Susan Stoker is one of those authors I never hesitate to pick up. She has a way of writing protective heroes and women who have been through the unthinkable without ever making either of them feel one-dimensional. Even though this was my first visit to this series, I settled into the story almost immediately and never felt lost.
The Guardsman by Susan Stoker
Series: Alpha Cove #4
Genres: Military Romance

From New York Times bestselling author Susan Stoker comes a pulse-pounding novel of romantic suspense, where a brooding Coast Guard vet offers the only safe harbor for a woman hunted by her past.

In this intensely emotional finale to the Alpha Cove series, a guarded young woman and a Coast Guard vet must defend against her deadly past while opening themselves up to the possibility of love.

Jordan Ward is cursed. Raised in a nightmare, now living on the run, she’s not known peace since testifying at her violent brother’s murder trial a decade earlier, unable to settle with his vow of revenge haunting her every step. She doesn’t expect her stay in Rockville, Maine, to last any longer than all her other temporary homes…or be any less lonely…until a reluctant call for help to a man she barely knows changes her life.

Knox Young is blessed. The former Coast Guardsman has three of the best brothers anyone could ask for, and they only get closer after returning to their beloved home in coastal Maine to help their widowed mother. In fact, the family has expanded, with all of his brothers finding their perfect partners. Knox is thrilled for them all, but he has no plans to give up his freedom, ever…until a shy coworker catches his attention and changes his fate.

When he learns Jordan’s secret, Knox’s protective instincts surge, then swell when her brother’s threats spill outside his prison walls. But Jordan is no damsel in distress, and in the end, it may be Knox who’s saved…in every way possible.

TRIGGER WARNING: This story contains references to past trauma, including sexual assault (off-page), and depicts graphic sexual situations. A happily ever after is guaranteed, but the path includes a couple of dark moments. Please read with care.

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I really enjoyed this one. Even though this is the final book in the series, I never felt like I was missing anything important. It was obvious these brothers had shared a lot together over the previous books, but Susan Stoker gives you enough background that I was able to jump right in. That being said, I liked this family enough that I’ll definitely be going back to read the earlier books.

Jordan was my favorite part of the story. She’s spent most of her life surviving instead of living, and it shows. She’s careful, guarded, and always waiting for the next bad thing to happen. As more of her story unfolded, my heart broke for everything she’d been through. What I loved was that she never saw herself as a victim. She kept moving forward, figuring things out one step at a time.

Knox took a little longer to win me over, but once he did, he really did. After watching his brothers settle down, he’s convinced that kind of life isn’t for him. Then Jordan walks into his world, and suddenly all those plans don’t seem quite so important anymore.

Their relationship develops slowly, which worked really well here. Knox never tried to rush Jordan or force her to trust him. He let her come to him in her own time, and that made every step forward feel earned.

The only thing I wanted a little more of was Jordan’s survival skills. We learn early on that she knows how to take care of herself in ways most people don’t, and I kept waiting for those skills to play a bigger role later in the story. It isn’t a deal breaker by any means. I just think it would have made an already good story even stronger.

If you’ve read Susan Stoker before, you’ll recognize everything she does so well. Protective heroes. Strong women. Family that has each other’s backs. A little danger mixed with a lot of heart. This may have been my first Young brothers book, but it definitely won’t be my last.

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