What do you think?
The Protector #3
His Word
My high school sweetheart is trying to ruin my life… again.
A decade ago, Freddy Finch betrayed me. Now he’s back, and he wants me to be an undercover asset for the CIA.
When I think everything is going well,
when my paintings are finally selling,
when I might actually make it as an artist...
He shows up. He’s wicked, brooding, and every girl’s most sinful fantasy.
… including mine.
No problem, Finch. Just ruin my life, why don’t you. Again.
I’m stuck between a rock and a very large, very hard place.
But as the operation gets more dangerous, Freddy becomes more irresistible. I have to choose between trusting the man who betrayed me, or closing my heart off to him… forever.
His Word is Book 3 of the Protector Series, featuring a growly, alpha hero, a strong-willed heroine, and enough heat to melt your Kindle!
284 pages, Paperback
Published August 23, 2019
About the author
Lilian Monroe
89 books1,559 followersLilian Monroe lives in a luxurious jungle treehouse surrounded by lush greenery, with an army of scantily-clad men with rippling abdominal muscles ready to attend to her every need.
No, wait. That's not true.
Lilian Monroe spends her days dangling her feet into her pool, while a scantily-clad pool boy with rippling abdominal muscles feeds her chocolate-covered strawberries and massages her back.
Okay, okay. You got me. That's not true, either. Let's try again.
Lilian Monroe lives at home with her two children, three dogs, and twelve chickens. Her husband likes to work shirtless in the back yard. His sweaty, gleaming abdominal muscles ripple with every movement and he—
I'm sorry. I have to stop. Fine, I'll admit it. That one isn't true either.
How about this: Lilian Monroe loves thinking about men with rippling abdominal muscles serving her hand and foot, and she wants you to think about them too! She is an avid reader, writer, and lover of all things romance.
She loves everything from bad boys to billionaires. Her books are packed with sizzling-hot heat, action, suspense, and everything from second chances to single dads. She hates cheating and loves a good happily ever after (and rippling abs).
No, wait. That's not true.
Lilian Monroe spends her days dangling her feet into her pool, while a scantily-clad pool boy with rippling abdominal muscles feeds her chocolate-covered strawberries and massages her back.
Okay, okay. You got me. That's not true, either. Let's try again.
Lilian Monroe lives at home with her two children, three dogs, and twelve chickens. Her husband likes to work shirtless in the back yard. His sweaty, gleaming abdominal muscles ripple with every movement and he—
I'm sorry. I have to stop. Fine, I'll admit it. That one isn't true either.
How about this: Lilian Monroe loves thinking about men with rippling abdominal muscles serving her hand and foot, and she wants you to think about them too! She is an avid reader, writer, and lover of all things romance.
She loves everything from bad boys to billionaires. Her books are packed with sizzling-hot heat, action, suspense, and everything from second chances to single dads. She hates cheating and loves a good happily ever after (and rippling abs).
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 27, 2019
Hailey & Freddy were HS sweethearts and very much in love, until they got into a car accident which was Freddy’s fault and she took the blame & covered for him so that he didn’t lose his scholarship. Her father who is rich, finds out the truth and tells Freddy to leave. He even gives him $ 40,000 as a going away present!
Hailey is then left devastated and she is also disowned by her family and kicked out. 10 years later, she is a struggling artist who is on the brink of making it big but her boss, Gianni Russo, is a wanted criminal by the CIA for child trafficking.
Enter Freddy who is now a CIA agent and investigating Russo. He & his team eventually use/bribe Hailey to help them.
So when I first saw the blurb, it peeked my interest since I love a strong heroine – one that has struggled in the past and has overcome many challenges. I loved that reviewers stated she was abandoned by all the men/people she loved in the past and made it on her own. However, that is all I liked about this story, plot and characters…
At the start of the story, heroine has a boyfriend, Jayden, whom she lived with for 2 yrs. Author wrote conflicting passages in which one minute she is hurt & grieving for the end of the relationship (he cheated on her!) and the next she is “relieved”. While I am glad she was not frozen that she went on with her life, I really didn’t appreciate this part as I felt it was unnecessary and didn’t add anything to the plot. It was just filler page that really turned me off as I hate OW/OM inserts.
Secondly, Hero, Freddy, was an asshole. He came across as whiny and selfish. Case in point is that he spends much of the story feeling “guilty” for abandoning Hailey and taking the money, but not so guilty that he yet again uses her to get the bad guy & get back in her pants! And where was his “guilt” & thoughts for his “soulmate” all these 10 years when he was busy enjoying his carefree life? Ugh!
