This is such a wonderful read. A well written, gripping storyline captures and holds your attention. Ronan and Chloe were amazing characters. Likable and complex, these characters make an amazing couple that you will be rooting for all the way to the end. Their emotional connection is beautiful and their chemistry steamy. With a plot that offers drama, suspense and high levels of emotional tension, this book was simply a terrific romance.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

As a Probate and Trust Administration Paralegal I love a mystery that turns on a Will or Trust. What people will do for money that isn't even theirs can be just awful. Add a hot romance and I'm in plot heaven. This is my first Susan Stoker book and it won't be my last.

Ronan Cross is part of a group that rescues battered, victimized women, the Mountain Mercenaries. Weeks ago a woman wandered onto his property. She was dumped in a rural area near Colorado Springs, CO and Ronan was concerned for her. Her story was chilling, yet she willingly left. Ronan decided to dig deeper and find out what she was hiding.

Chloe Harris led a wonderful life, until her father died, she lost her job and her brother took over her life, keeping her a virtual prisoner. Nightmare is a kind word for what she has endured. When Leon literally tossed her out of his car and she came upon Ronan's property, she was a traumatized wreck of a person and it only got worse after Leon got her back in his clutches. His demand that she start servicing men at his strip club is the final straw. She is going to leave, but that night Ronan and his group show up and he gives her hope of escape.

Ronan will stop at nothing to protect Chloe and Leon will stop at nothing to get her back because she is the key to control over the vast fortune that was her mother's. Ronan and the Mountain Mercenaries have a lot to lose and Chloe's life to gain when they go up against Leon and with his Mob connections and the local police in his pocket.

I really enjoyed book 1 of this series, and I liked this one just as much!

Ronan Cross is former British SAS, and now he lives in Colorado Springs, working with his brothers-in-arms to help rescue women and children in peril. He lives in a fairly remote area, on purpose, so people don't typically just happen upon his property. His work with the Mountain Mercenaries sometimes requires that he lie low, and so his home suits him perfectly. But, when a woman, who obviously needs help, shows up in his yard, he's surprised. And once she's gone, he can't stop thinking about her. He knows he can help her, so he sets about finding her and letting her know he's there for whatever she needs. Well, turns out, she really is in BIG trouble, and does need help, but she's not sure she can trust him.

Chloe Harris has had a terrible 3 years. She used to be happy. She had a great job, good friends, and a place of her own. Then, her dad was killed, after already losing her mom to violence a few years earlier. Then, she lost her job. When her younger brother Leon invited her back to the family home to stay, as a favor to help her out, she took him up on it. It was the worst mistake of her life. Leon is a monster, and he's been controlling everything about her and her life, ever since. He's involved in the local mafia, and he runs a strip club that he's been forcing her to work at for the last few months. She's desperate to get away, but when Ronan offers her help, she's not sure if she should take it. She couldn't live with herself if someone else got hurt by her brother or his thugs, just for trying to help her. She's also not sure if she can trust him. She's running pretty low on that these days.

Chloe and Ro have chemistry in spades, but their situation is so precarious because of her circumstances. Ro wants her, but he wants her to feel safe and secure above anything else. Chloe wants him, but it's so hard for her to trust anyone, especially a man, after what she's been through. I loved watching their flicker of attraction turn into a flame, and I loved seeing Chloe really come into her own after being abused and browbeaten for so long.

The suspense plot was scary and exciting, and I was always holding my breath for the next thing to go wrong. The bad guys were SO BAD that you hoped for every bad thing to happen to them, and for the good guys to win. I was surprised at the amount of HATE I had for Chloe's evil, money-hungry brother, and his harpy of a girlfriend, and any author who can make me hate someone that viscerally is a great author!

The guys of Mountain Mercenaries are an awesome bunch, and I loved getting to know them better. They are each unique, funny, and exciting, and I can't wait to see each of them meet their special one. In the epilogue we get to see the start of the next story, and I'm anticipating Arrow's book so much! I highly recommend this series so far, and I look forward to what's coming next.

page turning dark romance

Susan Stoker's Defending Chloe started off dark but was a fast paced sexy romance. Chloe and Ronan are amazing together, loved the chemistry.
I received an advance reader copy via Netgalley.

