A Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestseller.All defenses are down in the fifth Ace Security novel from New York Times bestselling author Susan Stoker.Sarah Butler isn’t flattered. She’s angry and unnerved. She’s been getting intimate gifts from a man she barely knows. Nothing threatening yet, but there’s just a weird vibe she can’t ignore. Her recourse is Ace Security. Their solution: … recourse is Ace Security. Their solution: self-defense lessons at Rock Hard Gym with a personal, hands-on instructor. One look at the bearded, tattooed, green-eyed alpha is enough to take Sarah’s breath away.
Cole Johnson is definitely the man for the job. He’s eager to train her. Eager to get closer. And when it comes to Sarah’s instincts, Cole knows she’s not imagining things. He’s also not imagining the intense attraction between them—and his desire to protect her is growing. But so are Sarah’s fears, the worst of which come true when she disappears.
Enlisting the help of Ace Security, Cole will stop at nothing to find the love of his life…before she vanishes forever.
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She’s been getting intimate gifts from a man she barely knows and while there’s nothing threatening, there is a weird vibe that Sarah Butler can’t ignore. Her only recourse is the self-defense lessons at Rock Hard Gym with a personal, hands-on instructor. He is definitely the man for the job, Cole Johnson is not only eager to train her, he’s eager to get closer. He knows she’s not imagining things and he’s not imagining their intense attraction. When she disappears, Cole enlists the help of Ace Security and he will stop at nothing to find the love of his life… before she vanishes forever.
This engaging suspense has the sweetest couple that makes readers smile and sigh in delight. The characters are strong and easily draw readers into their story and their chemistry is awesome which makes readers believe that anything is possible when comes to falling in love. Sarah and Cole are made for each other and while the relationship has all the emotional angst once would expect from the situation, the romance is sweet and one readers can really enjoy.
The plot is steady paced and the suspense builds throughout, keeping readers glued to the pages. Some unexpected and surprising twists keeps readers on their toes as the story unfolds and readers begin to wonder just what this bad guy has in mind. The conclusion of this story is a bit unbelievable in how sweet the heroine is but it also speaks of her humanity and readers have no problem fitting it with her characters which makes it quite fitting for this thrilling romance.
I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads, so here is my review.
I have loved this series from the beginning and am sad to see it end with. Sarah has a stalker, a creepy, scary one and she needs to learn how to protect herself. And Cole is the man to show her how to do that. But when she goes to the gym, Cole says some things that Sarah overhears. He rushes after her to apologies and may arrangements to get her back in the gym.
They hit it off almost instantly, the connection is there, the pull between them is there, neither one has had these feelings before. Do they ignore them or continue and see what happens? Can Cole help her learn to protect herself? Will ACE Securities be able to find her stalker? Will Cole and Sarah have a future together?
I love that Cole got his HEA and that this one was a slower-paced, less trama filled story as the others. I think it was the perfect way to end the series. I hate to see it end because I will miss these alpha males and the women they love.
4 Star Review of Claiming Sarah (Ace Security #5) by Susan Stoker
When Sarah Butler starts receiving unwanted gifts and letters she goes to the police who dismiss her concerns about a stalker. So she goes to Ace Security who recommend she takes self defence lessons at the Rock Hard Gym with Cole Johnson.
I didn’t realize going into Claiming Sarah that it is the final book in the series and there were times that I was a little lost as to what had transpired in the previous books; however despite this I did enjoy this story.
As with other books I have read from Susan Stoker, this one was well written and the characters were strong. Cole is definitely an alpha, protective man who will do whatever it takes for the woman who captures his heart, Sarah.
The attraction and chemistry between Cole and Sarah is almost off the charts as Cole struggles to teach Sarah and protect her from her unwanted admirer. Will danger pull these two apart or will Cole and the team from Ace Security be able to save Sarah in time?
Claiming Sarah is a steamy story with suspense, drama and some humour which was an enjoyable read.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley
When Cole calls Sarah his angel, he isn’t kidding. She sees the best in people. She gives and gives and lets people walk all over her because that’s what ‘they’ need to do. She’s all about making people feel good. She cares about everyone… including the man who keeps leaving her presents, hoping for forever, a forever she has no intention of giving him. When she finally gets fed up of her feelings of fear, she reaches out to a security agency, which then refers her to Cole for some self-defense training and whoever’s after her will have to get through him first.
I loved the almost instant connection between Sarah and Cole. It was super sweet and then turned super hot. Yeah, I’m one of those romance readers who loves a great instalove story and this one turned into an awesome one. With a little suspense sprinkled in, a ton of insights from intriguing side characters, and plenty of heart, Claiming Sarah is an easy recommendation to make.
