Protecting Dakota

While I adore Susan Stoker books, this one was just average for me . Romantic suspense totally work for me, but I needed more from this couple. I never felt them connect- yes there was an instant attraction but they were refraining from moving forward in their relationship until the threat to the heroine was gone. Unfortunately, that was the end of the book . Aside from a little dirty talking about what he was going to do to her - there was one measly scene of them being intimate and it was at the 95% mark I believe. That just didn't work for me. <br /> <br />-no cheating<br />-no ow drama <br />-om drama - heroine was being tracked by a terrorist who finally got to her and held her forcing her to marry him. <br />-violence- she was beaten and there was intentions to rape her but she got away<br />-no pushing away <br />-barely any steam at all<br />-secondary characters - it was great to see some of the old gang <br />-lackluster epilogue

Susan Stoker hit it out of the park on this one. I absolutely love all her books but this one will have a special place in my heart.

RETIRED NAVY COMMANDER GREG LAMBERT is 47......... and is the common thread between the Multi-Author book series. <br /><br />Slade “Cutter” Cutsinger is 48.<br />Dakota James is 43.<br /><br />Trivia. She loves the Starbucks Peppermint Mocha and donuts glazed with maple icing. She’s an Elementary school principal and has attended 63 weddings in her life time.

Great book. Enjoyed every minute.

<b> <i>***4 Stars***</i> </b><br /><br />When I’m looking for a no muss, no fuss, very little to no angst romance reads I turn to Susan Stoker. She keeps the drama to the suspense factor and gives me characters that tend to not make things more difficult than they need to be and Protecting Dakota absolutely fits the bill. Insta-love is a thing in this one, but the characters act like adults. They don’t mince words and even with the insta-ness, I enjoyed watching them connect while dealing with the crazy around them.<br /><br />I really liked Slade and Dakota. You have two people are older and pretty much happy with where they are at in their lives (outside of the crazy terrorist thing obviously). They love their careers and while they may be missing the romance/companionship aspect, they have everything else sorted out. So when they collide it’s a bit discombobulating for both of them, but I loved how they just went with their guts and hearts. If the kind of honesty they gave each other was the norm there would a lot more happy people in this world. I will admit that the insta-ness was a little off putting in the beginning, but when you learn about their pasts and what they want for their future’s it all made sense.<br /><br />The whole batshit crazy terrorist situation was...crazy. But in this day and age it unfortunately isn’t unrealistic and I found it quite interesting how everything played out. This is the last of the SEAL of Protection series and though I didn’t have the chance to read the previous books I didn’t feel lost at all, in fact I recognize quite a few of the ensemble cast from cameo’s in the Delta Force Heroes series, so it definitely can be read as a standalone. But this is also the first in a new series that has quite an intriguing premise and I’m definitely interested in seeing how it all ends up working out as the series progresses.<br /><br /><i>~ Copy provided by RockStar PR LLC &amp; voluntarily reviewed ~</i><br /><br />

<b> <i>5 It's a Wild Ride Stars!!!</i> </b><br /><br />This newest book in the Seal of Protection series is one that contains more than just a romance, it really reflects what's going on in our world today with all the terrorist activity. Dakota and Slade are brought together because she's the one person that can identify a key player in a terrorist group. Needless to say, Slade wasn't excited about protecting this woman...until he met her!<br /><br />There's a high level of suspense with this book and I was literally on the edge of my seat as we got closer and closer to the ending of the book. Slade is the best at what he does and he and his team were determined to take this terrorist cell out. With the help of Dakota there's no doubt they'll be successful.<br /><br />And oh my, the heat between these two was blistering hot!! What I also appreciated about our H/h is that they're not young adults. They're a man and woman that are full on adults who live independent lives not looking for love but open to it if it were to happen. There's no doubt in my mind these two are completely right for each other.<br /><br />The pace of this story was phenomenal given what the end goal is and there's great character development setting the stage for future Sleeper SEAL books and I can't wait to read the next one!

I liked that idea of the sleeper seals and the fact that they are mixed in with the characters from past books. <br /><br />This was an enjoyable book and I even liked that the characters (Slade and Dakota) were a bit older than usual as I felt it brought a different dimension to the characters.<br /><br />Dakota, survived a bombing at the airport, only to be chased by the terrorist, who wants her to be his and reproduce more terrorists. Slade, a retired SEAL, is called into action to help find Dakota and bring her in safely.<br /><br />As in all the SEAL books, this one bring us on a wild ride.<br /><br />Definitely an enjoyable read.

