Fiona Stirling’s latest romantic thriller ends on a happy note when the heroine’s husband comes home after a dangerous mission. Fiona herself wasn’t so lucky. Her husband, Jason, died in Colombia, hunting a drug lord. Or so she thought…until Jason returns five years later. Knowing that Jason went into hiding to protect his family does nothing to dispel her sense of betrayal. But Fiona has secrets, too, and she and Jason are going to have to learn to trust each other again if they want to save their son.
From Harlequin Romantic Suspense: Danger. Passion. Drama.
Feel the excitement in these uplifting romances, part of the Fresh Pond Security series:
Book 1: Protector in Disguise Book 2: The Twin's Bodyguard
Veronica Forand is the award winning author of romantic suspense, romance, and thrillers. She won the Golden Pen Award for Romantic Suspense and the Bookseller's Best in Romantic Suspense.
Her experience includes attorney, international corporate tax consultant, college professor, university track and field coach, United Nations intern, homeschool mom, barista, waitress, and town road crew. When she isn't writing, she's a canine search and rescue handler with her dog Max.
Veronica is represented by Michelle Grajkowski of 3 Seas Literary Agency.
Protector in Disguise by Veronica Forand was… definitely a ride! 🕵️♂️🔫 Fast-paced, action-packed, and suspenseful, but honestly? It didn’t quite hit the mark for me. This was my first book by the author, and I’m not sure I’ll be picking up the rest of the series. 😬
✨ Tropes & Themes ✨ ✧ Second Chance Romance 💔 ✧ Fake Death 💀 ✧ Secret Identity 🕶️ ✧ Protective Hero 🛡️ ✧ Kickass Heroine 💪 ✧ Romantic Suspense 🚨 ✧ Found Family 💞 ✧ Hidden Past 🔒
Okay, let’s unpack this drama! Fiona, a widow raising her son, finds out her “dead” husband, Jason, has been alive all this time, hiding to protect them from a revenge-hungry drug lord. Wild, right? But where’s the emotional punch I was waiting for? Instead, the romance felt kind of... meh. It leaned WAY more into the suspense than the swoon, and I was left craving that perfect mix. 😕
Now, Fiona? She’s a total badass—former spy vibes and all! 💪 But then we get to the big rescue scene, and suddenly she needs saving? WHY?! Let her have her moment to shine, please! 🔥 As for Jason? Oh boy, he’s got decision fatigue, because faking his death and keeping ALL the secrets was not giving “hero.” 😤
The supporting cast? A mixed bag. Jason’s team had their funny moments, but they didn’t really stand out. And Fiona’s kid? Sweet, but his wisdom felt a bit too grown-up to be believable.
BUT, the suspense? Top-notch! It’s fast, thrilling, and had me flipping pages like a maniac through all 272 of them. 📖 But the romance? Meh. I needed more chemistry, more depth, and WAY fewer questionable choices from Jason. And don’t even get me started on that cliffhanger—it made the HEA feel more like a “maybe-ever-after?” 😑
📌 Content Warnings (CW): - Violence - Kidnapping - References to drug cartels
A HUGE thank you to Harlequin - Romance | Harlequin Romantic Suspense and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts! 💕 If you’re into high-stakes suspense with a side of romance and don’t mind a little chaos, you might love this. But for me? It’s a one-and-done. 🙃
Years ago, I read the True Lies Series by Veronica Forand and loved it. Despite having some really big "that just can't happen" situations and the "my husband who was dead is now alive" trope (my least favorite), this book delivers on a second chance romance and twisty plot. That is not to say there aren't some major problems and it is more than apparent that Forand has been out of the game for a while, and it shows in this work. I have missed Veronica Forand and am really, really glad she's back. But this book is just not up to the standard I remember from the True Lies Series.
Five years ago, Fiona Stirling's world was shattered with the death of her husband, Jason, on a military mission. She had a young son, Matt, to raise so she picked herself up and continued to live for him. She became a best-selling author, but her latest bestseller may have placed both their lives in danger.
Jason Stirling was on a fatal mission against a major Columbian cartel where he was the only survivor, and all the cartel leader wanted was revenge. He let the government fake his death and went into hiding to protect his family, but he still watched them from a distance. Until Fiona is attacked, and Jason knows his past has caught up with him.
My thanks to the Publisher and Author for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.
This is a Harlequin Suspense story about a married couple who were working for the Government in one capacity or another and in which hubby faked his death 5 years prior to protect his wife & 13 year old son from an enemy looking for revenge.
This is one of those stories that has a fair amount of suspense even though the mystery of who the bad guy is known from the start and the way it ends not only leaves the danger open ended, but this reader very disappointed.