For me, this was a DNF. I made it close to 20% or so before I quit. Hero’s constant whining about how he was the “outsider” in HS or College amongst all the rich kids and how like a coward he allowed Hailey to take the blame for an accident that was his fault, did not endear him to me. He just came across as too pathetic for my taste!
As for Hailey, while I liked her slightly better, I just couldn’t take the constant back & forth POVs of her ex, Jayden & Freddy. She acted needy as well for most parts, while others she tried to stay strong. It was as if author couldn’t make her mind how to write her.
As I said, this could have been a nice story, but all it did was annoy me and make me lose interest.
Jayden had been there when things were tough. He was wicked and sexy and made me feel like a woman, but…
I picked up the items one by one, draping them over my arm. His favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers tee-shirt, his boxers, his jeans— Something fell out of the back pocket when I slung them over my arm. Lacy, pink fabric tumbled to the ground and my heart fell through my stomach. With the tips of my fingers, I picked up the tiniest thong I’d ever seen in my life. It had just fallen out of my boyfriend’s back pocket, and it definitely didn’t belong to me. I gaped at the lacy panties for a second, and then gagged and dropped them. Stumbling backward, I caught myself on the bed and stared at the offending undergarment. I let go of the rest of Jaden’s clothes, gulping in a shaking breath as I backed away from it.
My heart thumped. My mind reeled. Surely there was some explanation? He wasn’t…He couldn’t…In Jayden, I thought I’d finally met someone who cared about me—but he was just like all the others.
In the dark, hidden corners of my heart, I’d always known Jayden was a dog, but it still hurt. God, how it hurt. Heartbreak was a physical feeling, like an ax being shoved into my chest and shattering my ribs into a thousand pieces. The hollow space where my heart used to be was filled with fragments of my bones, cutting jagged scars into my flesh.
Ever since Freddy betrayed me, my body had become a vessel for all the badness in the world. I’d used it to become an artist, and I would continue to use it. Pain was all I had left. As my tears dried, my heart shuttered itself against the world. I unfurled my body and stretched out on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. I didn’t need Jayden, or Freddy, or anyone else. I was stronger without them.
I went through my relationship with Jayden and catalogued all the memorable moments. His laugh, his cooking, going to Miami together—good. The drinking, the fighting, feeling like I was doing something wrong without knowing what it was—bad.
Having somewhere to live—good.
Feeling like I owed him something—bad.
The more I weighed things up, the more I realized he’d been using the good things as leverage against me. It was toxic—maybe even emotionally abusive. All of a sudden, and I could see what he’d done to me. Jayden had made me smaller, weaker, more fearful.
--------------
I thought of the day that I broke her heart, when I did the worst thing I’ve ever done and she took the fall for it. She expected me to stay by her side, to support her while she saved me from being ostracized and expelled, and I didn’t. I left. Well, I was incentivized by her father and I felt like I had no choice, but I still left.
I let her take the fall, and I kept my mouth shut. Then, I graduated from our prep school with honors and took off to college with a scholarship. I got a job as an analyst at the CIA and then moved over to the Special Activities Decision. I was in my job now because of that decision.
If she hadn’t taken the blame for me, I wouldn’t be here. I owed Hailey my career, my life… everything.
Last time, she saved me from getting kicked out of school. The only reason I was in this CIA position now was because she’d taken the blame for what I’d done. She thought her family—the wealthy, privileged LaFleurs—would protect her. And I thought so too. Or at least, that’s what I told myself. When her father told me to stay away from her, he said that it would help her legal case after the accident. I resisted until he left me no choice. He presented me with a contract and forty thousand dollars.
“Either you take the money, leave, and never come back,” he said, watching me carefully. “Or you’ll never go to college. You’ll never have a career. I will do everything in my power to ruin your miserable fucking life, just as you ruined my daughter’s.”
He was John LaFleur, and I was a nobody. He had the power to kick me out of prep school and to ruin the future that I’d worked so hard to have. I knew from the look in his eyes that he would ruin me if I didn’t stay away from his daughter. It was self-preservation. Cowardice. It was the biggest mistake of my life, but I didn’t feel like I had a choice. I’d endured years of torture at that prep school, and the thought of throwing it all away had turned my stomach. I’d told myself that I stayed away to protect Hailey—to make sure she had the best possible future. But now, I knew that John LaFleur had forced me to leave his daughter and then proceeded to disown her. He was a cold-hearted asshole, and I was no better. I took the money. I stayed away. I left Hailey on her own.
