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Hidden Hearts: Protection Unit #3
Soul Scars
The past can be so painful it leaves scars on your soul.
Software programmer Toby Payne has tried hard to shed his identity as a child kidnapping victim, but now his extraordinary computer skills are needed to rescue missing teens.
Detective Pauline Lawrence likes to go all in. Her leap-before-you-look style has given her a bad reputation. Can she make up for her past mistakes with the help of a dashingly handsome, but shy computer programmer?
Pauline affects Toby in ways he never expected. Yet, he's not sure he can set aside his terror when the talented young detective volunteers for a high-risk hostage rescue mission.
Toby and Pauline must decide if love is stronger than fear and if they can thrive despite their pasts.
If you love suspenseful romances with strong women and nerdy guys with heart, Soul Scars (the third book in the Hidden Hearts – Protection Unit series), may be just what you're looking for.224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 27, 2019
24 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Mary Crawford
52 books429 followersMary Crawford has been lucky enough to live her own version of a romance novel. She’s married to the guy who kissed her at summer camp. He told her on the night they met that he was going to marry her and be the father of their children. Eventually, she stopped giggling when he said it and he had the last laugh as they celebrate three decades of marriage.
They have two children. The oldest is a Doctor of Osteopathy. He is across the United States completing his residency, but when he’s done, he is going
to come back to Oregon and practice Family Medicine. Their youngest son is in high school and hopes to be an EMT when he grows up.
Mrs. Crawford writes full time now. She has written and published over thirty books and has several more underway.
She volunteers her time to a variety of causes and has worked as a Civil Rights Attorney and diversity advocate. Mrs. Crawford spent many years working for various social service agencies before becoming an attorney.
In her spare time, she loves to cook, decorate cakes and of course, obsessively, compulsively read.
They have two children. The oldest is a Doctor of Osteopathy. He is across the United States completing his residency, but when he’s done, he is going
to come back to Oregon and practice Family Medicine. Their youngest son is in high school and hopes to be an EMT when he grows up.
Mrs. Crawford writes full time now. She has written and published over thirty books and has several more underway.
She volunteers her time to a variety of causes and has worked as a Civil Rights Attorney and diversity advocate. Mrs. Crawford spent many years working for various social service agencies before becoming an attorney.
In her spare time, she loves to cook, decorate cakes and of course, obsessively, compulsively read.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
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May 13, 2020🎁 Books 2 & 3 in the Series are FREE on Amazon today (5/13/2020)! 🎁
May 12, 2020
What a way to take another sensitive subject and turn it into a romance novel! That’s just what Mary Crawford has done with Soul Scars. It’s not easy to read about human trafficking and pedophiles, but the way the perpetrators were brought down makes you want to yell “Yeah!” I have read so many of her books that it’s like coming back home to family when I recognized so many of the characters. Yes, this is Pauline and Toby’s story, but it is so much more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2020
I was so excited to see that these two are getting their own story. It was an amazing book. Characters from the past - both good and bad - are back in main focus in this book. Trafficking is such a difficult subject to deal with, but Crawford always handles it so masterfully. Her books are clean and highly impactful.
May 13, 2020
Toby was one of those kidnapped and then brain washed to accept what they were saying. Now he is working with the cop Pauline to further break a ring. There are sparks, for Toby can he open up and accept trust and love.
A deep subject to write about the author handled it well.
A deep subject to write about the author handled it well.
May 21, 2020
Great read
This book is a romantic suspense novel about Toby and Pauline getting together with each other. HEA. This book is a great story.
This book is a romantic suspense novel about Toby and Pauline getting together with each other. HEA. This book is a great story.
June 22, 2020
I wasn't sure I could read this at first, since it deals with human trafficking. But I enjoyed reading it and getting to know the characters, including ones who had been victims in the past.
August 16, 2019
I often say that reading a Mary Crawford romance is like coming home. The characters are all familiar and although each story focuses on a different couple they are invariably surrounded by other characters who are familiar and comfortable with me, as a reader, from previous iterations of her series. The author has built a magnificent portfolio of interrelated and intertwined character who all have one thing in common - they are flawed (physically, emotionally, or mentally) but equally they are all seeking love and acceptance in a society they don't often feel a part of.
