Defending Chloe: Mountain Mercenaries Book 2, Susan Stoker

Family should be our first line of support when life throws us curve balls, but that's often not the case, unfortunately.  For Chloe, the support offered by her brother is deceiving and covers a number of ulterior motives that ultimately trap her under his control.  A foot to the back and being stranded by that same brother puts her on the radar of a sexy, quietly dangerous, and fiercely protective Ronan.  His mission in life is to assist his brothers in helping women and children in abusive and dangerous situations.  The curvy Chloe calls to all his protective instincts and no matter the trials he has to face, he'll help her escape.  If he can get her to fall just as hard for him as he has for her in the process, then all the better.

Chloe is a very intelligent woman and while I was shocked at first that she could be so smart and yet get stuck in her horrendous situation, it became clear that it wasn't just the obvious abuse from her brother and his girlfriend that kept her seemingly compliant.  There were much bigger foes she was afraid of that kept her mostly in line.  What I loved the most about her was that she quietly amassed information and inner strength to escape and rebuild her life.  Her fight and her determination to survive was definitely admirable.

Ronan's heart was always in the right place, though it didn't always keep him out of trouble with Chloe.  His reliance on his team and his staunch belief in serving their brand of justice to abusers of all types is incredible.  Learning of his relationship with his family was a mixed bag of feelings because I certainly wasn't expecting what we got, but it felt genuine in it's complicated nature.  It was a unique personal conflict that gave a different kind of depth to the man.  And loving Chloe the way he did was as sweet as it was sexy.

One thing I will say is that while I don't have a problem with insta-lust or when one or both of the MC's feel and know who their one person is, there were quite a lot of sexual situations, and crude descriptions during those moments, that occurred in a really short timeline.  The language of the more sexual stuff in this author's books can never be described as shy, subtle, or even tame, and I'm a fan of that, there were just a couple moments that I had to cringe a little.  Other than that, this was a super sexy story with a whole lot of tenderness wrapped up in a suspenseful package.  I love strong women and alphamallows and we get both here.  It was most definitely an enjoyable read and I can't wait for more from this series.

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Gorgeous women don’t just stumble onto Ronan Cross’s remote property. But this one—vulnerable, victimized, and needing the kind of help only Ronan can offer—tells a story that makes his blood boil almost as hot as his need to protect her.

Since her father’s death, Chloe Harris has become a prisoner. Her own brother, a flesh peddler and low-level player in the Denver Mafia, is forcing her to sell her body for an endgame Chloe never saw coming: control over a vast fortune. Her only way out is to run—straight into the arms of the one hard-bodied man she can trust.

Defending Chloe could rain punishment down on the Mountain Mercenaries. Her brother has Mob connections and the local police in his pocket. But Ronan still has an edge—the unshakable loyalty of his deadly teammates. As well as an unquenchable thirst for retribution…and Chloe.