Release Day at last! It has taken a long time to get from the initial concept for this story to its release date, but I’m really excited about what I consider to be one of the best books I’ve written. Why?
Because like many of my other works originally written for regular publishers, I got my rights back to the original version of the book, back then titled All For Love. I’ve rewritten and edited the story, adding lots of details, removing some less than perfect content, and created an edge of your seat romance suspense novel that’s sure to please. Sworn to Protect is the first book in the series, while Guarding her Heart is the second one. Watch for Book Three in the series next summer.
Here’s the blurb for Guarding her Heart.
Someone wants him and his daughter dead. Her job is to see to it that he doesn’t succeed.
Former ski champion turned bodyguard Olivia Cummings has been after an assignment with more meat to it than those she’s had, but when her boss offers her just that, she’s not sure she can afford to take it. The job involves protecting a young girl and her father from an unknown assassin. Not only will it mean she has to get back up on skis for the first time in five years after a disastrous accident that claimed two lives, but she’ll also have to marry a stranger, a man who attracts her and threatens the wall she’s erected around her heart. With Christmas right around the corner and the threat imminent, what choice does she have? She can’t let another innocent person die because of her selfishness.
Andrew Robertson, AKA George Stanton, is an international bestselling political suspense author who’s been targeted by an assassin bent on killing him and everyone he loves. A bomb attached to a car killed the mother of his child and injured fifteen-year-old Sheena, his daughter. He turns to family and Anderson Security for help. He’ll do anything for the girl including changing his identity to Greg Stuart and marrying the security guard assigned to protect her to provide an ironclad cover, but will it be enough?
Thrown together at one of the most romantic times of the year, Greg and Olivia soon find themselves giving in to the attraction they feel for each other, but with a nameless, faceless killer after them, will they get their happily ever after or will Olivia fail to keep the ones she loves alive once more?
Exerpt from Guarding her Heart
“I’d do anything for my daughter, but you know that,” Joe answered slowly. “Jessie means the world to me. I’m sorry Nadia’s dead, but she was never one of my favorite people. She hardly struck me as overly maternal, which is why I couldn’t understand her refusal to give you more time with your daughter. Seeing Sheena for two weeks a year didn’t allow you much of an opportunity to build a relationship. It was cruel and self-centered of her.”
“Nadia was what she was. I’ll not speak ill of the dead.” He slipped back into his Scottish brogue. “No one can change the past. It’s the living I’ve got to protect.”
Joe nodded. “So what do you want from me?”
“I need your help. I know I’ve no right to ask you to do this, but I can’t lose my daughter—not now that I have a chance to be the dad I’ve always wanted to be.”
“You’re family, Greg, and family does what it has to do. It took me a while to learn that. Whatever you need, you’ve got. Start at the beginning and tell me everything.”
Greg stepped away, pacing the office as he chose his words.
“My daughter lost a lot six months ago, more than anyone her age should lose, but I can’t let it take everything she’s fought so hard to achieve from her. You know what a wonderful athlete she is. Before the accident, Sheena was scheduled to try out for Great Britain’s National Junior Alpine Ski Team. Since the accident, she’s convinced herself that even if it’s safe for her to try, she’ll fail. I refuse to believe that.”
Joe frowned, looked out on the concourse once more, and then stepped over to him.
“Fear of failure is a complicated matter. Maybe you’re pushing her too hard, too fast. She’s probably afraid that she’s out of shape, out of practice, and doesn’t want to look bad in front of her peers. You know what that’s like. I seem to remember you doing the same thing after you got hurt playing cricket.”
Greg shook his head. “It’s not the same. I was an average player. She’s a fantastic skier, naturally talented, one of the best her coaches have ever seen. Being on that team was her dream. I won’t let her give it up without trying. She’s lost too much already.”
“Yeah, but she’s been hurt … that may have long range implications other than her fear of failure.”
“The doctors say none of her injuries affect her ability to ski. I have faith in her. There’s an International Junior Alpine Ski Trial in Vermont that starts Boxing Day and runs for five weeks. I want to bring her here, and sign her up for the trial under an assumed name. With the new face, she can train and compete without anyone knowing she’s doing it. She’s agreed to give it a try.”
Joe frowned. “Then, I don’t understand. If she’s willing to do it, what’s the problem?”
“She’ll only go if I don’t go with her.”
He nodded. “I see the problem. You need to know she’ll be safe. I’m sure there’s room in one of our hotels in Vermont near the trial area. The staff would take good care of her and whoever you send with her.”
“Thanks, but that’s not enough. I need Mark Anderson’s help. Your brother-in-law operates one of the top personal security companies in the world. For her safety, Sheena will need a female bodyguard, one who’ll be by her side day and night, on and off the slopes, but one who’ll fit in, be unobtrusive, and not attract any undue attention. If he doesn’t have someone on staff who can ski at a competitive level, he may know another security firm that does. Understand this though. I will be there every step of the way. I won’t leave her again. I can’t. If anything were to happen…”
Joe frowned. “But you just said Sheena agreed to go only if you didn’t.”
“Aye,” he said, relapsing into Scottish, “and that’s the crux of the kinch.”
Joe pursed his lips. “I can talk to Mark for you, but I don’t see how having a bodyguard will keep her safe if you insist on being there. Sheena may have a new face, but you don’t. If you go anywhere near her, she’ll recognize you as will the paparazzi, and someone’s bound to reopen that can of worms you’ve tried so hard to seal. Your mug is too well-known to try to get around that.”
“I know. That’s where your expertise comes in—the real reason I’m here. I brought a certain bag with me from Haven. I need a makeover. I want you to turn me into one of your alter egos, give me an identity no one will question. Help me keep my daughter safe and make her happy once more.”
Greg knew the pleading in his voice had come through loud and clear. It took time, money, and proficiency to create a new identity for someone, an identity he might have to assume far longer than he expected. George Stanton, the pseudonym he used as an author, might be able to hide from the world from now on, but he, Andrew Gregory Robertson, the man and father, had to be able to come and go. Sheena needed a life, and he was the only one who could give it to her, but to do it, he needed to become someone else.
You can get your copy of Guarding the Innocent from any Amazon retailer. Watch for the paperback out in time for Christmas giving!
Living the Dream 