I volunteered to read and review an advanced readers copy of The Hero through Net Galley . This story is off the charts with suspense and intrigue so action packed . Kendrick (Bob ) Evans and his three ex-military friends run a business in Maine . Bob is sneaking around behind their backs going on rescue missions for the FBI . Archaeologist Marlowe Kennedy has been arrested while working a dig in Thailand for drug trafficking of course she's been set up . Unable to convince anyone of her innocence she's locked away in prison. Bob is sent to bust her out and help her escape across the border . Their journey is intense and dangerous. They grow close and their attraction grows during their escape . They work together with the guys to get justice and happy ending . Along with the suspense and intrigue is a wonderful romance . I highly recommend taking the time to read .

I love a good little smutty romance sprinkled with some angst. It was a tie-curling read and I was blushing at some part.

Heartfelt thank you to netgalley for providing me an arc of this book in exchange for my honest thought and opinion.

If you love forced proximity and marriage of convenience romance, then this book is for you. The Hero was the perfect palette cleanser for me. It had insta-love and smut- which I love whenever I am in a slump. It was also a one-sitting type of read.

I am stoked to see what Susan stoker has in store for us next.

Thank you to netgalley and montlake for providing me an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Hero is book 3 in the Game of Chance series by Susan Stoker.
This is probably one of the absolute best suspense romance novels I’ve read all year.
Y’all this one pulled me into it so fast.
The characters bs their connection is unmistakable. This book is full of sweet and lustful moments.
I really enjoyed reading this book.

Thank You NetGalley and Montlake for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I've read a lot of Susan Stoker and I enjoy how I can count on her stories to give me a brain break and this one delivered. My favorite parts where when Marlowe and Kendrick were on the run. It is very much an insta-love romance but I enjoyed all the action that was tied in as well. I also love that the characters from the other books make appearances and how the FMCs all get along.

This would be a good read if you like:
Ex military MMC
Insta-Love
One Bed
Marriage of Convenience

My only critiques are it was a choice having a main character with the nickname Bob. Also sometimes the dialogue or some of the situations felt so out there, I found it took me out of the story sometimes.

These things didn't stop me from enjoying the story and I will be reading more Susan Stoker books.

Book 3 in the Game of Chance series gives us Kendric and Marlowe's story. Marlowe is an archaeologist falsely accused and imprisoned in Thailand. It's Kendric's job to break her out of prison. Kendric is one of the four captured soldiers turned Maine lumberjacks. His brother soldiers don't know what he's up to and when it hits the fan, it's up to Marlowe to save them both.

This action-packed run for your life book is filled with intense moments. It also has just he right amount of romance. I highly recommend this installment in the Game of Chance series.

I've read several Susan Stoker novels and I enjoy them for how "reliable" they are. This one did not disappoint in that regard. There was good character development and the story was paced well. A great escape read and suspenseful without being scary.

Another lovable character in this series, Kendrick/Bob is a man on a mission indeed. Heading out on a mission simply for the adrenaline rush, he meets Marlowe and discovers that he doesn’t need action and danger to feel settled.

Falling hard and fast, this marriage of convenience story goes from danger and action in the beginning through a romance built under pressure to one deeply desired by both parties.

I enjoyed this story and especially seeing the rest of the team and characters too. Excited for JJ and April to round out this series fully

This is the third book in the game of chances series and I really enjoyed it! The story is fast paced and an easy read, with good character development, an action packed plot, sweet moments, and great spice.

Marlow is wrongfully imprisoned in Thailand and her brother calls in a favor with Kendrick “Bob” to get her home. Kendrick falls hard for Marlow and vows to do whatever necessary to keep her safe. I’m not big on the insta-love but it was done really well in this book and Marlow and Kendrick seemed to trauma bond over their time held captive(imprisoned?).

- one bed
- marriage of convenience
- insta love
- forced proximity

We also got to check in with the couples from book 1 & 2 which I always love! So excited to read April & JJ’s happy ending.

Breaking an innocent woman out of a prison in Thailand turns out to be the easy part….

