Great end for this series, I've read the all. Highly recommend. And this book has an amazon epilogue that ties it up for all of the characters. 5 strong stars!

As the rest of the guys find their happily ever after and settle down, JJ and April continue their slow burn avoidance of a relationship until April is involved in a car accident and loses her memory. Now all bets are off, and JJ is done with restraint and holding back.
April has lost a chunk of memory and doesn't recognize the guys and the gals that she's become like an older sister den mother too who show up in the hospital. The one thing she knows is that JJ makes her feel safe even as the presence of her ex-husband starts to become an irritant.  Once discharged from the hospital she's ensconced in JJ's apartment and begins to open her heart and accept a relationship with JJ. 
At the same time a young man who holds JJ responsible for the death of his brother with a completely warped sense of justice shows up in town ready to take his revenge on JJ and the guys and hurt them where it would hurt which would be the wives.  A series of small accidents plague the women, but they seem to lead a charmed life until they are all four kidnapped.
Now all bets are off. The guys call in every single favor owed to them and all the guys from the other series of Ms. Stoker's books in a cameo appearance to help them find the women and defeat the enemy. The action and adventure is enough to get your adrenaline going for a wonderful finale.  
Just a word of caution, this is one of those books where you should have read the earlier books in the series so that you can relate to the characters and the references to how each of their romances came to be.

Dam I can't believe the series is finished, what a perfect ending. The Lumberjack had great energy. An emotional rollercoaster filled with drama, action and laughter. My only gripe, it’s me and Ms Stoker can’t please everyone, I'm not a fan of the c**t word, so for me that was disappointing. Jack and April are perfect together they are each loyal, strong, determined but together unstoppable. The story builds slowly you know somethings coming and at about the half way mark the novel is an unputdownable suspension. I would suggest reading the first three books of the Game of Chance series where you do see their relationship building slowly and you get a better insight to the friendship and bond both the men and women have. Susan Stoker does an amazing job writing incredible novels. 4 stars

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.
#TheLumberjack #NetGalley #susanstoker

What a great conclusion to this series. April and Jack finally give in to their feelings and stop tiptoeing around each other. Plenty of action, strong characters and a sweet look into all of their futures in the epilogue.

Love gives you strength to overcome anything. In fact, that may well be the theme for this entire story which has been years in the making in more ways than one. For April and Jack, they have been on a collision course for love since book 1 and in this book, they finally took the plunge because they were better together. April, a little older than the other girls and guys in the books had become something of a de-facto older sister or den mom or guiding light for the team. Her strength, resilience and love shined throughout the entire book. She was even strong enough to admit she was afraid and to let herself be vulnerable. She is more than a match for Jack, the leader and in the end the favorite uncle to her being the favorite aunt.
The action starts a little slow. The first half of the book is about healing and learning to give love a chance with plenty of spice on the side. The action is very subtle in the beginning with a few accidents and a mysterious visitor but like the ladies, you had to know something was wrong to see that pattern. Speaking of the ladies, when they get taken the action rachets up at an 11 but even amid such fear and tension, the love shines.
Unfortunately, our villain uses love or some perverse definition of the word to justify the horror he subjects the team too. Susan did an amazing job of constructing a villain so vile, you really wanted to smack him while reading. He tried to weaponize the men’s love for their life partners to get his vengeance. This book was the conclusion of the entire series and while it was Jack and April’s love story, this book was about the whole team because it took every man and every woman to win the day. In fact, we got a drop in from a few of the other teams.
The ending was an amazing and spicy and family oriented conclusion for each of the couples. We also were reminded why the series name was about a game of chance. One game of chance, one choice set into motion the course of action that took us through 4 books, a lot of love and some wild action. The soldiers took and chance and were rewarded in spades or should I say in hearts.
Judging this book was a little tough for me because the first half of the book was a bit of a pure romance and that is not my style. The first half also felt a little like a let down after the wild beginning of the last book. Don’t let that prevent you from reading it. Like me, you will need to soldier through because the end is an amazing rollercoaster ride of terror and action and love with a terrific ending for all. BTW, I loved the pun of Jack’s lumber and Lumberjack, it was cute.
Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book features compelling characters: Jack, a protective and possessive former soldier deeply in love with the older April, and April, whose memory slowly returns in a realistic manner. The story highlights Jack's vulnerability and insecurity, making his devotion to April endearing. Their journey to acknowledge and accept their feelings is sweetly portrayed, with a near tragedy cementing their mutual love. Stoker’s universe, with its strong bonds and realistic characters, adds depth, despite some stilted dialogue and repetitive proclamations about "our women" and "our men."

The next book in the series has April the receptionist of the lumber company being involved in an accident and Jack and the others coming in to help her. You also have the story of the two of them working at becoming a couple and covering their past issues all the while there is still something dangerous lurking about that none of them know about. This is an excellent book with a wonderful storyline and characters.

With thanks to Montlake and Netgalley for advanced copy.

Finally, JJ and April get their story – and what a story it is filled with dram and, suspense right from the start but also love and friendship. An unexpected threat to all the friends leads to help from some old friends. There is humour in the story as well and loved the epilogue . Brilliant series.

Game of Chance is the first of Susan Stoker’s series I’ve read, and I’d definitely pick up her books again in future. They’re hard to put down, with lots of tense moments, plenty of sugar sweetness, and some surprisingly hot scenes.

Having said that, as much as I enjoyed the first three books about this quartet of Special Force friends, The Lumberjack is probably my least favorite. Don’t get me wrong; it’s still fun to read, still sexy and suspenseful, but maybe just a smidge too cheesy, even for me.