In the latest iteration of the Hidden Hearts - Protection Unit #3, SOUL SCARS, we meet Toby, a genius computer programmer who was kidnapped as a young boy and held hostage for five years by a manipulative and sexually exploitative woman, along with Detective Pauline Lawrence, a young woman born to be a policeman. Pauline's father was invalided out of the force when he was shot several years ago and it seems Pauline is determined to prove to her bosses and the world that she is not only a capable and efficient law-enforcement officer but that she is better than any man in the force. Her impetuosity and desire to prove herself have got her into trouble in the past and this episode will be no exception.
When Toby and Pauline meet, both realise there is something special between them but for differing reasons they both are unsure if they can cope with a full-time relationship and more importantly whether they are ready to commit their entire beings and trust to another person. Will their work, together, on child kidnapping, trafficking and child-sex rings bring them closer together or ultimately will their fears and past scars re-emerge in this white-hot environment and drive them apart?
I make no bones of the fact I love Crawford's work. Her simple, easy-to-read stories of love between individuals who have difficulties, mirrors real life for many of us and more than once, I've recognised myself in some of her characters. This is what makes her stories so compelling - they hit home hard, close to where we live.
To anyone procrastinating on whether to read Crawford or not, I would say she is so much more than a typical romance writer. Her stories are about life, life's complications, life's choices and battles but ultimately about the ability of love to lead to our salvation, from ourselves. Give it a chance and read one of her books even if you don't think they are your thing. I'm sure you will be genuinely surprised by how invested you become in her work. I know I have become on of her biggest fans.
In the latest iteration of the Hidden Hearts - Protection Unit #3, SOUL SCARS, we meet Toby, a genius computer programmer who was kidnapped as a young boy and held hostage for five years by a manipulative and sexually exploitative woman, along with Detective Pauline Lawrence, a young woman born to be a policeman. Pauline's father was invalided out of the force when he was shot several years ago and it seems Pauline is determined to prove to her bosses and the world that she is not only a capable and efficient law-enforcement officer but that she is better than any man in the force. Her impetuosity and desire to prove herself have got her into trouble in the past and this episode will be no exception.
When Toby and Pauline meet, both realise there is something special between them but for differing reasons they both are unsure if they can cope with a full-time relationship and more importantly whether they are ready to commit their entire beings and trust to another person. Will their work, together, on child kidnapping, trafficking and child-sex rings bring them closer together or ultimately will their fears and past scars re-emerge in this white-hot environment and drive them apart?
I make no bones of the fact I love Crawford's work. Her simple, easy-to-read stories of love between individuals who have difficulties, mirrors real life for many of us and more than once, I've recognised myself in some of her characters. This is what makes her stories so compelling - they hit home hard, close to where we live.
To anyone procrastinating on whether to read Crawford or not, I would say she is so much more than a typical romance writer. Her stories are about life, life's complications, life's choices and battles but ultimately about the ability of love to lead to our salvation, from ourselves. Give it a chance and read one of her books even if you don't think they are your thing. I'm sure you will be genuinely surprised by how invested you become in her work. I know I have become on of her biggest fans.
September 8, 2019
Soul Scars 3 ½ Stars
Soul Scars, the third book in the Hidden Hearts-Protection Unit series, is a good read. While working together on a task force put together to take down a human trafficking ring, Toby Payne and Detective Pauline Lawrence find themselves not only fighting to solve and close an intense case but on a journey of exploration of what could be in a committed relationship between the two of them. Fighting the enemy of their past, mixed with catching the bad guys and closing the case adds tension and bring the awareness of uneasy tasks. Despite what they think about their newfound love, they have so much that they can learn from each other. This caused an emotional roller coaster of events that include them putting aside inner fear and trusting in each other to win at the game of love and bringing down the bad guys.
Mary Crawford brings forth a suspenseful story with a sense of realness and reality, bringing awareness to a topic that is not so openly discussed. A wonderful crafted read written in a way that you experience a connection with the characters causing you to root for their love and the win of bringing down the bad guys and a new start for those who fell victim at the hand of their predators. Soul Scars is an eye-opening read for you to enjoy.