And I couldn’t deny it—the money he gave me to leave town forever was enough to give me a bit of stability through college. I had enough to focus on school and to be accepted into the CIA as an analyst straight after graduation. I owed him my career…
I had told myself I was taking the money for Hailey. I left to protect Hailey. I turned my back on her because it was the best thing to do, even though it broke my heart. What if I’d just lied to myself for years? Maybe I was just a cold-hearted, selfish asshole like her father.
Hailey is then left devastated and she is also disowned by her family and kicked out. 10 years later, she is a struggling artist who is on the brink of making it big but her boss, Gianni Russo, is a wanted criminal by the CIA for child trafficking.
Enter Freddy who is now a CIA agent and investigating Russo. He & his team eventually use/bribe Hailey to help them.
So when I first saw the blurb, it peeked my interest since I love a strong heroine – one that has struggled in the past and has overcome many challenges. I loved that reviewers stated she was abandoned by all the men/people she loved in the past and made it on her own. However, that is all I liked about this story, plot and characters…
At the start of the story, heroine has a boyfriend, Jayden, whom she lived with for 2 yrs. Author wrote conflicting passages in which one minute she is hurt & grieving for the end of the relationship (he cheated on her!) and the next she is “relieved”. While I am glad she was not frozen that she went on with her life, I really didn’t appreciate this part as I felt it was unnecessary and didn’t add anything to the plot. It was just filler page that really turned me off as I hate OW/OM inserts.
Secondly, Hero, Freddy, was an asshole. He came across as whiny and selfish. Case in point is that he spends much of the story feeling “guilty” for abandoning Hailey and taking the money, but not so guilty that he yet again uses her to get the bad guy & get back in her pants! And where was his “guilt” & thoughts for his “soulmate” all these 10 years when he was busy enjoying his carefree life? Ugh!
For me, this was a DNF. I made it close to 20% or so before I quit. Hero’s constant whining about how he was the “outsider” in HS or College amongst all the rich kids and how like a coward he allowed Hailey to take the blame for an accident that was his fault, did not endear him to me. He just came across as too pathetic for my taste!
As for Hailey, while I liked her slightly better, I just couldn’t take the constant back & forth POVs of her ex, Jayden & Freddy. She acted needy as well for most parts, while others she tried to stay strong. It was as if author couldn’t make her mind how to write her.
As I said, this could have been a nice story, but all it did was annoy me and make me lose interest.
Jayden had been there when things were tough. He was wicked and sexy and made me feel like a woman, but…
I picked up the items one by one, draping them over my arm. His favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers tee-shirt, his boxers, his jeans— Something fell out of the back pocket when I slung them over my arm. Lacy, pink fabric tumbled to the ground and my heart fell through my stomach. With the tips of my fingers, I picked up the tiniest thong I’d ever seen in my life. It had just fallen out of my boyfriend’s back pocket, and it definitely didn’t belong to me. I gaped at the lacy panties for a second, and then gagged and dropped them. Stumbling backward, I caught myself on the bed and stared at the offending undergarment. I let go of the rest of Jaden’s clothes, gulping in a shaking breath as I backed away from it.
My heart thumped. My mind reeled. Surely there was some explanation? He wasn’t…He couldn’t…In Jayden, I thought I’d finally met someone who cared about me—but he was just like all the others.
In the dark, hidden corners of my heart, I’d always known Jayden was a dog, but it still hurt. God, how it hurt. Heartbreak was a physical feeling, like an ax being shoved into my chest and shattering my ribs into a thousand pieces. The hollow space where my heart used to be was filled with fragments of my bones, cutting jagged scars into my flesh.
Ever since Freddy betrayed me, my body had become a vessel for all the badness in the world. I’d used it to become an artist, and I would continue to use it. Pain was all I had left. As my tears dried, my heart shuttered itself against the world. I unfurled my body and stretched out on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. I didn’t need Jayden, or Freddy, or anyone else. I was stronger without them.
I went through my relationship with Jayden and catalogued all the memorable moments. His laugh, his cooking, going to Miami together—good. The drinking, the fighting, feeling like I was doing something wrong without knowing what it was—bad.
Having somewhere to live—good.
