The stakes are personal, hot, and dangerous in New York Times bestselling author Susan Stoker’s riveting Mountain Mercenaries novel.As tough as Everly Adams may be, the Colorado Springs SWAT officer is near a breaking point. Her fifteen-year-old half sister, Elise, has disappeared from Los Angeles without a trace, and the window to find her is closing fast. Committed to the search is Mountain … the search is Mountain Mercenary Kannon “Ball” Black. He and Everly already have a history—of rubbing each other the wrong way.
Still, Everly has to admit the man is heart-stopping. His brash alpha swagger takes her breath away. And most importantly, as a former Coast Guard first responder, Ball has what it takes to bring Elise home.
Nobody’s buying the LAPD’s “runaway” theory. And the fear that Elise is the victim of a human trafficking ring is a gut-punch that Everly and Ball can’t ignore. If only the trail were that clear cut. Because the one they’re following is more insidious and intimately dark than they could have imagined.
Now as the bond between Everly and Ball grows stronger, so does the heat. And as the stakes rise, so does the danger.
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Another fantastic “Defending…”
Whenever I start a new book from this author, I know it’s going to be a good one. Stoker always creates the perfect balance of romance and action. The characters are well-drawn and nuanced. And every story is different.
Suspenseful and very emotional read, even more so because of the deafness of main character and the unwavering support of Ball and the team going out of their way to be able to communicate with her. I often had a lump in my throat . The twists and turns just kept coming as a fabulous relationship started to build and grow between all of them, even while threat still hung there. I absolutely loved this story, it’s tense at times, scary at others and deliciously loving at the rest. I even found it inspirational. I loved how independent and resourceful the women Everly was even with her career and that some of that strength and determination had influenced her sister which overall helped her cope. Fantastic read
First off Stella Bloom did such a fantastic job on this audiobook! She has become one of my favorite female narrators. Secondly this book is just incredible! What a great story! I always like how Susan Stoker sets up the lead characters to meet and this is no exception! I love everything about Everly and Ball’s story well except the creep who kidnapped Elise that is. I was on the edge of my seat one minute, cursing the bad guys the next and then cheering for the good guys. I was always swooning because Cannon aka Ball is just everything! Great set up for the next book too. Amazing story!!
you just cant lose with this author! i’ve enjoyed everything shes written!
It seems only fitting that I leave my review of Defending Everly by Susan Stoker on Christmas Eve. For me, this was upending my stocking and finding nothing but goodness. The 5th book in the Mountain Mercenaries series is about Kannon “Ball” Black. IMO Ball has been one of the quieter characters that Ms. Stoker has written about. He’s fairly normal (well as normal as a SS alpha can be) without a lot of angst in his background. Now Everly…she’s a different bag of kittens altogether. A CSPD and member of the S.W.A.T. team, Everly is no shrinking violet. This doesn’t mean that she is not without some “issues” but she’s more than capable of taking care of her own problems. So how do these two mix?? Like Bailey’s & Hot Chocolate (I had to get another Christmas reference in here :P)! Smooth and hot with a little bit of burn…
So now that I’ve gotten the corny puns out of the way, let me give you a little more insight into this goodness…it has parts that will make you chuckle, shed a few tears, and get that all around fuzzy feeling. The story is interesting with a few sharp turns that you might not see coming. There’s visitation and fun with our circle of friends and of course, it wouldn’t be a true SS book without some foreshadowing of books to come.
Now if my shrewdly worded review of this book did not make you want to one-click you are TOTALLY missing out! Do yourself a favor…don’t worry which list you are on..just make sure to add Defending Everly to your TBR list!! Happy holidays to all and to all a GOODNIGHT!
The end…
I cannot tell you how much I love this series. Everly and Ball’s story is a fantastic addition to an amazing series. I love Everly’s strength of character. You can see it in her devotion to her deaf sister, her love of family, and the way she treats Ball. Ball and Everly’s chemistry go soul deep. I found the plot and characters amazing and I cannot wait for the next book.
This book was very well written and the characters were described well. There was a slight low during the last third of the book but then picked up again. I have not read this author before but I look forward to the next one in the series.
Great series. Enjoyed reading the different situations that the Mercenaries encountered. Read all the books in the series. If you like romantic suspense, these books would qualify. There is a romantic element, along with adventure.
Nice edition to the mountain mercenary series. As always the author puts a little twist in the story, in this case a deaf character, and she does it well, reminding the reader, through dialogue between Everly and Ball how her sisters rescue is different because she cannot hear. Gramma was great. The online predator element was scary and cautionary for parents of teenagers. My goodness. Kannon’s epiphany about his behavior toward women was well done without being an endless internal dialogue. It was “whoa I’m an ass and I gotta do better” then he did. I appreciate that, he didn’t beat a dead horse. Nor did Everly when he came to his realization. Meat has always been one of my favorite characters in this series so I’m anxious to see what Susan has in store for him….
I loved this addition to the whole series and can not wait for more. Everly is a strong character just like the other women in previous books in series.
Kane and Everly butt heads. He’s had bad experiences with women and trust issues and Everly is a tough Swat Officer. She’s hunting for her missing sister and Kane has been tasked to assist her. He’s not happy. They run into danger and discover some terrible things. HEA
This is such a good book!
It’s an emotional & suspenseful romance.
Ball, Everly & Elise, are wonderful characters.
