Member Reviews
I loved Ezra and Magnolia's story. His first day back in town, Ezra finds himself face to face with his high school sweetheart and the son he didn't know he had, and not only that - their lives are in danger and he finds himself thrown into the role as their protector. They rekindle their romance as they work to figure out who is behind the attempts on her life.
I loved Ezra and Magnolia's story. His first day back in town, Ezra finds himself face to face with his high school sweetheart and the son he didn't know he had, and not only that - their lives are in danger and he finds himself thrown into the role as their protector. They rekindle their romance as they work to figure out who is behind the attempts on her life.
This series is one of my favorites. Always count on Katie Reus for a stellar story. She never fails! This is no exception. The story had sweet moments, bittersweet bite, danger, and great suspense. Another five star story.
Katie Reus is one of my absolute favorite romantic suspense authors and this book did not disappoint! Equal parts spice and danger with first loves, miscommunications, and finding their way back to each other. You’ll be hooked from page one.
Amazing story! Ezra and Magnolia stumble back together after 17 years. She’s targeted and he steps up to protect her. The family troubles bring another set of baggage they have to deal with. Excellent ending!
Katie Reus's books are very exciting with likable and interesting characters and lively banter. This book takes place in New Orleans where the new branch of Redemption Harbor Security is setting up shop.
17 Years ago, Ezra left New Orleans to enlist after his girlfriend, Magnolia, broke his heart. Now back in New Orleans, he has avoided his old stomping grounds, not looking her up even on social media, until he saves her from an attempted shooting. It turns out that they both were lied to, and he lost 17 years of his son's life and life with the only woman he has ever loved. He will find out who is trying to hurt her and keep her alive so they can have their second chance.
I read a gifted Advanced Reader's Copy from the publisher via NetGalley.com. This is my honest, unbiased and voluntary review.
I don’t adore a secret baby/child trope generally but this one actually turned out well!
Magnolia and Ezra were separated by years because of secrets and lies and uncovering those, whilst keeping magnolia safe is the premise in the book
Great characters I was shooting for early on, this was an enjoyable read
I am not a fan of the secret baby trope, especially when the child is nearly an adult and the time lost is significant. Now, neither of our leads are totally at fault here, only minimally. And the biggest person at fault does face some consequences, though mild.
Both leads forgive any misconceptions and move on to a life and future together. While its nice and tied up, we barely gloss over the surface of the issues still at play with the past.
I did like the glimpses of Berlin and look forward to her story.
Fighting for Magnolia is a second chance romance. Ezra has recently moved back to New Orleans after being gone for 17 years. He hasn’t told anyone it was where he grew up or the fact that the only woman he has ever loved still lives in New Orleans. Secrets aren’t meant to be kept and the universe makes sure that Ezra finds himself in the position to protect Magnolia when someone shoots at her on the side of the road. They have to figure out who is trying to kill her while dealing with the secrets of their past. Can they find their way back together or will the secrets crush any hope of them being together?
This was not my favorite book in this series. I thought it was a bit dull. All of the “exciting” elements were there but they didn’t come together in my opinion. I kept waiting for something to happen but every time something did happen it fell a little bit flat. In the end, I didn’t care about the bad guy, the danger he posed or whether or not the main couple got together. I went into the story knowing everything would be solved at the end. The only part of this book that I thought was really good was Magnolia’s family. That was the only part of the story that caused any real stress or emotion for me.
I generally really like this author’s stories so I will definitely read more from this author in the future. This book will appeal to a lot of readers but it just wasn’t my favorite.
This is a strong 3.5 for me. It was easy to read. I had never read the series previously but I think if I had it would be a 4 or 5 as I can see the friendship between the characters. Ezra and magnolia have so much chemistry and Lucas seems like a great kid.
The story was interesting and I liked that the main characters didn’t blame each other for what happened but also acknowledged the subconscious issues that came with being a single parent and with not knowing you were a parent.
Good domestic light thriller romance?
Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.
Magnolia and Ezra were lovers at seventeen who were split apart and Ezra never knew he had a son. The find each other when Magnolia is in danger. Will Ezra be able to discover who is threatening Magnolia ? Will they be able to find the truth about the past and can they start a new relationship ? This was a well written story that I couldn’t put down. I would recommend this book and series.