Feeling like I owed him something—bad.
The more I weighed things up, the more I realized he’d been using the good things as leverage against me. It was toxic—maybe even emotionally abusive. All of a sudden, and I could see what he’d done to me. Jayden had made me smaller, weaker, more fearful.
--------------
I thought of the day that I broke her heart, when I did the worst thing I’ve ever done and she took the fall for it. She expected me to stay by her side, to support her while she saved me from being ostracized and expelled, and I didn’t. I left. Well, I was incentivized by her father and I felt like I had no choice, but I still left.
I let her take the fall, and I kept my mouth shut. Then, I graduated from our prep school with honors and took off to college with a scholarship. I got a job as an analyst at the CIA and then moved over to the Special Activities Decision. I was in my job now because of that decision.
If she hadn’t taken the blame for me, I wouldn’t be here. I owed Hailey my career, my life… everything.
Last time, she saved me from getting kicked out of school. The only reason I was in this CIA position now was because she’d taken the blame for what I’d done. She thought her family—the wealthy, privileged LaFleurs—would protect her. And I thought so too. Or at least, that’s what I told myself. When her father told me to stay away from her, he said that it would help her legal case after the accident. I resisted until he left me no choice. He presented me with a contract and forty thousand dollars.
“Either you take the money, leave, and never come back,” he said, watching me carefully. “Or you’ll never go to college. You’ll never have a career. I will do everything in my power to ruin your miserable fucking life, just as you ruined my daughter’s.”
He was John LaFleur, and I was a nobody. He had the power to kick me out of prep school and to ruin the future that I’d worked so hard to have. I knew from the look in his eyes that he would ruin me if I didn’t stay away from his daughter. It was self-preservation. Cowardice. It was the biggest mistake of my life, but I didn’t feel like I had a choice. I’d endured years of torture at that prep school, and the thought of throwing it all away had turned my stomach. I’d told myself that I stayed away to protect Hailey—to make sure she had the best possible future. But now, I knew that John LaFleur had forced me to leave his daughter and then proceeded to disown her. He was a cold-hearted asshole, and I was no better. I took the money. I stayed away. I left Hailey on her own.
And I couldn’t deny it—the money he gave me to leave town forever was enough to give me a bit of stability through college. I had enough to focus on school and to be accepted into the CIA as an analyst straight after graduation. I owed him my career…
I had told myself I was taking the money for Hailey. I left to protect Hailey. I turned my back on her because it was the best thing to do, even though it broke my heart. What if I’d just lied to myself for years? Maybe I was just a cold-hearted, selfish asshole like her father.
August 23, 2019
Her work always has me coming back for more. Freddy and Hailey have a history, a not too good history. They were high school sweethearts but he broke her heart. He thought he was doing it to protect her but that isn’t what happened. She got hurt. Now 10 years later, things are different. She is an artist and he works for the CIA. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat with the drama, suspense and the heat factor. I can’t wait to read what she has coming next. She does not disappoint.
I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Read
December 28, 2019Fair warning. There will be ranting and swearing and I won't be nice.
If you don't want to be offended, move along.
Enough. That's enough.
My brain cells were actually shrieking for mercy.
Here we have yet another ill-conceived, lazy attempt by someone trying to prove they can write. It's like all these creative-writing flunkies use a template for creating shallow, stupid stories with characters no sane or smart person can relate to. Same tropes, same doormats, same arseholes. All of them controlled by the parts between their legs. These people who write have actually made sex boring. So, ya know, thanks loads for that. Appreciate it.
Sarcasm aside - for the moment - a human trafficking subplot in a romance novel? Come the f*ck on. Was it supposed to identify this as a "serious" book?
As. If.
Like that b.s. is going to fly with such a juvenile cast of characters and their teenaged drama and pornographic inner dialogues.
Sure it is 🙄.
What planet do some of these writers live on where two people who parted badly IMMEDIATELY lose their ever-loving minds with lust at first sight - after a decade??
What grown-ass man do you know that risks his case and entire, hard-won career in the CIA over a woman he hasn't seen in ten bloody years? A woman he betrayed and has no right to even speak to? She's a virtual stranger at this point.
And what woman with any self-respect and sense gets into a heated lip-lock with the very man who once ruined her life - mere MOMENTS after learning her current man was cheating on her - and after she swore to herself she wouldn't get taken in by the ex ever again?
Who the fuck acts like this?
Right.
Nobody.
