Ryder is a good fit for readers looking for a suspenseful romance between a protective Navy SEAL and a strong-willed woman on the run, with a focus on trust and overcoming past traumas.

Yeah, overall this wasn't a bad book, it just isn't the best I've read in this genre though.
The romance between the leads felt an awful lot like insta-love to me, and the trouble at the end was resolved way too quickly in my opinion.

The romance felt sickly sweet, but I loved both leads individually! Kick-ass female and swoon-worthy hero right there!

I love finding new authors and new material to read. So Diana Gardin is a new author and I finally was able to read Ryder. I really enjoyed reading about Ryder and all the struggles that he had to face. I love stories that have suspense, action and some romance to round everything out.

What an adrenaline rush. I didn't want to put this story down. I loved the interaction between the two main characters. Frannie is not a whimp, she is a kick ass, take no prisoner woman. I loved that she was strong, and knew how to handle herself in life. Ryder and Frannie each have emotional baggage they need to work through, but together they beat and concur them all.


The opening scene bothered me a little, but without it the reader would not know what made Frannie so strong. Frannie escaped from her husband domestically abusing her. She could not understand why her husband would beat her while she carried their child. She does escape, but her family chooses to not assist her, instead believing her abusive husband's story.

Ryder has felt guilty for not saving his little sister nine years ago. Echo was three years younger than him, and he was her protector throughout their childhood. When their mother died, their father took off, leaving the two children to struggle emotionally. Echo got involved in drugs, while Ryder enlisted in the Navy. He attempted to help her, but she refused. She did reach out to him for help in the night she overdosed. He rushed to help her, but was too late.

Ryder has been assigned to protect Frannie from her husband finding her. Her husband is the head of a major trafficking if stolen cars. He wants to control Frannie at any cost. She is needed to testify against her husband in court. Witness protection has assigned her to the agency Ryder works with to keep her safe. Love happens at first sight for Frannie and Ryder, but they have to learn to trust each other first.

I don't want to give the story away,

Ryder and Frannie with capture the reader's attention from the first page . Good tale of romance, suspense, and danger. Second book in the Delta Squad.

Ebook from netgalley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are entirely my own.

I'm a Navy SEAL and a member of the elite Night Eagle Security team, so you better believe I take every one of my missions seriously. But this one is different. I'm protecting Frannie - she's beautiful, fiercely independent, and on the run from her criminal ex-husband. I know he's dangerous, that he'll do anything to get Frannie back. But there's no way I'll ever let that happen. Trouble is, I can tell Frannie is hiding something from me. Something big. Since she barely got away from her ex alive, I understand that she's wary, but I can't help her if she doesn't let me in. And no matter how badly I want a future with her, I swore I'd never allow myself to be with someone who doesn't trust me. But when Frannie's secret comes out, I have to decide whether her betrayal is enough to make me walk away...or if I'll protect the woman I love no matter the cost.
I enjoyed the story. I liked both main characters and the story. I look forward to reading more from this author.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

I received this book as an arc from Netgalley.

I always have a hard time understanding how bodyguards are so unprofessional and most of them end up sleeping with their clients. I mean it makes for a sexy story, hot muscled guy protecting a woman, but just a little unbelievable.

It is a story of family, friendships, heart break and betrayal. The premise is real, raw and engaging; the romance is captivating and intense; the characters are energetic and colorful but I struggled with the heroine’s constant need to remain independent in spite of the struggle and ongoing threats against her life.

This was my first Gardin book, and for the most part I really enjoyed it. I'm especially fond of the setting, in Wilmington NC (my old stomping grounds). I thought the pacing was great, the story exciting, and the characters well developed ... Ryder was very compelling and easy to connect with. Frannie was harder for me, because her constant secrecy was irritating. Honestly, I skimmed much of her dialogue and angst. Otherwise, it was a great book. I give the story four stars, but Frannie two, so I'm keeping it at three stars. It's a difficult balance, I think, to write a character, particularly a woman, who has learned to overcome her past as a victim of violence and find new confidence and worth, without making her a closed-off bitter person. There are other ways to convey strength and growth.