SPOILERS BELOW!!!!!
So Hero was in Columbia 5 yrs prior with his team to take down a crime/drug lord and in the process, his team was killed, the drug lord's kid died and he had to fake his death so that the baddy didn't come after his wife & kid. He then gets out of the military and starts his own agency where they help out people that the Gov't can assist or something like it. He has a team of men and 2 females who he considers as family.
38 yr old heroine was a former spy & contract killer for the Gov't. She quit when she got pregnant with their kid and became a successful mystery book writer. When she learned her husband died, she was devastated but powered on because her son needed her.
When the story opens, she is on a blind date from hell when she gets a call from her son that someone is trying to break into the house. She rushes home and takes down the dude but he ends up running away and Hero & his team do "cleanup" while she & their son are out talking to the cops.
Hero who has kept a close eye on his family for 5 yrs, ends up having to rescue her when days later she is in the process of getting kidnapped and this is where their reunion begins because the bad dude found out he is alive and coming for revenge. The rest of the story is them working together to find their kidnapped son and rescue him and take down the bad guys.
So while the story in itself is not bad, unfortunately it didn't pull me in either because:
- Hero who was supposed to be a bad ass Alpha or whatever, makes a lot of mistakes - including the major one to fake his death which we spend 90% of the story with heroine ramming into him about his stupidity, as well as his own POVs about this bad decision. - He also makes a lot of other bad decisions with keeping secrets from his team which they blast him as if he is a naughty child instead of their boss who pays their salary. - And speaking of salaries, we have his team throughout (especially 1) making constant demands for salary increase even when they are in the middle of danger. What the hell? - The 13 year old (who at first becomes 14 only to later turn 13) was too grown up for his age and it didn't work but he was the only character here I liked. - The romance is a bit lacking here with no real resolution other than Hero f***k up their lives and all is forgiven. My issue though is mostly with Hero because other than being stupid and non-Alpha type, he came across a bit of indifferent at times where his family is concerned. He had more love for his son and his employees than his wife in my eyes. This was especially true when he spent 5 yrs hiding than to work out a plan to be with his family and in the end, he wasn't even sure that heroine would take him back and had no POV that said he would fight for her to be in her life again. She basically forgives him and The End. There was also a bit of resentment on his part when his employees listen to her over him to plan the rescue. - Heroine comes up with a plan how to rescue their son and then her hubby. She was a kick-ass heroine up until the part of the rescue at the end where she became helpless and clueless too. The real "heroes" in the story than turned to be his team (especially the female operative/h's BFF who was the real kick-ass heroine!)who were the ones to take down the bad guys. Why couldn't it be the MCs? - The ending
Safety:
No OW/OM drama No cheating. Heroine has been celibate during separation and it is believed Hero was too even though it is not clearly stated. Heroine did go on a blind date but nothing came of it as she couldn't stand the guy. HFN (see above spoilers)
This is the first book of the series and the first book I have read by this author. After reading it, it definitely will not be the last. Five years ago, Fiona Stirling, nowadays a well known romance suspense author, became a widow when her husband was killed on a mission. He was the love of her life, and after making some changes and leaving her previous, secret job, she’s become the sole parent to her now 13 year old son Matt. When an intruder gets into her house and later her son is almost abducted during a book signing, her entire world as she knew it is turned upside down. The man she thought was dead, is very much alive. Five years ago, when the son of the cartel leader is killed in the midst of a mission, Jason Stirling and the government had to pronounce him KIA in order to protect his family from the cartel. Upon his return he built a business, used a different name, while his co-workers had no idea why or who he really is . When danger comes to Fiona’s door, and Jason reveals himself, everything goes up in flames. From that moment on , the action is non-stop, the feelings are all over the place, and still some secrets are hidden from each other. Will they survive the cartel AND the secrets? The story was engaging from the start with well developed characters who were perfect in their imperfections. A good start to the new series. I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley and Harlequin . The opinions expressed are solely my own.
Protector In Disguise by Veronica Forand is a romantic suspense story. I’d say more suspense than romance, which, I prefer. Fast paced read with a unique storyline that keeps you turning pages. Action packed and fun to read. Well developed characters with a cliffhanger ending. Whether you like romance or suspense you’re going to enjoy this. Fiona thought she was widow and single mother. Losing her husband in a Colombian drug bust gone wrong. To her surprise, Jason, is still alive and has been in hiding for 5 years. Jason thought he was protecting his family from a drug lord. Only to find out the book Fiona wrote is too much like real life and everyone has to come out of hiding to face their past.