I also have to note that there were a couple of inconsistencies throughout the series that, as someone who read all four books back to back, bothered me. In particular, the fact JJ is 39 in the prologue of The Protector *and* this book — in his own story — which is set 4+ years later. Hoping that’s simply an ARC mistake, but I don’t think it is.

Beyond that though, The Lumberjack is a solidly enjoyable read with good — if slightly unbelievable — suspense, a lovely ending that rewards those who’ve followed the series, and cameos that’ll no doubt thrill loyal readers and pique the interest of newbies like me.

100% worthy of a read, especially if you’ve picked up the others that came before it, just be prepared for the occasional super fluffiness.

The Lumberjack (Game of Chance #4) by Susan Stoker
Publisher: Montlake
Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Romance
Expected Publication Date: July 30, 2024

The Lumberjack is the 4th book in the Game of Chance series by Susan Stoker and I am here for it! I thought this book was absolutely amazing and I loved it!!!

This book grabbed me on page one and did not let go! I found the characters to be captivating and the story to be absolutely fascinating! This was so intense and had me so worried for the ladies.

With all of Susan Stoker's books, there was such intensity running throughout the story. I was on the edge of my seat through the whole book! AMAZING!

I highly recommend this book!!!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read the conclusion of this series early. Jack could be a good example of "if he could, he would" as he takes care of April after her car accident. One thing I love about Susan Stoker's books is how she always develops such strong female characters (to balance their strong male partners). I loved the addition of bringing in the men from the other series to help the guy find (and rescue) their women. For me, it brings all these series together. I have enjoyed this series from the beginning and am so sad to see their stories end, but then I remember, I can always read them over again. This is the perfect conclusion to the Game of Chance series and these characters!

Lumberjack gives the reader of Susan Stoker's series another hero to delve into. The quiet romance, the hidden longings bring romance and the story full circle. A great read

It all started with a game of chance… “The Lumberjack” is the highly anticipated final installment in this amazing series by Susan Stoker and I loved every moment of it.

April and JJ have been dancing around each other for years until an accident finally makes them realize that life is too short to not be with the person you love. I enjoyed how quickly they moved into the relationship phase because it has been such a long time coming. It also leaves room for the suspense element to be fully developed.

Someone has it out for the team and April’s accident is the first in a series of suspicious incidents. I won’t spoil the lead up, but things come to a head in an explosive ending that had my emotions all over the place. JJ and the guys need help and they call in ALL of their markers. The number of cameos from other series made my heart so happy.

And that epilogue… Susan Stoker does an amazing job of giving readers a glimpse into the future of all the characters at the end of every series and this one was no exception. I love the continuation of the HEA for every couple. There is also a scene with Baxter that brought everything full circle and made me tear up more than a little bit.

I am sad to see this series come to an end but I’m hopeful these characters will make appearances in future books. Susan Stoker is an auto buy author for me and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

I wasn’t a great fan of The Lumberjack although I have liked other books in this series.
I had difficulty with the comments about ‘our women’ and not wanting them to go anywhere to ‘keep them safe’ etc.
The main character is older than the other women in this series and there were comments about her being the ‘mother hen’
Other than that the story was okay.

Wow! This was my first Susan Stoker book and what have I been waiting for? I absolutely loved April and Jack’s story. Though part of the Game of a chance series this book can be read as a standalone. And after meeting all the other characters through this story those have rocketed to the top of my TBR pile.

April has an accident that wipes her memories from the last five years including her feelings for one of the owners of Jack’s Lumber, Jack “JJ” Justice. If you were to look up the word intense or protective in the dictionary JJ’s photo would be there. He is the alpha male in the best ways possible, overprotective of those in his life, yes! Will kill anyone that dares to touch his woman, yes! Will go to the ends of the earth to protect those he loves, including his friends and their wives and children, yes!

This is a story of second chances, taking risks and not waiting until it’s too late to do something about it.

You will not regret the time you spend in Maine with this crew as you watch April and JJ figure out that life is better when you are with your people.

What an amazing book you do, Susan Stoker you have become one of my favorite authors with this series, and you couldn't have written a better book for the end of it, than JJ and April's story.

I think I say this with every book I read by Susan, but these are my favorite characters, especially Jack, I totally loved his intensity. I can't wait to read some more of Susan in the future.

This last book of the Game of Chance series tied everything up nicely and even included character across Susan Stoker’s other books. I will always read her books when I see them!

I am so sad this series is now over but what an amazing one it has been and this 4th and final book was simply the icing on the cake. So happy to finally get JJ and April’s story and it was just as awesome as I thought it would be. I love April she has long been the glue that holds Jack’s Lumber together as their office manager and such a mother hen. She and Jack (JJ) have been tiptoeing around their attraction for a long time now but because he was one of her bosses and she was older than him they never acted on it. Until now and the circumstances that make them both finally face their feelings head on. This story is so amazing and intense and I loved every moment. Some awesome cameos long time Susan Stoker fans like me will love! And a fantastic epilogue 10 years into the future giving us an update on all 4 couples and their kids!

Such a perfect ending for this series by Susan Stoker! The Lumberjack finishes the 4 book series that starts with a group of POW's playing rock, paper, scissors to distract themselves from the horror they were in and have a dream for the future. Each book tells their individual love story and they will melt your heart! Love Love Love!

April and JJ’s story is the last in the Game of Chance series and as I read their story, the conflict of emotions was real. So happy to get their story, yet sad this was the last book in the series. April is the glue that holds guys of Jack’s company together. When she is hurt and suffering from amnesia, JJ has a wake up call realizing he needs to start over and not ignore his feelings and love for her. Susan has given us the suspense and romance her fans love.
A fantastic end to this series and a must read.