CLAIMING SARAH (Ace Security Book 5) by Susan Stoker is the last romantic suspense book in the Ace Security series. This story does have crossover characters from the other books, but it is easily read as a standalone and makes me want to go back and read the others.
Sarah Butler is a nursing assistant who loves her job, but she is now having difficulty with the son of an ex-patient who keeps sending her intimate notes and gifts. There have been no threats, just a weird feeling on Sarah’s part, so the police and Ace Security do not believe there is a problem and just tell her to take self-defense classes at Rock Hard Gym and let them know if she receives an overt threat. When she shows up at the gym, she overhears the co-owner trying to get the receptionist to brush her off and she walks out.
When Cole Johnson realizes he just sent the “Sarah” that Ace Security sent his way, he runs out to apologize and try to get her to come back. Cole has an instant and intense attraction to Sarah; her gentleness and innocence make her his “angel”. Sarah also cannot explain why Cole makes her feel safe, but her fears disappear when he is around. Cole believes Sarah’s instincts and gets Ace Security working on her case as they become closer. Sarah has a premonition she will disappear and no one will come looking for her or be able to find her.
Sarah’s premonition becomes reality and Cole will stop at nothing to find his “angel”.
I loved everything about Sarah. She is sweet, loving and forgiving. I agree with Cole that she is a special person who needs to be protected and I wish there were more people like her in this world. Cole is a great hero for Sarah with his alpha attitude, rough edges, tattoos but a core of love and protectiveness for her. The sex scenes are explicit and steamin’ hot. I was very satisfied with the compassionate way Ms. Stoker handled the resolution of the climax of this story, also.
This is a suspenseful romantic suspense with a lot of heart and memorable characters.
This was such a sweet story, even though it had some less than nice, situations in it. It was always pretty darn sexy at times, as Cole claims Sarah as his own! Sarah is just an all around good person. Truly and honestly, she finds the goodness in everything, even though she isn’t perfect. She is doing nothing more than living the best life she can when something happens to her. When she finally takes action, everything still seems like nothing will change. Cole gives her the confidence she needs, and the promises she deserves. While Cole may think she is too good for him, her openness and honesty tugs at him, and he can’t turn away from her until she is his, and only his, forever
Another brilliant book set in the world of the Ace Security team and for the first time it isn’t one of the brothers but rather their best friend and business partner of Felicity their half brothers wife Cole Johnson
When Sarah Butler starts receiving gifts she ignores it for a while but as the gifts become more intimate and more regular she goes to the police about it. There ism’t a great deal they can do as they have no clues who is ending the gifts to her so they send her to Ace Security they also have no real leads so they recommend that she take personnel defence lessons and send her to their friend and owner of Rock Hard Gym. Cole is instantly attracted to Sara#h but she doesn’t believe anyone as hot as him would be interested in a nobody like her but is instincts say that she is in extreme danger and as the threats escalate it will take not only him protecting her but the men of Ace Security to keep her safe and in the process maybe he will be able to win her heart
This is another roller coaster ride in this wonderful series there is always plenty of suspense and drama in any of Susan Stokers romantic suspense novels and this one is no exception
CLAIMING SARAH is the fifth (and final?) instalment in Susan Stoker’s contemporary, adult ACE SECURITY romantic suspense series. This is gym owner Cole Johnson, and nurse’s aide Sarah Butler’s storyline. CLAIMING SARAH can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalments is revealed where necessary.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Cole and Sarah) CLAIMING SARAH follows the quick building relationship between thirty year old, nurse’s aide Sarah Butler, and thirty-one year old, gym owner Cole Johnson. Sarah Butler has a stalker; a mentally handicapped man who believes Sarah is his to own but Sarah struggles with the increase in letters and gifts that are beginning to take on a threatening tone. Desperate to protect herself Sarah enrols in a self-defence class, a class that brings her up close and personal with her future. Enter Cole Johnson, the man with whom Sarah will fall in love. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Cole and Sarah, and the potential fall-out as Sarah’s stalker demands more from our story line heroine.
Cole Johnson’s attraction to Sarah is immediate and intense, and like all of Susan Stoker’s heroes Cole knows Sarah is his happily ever after. But Cole, along with the Ace Security Team believe Sarah’s stalker is a potential danger, and they begin a search to determine the extent of the threats against our heroine’s life. Sarah Butler is a bit of a Pollyanna who sees the good in everyone she meets but battles between head and heart as it pertains to the man who is currently making her life miserable. Hoping to protect the woman he loves, Cole and Sarah make plans for the future including moving our heroine closer to Cole.