No intelligent female worth a damn does that.
And no intelligent, strong male reverts to a pubescent boy with a perpetual boner at the sight of his high school sweetheart.
Yeah, see, this is not romantic. It's immature, inane, lust-based rubbish and clearly not geared for those with fully developed brains. When did the target age for romance novels get capped at 25?
And I must ask again, what is up with the obsession with hardening nipples?
This is not a thing, folks. It's not. Stop trying to convince readers that it is, and that intelligent, grounded adults actually behave like this. Worse, stop f*cking trashing the female gender with insipid, spineless heroines who can't stand up for themselves or feel complete without a man.
After this year in books, I've begun to wonder if the reason there are so many stupid characters and stupid stories written around said characters is that the people writing them are...well, you can fill in that blank.
My guess is that some serious coin had to change hands in order to make all those high ratings and glowing reviews appear.
No rating, as this was a dnf. I am far from thinking I am all that, but I am definitely above this heap of shite pretending to be a book.
If you don't want to be offended, move along.
Enough. That's enough.
My brain cells were actually shrieking for mercy.
Here we have yet another ill-conceived, lazy attempt by someone trying to prove they can write. It's like all these creative-writing flunkies use a template for creating shallow, stupid stories with characters no sane or smart person can relate to. Same tropes, same doormats, same arseholes. All of them controlled by the parts between their legs. These people who write have actually made sex boring. So, ya know, thanks loads for that. Appreciate it.
Sarcasm aside - for the moment - a human trafficking subplot in a romance novel? Come the f*ck on. Was it supposed to identify this as a "serious" book?
As. If.
Like that b.s. is going to fly with such a juvenile cast of characters and their teenaged drama and pornographic inner dialogues.
Sure it is 🙄.
What planet do some of these writers live on where two people who parted badly IMMEDIATELY lose their ever-loving minds with lust at first sight - after a decade??
What grown-ass man do you know that risks his case and entire, hard-won career in the CIA over a woman he hasn't seen in ten bloody years? A woman he betrayed and has no right to even speak to? She's a virtual stranger at this point.
And what woman with any self-respect and sense gets into a heated lip-lock with the very man who once ruined her life - mere MOMENTS after learning her current man was cheating on her - and after she swore to herself she wouldn't get taken in by the ex ever again?
Who the fuck acts like this?
Right.
Nobody.
No intelligent female worth a damn does that.
And no intelligent, strong male reverts to a pubescent boy with a perpetual boner at the sight of his high school sweetheart.
Yeah, see, this is not romantic. It's immature, inane, lust-based rubbish and clearly not geared for those with fully developed brains. When did the target age for romance novels get capped at 25?
And I must ask again, what is up with the obsession with hardening nipples?
This is not a thing, folks. It's not. Stop trying to convince readers that it is, and that intelligent, grounded adults actually behave like this. Worse, stop f*cking trashing the female gender with insipid, spineless heroines who can't stand up for themselves or feel complete without a man.
After this year in books, I've begun to wonder if the reason there are so many stupid characters and stupid stories written around said characters is that the people writing them are...well, you can fill in that blank.
My guess is that some serious coin had to change hands in order to make all those high ratings and glowing reviews appear.
No rating, as this was a dnf. I am far from thinking I am all that, but I am definitely above this heap of shite pretending to be a book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2019
Pain Is Her Muse
Once again Lilian Monroe has written a captivating and unpredictable read in book 3 of the Protector Series “His Word”. A suspenseful, gripping romance set in the art world with the two wonderful main characters of Hailey and Freddy! The storyline and the intrigue is so real and believable in this great read. A well deserved 5 star ⭐️ read as it always is in a Lilian Monroe story!
Hailey’s art is being featured in the biggest art gallery in Washington DC! Russo Art is owned and run by Gianni Russo! Will her future be decided for her on this one big night or will she carry on as a struggling artist? Freddy and Gary are on an undercover CIA investigation of the Russo family suspected of human trafficking! Was Gianni just an Art Dealer had the CIA got it wrong? Will the elusive Freddy get his second Chance romance after Hailey’s 10 years of hating him with his bad boy charm, and magnetic aura? Hailey will never forgive Freddy there will be no second chance! Will her now cold heart protect her from the alluring Freddy? Will Freddy ever tell Hailey the secrets of his past and why her father disowned her? Her cheating boyfriend Jayden is the straw that broke the camels back and Hailey packs and leaves! Can Freddy keep his own promise of protecting Hailey this time? Will Hailey be collateral damage for the criminals and the CIA? How much more betrayal and pain can Hailey take with Freddy’s old and new empty promises?
