Protecting Alabama
Susan Stoker
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 17, 2014

Alabama didn’t have a good start to life. Emotionally and physically abused by her mama, Alabama spent her high school years in foster care. People let her down, time after time, and she’d learned to rely on only herself.

Christopher “Abe” Powers earned his nickname because he tolerated nothing less than absolute honesty from the people around him. Finding the bar scene stale and having watched his friend and teammate, Wolf, find the woman of his dreams, Abe was determined to find someone to share his life with too.

Alabama and Abe had no idea their paths would cross and their prayers would be answered, but like most things in life, nothing is ever as easy as it seems at first. Two words would change both their lives and they’d have to fight hard for their happy ever after.

**Protecting Alabama is the 2nd book in the SEAL of Protection Series. It can be read as a stand-alone, but it’s recommended you read the books in order to get maximum enjoyment out of the series.

You can purchase your copy today at the retailers listed below.

Amazon | Amazon UK | Paperback

Protecting Alabama is a story of finding love, hope, and a future. When the story begins, we are exposed to the saddness Alabama’s childhood, seeing the horrors she faced as a baby through her teens before being placed in foster care after a brutal attack from her mother. She has never known love and true kindness. Her life is so lonely yet she embraces her freedom and works hard, making a life and way for herself.  When she meets Christopher, she begins to wonder what life would be like to love and be loved by someone like him. They meet at a party and when danger strikes, she has the state of mind to save people from death and take care of those who look down on her. She saves Christopher’s life and he decides that a woman like that is worth pursuing. A romance begins to bloom between the two, but it is slow and steady. Alabama must learn to trust and open her heart and life without fear of pain and rejection. When accusations are made and hardship endures, their growing trust is shattered and the questions remains, will they be able to overcome or go their separate ways?

This was a sweet story of healing and love. Alabama is a quiet woman who has an inner strength that the world cannot see. She has endured abuse and hardships. She is a survivor of her circumstances. She works hard and is learning to embrace her life. She is a beautiful character and I loved seeing how she faces her past and demons. She is frail yet strong, something that doesn’t seem to make sense yet rings true with each word you read about her. She moves forward no matter what life throws at her. Christopher is the dominating SEAL who fights for what he wants, and he wants Alabama. He knows enough and has seen enough in his life to know that she has been through a hell like one he couldn’t relate too. If he wants her in his life, patience, kindness, and trust are the foundation to a future love. He is a man that values truth, above all else. His love, understanding, and pursuit of Alabama was kind and perfect! I loved watching him care for her in every way possible.

The connection between the hero and heroine of this story is like a slow burn of love. There is attraction. At first it is based on first impressions and physical attraction, then through observation and initial interaction, there is a mutual respect and curiosity as to what the other is like. This curiosity grows and establishes a connection that will be hard to break. As their relationship grows, they are a team, working through Alabama’s past and looking to a future together. I feel like the story paced well and allowed for the romance to grow somewhat naturally. Yet with every good book, there is a conflict that has the power to make or break a couple. When Alabama and Christopher face that conflict it is devastating. Words are spoken and trust is destroyed. It was heart breaking to watch them attempt to find their balance in a world that suddenly seemed off kilter. There is so much emotion written into this scene that it is hard to watch it unfold. You cannot help but feel the hurt, betrayal, and sadness.

This book was a quick and good read. It has a lovely romance story and an even better story of a woman’s healing and life. If you are fan of the SEAL OF PROTECTION series, of Susan, or just looking for a good romance novel, then make sure to check this story out!

“I want to kiss you sweet. Will you let me?”

Alabama simply nodded.

The hand at her cheek shifted to the back of her neck. He’d cupped her in a firm but strangely gentle grip and shifted closer to her. He’d rested his forehead against hers and just held her there for a moment.

“I’ve been wanting to do this since you opened your door to me last week. You have no idea…”

Then he brought his other hand up to her face and cupped it. She was sandwiched between the hand at the back of her neck and the one on her face. She didn’t feel trapped, she felt protected. Christopher tilted her head just so and swooped in for his kiss. For some reason Alabama had thought he’d take it slow. Everything he’d done so far had been easy and gentle, but this kiss wasn’t either of those.

It was a confident kiss, a kiss that demanded she open and let him in. And she did. Alabama didn’t hold back. Their lips met and immediately parted. She felt his tongue do an initial sweep of her mouth then retreat to tease and caress her lips before plunging back in. Alabama tried to keep up, swirling her tongue around his and at one point taking his tongue and sucking on it. She thought she’d feel awkward and uneasy, but she’d been so aroused she didn’t have time to be embarrassed or uneasy.

At that point Christopher took the hand that had been on her cheek and put it on her back and laid her down against the cushions of the couch. He kept his hand at her neck supporting her head as he eased her down. Alabama didn’t even notice…until she felt his hardness against her. He never stopped his sensual exploration of her mouth, but she could feel his strength over her. He wasn’t crushing her, in fact his body felt good pressing against hers. She could feel his length against her leg; he was hard, all over.

Alabama breathed in through her nose and pressed her head back, breaking contact with his lips. Without missing a beat Christopher had leaned down and put his mouth against her neck, nipping and sucking lightly. Her breath came out in pants and she tried to get her brain to start working again.

“Now that was a kiss,” she’d said breathlessly. She heard him chuckle against her throat before he moved up and nipped her earlobe.

“You make me lose my mind, sweet.”

One part of Alabama wanted to do nothing more than stand up and lead him to her small bed in the corner, but the other part of her was terrified. She’d trusted before and been let down. She didn’t think he’d break her trust, but she wasn’t certain yet.

She’d brought her hands down from his back where she’d been clutching at him and put them on his chest. He’d immediately reared up so he could see her face. Of course that pushed his erection harder into her thigh, making her blush. He’d laughed and kissed her lightly on the nose. He sat them both up and brought her into his side.

“Thank you Alabama, that was the best kiss I’ve ever had.”

Want to know more about the Seal of Protection series by Susan Stoker? Check out Protecting Caroline, the first book in the series, out now, and add Protecting Fiona to your TBR pile! The this book is available on December 29!

Protecting Caroline (#1) – Amazon | Amazon UK | Paperback

Protecting Fiona (#3) – Coming Dec. 29, 2014 – Amazon | Amazon UK

Susan Stoker has a heart as big as the state of Texas where she lives but this all American girl has also spent the last fourteen years living in Missouri, California, Colorado, and Indiana. She is quite the romantic and even met the love of her life on “Hotmail classified” before online dating and sites like match.com even existed!

Susan has been reading romance novels since middle school and once crossed out the names of the main characters in a book and changed them to her own and to the name of her crush. She’s been writing scenes for years, developing her unique writing style.

Susan loves writing but her true passion is adopting dogs from rescue groups and shelters. Susan and her husband have had a total of nine “rescued” dogs since 2000 including a variety of basset hounds and bloodhounds. She has recently branched out and adopted a basset/terrier mix who acts more like a terrier than a basset (i.e. digging, eating a couch and being hyper).

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You can see more of what Susan is up to by checking out her social media sites.

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