The relationship between Cole and Sarah is one of immediate attraction; an instantaneous match that rapidly turns into something more. Cole wants a future with Sarah Butler, a future that is threatened by a man whose disability doesn’t allow for right and wrong. The $ex scenes are passionate and intimate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary characters including Logan and Grace (Claiming Grace #1), Blake and Alexis (Claiming Alexis), Bailey and Nathan (Claiming Bailey #3) Bailey’s ten year old brother Joel, Ryder and Felicity (Claiming Felicity #4), as well as Sarah’s stalker Owen Montrone.
CLAIMING SARAH is a fast paced story of insta-love; a sensitive tale of obsession and misunderstanding; romance and love. The premise is inviting and realistic; the romance is tender and intense; the characters are sassy, sexy and sensual. CLAIMING SARAH is a heart warming and revealing addition to Susan Stoker’s ACE SECURITY series.
An exciting read that hooked me from the start and kept me engaged until the last page. Perfect blend of sweet, sexy and suspenseful moments. Loved Sarah and how she sees the world. She and Cole complimented each other. You could feel their connection from the start. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC received NetGalley.
I am so happy Cole got his own book! I loved everything about this book from beginning to end. What a wonderful way to wrap up this series. Susan Stoker is a master at romantic suspense giving me everything I could possibly want in a story. Cole is an amazing and protective hero, not to mention sexy, and everything Sarah needs in her life whether she knew it or not. And Sarah is just perfect for him too in so many ways. I love them together! When Sarah seeks out help for self defense lessons because of a stalker she is not sure how to take at this point, she finds herself absorbed into an amazing group of men and women who want nothing but to help her feel safe and start living her life again. Cole and Sarah both fit in so well with the Ace Security family and I was happy to get more of them in this story as well.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.
After receiving letters and gifts from a man who won’t take no for an answer Sarah goes looking for help and she gets it in the form of Cole. Owner of a gym who starts by helping her with self defense but falls for her quickly and helps her in anyway possible. What I liked in this book is that while it is definitely an insta-love story it was done so well. Neither character was perfect and weren’t expected to be. Great characters, easy to read love story to kept me entertained throughout.
I would love to be more like Sarah. Sarah is a kind, warm, forgiving and generous type of woman. She sees the good in people and likes to think that things will work out. However after receiving scary notes and gifts she is beginning to fear for her safety. She makes a call that will change her life.
Cole is a man who owns a gym and while he likes to watch people better themselves however the first meeting with Sarah doesn’t go as planned and he is forced to fix it immediately. How Sarah responds to Cole interests him and he is smitten.
This book was suspenseful in a very different way. It doesn’t take long to both Sarah, Cole and us as the reader to find out who the stalker is. However, its the unknown of if/when he will strike that makes this book different. In most books, they are just a faceless, nameless person but in this book they are front and center.
The compassion that Sarah feels for the people around her is amazing. There is a section in the book that talks about how Sarah and Cole complement each other. Sarah sees the light where Cole sees more dark and because of this they are both protected.
I have really enjoyed this series. I also liked when the guys showed up from the previous books and we get a “where are they now” type of scene.
Cole was way more than I was expecting. I never really got the feel of him as a side character in the other books in the series. I ended up liking him a lot. He was protective and really went after Sarah when he realized she was it for him. I love it when a man knows what he wants and goes for it.
You can’t hate Sarah’s character. Talk about one of the nicest heroines. I really loved the message her character brought. She hasn’t exactly had the easiest life but her adoptive dad’s raised her right. Who better to know how to handle hate than gay men who adopted a little girl. They taught her to always fight with kindness. It sounds cheesy but the author showed examples of this behavior in the story and I have to say, it takes a strong character to truly live that way. I want to be more like Sarah.
I’ve really enjoyed this series. The first book in the series is what introduced me to Susan Stoker and I am happy to have found another author I truly enjoy.
I thought Claiming Sarah was okay story. I know Cole is a character from previous books, and since I haven’t read them, I don’t have an insight of his character before now, but my first impression is he’s a jacka$$, it took me abit to warm up to him. I liked Sarah, she was strong character, she’s been dealt some hard knocks but she’s still moving forward. It usually doesn’t bother me when things happen and the outcome isn’t what I expected, but in this instance there’s no way this would happens. I know, I know it’s fictional.
I received this book from Netgalley.
Sarah Butler’s first impression of Cole Johnson is less than flattering. Accidentally overhearing a conversation he’s having with someone else about Sarah, she takes off out of his gym deciding she doesn’t need his help. Realizing what happened Cole chases her down to apologize, lucky for him Sarah is kind, forgiving and gives him a second chance. After all, she really does need self defense classes since she has a stalker. Feeling like Cole is the only one who’s taking her seriously, they enlist the help of Ace Security. The bad news is, the situation is as serious as they thought.
