This was an excellent story. The hero was a very strong alpha male who sizzled the pages. The heroine herself was just as strong in dealing throughout her nightmare. This story has a wonderful plot which engages the readers interest to continue to turn pages. For me that was a plus, along with the fact that previous heroes from the other books in the series were present along with their heroines. The truly keeps the reader interested in the series.

The only negative I found was in two places. The first being towards the end where we do not witness her father's reaction to the outcome. Which in my opinion should be in the book because it was such a big part of what occurred to Morgan. The second is in the epilogue. There are two full paragraphs that are repeated almost back to back. They are verbatim. This needs to be fixed before publication.

I look forward to the other stories in this series because so far this author has a hit on her hand with the series.

This was an enjoyable read. As with other books in the series / by this author, you know going in that its HEA. While formulaic throughout, I had no issue finishing the books and will continue to read this author.

Susan Stoker is a new author to me, and one I will definitely be reading again. Book 3 in this Mountain Mercenaries series can definitely be read as a standalone. Action packed from the first chapter, we see former Navy SEAL Archer ‘Arrow’ Kane up against kidnappers and lowlifes as he tries to protect Morgan Byrd whilst finding the best way to get her back to the United States from the Dominican Republic. If they manage to escape her captors they will have to try and work out who could be responsible for taking Morgan in the first place. Great writing, told in dual POV, a story full of suspense, a modern day whodunnit that keeps you guessing throughout. I loved all the characters, those Mountain Mercenaries really are a great example of sexy, alpha and compassionate. Morgan is practical and sweet with a hard exterior that Arrow slowly starts to break through, he is so patient. Morgan’s parents really are selfish and I was impressed with how the group didn’t let them take over Morgan’s life. With parents like hers it really is a miracle that she’s turned out to be so level headed. Highly enjoyable action romance that deals with some emotional issues. I look forward to reading more from Susan Stoker. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

DEFENDING MORGAN by Susan Stokes is an intense story with a happy ending. Morgan is a brave and believable character. Arrow and his team to in to rescue a little girl. They find Morgan also being held captive. The rescue is dangerous and stressful. Once back in the States the team tackles the question of who had Morgan kidnapped and held for the past year. Everyone's a suspect!

Another great book in this series! Ms. Stoker is a master at character development and intriguing plots, and this book is no different. The story of Morgan and Arrow kept me turning pages as fast as I could to find out who was behind Morgan's kidnapping. In true fashion of Ms. Stoker, who is not afraid to take her characters to realistic, dark places, this one is frightening.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley, Montlake Romance, and the author for providing an ARC for review.

Morgan went through so much during her kidnapping. The thought that it's not over once she's rescued would have broken anyone. As long as she knew that Arrow was going to be there, she was strong enough to endure.
Defending Morgan, is a great addition to this series. I always enjoy Stoker's books.

Another excellent book by Susan Stoker! Defending Morgan is book 3 in the Mountain Mercenaries series and I am enjoying this one the best so far. Even though this is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone.

I am not sure if I am going to be able to express how much in awe I am of Morgan! She was kidnapped a year ago and to imagine the torture she endured is really indescribable. I am glad to say those moments were not detailed but with the snippets we were given, we can understand. Despite her ordeal, she is a fighter and protector. The way she protected Nina was awe-inspiring! And after she was rescued, how she held it together showed such strength, emotionally and physically. And Arrow was just plain awesome. I just loved how he was with Morgan, he was immediately drawn to her and her resilience. And as the days go by his feelings for her kept growing. He just understood her and knew exactly how to approach her.

Then we get to the part where we find out truth of why and by whom she was kidnapped. Talk about a doozy of a tale!! I was on pins and needles throughout the story. Even though I had an inkling of who it was, I was still shocked!

I loved everything about this book and can not wait for the next story.

Thank you Netgalley and Montlake Publishing for the complimentary copy of Defending Morgan. All opinions are my own.

I loved this one. Its easily in my top five by this author. The journey the characters take together to work through sexual assault as a couple was emotional and memorable. I loved Arrow and Morgan and they will stick with me for a long while. This is a great series and I'm looking forward to the next book.

Another winner! I loved this book! The author is a master at creating characters that are both strong and vulnerable, while trapped in an impossible situation. When Morgan is kidnapped and spirited away to another country, she has no idea why, but assumes it is random. When rescuing a young child, Mountain Mercenaries stumbles across Morgan and rescues her too. In the course of her rescue, Archer is almost immediately entranced by Morgan, however, he is committed to rescuing her and keeping her safe, but this is a bit more complicated than anticipated.

Archer is swoon worthy and the perfect hero, slightly flawed, but devoted to protecting women and children at any cost. I loved his relationship with Morgan and how gentle he was with her while helping her heal. When she continues to be at risk, Archer and his fellow Mountain Mercenaries jump into action to determine where the threat is coming from.