5 Stars

Another heart pounding, action packed, suspenseful romance from Susan Stoker that you won’t want to put down! Chloe is a strong woman who has been betrayed by someone who should’ve always been by her side. When Ronan cannot stop thinking about her after a chance run in he has to look into whether his suspicions of her situation are correct...unfortunately they are and he has to enlist his buddies help to protect her and help her. Ro and Chloe are a couple you will absolutely fall in love with and you won’t want to put this book down until you finish every last word!

Cara - Alphas Do It Better Book Blog

Bloody hell, this author can do no wrong by me. Each story I've loved more than the last.
This book is about GREED and what people will do for money. There's kidnapping, murder and the mafia rolled into one very entertaining, action packed tale. There's love too, it's simmering away in the background. The two main characters had the sizzle factor going, love a strong heroine and a good story line. Who is Rex? I have an inkling but I see a red herring thrown into the mix here. Bring on the next book in this series, I can't wait.

OK, guys. Full confession time. I used to read every one of this author’s books. I would pre-order them and read them the second they hit my Kindle. Then life happened. A big move across the country, jobs that fell through, etc., etc, blah, blah, blah. So to say I was beyond excited to read this after getting to see Susan Stoker at Shameless BookCon in October is an understatement. (Side note: I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her twice now, and she’s just as cool and down to earth as you’d imagine! She’s also got a wicked sense of humor!) Now that life has settled down somewhat, I’ve got a LOT of catching up to do! But I digress. Back to Chloe!

This is the second book in Susan Stoker’s Mountain Mercenaries series. I started reading her books with the first book in her Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes series and loved her writing from the get-go. She’s only gotten better from there! Defending Chloe is Ronan and Chloe’s story. They met very briefly in book 1 so this book picks up not long after that. Chloe’s brother is in deep with the mob. He’s held her hostage for years without the outside world being aware. She’s been forced into a lifestyle she never wanted or intended. So Ronan and his gang come to her rescue. Despite the circumstances of her life the last few years, she’s a strong woman, and it doesn’t take her long to figure out she can trust Ronan with everything. And I do mean everything. Can Ronan and the Mountain Mercenaries save her from the danger her brother and his associates bring to their door, or will she be lost to him forever?

With fast-paced action and an explosion worthy of Bruce Willis in Die Hard (c’mon guys! It’s Christmas, so of course I had to go there...yippee ki-ya!), this book will have you turning the pages without stopping to the very end. Hot guys with guns that live in the gray area between legal and illegal, but still the ultimate good guys, get me every. Single. Time! Add in women who have been dealt the worst hands life could ever hand them but still come out fighting hard for better futures, and you’ve got yourself Susan Stoker gold! Even if you’ve never read any of her previous books but you love military/law enforcement romance, I promise this book won’t disappoint!

OH MY, Susan Stoker's Defending Chloe is the bomb...it has suspense, intrigue and love. With that combination you know it's going to be an excellent read.
The story of Ronan and Chloe is definitely not your typical boy meets girl. Ronan knew something was wrong the very first time he met Chloe Harris and until going into her brother's strip club he didn't really know how wrong.
Chloe doesn't think she will ever be able to trust again, not until this incredible man gets her to safety in the oddest of ways.
If you have read Susan's books before you know that they are excellent and this one is no exception.

Definitely on the dark side. Chloe’s father was a criminal, but it is nothing compared to how her brother turns out. He hates Chloe and is greedy. He is angry that his father expects him to prove himself and that Chloe stands to inherit a lot of money left to her by her mother. After her father’s death, she is held prisoner by her brother and forced to work in his strip club. A chance meeting with Rowan Cross leads to the help she needs from him and the other men at Mountain Mercenaries.

It is definitely worth reading. It makes you uncomfortable with the length her brother will go to in his hatred of her.

A page Turning Romantic Suspense!! This story was exciting, suspenseful, sexy and so full of love I couldn't put it down! Chloe is awesome and Ronan is the man I want defending me if I needed it, he's really sexy to. LOL!! Seriously, this book was fantastic and will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first paragraph.

This is classic Susan and I loved it. Ronan knew there was something about Chloe that made her special. That was why he couldn't get her off of his mind after their brief meeting and why he was determined to find her and make sure she was safe.

Chloe was determined to get away from her abusive brother. She had a plan, although it was taking longer than she would have liked. Just when she'd made up her mind that she had to make a move right now, things get a little crazy. Will she survive the unknown?