Cole certainly didn’t waste anytime locking Sarah down, the plot moved quickly as did the characters feelings for each other, if you like insta-love, this book is for you. It’s what I like to call a Hallmark suspense, yes it had a suspense element to it, but it wasn’t overly stressful like some can be. I did feel sad for Sarah and how she felt completely alone after her dads passing. There was a small twist that I didn’t see coming but I feel like I should have, maybe I was too distracted by Cole sharing his all feelings, that would be a really nice real life trait. I have to admit I was concerned about what was going to happen to Owen. This book brought up a great point, about people falling through the cracks in the system if the guardian hasn’t planned for their future. If you haven’t read the others in the series first, you may feel a little lost in all of the other backstories, however, this book was really strictly about Cole and Sarah.
Claiming his Angel
Sarah seeks out Ace Security after she starts receiving weird gifts at home from a former patient’s son. Telling her they couldn’t do much for her, they advise her to seek out Cole to get some self defence lessons. When she arrives for her lesson, she leaves soon thereafter, after overhearing his conversation with his employee. Cole quickly realises his error and chases after her.
When Cole chases after Sarah, he has no idea that his life is about to change profoundly. When he realises that Sarah has been referred to him by Ace Security he quickly makes amends and secures himself a date He’s determined to lay claim to this woman as he gets to know her more and finds out the type of angel she is
I haven’t read any of the previous stories in this series but I’m certainly going to go back and start with Grace. Thank you to Netgalley, Susan and the publisher for my advanced copy for which I voluntarily leave my honest review
Wonderful conclusion to this series. Sarah and Cole balance each other’s personalities. Her gentle and caring personality a perfect foil to Cole, who is a good man but views things with a more pragmatic eye. As with all of Susan Stoker’s books the characters are smart and resourceful and there is plenty of action and steam making this very much a page turner. Enjoy!
Another great read from Susan Stoker, Claiming Sarah book 5 in the series was very intense.
The chemistry and instant spark between Sarah and Cole made me not want to stop reading. Sarah had a rough start in her early years but became a very loving, kind, woman when she could have been bitter with the tragedies life threw in her path. Even when she was being stalked by a patients son she found compassion and kindness for his actions. I would definitely recommend this book it is action packed and full of excitement.
I have read the previous books in the Ace Security series and I was looking forward to this final book. Claiming Sarah exceeded my expectations! Sarah has been receiving letters and gifts from the son of a former patient which make her uneasy. After the police dismissed her concerns, she contacts Ace Security and is referred to Cole Johnson for self defense training. Although Sarah and Cole get off to a bad start, Cole immediately makes things right. Both are startled by their instant chemistry. After hearing about the odd letters and gifts Sarah has been receiving, he is also concerned for her safety and gets Ace Security more deeply involved. When Sarah disappears, both Cole and the Ace Security team work frantically to find her.
I liked that although Sarah’s kidnapper is a developmentally disabled man, he was not made out to be evil. I especially liked the way that the team refocused and redirected their actions when they realized the type of disabled person who had taken Sarah. Ms. Stoker is very careful to demonstrate that Owen, the kidnapper, did not understand the significance of his actions.
Sarah was rescued and she also defused a potentially dangerous situation by helping Owen understand that the rescuers were going to take care of both her and also help him.
Another series I hate to see end, but luckily Susan Stoker has more books in the works,
I received a copy this book from NetGalley.
This is the last book in the Ace Security series and I highly recommend you read the previous books before reading this one or you may be lost on some of the characters and what happened to them. In this one we get Cole’s story-which I know a lot of us were really hoping for! Cole co-owns the gym with his best friend and Sarah has been referred there in order to learn some self defense. She believes she has a stalker but the police are not taking her seriously and she doesn’t know what to do or where to turn. Cole is attracted to Sarah and the way she see’s the world from the start. He knows that he is the man that can protect her and stand in front of her so she can continue to be the person she is meant to be. But he has to keep her safe in order for them to have their happy ending.
I was so excited when this book was announced and that Cole would get a HEA too! And I absolutely loved this one, almost as much as Alexis’s book!! Sarah is this woman who continually see’s the good in people and I loved that about her. I loved the snippets you get for her family and her father’s, as well as the fact that this was addressed in the first place! I have always loved Cole’s character in the previous book’s and he just made me love him even more in this book. The way he treat’s Sarah and the things that are happening to her just make him that much more lovable. They perfectly compliment each other. I am sad that this series has come to an end but this was the perfect way for it to end. All the character’s get their HEA and it leaves you smiling blissfully because of how their stories end up.