They're right. We don't really think of men as the abused.

Are we sure their mother was the murderer, though?

They handcuffed her to a chair?! Aw hell no! Suck it up, Logan. You have butt to kick.

Her mother opens her mail? That's a federal offense, right there.

Um, honey, if you have to send your bills to a different address, what makes you think your parents didn't intercept any phone calls or letters from Logan?

Ugh, they live in a mansion, but expect their daughter to come over and do the maid's job?

Oh. My. God. This is breaking my heart. She would have literally been better off at that institution than with her own parents.

I'd be too freaked out to have someone inject ink that close to my brain.

Wow, he did not just say that. And for his information, handcuffing her sounds like physical abuse to me.

Felicity needs to know exactly how crazy her parents are. She thinks she knows, but she has no idea.

Fight, girl! This isn't crazy behavior. This is sickening. My stomach is actually churning.

Jesus, have these two plotted the death of every person in town?

And there, ladies and gentlemen, is your belief in soulmates restored.

Damnit. He had PTSD before he ever joined the Army.

God. All she wants is a little bacon.

Ha! Do you by chance read romance novels, Logan?

Oh. My. God. This is so hot. I think my face is on fire.

I believe her father. It sounds like they have more in common than they thought. Are Bradford and Alexis the only ones with normal parents?

I'm thinking it's a set-up, unfortunately.

That is the best thing ever. I hope they both die in prison. To think I was ready to forgive her father. He's just as bad as his wife.

Hey, lady, you weren't born into the Mason family. You married into it. You were never all that, witch.

And that's how a burn is done.

Their poor kids. On one side, their grandparents are in jail for a crapload of reasons. Their other grandmother killed their grandfather before killing herself.

Oy, be careful, Alexis.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3 Stars
This was a interesting beginning for a new series. The premise of a Security company dealing specifically with abused adults and children is strong. We have brothers who experienced it all of their lives from their mom. The first character is the son who had a high school sweet heart and they promised to look out for each other. Somehow, it didn't happen and the girl was left to deal with her own home life.
Fast forward to now, 10 years later and her life looks ok from the outside but is controlled by the parents ... everything is dictated by them.

She is a victim too... but because it is emotional, he has not seen it.
The story is how she is rescued and loved again by him with us seeing where the rest of this series will go.

I love a story about second chances. This novel did not disappoint. I loved the love story that went back to high school. I loved how the Grace liked and befriended Logan even though her parents disapproved. I loved how both Grace and Logan even with all the events completely out of their control still loved each other. My heart melted when they were able to reunite. This story grabbed me from the first page until the last. I loved the story and can't wait to see if other characters will get their own stories in the future. This novel made me laugh, sometimes cry and finally smile at the end. This is what I want in a romance novel.

Claiming Grace by Susan Stoker is OMG the best book I've read this year and as I'm sitting at 43 books right at this moment so that's saying something. I would like to be able to give this book unlimited stars but since I can't it's definitely 5 stars.
Logan Anderson is back in his hometown where the first 18 years of his and his two brothers lives was made hell by his family situation,the oldest of triplets and a punchbag for their abusive mother Logan couldn't wait to leave town and join the army. Finally back home after 10 years but it's to bury their father ,who was Killed by their mother,the brothers decide to start up a security firm in honour of their father they want to protect people,mainly men, who have nowhere else to turn. Logan's old high school crush still lives in the town but she hurt him badly and as much as he tries to stay away from her he's drawn to her and the sadness he sees in her eyes.
Grace Mason is a woman on the edge,to those around her she has the perfect life,rich family,a cushy job at her parents Architectural firm but inside she's dying,since she was born she's never been good enough for her parents as she wasn't a boy,but at 28 they still run her life and Grace is feeling trapped but when her high school crush comes back to town Grace starts to feel again but with that comes danger and for the first time ever Grace must let people in so they can help.
This story gave me chills all the way through,the way it was written brought the whole thing to life. Susan has another winner with this one.

3.75stars
Calming Grace is interesting love story- second chance for love. It is a bit creepy and cruel especial for Grace. But she has luck that she has good friends and a man who will sacrifice everything for her. Story built with suspense unexpected twists and lovely love story between two lost souls.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly

Please see note their publisher. Not much more to say

Happy dance!!! Can't wait for book two.

Okay, this book has triplet brothers that after their father was murdered by their mother after years of abuse decide to open a security agency to help men and children who suffer from abuse. That slowly becomes an agency that expands to anyone needing help from others who abuse and bully them.

This is Logan and Grace's story. They were high school friends who decided to make a go of it after he got done with basic training. Ten years later they both are hurt and angry about the other not keeping their promise. Logan is avoiding Grace at all cost and won't even listen to Cole, his friend, when he tries to tell him about what Grace has had to endure.

