Protecting the Single Mother by Leslie North

I received this book for free from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Former Navy SEAL Michael Rinaldi has one rule: no second chances.

So when his ex hires his security firm to keep her and her friends safe after they witness a murder, he convinces himself he’ll be fine. Single mom Nicole Zito may have been the love of his life, but he’s confident his second chance rule will keep him and his heart perfectly safe. But he can’t deny his protective instincts when Nicole shows him the threatening email she received that disturbingly included a picture of her young son, Grant.

They both agree to keep things on a professional level. But protecting Nicole means being with her, and being with her and ignoring his heart is turning out to be a lot tougher than he thought.

Even though Nicole still has feelings for Michael, she knows he’s the best man for the job. No one is more focused than he is. No one is better at shutting down his emotions. One thing she never expected, though, was how perfect it would feel to be with him again, tucked away in a quiet cabin with him and her son…almost like a real family.

It’s everything she wants, but she doesn’t know if it’s something she can have. If they ever get rid of the danger chasing her, will their fragile new bond come to an end, too? She’s falling fast for her sexy SEAL, all she has to do is convince him their love is worth a second chance…

USA Today Bestseller Leslie North invites you to indulge in a heart-pounding military romance with a hot, super-alpha Navy SEAL protecting the woman he loves at all costs...

Let me start by saying I don’t normally go for romance books – as in, if the primary genre is romance, I tend to stay away. But… I admit, coming from a military family and having military friends, I am a sucker for military/ex-military books, so I gave this one a shot. I’m so glad I did. 

Allow me to say, I finished this book in about six hours or so, taking a couple of breaks. It’s a short, easy read, but it doesn’t lack for substance. There was a perfect balance between to romance and the suspense. Both elements were necessary to keep the story moving, and Leslie North did an amazing job with this. 

I loved the characters as well. I felt a connection to Nicole and Grant. I cared what happened to them. I loved that Michael wasn’t afraid to admit to himself that he still loves Nicole. And I hope we get more info and maybe even a story about Jed… because while he’s not in the story very long, I think he needs his own story. 

If you like books involving military/ex-military and romance, with some suspense thrown in for good measure, I highly recommend you give this book a try.