Ezra just arrived in New Orleans to join the new security team for Redemption Harbor security. He has reservations of coming back to the area after his bad childhood and where his lost love still lives. To his shock, he saves a stranger from being shot only to find out it's her... and her teenage son looks remarkably like him. He never expected Magnolia to be his first client, or the protective feelings he has for her still.
This new team introduces intriguing new characters and reconnects with some fun previous books. I've enjoyed the banter and feeling of family between the sudden team members and look forward to more books in the series. The spice was good, the suspense great. I really enjoyed this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Another great addition to this series. I loved it.
When you find out nearly two decades of your life has been built on a lie, perpetrated by your own family who do you trust.
Magnolia and Ezra might at last get a HEA, if they can find snake in the grass villain determined to take her down.
Hate a secret kid trope...
Its NOT a thing. And if a "security expert" can't figure out he had a child with his ex, that does not bode well for anyone in his protection. Especially since that kid is almost an adult.
That being said, the author did a decent job with the trope. I liked both Ezra and Magnolia, though why it took almost two decades for Ezra to pull his head out of his ass, and a threat to Magnolia for him to return and have a grown up conversation.
This is one that will tug on your heartstrings. We finally get the story about Magnolia and Ezra. They were so in love as teenagers and then life threw them some curve balls. Now that Ezra is back in town 17 years later will they be given a second chance? Will Magnolia be able to survive someone trying to kill her? This was a book I couldn’t put down! I was given a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This addition to the series is excellent. I read it in one day as I just couldn’t put it down.
The second chance love story tugged at the heart strings and their love couldn’t be extinguished. I loved seeing Ezra getting to know his son after missing out on his childhood.
Ezra was in full bodyguard mode protecting Magnolia from a stalker with his team acting as backup when needed. It’s always good to meet up with the guys from previous books and how they are more like family than friends and colleagues.
This book had it all, romance, intrigue and a wonderful ending. Definitely worth reading into the early hours of the morning.
A good addition to this series. Not my most favorite trope, but Katie Reus makes it work. I love getting updates about previous characters. The Redemption Harbor world is my favorite.
This is a Second Chance Romantic Suspense, and this is the fourth book in the Redemption Harbor Security series. I have read the first three books in this series before picking up this book. It took me a minute to get into this book, but once I was pulled into this book I could not put it down. I really enjoyed reading this book, and I loved the characters in this book. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.
Due to her father's interference, Magnolia has spent the last 18 years raising her son, thinking that Ezra ghosted her. Ezra has spent the last 18 years believing that Magnolia was the one at fault. When he prevents her from being shot, the betrayal comes to the surface.
It was good that once they realized they both had been lied to, they were able to come together without animosity. You cannot help but feel bad for Ezra that he missed out on seeing his son grow up. Danger brings them back together.
Its more from the intrepid men and women of Redemption Harbor when security expert Ezra saves a familiar looking woman from a sniper only to discover it really was the woman he’d never forgotten, his high school sweetheart Magnolia. They had been a bit like Romeo and Juliet, doomed from the start especially when Magnolia’s father who wasn’t about to let his princess settle for the boy from the wrong side of town interfered but what Ezra didn’t know when he left was that Magnolia was pregnant with his child until he’s face to face with a teenage boy who looked just like him. Now all he must do is prove he deserves to be part of their lives, while undergoing a crash course in fatherhood …... oh, and catch Magnolia’s homicidal stalker before they can all enjoy Christmas!
Katie Reus is an author whose books I can pick up and know I’m going to enjoy. In Fighting for Magnolia, the characters were well rounded, although perhaps the teenage Lucas was a little too perfect. I did like that it didn’t drag out the drama when it came to past events and become overly angsty. Those events were in the past and instead the story focused more on the threat to Magnolia and also on Ezra trying to connect with both her and Lucas so the romance element of the story took a little longer to heat up The suspense element was well written, moving at a steady pace and building the suspense before reaching a suitably climatic finale and as with previous books the threat isn’t always the most obvious person although I did have an inkling as to the identity of the guilty culprit here. Bonus points for the excellent group dynamics and the various interactions between them especially with Berlin, the tech expert. Ezra might not have had Magnolia and Lucas in his life, but he’d found a family with his Redemption team. One of the best things about these books are, although they are part of a series, each can easily be read as a standalone without giving away any details which might spoil your enjoyment of any other book.