Review ~*~ Guarding Hope by Ann Mayburn

Blurb ~*~
War hero Daniel Escobar has left behind his career as a Marine and now works for the Contego Agency, Detroit’s premier personal protection firm. Unfortunately his heroic actions on the battlefield cost him not only part of his sight, but also his peace of mind. Haunted by regrets of the past, Daniel finds a new purpose in life when he is given the job of protecting Hope, the only woman he’s ever truly loved, from the mob.

Hope Walker can’t believe it when she finds Daniel, her first love, working at the Contego Agency. She’s searched for him for years, wanting to know why he left her after that terrible night their senior year in high school when a fight with his mother’s drug dealer boyfriend left Hope in the hospital and Daniel shipped off to parts unknown by Child Protective Services. For both Daniel and Hope the old memories and emotions come rushing back, and together they will have to fight to stay alive long enough to give their love a second chance

Buy Links ~*~

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4 Star Review ~*~
If you've been following this blog for awhile, you'll know that I am a huge fan of Ann Mayburn's and never not liked anything she's written.  Guarding Hope didn't disappoint!  While it's not a 5 Star for me, it's a fabulous book and definitely one to add to your collection!

Hope needs help.  She's pissed off a local mafia boss and now needs protection.  Little does she know that the local agency has assigned her first love, Daniel, to protect her. There is a lot of anger and emotion between hope and Daniel as they navigate waters they never expected to be in.  After years of not seeing each other and thinking the worst, fate tosses them into a sticky situation that could be life and death for each of them.

First, I love books with settings in Detroit ~ being a Detroiter at heart these are always great! Now, Hope and Daniel are characters with a lot of baggage ~ for a variety of reasons.  Hope struggles with lost love but she is a brave woman who is a real asset to abused women each and every day. I really admired what she set out to do and how she sticks with it.  Daniel faced some nasty things as a Marine, as a child, and still mourns the love he lost with Hope.

I can't really put my finger on a particular reason to give it 4 instead of 5 stars, except it just wasn't as compelling as some.  I don't think I got as invested in the characters.  Guarding Hope is a well written story with a bit of suspense, a lot of passion, and an overwhelming feeling of good within its pages.  I highly recommend it if you are looking for a romance that will keep you on the edge of your seat with characters that don't back down from a fight.


~*~I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way.  
The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this novel. ~*~

About Ann Mayburn ~*~

Ann is Queen of the Castle to her wonderful husband and three sons in the mountains of West Virginia. In her past lives she's been an Import Broker, a Communications Specialist, a US Navy Civilian Contractor, a Bartender/Waitress, and an actor at the Michigan Renaissance Festival. She also spent a summer touring with the Grateful Dead(though she will deny to her children that it ever happened).

From a young age she's been fascinated by myths and fairytales, and the romance that often was the center of the story. As Ann grew older and her hormones kicked in, she discovered trashy romance novels. Great at first, but she soon grew tired of the endless stories with a big wonderful emotional buildup to really short and crappy sex. Never a big fan of purple prose, throbbing spears of fleshy pleasure and wet honey pots make her giggle, she sought out books that gave the sex scenes in the story just as much detail and plot as everything else-without using cringe worthy euphemisms. This led her to the wonderful world of Erotic Romance, and she's never looked back.

Now Ann spends her days trying to tune out cartoons playing in the background to get into her 'sexy space' and has learned to type one handed while soothing a cranky baby.

Connect with Ann ~ She loves stalkers . . . errr . . . fans ~ yeah Fans ;-)

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