I highly recommend this intriguing second Chance romance as a for sure must read.
I voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy
Once again Lilian Monroe has written a captivating and unpredictable read in book 3 of the Protector Series “His Word”. A suspenseful, gripping romance set in the art world with the two wonderful main characters of Hailey and Freddy! The storyline and the intrigue is so real and believable in this great read. A well deserved 5 star ⭐️ read as it always is in a Lilian Monroe story!
Hailey’s art is being featured in the biggest art gallery in Washington DC! Russo Art is owned and run by Gianni Russo! Will her future be decided for her on this one big night or will she carry on as a struggling artist? Freddy and Gary are on an undercover CIA investigation of the Russo family suspected of human trafficking! Was Gianni just an Art Dealer had the CIA got it wrong? Will the elusive Freddy get his second Chance romance after Hailey’s 10 years of hating him with his bad boy charm, and magnetic aura? Hailey will never forgive Freddy there will be no second chance! Will her now cold heart protect her from the alluring Freddy? Will Freddy ever tell Hailey the secrets of his past and why her father disowned her? Her cheating boyfriend Jayden is the straw that broke the camels back and Hailey packs and leaves! Can Freddy keep his own promise of protecting Hailey this time? Will Hailey be collateral damage for the criminals and the CIA? How much more betrayal and pain can Hailey take with Freddy’s old and new empty promises?
I highly recommend this intriguing second Chance romance as a for sure must read.
I voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy
August 20, 2019
His Word, The Protector Series: Book 3 by Lilian Monroe
Hailey Ford (LaFleur) lived a life of privilege until at the age of seventeen when she left home. For the last ten years she has been a struggling artist, but she is finally getting her big break. Her first showing.
Freddy Finch was the first in his family to go to college. For the last ten years he has worked his way up in the CIA from analyst to finally the lead in an investigation.
Hailey is having her first showing as an artist and she is petrified. She has used years of pain to inspire the paint and brush strokes on her canvases. Now people that she doesn’t know hold her career in their hands and pocketbooks. Freddy is following suspects in a case for the CIA into an art gallery. All he is supposed to do is get intel and leave. What he finds is the one woman he betrayed ten years ago but never stopped loving. His boss wants to use her for the case, but he wants to keep her as far away from the case as possible. How can he ask that of her for help after what he did? Seeing Freddy brings back memories that she would rather forget. She should still hate him, but it is getting harder the more she is with him. He promises that he won’t leave her again, but he said that years ago right before he walked away. Can she trust him again or does he just need her for the case?
Hailey felt like she had been used and betrayed by so many people that were supposed to love her. I think the one that hurt her the most was Freddy. He promised to stand by her and then he left her, alone. It tore her world apart and made her numb for years. I don’t even think that her father hurt her more than he did. Freddy thought he was protecting her by leaving but instead he made it worse by letting her believe he didn’t love her. The amount of guilt and remorse that he has been carrying around would have brought another man to his knees. Instead, he used it to get the career that he thought he always wanted. Sometimes what we think we want isn’t what we need. Like Freddy said, “Being in love and being an idiot weren’t all too different from one another.”
Hailey Ford (LaFleur) lived a life of privilege until at the age of seventeen when she left home. For the last ten years she has been a struggling artist, but she is finally getting her big break. Her first showing.
Freddy Finch was the first in his family to go to college. For the last ten years he has worked his way up in the CIA from analyst to finally the lead in an investigation.
Hailey is having her first showing as an artist and she is petrified. She has used years of pain to inspire the paint and brush strokes on her canvases. Now people that she doesn’t know hold her career in their hands and pocketbooks. Freddy is following suspects in a case for the CIA into an art gallery. All he is supposed to do is get intel and leave. What he finds is the one woman he betrayed ten years ago but never stopped loving. His boss wants to use her for the case, but he wants to keep her as far away from the case as possible. How can he ask that of her for help after what he did? Seeing Freddy brings back memories that she would rather forget. She should still hate him, but it is getting harder the more she is with him. He promises that he won’t leave her again, but he said that years ago right before he walked away. Can she trust him again or does he just need her for the case?
