but were captured and tortured- while not very detailed per say, the emotion that the author brought out during this time was heartbreaking. Once they are freed, we follow them to Maine and this is Chappy's story. The setting is beautiful- in an isolated cabin in the woods. Carlise is running from a stalker and a snowstorm puts her in grave danger. Luckily, she meets Chappy and their progression is nicely done but fast (almost insta-love). It was pretty obvious who the stalker was and there were times I just wanted to yell at Carlise but this novel is fast moving and fun, with some heart pounding parts that really made this a well rounded story. The romance was great and the addition of Baxter, the dog, made my heart swell. I absolutely loved this story and can't wait for the next in the series. Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the early read.

Hawt book! Five stars for The Protector! I floved it! Riggs and Carlise were an insta love connection. I also love it when we add a furry four legged Baxter to the mix.

What did I like? Maine would be a great place to live to just get away from it all. The book has some suspense, insta-love, and a great HEA! Riggs had some war wounds and Carlise had some relationship wounds but together they mix well.

Would I recommend or buy? I have a Susan Stoker shelf so grabbing this book is a no brainer. It was fun, hearty, and climatic! I enjoyed reading about Riggs and his three Army buddies. The sneak peak for the next book looks great!

I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley to read and this review is my opinion. Have fun and read it yourself!

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for giving me an ARC copy to read and review. All of these thoughts and comments are my own!

This book is based on a woman running from her abusive ex and a stalker who she thinks is her ex and an ex military man who is learning to trust again after being tortured and held captive with his fellow teammates.

I think the plot was great; I just don’t think it was written that well. I’ve read a lot of Susan Stoker books and LOVED them but this one just felt like too much. It was cute how the dog, Baxter, led them to each other and how they earned his trust after clearly being abused.m. It was cute that she took care of him while he was sick. It was cute how he was protective of her and never pushed her to talk about her issues. But….I just think it was weird how they fell in love after a couple of days and literally didn’t know each other. It was weird how JJ practically jumped down Carlisle’s throat for answering Riggs phone. I also think the spice is this book was wrote awkwardly. I’m a big fan of smut but this wasn’t it for me. It was weird how the first time they have sex, he’s already thinking about getting her pregnant and he’s known her for maybe a week or so at this point. I also feel like the ending was rushed. Making her best friend out to be her stalker was poorly written in my opinion.

I think the book had great potential because it’s about learning to trust again after going through something terrible. I really wanted to love it like her other books but it just wasn’t as good as it could have been. I’m all for whirlwind romances but this one just didn’t do it for me.

3 stars.

Steamy romance, with a creative twist on the thriller side. I sped read through this one, excited to see where the parties ended up! With romance, it's often too easy to see the plot line, yet Ms. Stoker kept me engaged and excited to learn more. Will definitely be following this series to see how each of the other friend's stories pan out!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the eARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I enjoyed reading this book, A bit of paranormal, mystery and romance. I loved that Riggs was a lumberjack. That they meet so randomly. Fun quick read. 4 stars. I believe this is part of a series.