I thought I’d come to terms with my solitary existence.
Most days, I even told myself I preferred it.
After all, the dogs at my shelter didn’t ask questions about my appearance. They didn’t stare at my scars. They didn’t make me feel ugly.
Then I met Gage. He came to the shelter to adopt a dog, but even after that, he kept returning. Was he just coming to help, like he claimed? Or could I dare hope he wanted to spend time with me?
Would he? Handsome, brave, heroic Gage, who could have any woman he wanted? Could he possibly see me as more than just the quiet, reclusive woman who ran the dog rescue outside town? More than the scarred woman everyone else looked away from?
I liked Rory from the first time I met her.
How could I not? She was caring. Smart. Beautiful. Even though I knew it couldn’t go anywhere, it didn’t stop me from wanting to spend time with her.
Friends was enough, I told myself over and over. It was all I could offer. It was all my wounded self-esteem would allow me.
Until I found her unconscious and injured in the woods, with no memory of how she got there. Until I held her in my arms and realized I’d do anything to protect her. Until I realized just being friends wasn’t enough.
But first, I need to make sure she’s safe. That the person who hurt her is caught. And I’ll draw on all the skills I learned in the Special Forces, along with the help of my Green Mountain Guardians teammates, to make sure no one hurts her again.
Mountain Defender is the third book in the Green Mountain Guardians series. It has a protective wounded warrior hero, a heroine with her own scars, a team of Special Ops veterans, action and danger, forced proximity, and plenty of sweet and steamy moments, all set in small-town Vermont. No cliffhangers and a happily-ever-after guaranteed!
(Can be read as a standalone!)
Review by Twinsie Melinda
I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.
This is the third book in the series and trust me it can be read as a stand-alone. I have not read the other 2 books and was able to follow it without feeling like I was missing something. Gia Cobie is a fairly new to me author but I am enjoying her books and the military men and their love interests. Gage and Rory had me hooked from the moment they were introduced. Really how can you go wrong with a woman that loves dogs and owns a rescue shelter for them. Then there was Gage who kept coming to the shelter to help out.
When Rory is attacked and cannot remember who or why Gage jumps in and takes care of her. Both have been scarred by things in the past and have issues with trusting others. Neither wanted to show the other their scars. However, seeing how they open up to one another and learn to trust was heartwarming.
Loved seeing the relationships between the characters and the rescue dogs seeing how they help heal both the dogs and characters. There was great balance of romance and suspense and a few twists along the way in this book. I have to say reading the characters in this book I want to go back and read the first 2 books so I can get to know them better and learn their stories.
Gia Cobie is a librarian and author living in upstate New York. In her spare time, Gia enjoys reading and spending time in the Adirondacks. She loves romantic suspense and paranormal romance, and also has a weakness for reality romance shows, wine, and buying way too many books!
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