Five years ago, romance suspense author Fiona Stirling lost her husband, Jason, who was declared killed in action during a mission. Now a single mother to her 13-year-old son Matt, Fiona’s world is turned upside down when an intruder breaks into her home, and her son is nearly abducted at a book signing. She soon learns that Jason is actually alive. His death was staged by the government to protect their family after a cartel leader’s son was killed during the mission. Jason has been living under a new identity, building a business, while keeping his past hidden. As danger returns and Jason reveals himself, the story intensifies with nonstop action, emotional turmoil, and lingering secrets. The plot is captivating with well-developed, imperfect characters. It’s a promising start to a new series.
Fiona has finally accepted the death of her husband five years earlier, and has made a life for herself as an author, writing thrillers using the knowledge she gained from her own intense, secret career history even when she didn't quite understand the extent of her husband's military career.
Her most recent book, a bit of wishful thinking, sets off a chain of events that puts both her life and her son's life in grave danger, forcing her not-quite-dead-yet husband out of the shadows to rescue them from the threat he thought he had under control.
This story quickly amps up the action as Fiona and Jason race to stay one step ahead of the cartel targeting them. I loved how these two balanced the joy of their reunion with the realization of the secrets they each kept throughout their marriage, and how they worked through every obstacle and near-death experience to come out safely on the other side. Never before has a couple worked so hard to secure their HEA!
I loved getting to know Jason's team along the way, and it was gratifying to see that each one of them were willing to temper their loyalty with common sense when they realized what had been kept from them. I'm really looking forward to reading more in this exciting series. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Fiona is a writer and widow taking care of her son when a while on a date a intruder shows up to her house with her son alone. From then on things take a turn when she finds out now only is her late husband, Jason, is alive but may have a cartel on his trail. It seems like Jason isn't the only one with secrets and both are going to do everything they can to keep their family safe.
I really enjoyed this book. It had so much going on that I couldn't put it down. There were secrets galore, kidnapping attempts, close calls, and a long-awaited reunion. I loved following along as the characters worked together to keep their family safe. Overall, it was a pretty good book.
Jason and Fiona worked for the government, some jobs more secret than others. Like many families with someone serving in dangerous places they made enemies and the family put at risk. I can’t give anything away because it would spoil the story. There was excitement from page one, Fiona is strong and dangerous when needed. The pace was quick and intense, no time for frilly romances or relaxation. But there is a team with a few single team members so I can only hope for more of Fresh Pond Security. I was able to read an advanced copy and provide my review voluntarily.
What's not to love about a badass heroine and a rocking hero? This story puts the S in suspense. So much high-stakes heart-in-your-throat action! Loved it from page one, and it only got better. I rooted for Fiona and Jason. The author also creates a little mystery that's not revealed until the end... and of course...loved the ending. This is a continuing series. Can't wait for the next book. BRAVA!
As a Harlequin Suspense, Protector In Disguise is just what it says. A good suspenseful mystery with our heroine finding out her husband was still alive after all these years. The Cartel chases after them, wanting revenge, and the entire family is in serious danger. While predictable, it was still a good novel and enjoyable as the family tries to stay alive.
An exciting start to a new series. I am eager to read the next one. Unusual situation for the couple. Lots of action to keep one turning the pages. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.
This was a very intense mystery. The relationships were challenging. There was a good deal of violence directed at him and his family. However it also showed how the members of his team worked together.
Quick Thoughts: Second chance. It takes a while for this lady to forgive this guy, but I’m not sure I’d ever be able to pull him out of cold storage.
The MMC is a former military spec ops guy who has an operation go wrong and fakes his own death to protect them. She thinks he’s dead for five years. But he’s been secretly watching over her and his tween son the whole time after he builds a whole new life.
Even though this plot is bananas (seriously my dude, WTF) I enjoyed it because it was super high action and conflict. The FMC is also keeping secrets and she’s a badass so the fight scenes are pretty impressive. This is a read that goes by super fast. More violent than some categories I read, but for me that was fine.
Their romance worked, from the aspect of how much it was clear they both loved each other soul mate style.
Didn’t get why this was a fade to black, closed door situation. These two would be perfect for some hot make up for your faking your death for five years bedroom times.
This my first time reading Veronica's books but I can tell you it won't be the last.
Jason Stirling - Protector Fiona Stirling- Writer and Mother Matt Stirling- Son
Fiona had been told that her husband had been kill In Colombia to keep Fiona and Matt safe. Fiona protected her son until one night someone tried to take Matt. But that didn't happened. Fiona and Jason had secrets between them. Fiona didn't want anyone to know the dark secrets she had. Veronica is a fantastic writer and characters what put together fabulous.