This is a fast paced romantic suspense that fans of the genre will love. This one is a must read and should be at the top of your TBR list. While part of a series, this is a stand alone novel, however, the series is so good that you really owe it to yourself to read them all. The author is on my must read authors' list.

Morgan has to be one of the strongest and most resilient individuals I have read about in awhile. This woman has been through hell but she is still fighting and will keep on fighting. While it doesn't hurt to have a big strong Navy Seal by your side, this woman is is going to do it her own way and I have nothing but complete admiration for her.

To read about this woman who has been hurt and abused, willing to stand up and protect the little girl made me instantly respect her. I wasn't the only one. Arrow liked this side of her also.

Arrow is all man. He is a hardened Seal, he has seen things and done things that would make most of us squirm, however when he is dealing with Morgan, he is gentle. He is trained on reading people and this skill comes in very handy while getting Morgan out of danger, dealing with a press conference, of dealing with his friends and their questions.

Morgan is someone who is going to talk to therapists and work through everything with Arrow by her side because this woman isn't willing to quit and let the bad guys win.

DEFENDING MORGAN by Susan Stoker. To say I loved this book is a bit of an understatement. Morgan and Arrow are one of the best couples I've read about - they just clicked. Arrow rescues Morgan and helps her get back on her feet. Morgan struggles to return to her normal, all the while danger lurks. I liked Morgan, despite being traumatized, she is still strong yet recognizes when she might need some help. Arrow is strong and sexy and so patient and understanding when it comes to Morgan that my heart melted. As for the story. it is one of adventure, danger and mystery - my cup of tea. Ms. Stoker keeps the reader on their toes while trying to figure out who the bad guy is. If you haven't had a chance to read any books from this series, Mountain Mercenaries, I highly recommend, not just this one, but all in the series. (Note - can be read as a standalone) (received ARC for honest review)

This series just keeps getting better and better, which is no small feat since I've enjoyed every story so far!! Even though this is Book 3 in the Mountain Mercenaries series, I think it would stand just fine on its own. While the past characters do continue to appear throughout, not knowing their backstories shouldn't cause issues with this book. Although they are really are good!!

This story starts off with a bang with Arrow on a mission to locate a young girl taken by her father only to stumble upon Morgan who was kidnapped a year ago. He certainly can't leave her behind but rescuing her certainly does present some challenges. Rescuing Morgan is only the beginning. Arrow has to help her overcome everything she has been through and keep her safe while they track down the bad guys.

Jam-packed right from the start, this story drew me in and I struggled to put it down. Sleep is overrated anyway...right?

I read the other books in this series last year and really enjoyed them, so I was looking forward to this book releasing! I then received an email from the publisher with the chance to read an ARC of this book! I instantly got an ARC and then made it my next read! After reading this book, I have to say that I loved it! It started right in the middle of the action and then the plot just go better and better as it progressed! I also loved the direction that the author took the plot in and there were a few twist and turns to keep things interesting! The plot also only took me a few sittings to read because I had a hard time putting it down and I found myself reading a few more chapters every chance I had lol! There were also a few very cute, sexy scenes between the two main characters in the plot too! The characters were also amazing and made this book even better! Morgan was the main female character, and in this book she had just been through a horrible and degrading year-long kidnapping! This book was all about her coping just after being rescued from her kidnapping! My heart went out to Morgan in this book because of what she had been though, but she was also a very strong character and she kept her head up and kept going! This made me have a lot of respect for her! Morgan also came a long way in this book and she grew a lot! Archer “Arrow” was the main male character and love intertest of Morgan! I loved Arrow a lot in this book! He was seriously hot and was such a good guy who had a heart of gold! He also worked quite a dangerous job, but he had his reasons! Arrow was also very protective of Morgan right from the first chapter of this book and he became even more protective of her as the plot progressed! It was easy to see how much cared Arrow cared about Morgan too and these feelings progressed very quickly to love! I loved that this book was mainly written from both Morgan and Arrow's point of views! I was expecting it to be because the other books in this series have been written from dual point of view, so I'm really happy that this book was too! It helped me connect and understand Morgan and Arrow more and it allowed for a few more things to happen in the plot, even though the characters spent the vast majority of the plot together! This book was also written in third person, which I normally don't like, but I'm enjoying this series being written this way! I have to be honest and say that I thought that this book was the final book in this series, even though not all the guys had had their story told, because I couldn't find anymore books on Goodreads! I then discovered on Amazon that there's going to be a fourth book! I can't wait to read the next book and I know that it releases in June, but that's not too long of a wait lol! I also love the cover for this book a lot and it's seriously hot! It matches the other covers in the series perfectly too and it would definitely draw me to the book if the author's name hadn't! Big thank you to Susan, Montlake Romance, and Netgalley for an ARC of Defending Morgan!