Archaeologist Marlowe Kennedy was working on a dig in Thailand when she was arrested and convicted for possession of drugs, a crime on which the government is cracking down. She is struggling to stay alive and maintains hope that someone will prove her innocence and get her released. Enter Kendric Evans (known as Bob because, well, of course), a former elite soldier who (along with the three military “brothers” who had endured captivity with him when their final mission went south) has reinvented his life in a small Maine town running a business together with his friends. Bob still feels the need for the adrenaline rush that his former life provided from time to time, and unbeknownst to his three partners takes an occasional job doing rescue work for a man named Willis. When Marlowe’s brother realizes that he is out of conventional options, he contacts Willis, and Willis in turn assigns the job of freeing Marlowe to Bob. Breaking her out of the prison where Marlowe is living a miserable existence is only the first of many dangerous and seemingly impossible obstacles….getting her out of Thailand and into Cambodia, evading a major law enforcement dragnet, and then smuggling her out of Cambodia all while using Willis’ network of paid facilitators who are not above turning someone in for a second payday, will take skill and lots of luck. Danger is waiting around every corner, and even if they make it back to the US there is still a threat hanging over Mallory’s head.
The Hero is the third in author Susan Stoker’s “Game of Chance” series, although it isn’t necessary to have read the two previous installments to enjoy this latest entry. Each book focuses on a different soldier in the group of four who survived torture and captivity before being rescued, and this time it is Bob’s turn. A mutual attraction springs up almost instantly between Marlowe and Bob, and it quickly becomes more than just a job to get her home….for Bob, it is a mission at which he refuses to fail. Strong, brave, and still bearing the emotional scars of his imprisonment, Bob is a likable hero (though I would find it hard to forgive someone saddling me with the moniker of “Punky”, as he does to Marlowe. Seriously, what woman wants to be likened to Punky Brewster?). Marlowe is sensible, and is learning to embrace the suck in order to get free of this nightmare. The action starts right in the first chapter, and continues nonstop as the two struggle to get out of Thailand and to ultimately get back to the US, all the while wondering how to make the legal situation right. A former co-worker from the archaeological dig may have set Marlowe up, and if so Bob is not going to let that action go without repercussions. A quick, satisfying read for those who have read Ms Stoker’s previous titles as well as for fans of authors like Maya Banks, Suzanne Brockmann, and Kat Martin. Many thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for allowing me access to an early copy of The Hero. .

This is the third book in the Game of Chance series and features Kendric "Bob" Evans. It can be read as a stand-alone novel, but I recommend the others in the series just for continuity. Needing to do more since his own rescue, Bob has been secretly running missions to help others who need rescuing. His latest assignment is to get Marlowe out of a jail in Thailand where she was serving time after being setup as a drug trafficker. However, nothing about this assignment is going according to plan for Bob. And getting her out of prison is just the beginning of their adventure!
While the story is predictable, I always enjoy a story by Susan Stoker. I mean after all, there is a reason I've read all of her books! Looking forward to the next one in the series for April and JJ to get their happily ever after, finally!

This series follows a band of ex-service friends who now own a lumber business together in a small town in Maine. This is the third book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone.

Marlowe is an American archeologist held in a Thailand prison for a crime she did not commit. Kendrick "Bob" Evans is the man hired to free her. The story jumpstarts into action with the prison break and continues at a brisk pace as they work their way to Cambodia in hopes of making their way back to the US.

Marlowe is sweet and good-hearted. Kendrick is immediately lured by Marlowe's kindness and soon realizes his vow to protect her and return her to the States is more than just a job. Their relationship is insta-love but their chemistry worked for me. The suspense kept me turning the page, even when another popular trope made a surprise appearance at one of the safe houses and almost pushed it a little too much.

Overall, this was a quick read filled with adrenaline fueled suspense and love.

/I received an early edition of this book from NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion of the story or content of my review./

Susan Stoker continues the romantic suspense series of a group of ex-service members who co-own a lumber business in small town Maine but still manage to find those in need of their skill set.

This book features Kendric “Bob” Evans and takes the reader out of Maine and to Southeast Asia when he is contracted to aid an American archaeologist escape a prison in Thailand. The suspense storyline is supported by forced proximity and “fake” marriage tropes, but the characters are bonded by their ability to help each other work through their trauma. As with all of Stoker’s books this story was an enjoyable read with a rapid storyline and is a go-to author for military themed romantic suspense. You do not need to read the others in the series to enjoy this book, but you will likely want to enrich the storyline.