Ryder is the second novel in Diana Gardin's Delta Squad series, but it's also the first novel I've read by her, and while I didn't think that my not reading the first book in the series detracted too much from this story, I'm guessing the main characters in it were introduced in the previous installment and I wish I'd read the first novel before reading this one. Nevertheless, I found this to be a very good read and am giving it 4 stars.

Told in alternating narration, something I love, we first meet the heroine, Francesca (Frannie) one year in the past. She's at home and goes outside to pick up a package from the mailman, a onesie for the the 3-month-old fetus she's carrying, eager to show it to her wealthy husband, Eli Ward. As Eli comes in the door, she approaches him happily, excited to show him her purchase, but he immediately accuses her of flirting with the mailman, and regardless of the fact that she's carrying his child, he nearly beats her to death, and, as we soon learn, this isn't the first time. If domestic violence is a trigger for you, consider yourself warned.

We next meet the title character and hero of this novel, Thorn Ryder, a former Navy SEAL, who is now working for Night Eagle Security, and he isn't at all happy about the assignment he's being given--"babysitting" their new client, Francesca, who has refused to go into the Witness Protection Program while the authorities are hunting for her evil, abusive, and controlling husband, Eli, who is searching for her but has gone into hiding, while making it clear that he wants his wife (his property) back. Even though Francesca moved across the country, changed her name, and tried to start over once she was well enough to travel, she is working as a nurse in local hospital to pay her bills, but sources are aware that Eli is now in the area, hence the need to hide and protect herself. She's also got a secret that she absolutely refuses to disclose to anyone, and although Thorn is immediately attracted to his new client, he needs to know as much about her as possible in order to protect her, but Frannie stonewalls him for most of the novel.

Thorn too has secrets in his past, and he's not willing to disclose them either, and because I've always been drawn to tough, broken, and brooding heroes, those who are hiding their pain behind that wall of toughness, Thorn was an easy hero to like. Since this is a romance novel, the mutual attraction between Thorn and Frannie was expected, however the heat generated by these two characters and the number of times, places and sexual positions Thorn and Frannie engage in was a bit over the top for this reader, not because of their graphic nature, but because of their frequency, which always indicates to this reader that these scenes end up becoming a way to stretch out the novel without adding much forward momentum plot-wise.

I liked Frannie's independent streak, her toughness, her taking boxing lessons, and her learning how to use a gun to protect herself, admirable. However, I also found her serious, surly and stubborn behavior toward the man charged with protecting her, utterly ridiculous, dangerous, and just plain dumb. Knowing that her crazy husband is out there looking for her, what does Frannie do? She leaves Thorn asleep in the safe house and sneaks away. She does have a valid reason for doing so, but her getaway clearly endangers not just herself but two other characters, and no, I won't spoil it by telling you who they are.

As soon as they met, I expected these two characters to bond, and bond they did, and just as I also expected, somewhere along the way, Eli was going to discover Frannie's secret and her whereabouts, attempt to abduct her, punish her, and try to take control of her again, and those elements and the suspense involved led to an exciting denouement, although, once again, Frannie's behavior, her choices, and her rejection of Thorn's attempts to protect her didn't win her any points from this reader.

As a devout reader of romantic suspense novels, I love knowing that there's an HEA ending awaiting me, and I did like the way the epilogue gave us a look into this couple's future together. All in all, I found this novel to be an enjoyable and suspenseful read, with well-drawn characters, and despite a few of the flaws I mentioned, I plan to follow this series in the future, and backtrack to the first installment of Delta Squad too.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

This is the first book by this author I have read and I must say I loved the book from the writing style down to the strong hero and heroine and their character and emotional developments. The subject touches on some sensitive subjects like domestic abuse but it is done in such a way that it is not offensive to the reader but at the same time supports the heroine’s decisions and strength.

The plot is very well developed and keeps you on the edge of your seat and totally absorbed in the book.

I will be reading the rest of the books in this series. I received a free ARC copy for my honest opinion and voluntary review.

Nothing sexier than an alpha man, suspense, and a squad of more sexy alpha men! The attraction between Ryder and Frannie is off the charts! Diana writes great romantic suspense books. Can't wait for book 3!

Ryder is a romance that grabs readers’ attention and holds them hostage with thrilling suspense. Ryder and Frannie are strong characters that easily pull readers into their story as Ryder tries to protect Frannie despite the fact that she’s holding back information that could potentially make her situation worse. There is lots of sizzling chemistry and pulse pounding heat that flows between this Ryder and Frannie as they try to fight their attraction and there is lots of emotional turmoil flowing from the pages due to the situation and Frannie’s past which adds a realistic feel to the story as it progresses ensuring that the readers stay engrossed in the story.

Anticipation and thrilling suspense builds throughout the story keeping readers on the edge of their seat while adrenaline pumping action and danger adds excitement. Surprising twists keeps readers guessing right alongside the characters and readers can practically feel the tension building in the story as it occurs for the characters. Readers that love protective alpha males, the comradery and support of a team working together and or heroines that will do what they think is best when it comes to family won’t be able to put this story down until they have read every last word.

I have to be honest... I couldn't read this. I dnf'ed it before I even reached 50%. Could not handle it.

I thought this one would tackle the serious subjects raised such and domestic abuse/violence. Instead what I got was a bodyguard having sex with his client within, what, one week of knowing her? Not very professional. And she doesn't act like a woman who has spent years taking physical and mental abuse from her husband.
And the dialogue....

The dialogue was lacking, stilted in places, and full of cheese and proclamations. I thought the dual perspective would be interesting and new, but instead you just get two times the unnecessary and awkward internal thoughts.

The beach scene, which I think is supposed to enforce the idea that Frannie is BORN to be a nurse, was unnecessary and lacking. She literally did nothing but turn him on his side and talk until the ambulance arrives. And why is she hiding things from her bodyguard???

Ryder...I'm not sure how he is actually a bodyguard. Particularly when he sits in the staff lounge while Frannie runs about the ER, which is hardly secure, and obviously bumps into trouble. If her husband is so rich and desperately wants his trophy wife back, how could he NOT track her down at her busy work place???? Honestly...

I couldn't do it. Which is unfortunate because I really wanted to like it!

A heart pounding romantic suspense that has you on the edge of your seat with all the twists and turns the author has thrown into the story. There is plenty of drama, intrigue, action and steamy passion too. The characters are well developed and very appealing. The storyline is fast-paced and engaging, keeping you reading from start to finish. I recommend this very enjoyable and gripping romantic suspense.

Great suspense. Character development was exceptionally real and ayllows the reader to feel involved in the story. Had to say I was constantly guessing at her secret but it was very well presented and love love love the hea.

Ryder is the second book in the Delta Squad series and one that pulls at the heartstrings with its raw but real portrayal of the characters. Intrigue, family, love and betrayal this one shares a piece of it all and held me engaged throughout. I will be recommending and reading many more books by this author

I absolutely loved this book. Diana does an amazing job at developing her characters. You can't go wrong with reading any of this authors books.

I received an ARC copy of this in exchange for an honest review

Ryder by Diana Gardin is a romantic suspense novel that will have you biting your nails and looking behind you because the foreboding sensation is strong as all get out!

I enjoyed Ryder for the most part, the suspense was on point. The abusive, ex husband on the lose after evading the law, attempting to get back this his wife, whom he treated more a trophy and property rather than the woman he loved.

Ryder is the second book in the Delta Squad, it can be read as a standalone, although there are clearly things hinted at that happened in the first book in the series, as well as a possibly another series that overlaps this one or this one spins off from.

The story line had me sucked in from the beginning. It was intense and jarring. I often felt like someone was watching me while reading this book and I even had creepy dreams after reading it, which tells you a lot about the story.

My issue with was the romance side of things. If felt incredibly rushed and forced at times. I did feel the sexual tension, but things move from a level of lust to love without trust and faith in each too quickly for my liking. If inst-love is your thing you will probably deal with this better.

The fact that their was a major secret being kept really hurt me because I think it was a terrible decision on this characters part and I wanted to scream. Perhaps, that was the intent of the author but gah! I was frustrated.

Over all Ryder is a great suspense read filled with steamy bedroom scenes that will turn you on.

This book was a lovely experience for me. I really enjoyed Thorn and Frannie as characters. Having been in an abusive relationship in the past, I appreciated the PTSD elements of this story, because they were so realistic. I couldn't have asked for a better conclusion either!
Crassy or Classy 🌟🌟
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