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.

It’s hard to find anything bad to say about this author, so I won’t! Magnolia has been raising her young son alone. When someone takes a couple shots at her she’s is saved by, wait for it, wait for it, Lucas’s dad! Now can he save her and in the process build a relationship with his nearly grown son? Gotta love this Redemption Harbor series

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you for allowing me to read

FIGHTING FOR MAGNOLIA (Redemption Harbor Security 4) by Katie Reus

4.25stars

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 27, 2024

He promised forever, but then he left…

Magnolia fell fast and hard for the boy her parents warned her about. He told her that he wanted to give her the world, but then vanished. Now she runs a successful company in New Orleans and her son is picking out colleges—but someone is lurking in the shadows, stalking her every move. And they won’t stop until she’s six feet under.

Now he’s back and not going anywhere…

Security expert Ezra has just discovered the woman he never got over had their child years ago. Magnolia’s family lied to him, to both of them, and if he wants a place in their lives, he’s going to have to prove that he didn’t leave without a reason—all while keeping her safe from a deadly stalker who will do anything to destroy everything she loves.

•••••

REVIEW: 4.25 stars--FIGHTING FOR MAGNOLIA is the fourth instalment in Katie Reus’ contemporary, adult REDEMPTION HARBOR SECURITY romantic suspense series- a spin off from the author’s Redemption Harbor series. This is hotel manager/philanthropist Magnolia Lavigne, and former US Marine turned security expert Ezra Hunt’s story line. FIGHTING FOR MAGNOLIA can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from several omniscient third person perspectives including Ezra and Magnolia FIGHTING FOR MAGNOLIA follows the second-chance relationship between our story line couple. Approximately seventeen years ago, Ezra Hunt walked out of Magnolia Lavigne’s life, leaving a heart broken and pregnant young woman in his wake. Fast forward to present day, Ezra Hunt is completely unaware of what happened or why including the discovery of the son he never knew but someone is targeting our story line heroine, and the team at Redemption Harbor Security have been tasked with protecting the woman Ezra still loves. What ensues is the rebuilding relationship between Ezra and Magnolia, and the potential fall-out as the truth reveals a double betrayal for our story line couple.

The world building follows the target of our story line heroine. Magnolia runs a shelter for abused women, and someone is taking aim but Ezra begins to suspect there may be more than one disgruntled person in Magnolia’s life, and our hero is determined to protect the woman that calls to his heart. Meanwhile, Magnolia and Ezra must come to terms with a betrayal from the past, a betrayal that could destroy the family Magnolia loves.

The relationship between Ezra and Magnolia is a second chance romance; a rekindling relationship that was destroyed by betrayal, bad intentions and questionable belief. Ezra is desperate to claim our heroine, and the son he never knew, and in this, Magnolia must face the reality of what happened and why. The $ex scenes are limited but intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of familiar and entertaining secondary and supporting characters including several members of the Redemption Harbor Security teams. We are introduced to Ezra’s son Josh, as well as Magnolia’s mother and father. The requisite evil has many faces.

FIGHTING FOR MAGNOLIA is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and dishonesty, forgiveness and acceptance, family and love. The character driven premise is intriguing and captivating; the romance is inviting; the characters are determined, dynamic and resolute.



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Love the Redemption Harbor Security and I loved Magnolia and Ezra's story. One of the things I love about Katie Reus' series is catching up on other characters from eariler in the series. Even though I've read almost all of Reus' books, she still manages to keep me on the edge of my seat!