It will draw you in, from the very beginning,
& keep you reading till
the end. I loved everything about this
Must Read Story!!
This book was excellent! It touched on current topics and kept a fast pace where I didn’t want to put the book down. This author has a great knack for being able to portray her characters as strong yet still vulnerable. Loved it!
Susan Stoker books will NEVER steer you wrong!
Alpha with faults? Check.
Sexy and funny? Check.
Kickass, badass heroine? YESSS!! And she is priceless.
When Everly’s sister goes missing, she seeks out the Mountain Mercenaries for help. Everyone is on board with Everly helping out since her sister is hearing impaired.. well.. not everyone. Kannon (Ball) does not like partnering with women. Past experiences have made him averse to working with women.
I seriously loved this book. Well, actually, anything Susan Stoker writes lures me in. Her books are so easy to connect with since her characters are people you can easily relate with. She feeds my love for military romance.
Ms. Stoker is the queen of Awesome! She writes the best books hands down.
Kannon (Ball) is former coast guard and he has certain bias and he blares out to his friends what they are and lo and behold, Everly is right behind him. He’s got egg on his face and he’s got a lot of making up to do as he’s paired with Every to help find her deaf sister that’s disappeared. Everly is kick ass in her own right, she’s a cop and a SWAT officer and she can handle anything, except her sister’s situation. I loved the connection with the sister’s rings as well as the rescue scene. Ms. Stoker’s books are always wonderful, they have real problems, real heroes, and real situations that any one of her readers can understand.
I absolutely love her books and highly, highly recommend them. She’s also evil in her Epilogues too, can’t wait for the next book.
I love the Mountain Mercenaries series and Defending Everly is no exception. Everly doesn’t need saving, but she does need a partner. Ball doesn’t want a female partner. You wouldn’t think that these two would be perfect for each other but when they have to work together to save Everly’s 15 year old sister, they are exactly what each other needs and things begin to heat up. Ms Stoker is sneaky and ends this book with a teaser so I’m already looking forward to the next book in this series!!
Kannon and Everly are an engaging couple that know how to pull the heart strings in all the right ways.. Really enjoyed reading this emotionally thrilling adventure. Highly entertaining reading.
Good story!
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Avid Reader –
M/F Thriller Romance
Triggers: Human trafficking
This is Kannon’s book and I’ve loved each and every one of the Mountain Mercenaries’ books. You should get them all! However, this could be read as a standalone book. You might miss some of the relationship nuances, but overall, this could be read as a standalone.
Everly is a strong, independent SWAT officer who knows that her younger sister didn’t just run away. Everly knows that something is wrong, and she asks the Mountain Mercenaries to help. But her first impression of Kannon is less than stellar.
Kannon “Ball” has been burned a few times by women he cared about, so when he hears that a civilian, and a female civilian at that, will be accompanying the mission, he voices his objections loudly… with her standing right behind him.
As Ball and Everly try and figure out where Elise could be and who might have taken her, they also discover things about each other that help them see past that horrible first impression. Ball realizes that he did treat the women in his life differently – his own bias shown through without him thinking it had. Everly realized that Ball was protecting himself and that she didn’t have to feel guilty about finding herself before reaching out to help her younger sister.
This is action packed and full of slow burn chemistry. I love that Everly can surprise Ball and vice versa. These two have an attraction that goes beyond the physical. It’s their minds and abilities that draw them to each other. I loved this story and loved that this was another independent, strong woman who finds her happily ever after.
Ruthie –
This is the fifth book in the series, and I would highly recommend that you read them in order, as we get to see each member of the Mountain Mercenaries team find love. In this installment, we get to see how the unfortunate first meeting between Ball and Everly can still lead to a happily ever after… Yes, Susan Stoker is that good!
Kannon aka Ball has a very poor view of women, thanks to two truly awful experiences… but really, can he let the rest of his life be blighted by them? It is fascinating watching how he finally reconciles his past with the potential of a much improved future. Everly most definitely has a significant impact on his thinking, and it would be true to say that the couples that he now spends time with have also made him think more closely about his prejudices. I thought that this worked really well through the book, even if there are times when he can’t help but engage alpha mode.
Everly is convinced her sister, Elise, has been kidnapped, and Rex offers to send Ball to help her find Elise. And cue another pretty tense scenario were the men do their thing, and this time Everly gets to show that she too can use her policing skills to find Elise. Ball has no choice but to let her, as her sister is deaf and he doesn’t have the skills to communicate with Elise. This gives Ball the chance to show that he is a good guy.
If you like your romance heavily laced with suspense and drama, then this will keep you on the edge of your seat without too much angst. And be warned that the epilogue definitely leaves you wanting more.
Reviewers received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
Having been a fan of the Mountain Mercenaries, I really looked forward to Book 5. The story-line has some basics of this author’s writing that are a favorite of mine; the intrigue; the characters honesty; and, the solutions found to end the story with a smile. This is an adult read with violence, language and sensual scenes. Kudos to the author for explaining the lives of those who are deaf and the available school to help make their lives the best it can be with communication skills. I hadn’t thought about how valuable texting on phones would be for those who can’t hear. Whereas, I enjoyed the story and the heroism and dedication to solve crimes against humanity, I was saddened over the fact I was left with a serious cliff-hanger with one of my favorite Mercenaries.