Grace was so hurt by Logan not keeping his promise. She wrote to her and kept her letters waiting to send them to him but never received an address. Now she is trapped at her parents' business and, more often than not, at their home than hers. She has been slowly and silently saving hidden money so they can't track it to leave town. Her best friend, Felicity, has been a life saver and Grace won't give her up no matter what. She just wishes that she knew what she did to Logan to upset him so much that he didn't write.

Logan finally talks to Grace and it's clear something isn't right. She isn't the same girl with the smile and the dreams he once knew. He just doesn't know exactly what it is. But he's determined to find out.

When it becomes abundantly clear, to all of her friends and his brothers that Grace is in big trouble they circle around and make a plan to get her out. They just have no idea what they're actually walking into.

Grace is scared but determined and isn't dumb enough to look a gift horse in the mouth when Logan shows up. She just wants out, now!

Can Logan and Grace find their way back to where they left off? Can he keep her safe and help her? The repercussions are coming, but what will they be?

This is a fantastic story. Hard to read in some spots but so worth it. It has abuse triggers so please be aware.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Grace Mason and Logan Anderson were high school friends. There relationship was slowly developing until outside interference ruined their future as Logan left town to join the military.
Grace was surprised to see Logan return. In spite of a lot of misunderstandings she was glad to see him back. Even though they were both hurt by not getting the letters each were sending.
Grace got pulled into her family's controlling grasp and away from the man she loved.
As they start getting past the problems and start getting closer together they will have to fight together to free Grace from her controlling family. It will take all his family and her friends to have a happily ever after. Looking forward to Claiming Alexis.

The

Logan returns to Castlr Rock 10 years later to open a business with his brothers. Grace was surprised to see him return

This book was intriguing, talking about subjects that no one wants to deal with but that exist in everyday life. There is some true evil out there, lurking behind clean cut personas. Susan Stoker did a great job bringing this out to the forefront in different ways. This book was thoroughly enjoyed.

We meet Grace and Logan as they are parting ways way back after high school finishes, come back a couple years after the death of Logan’s family and back in town he comes. Hoping to find out what happened between him and Grace, why she never responded to him after he left. It was great finally seeing them reunite and everything was broken down eventually as to what happened to their unfortunate miscommunication. But there was so much more going on.

This book really delved deeply into abuse, not only physical abuse but sometimes people forget that there is emotional and mental abuse that sometimes is more damaging than physical abuse. Yes physical abuse hurts and can lead to even worse things, but those wounds heal. When you mentally abuse someone with words and threats it’s more damaging to the person being abused. They become a shell of themselves. It’s not something I wish on anyone, any type of abuse really. But Stoker really showed you this different type of abuse that you don’t see very often and it was titillating. Grace was constantly abused by her parents, and she was just too scared to get out from under them. Until Logan came back in town.

The things her parents do to her were unbelievable, I thought I was watching a Lifetime movie and I couldn’t help but root for Grace to break free from the chains. It was a really great read. From beginning to end you just couldn’t stop thinking about it, what was going to happen next? Could this get any worse, and it usually did. I don’t really want to give too much away because you really should read it and find out what happens.

I did find the characters interesting, and I really can’t wait to see what happens in the next book. I’m hoping it has something to do with Alexis because she seemed just a little bit badass. Overall the setting was great, the plot was interesting and different. This isn’t a typical romance where you find someone and something happens and then they get together, no this had a little more depth which makes it more interesting. Love the cover of the book too, he looks totally delectable.

This is one of the BEST books I've ever read. Hands down, I love this author and read everything she writes but this book surprised even me. The way she handled the subject of abuse was awesome. I couldn't t iut doiwn until I found out what happened.. Kuddos to Susan, another winner!!!

Grace’s parents keep a tight leash on her. She may be twenty-eight but she has known no other way to live. She almost got out from under their thumbs but her love left and never came back, until now. But is that true?
In Claiming Grace by Susan Stoker, Grace learns Logan did not leave her high and dry. But finding the courage to break free from her parents will take a little help from not only her love but also their friends.
Logan has returned to his hometown and never expected to find Grace still there. But his tunnel vision may cause him to miss what is in front of his face. I really enjoyed seeing Ms. Stoker show Logan just how narrow minded he had become. He was hyper focused on physical abuse and thought emotional abuse was a crock, until it was front and center with the woman he loved. And while he had a good reason for his beliefs, I thought Ms. Stoker handled this sensitive issue, which was prevalent throughout this story, quite well. Both Logan and Grace had issues and Ms. Stoker did not sugar coat them or their consequences. Grace’s strength was subtle and I loved that Ms. Stoker did not discount what she brought to the table. I also loved that Ms. Stoker allowed the rekindling of a friendship to be center stage before Logan and Grace’s love became intimate. This story is well written. It is sweet and full of love and respect. This is the first in a new series by Ms. Stoker and I for one cannot wait to read the next installment.

