Denise Reynolds’s tightly controlled life is thrown off kilter when she’s given custody of her young cousins. There are days she has a hard enough time getting herself out of bed, never mind two precocious kids. If that wasn’t enough, Chris Nolton comes strolling back into town as suddenly as he left it. She’d broken her own rules and given him a chance once before, only to have him ghost on her. … ghost on her. But he’s not there for her this time. No, he’s leading the FBI Task Force intent on capturing the kids’ biological father. A man who was sent to prison for manslaughter. A man who was released five years too early. A man who wants his kids back.
The past has a way of repeating itself and once again, Denise finds herself defending the innocent against the evil of world. One wrong decision, one second guess, could have devastating consequences. To protect the most important people in her life, she’ll need to trust the one man with the power to break her.
more
This is book three in the series, but the first I’ve read by this author. Even though it is book three, it can be read as a stand alone. I haven’t read the others, and even though there were a few references to events in previous books, I was able to keep up just fine.
Right from the very beginning, this book had my heart pounding, and then the tears started. Denise gets custody of her cousin’s kids in the most horrible of horrible ways. And on top of that, the kids are in danger. And then someone from her past comes back. All of this within the first few chapter! Sounds like the makings of an awesome, action packed book!
Chris and Denise both have lived a hard life. Chris is FBI, and Denise is former military. Denise suffers from a pretty serious case of PTSD. Now that Chris’s case has brought him back to town, they have to find a way to keep the kids safe.
I loved how real this story was. Even though I’m sure that there are quite a few areas that the author took liberties with (it is a work of fiction, after all), it brings to light the trials that our returning veterans are facing, without going overboard. It also highlights some of the ways they can cope with them, through service dogs, and being open to speaking with a mental health professional.
I also loved how real Denise’s character was. This story was very open about her misgivings, her faults, and her other issues. However, it was also very clear on the good parts of her character, such as her loyalty, her openness to family, and her giving nature when it comes to the kids. She was definitely a kick ass woman!
Chris was a little harder to get a handle on. His character background was less developed than Denise’s, as the story focused more on her. He was very supportive of Denise, and willing to do whatever it took to get her back. His feelings for Denise were obvious right from the beginning.
All told, this was a great, action packed story! I totally enjoyed it, and will definitely be going back to take in the other stories of the series!
I really enjoyed this book, I had read the book before so I knew before hand some of the back story of the characters in the book. Denise and Chris have a little history between themselves, with some hurt feelings tossed into the mix. The storyline was a good one, heartbreaking at times but does have a HEA at the end. I would certainly recommend this book to others.
This is book three in the series, but the first I’ve read by this author. Even though it is book three, it can be read as a stand alone. I haven’t read the others, and even though there were a few references to events in previous books, I was able to keep up just fine.
Right from the very beginning, this book had my heart pounding, and then the tears started. Denise gets custody of her cousin’s kids in the most horrible of horrible ways. And on top of that, the kids are in danger. And then someone from her past comes back. All of this within the first few chapter! Sounds like the makings of an awesome, action packed book!
Chris and Denise both have lived a hard life. Chris is FBI, and Denise is former military. Denise suffers from a pretty serious case of PTSD. Now that Chris’s case has brought him back to town, they have to find a way to keep the kids safe.
I loved how real this story was. Even though I’m sure that there are quite a few areas that the author took liberties with (it is a work of fiction, after all), it brings to light the trials that our returning veterans are facing, without going overboard. It also highlights some of the ways they can cope with them, through service dogs, and being open to speaking with a mental health professional.
I also loved how real Denise’s character was. This story was very open about her misgivings, her faults, and her other issues. However, it was also very clear on the good parts of her character, such as her loyalty, her openness to family, and her giving nature when it comes to the kids. She was definitely a kick ass woman!
Chris was a little harder to get a handle on. His character background was less developed than Denise’s, as the story focused more on her. He was very supportive of Denise, and willing to do whatever it took to get her back. His feelings for Denise were obvious right from the beginning.
All told, this was a great, action packed story! I totally enjoyed it, and will definitely be going back to take in the other stories of the series!
Oh my gosh, I really have enjoyed this series. Book 3 in the Combat Hearts Series takes place after Half-Broke Heart and is the continuation of Chris and Denise’s story.
As with the other books in the series, the characters are well developed and I connected with them immediately. I really appreciate the fact that the author shows females in active service to the country and females dealing with the after effects of war. Typically it’s all about the male soldier and I like that the gender normative is not played upon in this series. Denise is bad a**… “What can I say? I’m an ammo-sexual who likes to exercise my Second amendment rights.”
Locked Down Heart really tugged at my emotions and there were times that I had to take a breath and remember that I was reading fiction. I felt like it was my friends who were involved in the events that take place. In this story, there are 2 adorable children “K-squared” who were just a pleasant and necessary addition to this story.
I’ve rated the other books in the series as 4 and 4.5 stars. This story gets 5 stars because it touched me in a way the others didn’t.
There is a quote that I highlighted in the book “Sometimes it’s not about being happy. Sometimes it’s about being content”. I think everyone should be happy at some level and I was really glad that all of the characters in this series find their own version of happy.