Hailey felt like she had been used and betrayed by so many people that were supposed to love her. I think the one that hurt her the most was Freddy. He promised to stand by her and then he left her, alone. It tore her world apart and made her numb for years. I don’t even think that her father hurt her more than he did. Freddy thought he was protecting her by leaving but instead he made it worse by letting her believe he didn’t love her. The amount of guilt and remorse that he has been carrying around would have brought another man to his knees. Instead, he used it to get the career that he thought he always wanted. Sometimes what we think we want isn’t what we need. Like Freddy said, “Being in love and being an idiot weren’t all too different from one another.”
August 20, 2019
This Hailey and Freddy’s story and is book 3 in the Protector Series. Hailey is an artist and Freddy is a CIA agent. You meet Freddy in the first two books but only a little bit. This book could be easily read without reading the first two books. You’ll run into characters from the first two books but they would leave you feeling like you are missing something. I recommend reading them because they were good, entertaining reads.
Hailey and Freddy have a shared past that didn’t end well. Hailey believes that Freddy betrayed her and Freddy believes that leaving was the best thing he could do for Hailey. There’s definitely some internal struggle on both their parts throughout the book. Hailey has to forgive Freddy and Freddy needs to deal with his guilt from leaving Hailey behind all while dealing with a CIA operation.
Freddy’s back in Hailey’s life now and his boss wants to bring Hailey in as undercover asset to help them breakup a human trafficking ring the CIA has been tracking for a few years. Hailey’s a little reluctant but agrees because she believes that her benefactor is up to no good. Freddy decides that it’s his job to protect her.
I really enjoyed this book. This book is hot, has a little suspense, and eventually a happy ending. There are no cliffhangers. I’ll be patiently waiting to see if Ms. Monroe puts out another book in this series.
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
Hailey and Freddy have a shared past that didn’t end well. Hailey believes that Freddy betrayed her and Freddy believes that leaving was the best thing he could do for Hailey. There’s definitely some internal struggle on both their parts throughout the book. Hailey has to forgive Freddy and Freddy needs to deal with his guilt from leaving Hailey behind all while dealing with a CIA operation.
Freddy’s back in Hailey’s life now and his boss wants to bring Hailey in as undercover asset to help them breakup a human trafficking ring the CIA has been tracking for a few years. Hailey’s a little reluctant but agrees because she believes that her benefactor is up to no good. Freddy decides that it’s his job to protect her.
I really enjoyed this book. This book is hot, has a little suspense, and eventually a happy ending. There are no cliffhangers. I’ll be patiently waiting to see if Ms. Monroe puts out another book in this series.
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
September 3, 2019
A fantastic suspenseful thrilling romance. I can't say enough without giving it away but it's a must have. This intriguing storyline had me addicted page after page while on the edge of my seat. It was an exciting amazing story of suspense, shared pasts, angst, passion and romance. It was thrilling with a wonderfully written ending that beautifully came together really making you feel complete. The characters were well developed, interesting, had incredible undeniable attraction and chemistry, passion, self doubts, insecurities, and learned to trust the other together rather than what each thought was best for a great HEA. I voluntarily read and reviewed this ARC and can't wait for more standalones within the series.
August 22, 2019
I Do Look Forward To No 4!
This was an enjoyable read, and I would like you to inspire the CIA supervisor to pay a visit and offer him more work? He seemed unable to control his emotions but can be now?
This was an enjoyable read, and I would like you to inspire the CIA supervisor to pay a visit and offer him more work? He seemed unable to control his emotions but can be now?
August 24, 2019
Youth
We do some stupid things in our youth and it can affect us in many ways. Our lives could be affected positively or keep us locked in regrets. Hailey and Freddie had to find their way through this and into adulthood.
We do some stupid things in our youth and it can affect us in many ways. Our lives could be affected positively or keep us locked in regrets. Hailey and Freddie had to find their way through this and into adulthood.
September 5, 2019
Probably my favorite of the series!
An intense second chance romance begins when CIA agent Freddy sees his high school sweetie Hailey accidentally mixed up with the people they have been investigating for over a year.
I loved rooting for these two!
An intense second chance romance begins when CIA agent Freddy sees his high school sweetie Hailey accidentally mixed up with the people they have been investigating for over a year.
I loved rooting for these two!
August 22, 2019
Lilian Monroe continues her steamy intrigue with book 3 of her CIA Military Romance series. I enjoy her drama and romance combination. It keeps me coming back for more.
April 3, 2022
⛔️ (in notes)
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