This is the first book in a new series and I think the series has great potential based on this book. Both Logan and Grace are both victims of abuse only in very different forms. Logan and his brothers are determined to save others from suffering the type of abuse that they and their father suffered from. Ironically, while Logan is busy setting up his new security firm, he never realizes that Grace is still the victim of abuse and avoids her completely. Grace has never told anyone the truth behind her parent's abusive behavior and her continual desire to please her parents. Fortunately, Logan realizes that his boyhood attraction to Grace is not over and he reaches out to her for a second chance.
This was an enjoyable second chance romance that touched on some very sensitive topics that need more attention.

I like Susan stoker as an author and whenever she releases a book I read it. But i find that some books are brilliant and others don't quite hit me so hard. This is one of the latter.
It's the start of a new series so it is a must read.
This is Logan and Grace's story.
Logan and his siblings have set up a new business 'Ace Security' so this opens up a massive avenue of potential story lines and introduction of new characters so some of the book, with it starting off the series is laying the ground work for the rest of the series. This is always a difficult thing to do, give too much detail and you can kill future intrigue into future stories and be accused of loosing focus on the main couple but don't give enough and the book will lack depth and there may not be enough interest in the future stories, this is handled really well. We have little tit bits of others but our main focus is on Logan and Grace.
It is a second chance romance story as they met previously and due to misunderstandings are no longer friends or even speaking.
I read other reviews prior to reading this book where there was criticism about Logan for the reason they are no longer speaking. I think although i could see their POV these are two VERY damaged people, who have suffered difficult family situations and have not grown up with a 'normal' perception on relationships so allowing for that we can understand why Logan did what he did. AND he apologises numerous times in the book for his misunderstanding the situation at the time.

I had an issue with one thing, i am not going to explain who or the circumstances but if you are five and a half months pregnant with twins, it would surely not be a surprise to your partner/husband/friends... would it?? Apparently so...

Worth a read.

This book is based on a group of brothers who set up a company called Ace Security after their father. This company focuses on protecting men who get abused.

Logan is the main man in this book he returns to Castle Rock to get over his past, though by coming back he will also have to get past seeing the women who broke his heart 10 years ago. Enter Grace a women who he was in love until he left at 18 to go to basic training. A women who also has her own struggles and parents who have a hold on her that restricts how she lived her life..

I didn't particularly like Grace as a person and how she was portrayed and thought that everything moved a bit too quickly considering they both have been through a lot over the past 10 years and are both mature adults they went to being a couple after one conversation never minding how peoples personalities change by what they live through. The writing was great and flowed nicely through but the actual content has me leaving this as a 3 star read

Thank you for providing me this book in exchange for review

a good solid romance with an interesting plot. Great read from start to finish.

Logan Anderson is back in town and due to his family history he sets up a security agency designed to support survivors of abuse. It is through this security agency called Ace Security that he reconnects with the woman that has been a part of his heart for many years. Alongside his brothers, his primary and ultimate goal is to protect and save people from harrowing experiences of abuse.

Grace Mason has been subjected to horrifying emotional and mental abuse since she was a child. My heart genuinely broke at so many moments. I could not stop the tears from falling because the reality is that so many people go through this and I just wish I could stop it. I commend the author for bringing such a horrific act of cruelty to the forefront of the story because its powerful and needs to be out there so people know.

This book has the hallmarks of being a powerful and moving story because whilst abuse is horrific, and degrading and shouldn’t exist it is also an opportunity for the survivor to get out and make something of themselves. The ending in this book is something that made me smile because Grace stands up to her abusers and makes it clear that the abuse she suffered will not win. That is the important message in this book, abuse is categorically wrong and never to be accepted. If anyone is reading this and is going through abuse, please know that there are people who can help you. I hope this book helps someone who is going through that kind of abuse or mental torture because you are worth so much more.

I rate this book 5 stars because it surpassed my expectations and gave me a story that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Powerful and moving, a worthy read that deserves more than 5 stars!

Quick read. Definitely more than meets the eye to Grace. The connection between Logan and Grace seemed pretty insta-lovey, but all in all a good story.

A great cover, but the first book in Susan Stoker's Ace Security, was not what I expected.

Grace was fragile, spiritless and needed to stand up for herself, but I assume the author had her reasons for writing Grace as she did. The relationship between Logan and Grace also seemed rushed; and while the romance was sweet, it wasn't entirely believable. As for the secondary character Alexis, she was so grating, I can only hope if she is destined for her own story, that she gets a make-over to improve her personality.

As first books in a series can often be a sounding board, let’s hope book two is more appealing and portrays the standard of writing we know Ms Stoker can deliver.

What a rollercoaster ride this book was. I was so pissed off with the way Grace was treated growing up, her punishments were harsh, no positivity at all from them. Her parents were the worst of the worst. Grace has spent her life waiting for her parents to show just an inkling of love, but it is never to be. Logan was a crush back in highschool that never got a chance of growing. Years later he is back in town to stay. They have to talk about the past to see where things went wrong. Once again her parents interference shows itself to them. Together they work on their relationship, trying to put the past behind them. One more intervention is needed to free Grace from them. With the help of friends, the police and the FbI, there is hope for their happily ever after.