Soul Scars, the third book in the Hidden Hearts-Protection Unit series, is a good read. While working together on a task force put together to take down a human trafficking ring, Toby Payne and Detective Pauline Lawrence find themselves not only fighting to solve and close an intense case but on a journey of exploration of what could be in a committed relationship between the two of them. Fighting the enemy of their past, mixed with catching the bad guys and closing the case adds tension and bring the awareness of uneasy tasks. Despite what they think about their newfound love, they have so much that they can learn from each other. This caused an emotional roller coaster of events that include them putting aside inner fear and trusting in each other to win at the game of love and bringing down the bad guys.
Mary Crawford brings forth a suspenseful story with a sense of realness and reality, bringing awareness to a topic that is not so openly discussed. A wonderful crafted read written in a way that you experience a connection with the characters causing you to root for their love and the win of bringing down the bad guys and a new start for those who fell victim at the hand of their predators. Soul Scars is an eye-opening read for you to enjoy.
August 21, 2019
Detective Pauline Lawrence, daughter of a retired cop, is determined to shut down the human trafficking ring in her area. She gets assistance from the Identity Bank and Tobias “Toby” Payne. She worked a case with Toby several years ago and was attracted to him not knowing his painful history. Toby was a child kidnapping victim and now works tirelessly on creating computer software to track the individuals involved in this heinous crime. When a call comes in about a home robbery, Pauline realizes that the teen shows signs of abuse and may be a victim of trafficking. She works with her to find out what she knows about her abuser as Toby steps in to help her understand that she is not at fault for her situation…her abuser is. Can Toby deal with the stress of Pauline’s occupation while working to shut down the ring? Can Pauline help heal the scars on Toby’s soul? The author deals with this subject in an honorable way stressing that there is always hope, for the abusers to be caught and the abused to receive the counselling they may need. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation from the author. (by paytonpuppy)
August 18, 2019
Yes! Toby’s tale!!!!
Ms. Crawford has done it again. She has written a beautiful, heart wrenching story. We met Toby in Heart Wish, and has been featured in several other stories since. The Hidden Hearts - Protection Unit books are slightly suspenseful and keep you at the edge of your seats. I loved this installment. I have been waiting for Toby’s story for a while and Pauline is his perfect compliment.
I give this book a 4.5 star review only because I would have like a little more development within Toby and Pauline’s relationship. A lot of their romance took place behind the scenes. How did he overcome his resistance to physical contact, aside from one brief thought about how he felt different than he expected after kissing her not much was expressed.
Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was very please with it.
This is a clean romance with a whole lot of “real” included. It’s what I’ve come to love from a Mary Crawford book. I always look forward to her releases.
Ms. Crawford has done it again. She has written a beautiful, heart wrenching story. We met Toby in Heart Wish, and has been featured in several other stories since. The Hidden Hearts - Protection Unit books are slightly suspenseful and keep you at the edge of your seats. I loved this installment. I have been waiting for Toby’s story for a while and Pauline is his perfect compliment.
I give this book a 4.5 star review only because I would have like a little more development within Toby and Pauline’s relationship. A lot of their romance took place behind the scenes. How did he overcome his resistance to physical contact, aside from one brief thought about how he felt different than he expected after kissing her not much was expressed.
Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was very please with it.
This is a clean romance with a whole lot of “real” included. It’s what I’ve come to love from a Mary Crawford book. I always look forward to her releases.
July 30, 2019
I just came off reading dark vampire books and straight into this one and there were so many powerful moments in this book that hit me. They took my breath, they made me stop and gasp and some made me throw my hand up saying yes I’m so proud , while others brought tears. I’ve said it a thousand times so here is a thousand and one, Crawford’s ability to write so effusively the thoughts that could/would/have/will be in someone’s head, who has experienced these things absolutely blows my mind! ( ya I totally had to look up effusive when I read it in here and had to use it! LOL) I cannot wait to see where the next book of these series takes us, these characters feel like my family and I can’t get enough!
August 19, 2019
always Mary Crawford delivers a story that will grab you from the very beginning. This story shows again how it is possible to overcome a debilitating issue. The characters are well developed and reach their HEA.
October 30, 2019
This author never ceases to amaze me with her writing.
I love this series.
The characters are well written and believable.
Although the topic is difficult she has covered it well.
The way she writes how the characters respond is engrossing.
I love this series.
The characters are well written and believable.
Although the topic is difficult she has covered it well.
The way she writes how the characters respond is engrossing.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews