Defending the Child by Sharon Dunn is a short romantic suspense novel featuring a second chance romance trope. As the title suggests, the hero and heroine find themselves in the role of protector to a young boy who witnessed a crime and is being pursued by criminals.

The story is action packed and fast paced, with moments of tenderness and sweet romance, complete with a satisfying conclusion. In short, it's a great example of the kind of heartwarming and exciting story readers of the Love Inspired Suspense line of books expect.

The narrator of the audio edition does a good job with her interpretation of the characters’ voices, and infuses appropriate emotion and urgency into her reading of the story. I enjoyed listening to the story.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance reader copy of the audio edition via NetGalley.

This is a short Christian-themed "Romantic" suspense book that follows Marielle, a foster mother to Ian. Ian witnessed the murder of his mother and that trauma has caused him to go mute. One day someone breaks into Marielle's house and she takes Ian and runs to the safest place she can think of, the bible camp up the mountain. In the snow, the attacker is not able to follow easily and she makes it to the camp and runs into her ex Graham. Graham and Marielle were in love but hadn't seen each other in a very long time, after Graham took off and left Marielle for his job, he became a DEA agent. Graham is at the camp watching after it and reflecting on a tragedy that occurred during his last job. As Marielle and Graham reconnect the attackers find the camp and start hunting down Ian leading to a weekend-long chase and, pretty much, non-stop action.

This is a fast-paced story, with lots of battles, close calls, deaths, and a poor little 3-year-old caught up in a life-or-death battle for his life. I thought that the story was engaging and I loved that it was just intense scene after intense scene. I thought the outcome for Ian, was sad, but hopeful. The only part that ticks this down a star for me is the "romance" Yes our two MCs have a long history, but they haven't seen each other in 10 years (I believe) and all of a sudden we are back to being in love. Yes, I get that love can be lifelong, but people change in a decade, especially when doing the jobs that they both do. The romance part wasn't really there for me because, well most of it is fighting for their lives. I think that the author could maybe have made this a full-length novel and then had more actual wooing and getting to know one another again but to go from no contact to love is too much like insta-love for me and that's a no-go. Other than that everything else was top tier. The action, the story, and the chemistry between all of the 3 characters were written beautifully. My heart was racing as everyone was trying to survive. The chosen narrator was wonderful and was able to pull off both POVs and all of the voices beautifully.

This was filled with intense adventure and suspense, and the audio was excellent. I really liked the second-chance romance woven in and the lengths they went to protect the boy. It was definitely predictable and a bit formulaic, but I still enjoyed it.

I listened to the audio book version of this book, and the narrator did an excellent job bringing the story to life. I really enjoyed reading this book. The author did such an amazing job with both the characters and the story line. This was a well written quick romance read that I would do again. I can't wait to read more from this author. I definitely recommend this novel to other romance readers.

Thank you Net Galley, Harlequin, and Sharon Dunn

Setting… a man, woman and a four old boy in need of protection. They are on the run hampered by a mountain blizzard, with no way to cover their tracks.

Marielle Coleman has taken on and become quite attached to her foster son. He has recently witnessed his mother’s murder. The boy, Ian, is the sole witness to the murder and can identify the killer. After escaping into a raging Montana snowstorm, Marielle and her little boy flee in her car and take refuge at now closed for the season Bible Camp. Marielle knows this camp well due to attending there during the summers. She unexpectedly finds her ex-fiancé, Graham Flynn, has also taken refuge at the camp. He is an undercover DEA agent. The camp is where the two met and fell in love. It has been ten years since Marielle and Graham have seen one another. They broke up when Graham chose his career over a life with Marielle. Now Graham and Marielle must put aside the past to save the child from dangerous pursuers. Graham’ is still hiding secrets from Marielle, ones that could tie them all to a conspiracy that could end their lives.

This action packed tale is charged with danger at every turn. Marielle nor Graham relinquish their unwavering faith, which fortifies them both as the peril escalates.

This story is relentless, almost too much. I felt the deadly cat and mouse game drug on a bit too long and so many windows were shot out.

I became annoyed when they made what I thought were bad decisions. For example they decided to NOT drive to the police station for help because this would be an obvious move and the perpetrators would be waiting to ambush them. Hey don’t go to the police, have them come to you and escort you. I guess this offered more drama.

I recommend this audio book with the perfect narrator even though I had a few issues with the story. The ending which I found heartwarming redeemed my issues with the writing,

Defending the Child starts out with the lead female character, Marielle Coleman, protecting a young child who saw his mom brutally murdered. From the moment she takes charge of him - someone is on their "tail" trying to take them out. While running with the boy, she is thrown together with the unlikely character, former ex-fiancé, Graham Flynn, who is an undercover DEA agent, who's working another case - or is it?

At every turn, Marielle, Graham and their young charge are being hunted down - can they save their young charge and risk love once again? This was a quick page turner of a read.

Sharon Dunn did a great job of holding the readers attention. This is another cozy mystery meets Hallmark style suspense type of book - a great easy read!

Brrrrrr…the perfect January read. Nothing like a stranded in a snowstorm scenario to amp up the suspense in a story! I crave this kind of read once the weather turns cold. There’s something so cozy about curling up with a ‘fighting against the elements’ page-turner while ignoring your own blizzard outside!

I was hooked right from the start. The action scenes are so vivid and intense and the plight of an innocent child adds to their desperation. Then there’s the second chance romance (eeeepp – one of my favourite tropes for a romantic suspense!) I really liked the way the author wove Marielle and Graham’s reconciliation into the intense drama of the suspense. Heightened emotions all around, including mine!

I enjoyed listening to the audio edition of ‘Defending the Child’, expertly narrated by Jessica Taige. She conveyed all the emotional nuances perfectly which made the story that much more compelling. Turned this one into a compulsive listen I finished it in a day.

My thanks to Harlequin Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

This was a fast paced, action packed romantic suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Little Ian was under the care of his social worker after his mom was killed but he is certainly not out of danger yet.

As Muriel and Graham are on the run from a killer can they keep Ian safe and will a second chance romance evolve out of it?

Marielle Coleman soon realizes that she and her foster son Ian are in danger. They barely escape when she realizes an intruder had broken into her home. Marielle grabs Ian and the only safe place she might be able to get to is a remote camp. Shockingly, Marielle runs away from one danger to another. She has run into her ex-fiancé, Graham Flynn, an undercover DEA agent.

Graham, temporarily residing at the cabin, is in a state of respite, mourning the loss and grappling with the guilt of his young informant. It has been ten years since Marielle and Graham have seen one another. They broke up when Graham chose his career after a life with Marielle.

They are not safe, and a brutal blizzard only intensifies their level of danger. The duo, while diligently protecting Ian, is in for an exhilarating yet perilous journey. This captivating tale is replete with danger at every turn. Neither Marielle nor Graham has ever relinquished their unwavering faith, which fortifies them both as the peril escalates. The captivating narration and nonstop action make this a thrilling read from beginning to end.

Many thanks to Love Inspired Suspense and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

As a mystery/thriller read with Christian themes, it did very well. It is very fast paced and that plot line kept me interested. Second chance romance is one of my favorite romantic tropes because you usually get that tension of “we used to know each other but are now strangers” that I really enjoy. This is where this book fell flat for me. The romantic ending was too much for the very brief moments where the main characters aren’t running for their lives. I needed much more conversation to warrant where we end up in the story. It is a very short book which is nice at times but I think adding a little length to better develop the emotional/romantic connection would have been a good choice.

I read this on audio and thought the narrator was a good choice. I usually prefer a male narrator if we get dual point of view (even if it isn’t written in first person) but this one worked well enough with one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. The thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Content Notes: Kisses

This is a Second Chance Romantic Suspense. I listened to the audiobook for this book, and I really enjoyed it. This is a very fast paced book with a ton of suspense with a little bit of the second chance romance in the background. I got totally pulled into this plot, and I could not put this book down. I loved all the action in this book. There were also some great heartfelt moments in this book that touched my heart. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.