I have enjoyed this series from the start, and Susan Stoker is a go-to author for me. While I did enjoy this read and reconnecting with the series characters, I will admit that this one is my least favorite so far. I just could not connect with these characters, and Marlowe even got on my nerves at times. Nothing really endeared either character to me, so I found myself not truly invested in their relationship, and I even began to skim sections to get to the final conflict and resolution. I did enjoy the conflict and resolution at the end, and of course the lead-in to Jack (JJ) and April's story has me hooked. I've been anxiously awaiting their story since the beginning, and I expect that one to be my favorite of the series.

3 Stars

What happens when you mix the one bed trope with romantic suspense? This series apparently, but it took me until this third installment to realize that. In her third book of the Game of Chance series, Susan Stoker gives us some of her classic military man action we come to her for by starting the book off with a reckless one man mission to break our female lead out of a Thai prison. Our protagonists must then make the daunting journey to the Cambodian border in order to get back to the USA. This is where the one bed trope comes in, if we can count the hidden space under some floor boards as a bed. Really I would classify this more under forced proximity and even **SPOILER** marriage of convenience, since I do not think there was anything too sexy about hiding from the Thai police. Further chaos ensues including being majorly wounded, but dont worry that would never stop our alpha hero of a male lead from getting it on in a barn. Overall, I felt that this book was just okay. Susan Stoker books are a hit or miss for me sometimes and I have overall found this particular series to be underwhelming in comparison to her others. I did actually like the leads I just felt that a lot of their actions were pretty questionable. I think it started strong with some good action it just sort of then plateaued and didnt hold my attention as it went on. Overall, I would recommend this to people who like her books with the caveat that it is lacking in some of the fun team interactions I enjoy in her other series since the majority of the book is just the two leads.

this is the third book in the series and I enjoyed it, but the first book is still my favorite! there was just a lot going on in this one and the insta love just got on my nerves a little bit. that being said, I still liked it a lot and the characters were really deep and realistic!

3.5 rounded up. The marriage of convenience in this one was pretty far fetched, even by Susan Stoker standards, and I feel like the book could have benefitted with a smidge more slow burn. But as a big Susan fan, it still gave me the escapism I always want from her books, and the Thai prison storyline was definitely unique and interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions!

Rating 3.5/5

If you want a spicy romance novel where he breaks her out of a foreign prison, is forced to hide with her in close quarters, marries her for the convenience of fleeing a foreign country, falls in love with her and protects her from the baddies after her, then this is your book!

The instalove and lust in the middle of an escape mission was a bit hard to believe and some of the dialogues were cringey, but the overall plot and storytelling was as good as any Susan Stoker novel.

Tropes
🔹(Ex) Military romance
🔹 Protective hero
🔹 Forced Proximity
🔹 Marriage of convenience
🔹 Insta love

Marlowe is wrongly imprisoned in a Thai jail and Kendrick (Bob) is tasked with rescuing her. Their attraction is immediate and circumstances mean they end up married within a week of meeting. After a hard slog and a few close calls they make it back to the US. They realise that the strong feelings they felt during their ordeal are actually real and want to make the most of their situation. Marlowe still has the threat of being sent to prison hanging over her so decides to prove her innocence and take down the man responsible which adds more action and tension. I must admit I found the whole Bob/Kendrick name thing annoying after a while. I got why his friends called him Bob, but when the scene was just the two of them I didn’t understand why the name kept changing. I also wasn’t a fan of his pet/nick name for her. I’m not from the US so the tv reference was lost on me and I found it off putting. This was an enjoyable romantic suspense but was let down for me by the things I’ve mentioned above. Not my favourite Susan Stoker book.

When an American archaeologist is imprisoned in Thailand for a crime she did not commit, Kendric is tasked to facilitate her release. The mission is fraught with danger and close calls. Marlowe is amazingly capable and manages to get through situations in which I would have given up quickly. Kendric is freely given help from his friends and support from characters faithful readers have already grown to love. Such a thrilling quest that offers freedom and joy.