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING .
I volunteered to read and review an advanced readers copy of Defending Chloe . The second story in The Mountain Mercenaries series by The amazing Susan Stoker . This is another fantastic story in the series . I was intrigued and interested from the start . I read straight thru . It's very intense , has some dark elements , action packed and suspenseful oh and hot steamy sexy times . Chloe Harris is such an amazing woman with everything that she's gone through . She's strong , brave , and such a beautiful soul . Ronan Cross (RO) wow what can I say . A hero compassionate , strong , kind and caring , sexy. A true dream come true . This is such an outstanding and we'll written story . I really enjoyed reading this story . Love the Mountain Mercenaries team . I'm looking forward to reading the next book . I highly recommend taking the time to read this story . I believe you'll enjoy as much as I did

***4.5 Stars***

Can I have Ronan?

Or at least someone kindasortaexactly like him? (No accent isn’t a deal breaker, but will garner more points if there is one)

The swoons and head shakes were real with with this one, but that didn’t surprise me at all. These books, all of the authors books ~ not just this series ~ are filled with characters that I find it so easy fall in love with, even if they drive a little batshit crazy at times, but they always suck me in to the story and never want to say goodbye.

Ok. I ADORED Ronan (if that wasn’t already obvious). The man is all kinds of alpha AF and has honor branded on his soul. But what endeared him to me was how he could reign himself in, take stock of the situation as a whole and do what was best instead of what he thought was best. Chloe. This woman is a fighter. She’s had her world turned upside down and has been put through hell and yet she’s come out of it with her spirit in tact. It’s a little bruised and battered, but she still comes out swinging when everything is said and done.

Ronan and Chloe’s journey to their HEA was definitely an interesting one. Their beginnings definitely wouldn’t fall into the ‘meet cute’ arena, but it does prove that fate and karma are sometimes on your side. I loved watching the trust grow between them and how that deepened their attraction to each other in every way. The smexy was on point, their bantering was a lot of fun and I loved how everything worked out for them in the end.

This was a fun read, though it did take me a bit to get into the story in the beginning, which was more of a “it’s not you, it’s me” thing since I ended up devouring the book. I liked how everything played out and getting to know the rest of the Mercenaries a little better, though, I have to say that Allye definitely stole the show in this one. But, now to wait for Defending Morgan because after that little tease at the end, I cannot wait to see how things play out with Arrow and Morgan!

~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~

Defending Chloe is another great read from Susan Stoker. With his staunch protectiveness and her determination to get away from the situation she's been in for years, Ro and Chloe have a tough road to go. You won't want to put this down because you will want to know what happens next. This and the other books in the Mountain Mercenaries series are must reads.

Once I started this book I didn't want to put it down! I love the characters and all their flaws. Chloe has been abused by her brother, and Ro gets to be the one to get her out. From the beginning I was hooked. I enjoyed the bits of action, and of course the steamy scenes. Every one gets their just desserts, or their HEA, whichever they deserve.
Make sure to read Defending Allye first so that you can see how Ro meets Chloe. Yeah, you can read this story on it's own, but it's so much better if you read the series in order.
In usual form Ms. Stoker leaves a taste of the next story in the epilogue, and I am looking forward to the next book of this series.

You can always count on Susan Stoker for a fantastic romantic suspense novel. Defending Chloe, the second book in her new series, does not disappoint. The book is a steamy page-turner, and it has a happily ever after. If you are in the mood for a story about a bunch of overprotective, alpha sweethearts that defend their kick-ass women, this book is for you!

I love storyline of this book ,I love characters ,I love everything about this series . Susan is a badass writer and I can not wait for other parts of this series .

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Engaging!

I couldn’t put this book down. Action, twists, drama, emotion, steam and a sweet love.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

4.5⭐
Defending Chloe was a great read. That was not only extremely well paced, but it drew me in from the start and easily held my interest throughout. Thanks to a really engaging storyline that had a lovely mix of mystery and romance. Not to mention a little suspense. Plus, this series contains a great group of characters and in particular the main two Ro and Chloe. Who I just lived and I adored their relationship and the way from the very start Ro did everything in his power to support and protect Chloe as she tried to escape her brother's clutches. And that was really nice to read, and I'm certainly looking forward to reading more from this series in the future.

I would also happily recommend Defending Chloe to others.

Another insta-lovey type. Ronan was sweet and sexy. Chloe was pretty strong considering what she'd been through. Good story.