3.75 stars<br /><br />About the book: Release Date September 5, 2017<br /><br />PROTECTING DAKOTA<br /><br />Dakota James’s life has become the stuff of nightmares. The leader of the Ansar al-Shari’a terrorist group has become obsessed with her, determined to take her as his wife. On the run, she’ll have to pin her hopes on the retired SEAL charged with finding and stopping Aziz Fourati before he can carry out plans to bomb more US airports.<br /><br />Recently recruited to join a sleeper SEAL team tasked with fighting terrorism on US soil, Slade “Cutter” Cutsinger, with the help of some Special Forces friends, has located the one woman who can identify the deadly Ansar al-Shari’a leader. That was the easy part. Keeping her safe proves more difficult than anyone ever imagined.<br /><br />When she and her new friend, Caroline, are kidnapped by the terrorist group, Dakota can only pray Cutter and the SEALs will reach them before they’re taken out of the country—and away from Cutter forever.<br /><br />** Protecting Dakota is a part of the SEAL of Protection Series. It is also in the “Sleeper SEAL” connected series. Each book is a stand-alone, with no cliffhanger endings.<br /><br />Each book in this multi-author branded series is a standalone novel, and the series does not have to be read in order.<br /><br />•••••••••<br /><br />REVIEW: 3.75 stars--PROTECTING DAKOTA is the ninth installment in Susan Stoker’s contemporary, adult SEAL of PROTECTION romantic, military suspense series focusing on a group of current and former Navy SEALS. This is forty eight year old, retired SEAL Slade ‘Cutter’ Cutsinger, and forty three year old, primary school principal Dakota James’s story line. PROTECTING DAKOTA is also the first installment in the multi-authored SLEEPER SEALs anthology series. Each book in the Sleeper SEAL series can be read as a stand alone, and the series does not have to be read in order.<br /><br />NOTE: PROTECTING DAKOTA contains scenes of graphic violence and sexual assault that may not be suitable for all readers.<br /><br />Told from dual third person perspectives (Dakota and Slade) PROTECTING DAKOTA focuses on the protection of Dakota James. Dakota is on the run; in hiding; and the only surviving witness to a terrorist bombing at LAX. The leader of the terrorist organization known as Ansar al-Shari’a, Aziz Fourati, has declared war on the US targeting airports around the country, and has made it known that he is determined to take Dakota as his wife. Enter Slade ‘Cutter’ Cutsinger, a retired Navy SEAL who has been recruited by a Sleeper SEALs unit whose missions are dark, off the records, and in no way connected to any other government agency. What ensues is the search for Dakota James, the building relationship between Dakota and Slade, and the fall out when the mission and Dakota’s whereabouts have been compromised by an unknown source.<br /><br />Dakota James loves her job as a primary school principal but threats against the people and children she loved forced our heroine on the run, trying to stay one step ahead of a mad man determined to make Dakota his wife. Slade Cutsinger’s call back to ‘active duty’ brings our hero up close and personal with the military’s new Sleeper SEAL unit of retired SEALs-a unit where each mission requires a single SEAL to extract or protect on his own. Seeing Dakota’s images immediately sparks interest in our retired Navy SEAL-a longing to be part of a relationship with a woman to love.<br /><br />The relationship between Dakota and Slade is one of immediate attraction; a story of insta-love, and I mean INSTANT love between two people pulled together by circumstance and threats. The $ex scenes are sensual but limited; mostly implied with the exception of the final erotic scene between our leading couple.<br /><br />There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Dakota’s father Finnegan James; Slade’s Retired Navy Commander Greg Lambert; Navy SEAL Matthew ‘Wolf’ Steel and his wife Caroline, Kason “Benny” Sawyer , and Wolf’s commander Patrick Hurt. <br /><br />PROTECTING DAKOTA is a fast paced, story of suspense and romance. The premise is energetic; the characters are spirited; the romance is passionate and engaging.<br /><br />Copy supplied for review<br /><br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://www.thereadingcafe.com">www.thereadingcafe.com</a>

<strong>What a fantastic ending to the Seal of Protection Series</strong><br /><br />When you read Protecting Dakota you'll be sad to say good bye to Wolf, Ice, Cookie, Abe, Benny, and all their lady loves. But we are also introduced to a whole new SEAL team who'll take over the job giving us all new stories to love. <br /><br />With the Sleeper Seals series we learn they never retire from being a Navy SEAL, but they find other ways to do what they do best, keeping all of us safe here at home. Slade is called by his former Commander Greg to stop a homegrown terrorist who wants Dakota (The only person to survive the LAX bombing). But Aziz wants her to help him start a whole new set of terrorist by marrying her and having babies. Except Dakota has no intention of becoming his wife and goes on the run and Slade is tasking with finding her and quickly.<br /><br />Dakota not only saw Aziz but was able to walk away after the bomb when off but now he's trying to find her to further his terrorist group. But she was able to get away but not far enough because someone was able to find her. When Slade arrives in the nick of time they head where he knows that they'll be safe Wolf and Caroline's. Little do either of them know that there is a mole closer to the teams than they realize and they are willing to do anything to get Dakota. Can Slade save her another time especially now that they have found out they really are soulmates?<br /><br />Slade "Cutter" Cutsinger hates his desk job and misses the teams so when his former commander send him off to find Dakota before Aziz does he goes willing because somehow he knows that she is his soulmate. But it will take both Wolf's and the new team to save her from a fate worse than we know as Aziz is willing to take her to Mexico and the middle east to further his agenda.

I was honored to receive an ARC copy of Protecting Dakota. And as usual Susan Stoker pulled me into her world and made me forget everything around me; I started reading and couldn't put it down until I finished. Cmdr. Slade "Cutter" Cutsinger was seen briefly in a previous book and I already liked him. He is a retired Navy SEAL, working as a Navy contractor in an admin position for the commander of several SEAL teams. He's recruited for a secret team and part of that job is to rescue Dakota. And Dakota was so great, she was so brave and didn't realize it, so strong, worried about everyone else. I loved seeing their relationship evolve while Cutter worked to keep her safe as he tried to complete the rest of his mission. And of course, always awesome to see other characters you've seen before, like seeing old friends. Love a book where the heroine is stronger than she thinks. Anyway, there is just something special about Dakota &amp; Cutter. It's already one of my top fav Susan Stoker Books, and just one of my favs period. Susan always writes just the perfect chemistry between her H/h - romance, snark and humor. I'd absolutely suggest giving this book a read, as well as all of her others!! I usually run, not walk, to order her books or pre-order as soon as possible.