Daddy Defender
Omega Sector: Under Siege #1
By Janie Crouch
Releasing October 17th, 2017
Harlequin Intrigue
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In Daddy Defender (Omega Sector: Under Siege #1) by Janie Crouch, Ashton 'Ash' Fitzgerald knows he needs to stop lying to Summer Worrall before she discovers the truth that he's an Omega SWAT member instead of her building's handyman. However, worried she'll hate him once she learns the truth, he continues to keep up the pretence. But when Summer and her daughter becomes a target because of her association with his team, will Ash be able to keep the pair safe, or will he lose the two people that have come to mean so much to him?
What a thrilling and captivating ride Ms. Crouch takes readers on in this first book of her Omega Sector: Under Siege series that delivers plenty of action as the bad guys are determined to bring down Omega and the good guys fight to keep everyone safe, especially Summer and her daughter. The way this story started had me hooked by this couple's chemistry, even though I thought the heroine was a tad needy in the beginning with everything she expected of Ashton. However, in saying that, she did change my opinion throughout this story with her strength and courage.
As for the dialogue, I liked that it wasn't only told from the hero and heroine's point-of-view, but by the antagonist as well. Why is he determined to bring down Ashton and his team? Furthermore, the dialogue was also intense due to the action as the good guys face off against the bad guys; and because of what happens to the heroine and her daughter that has Ashton determined to do everything in his power to protect them. Will he be able to keep Summer and her daughter safe? Moreover, the heroine was strong and brave when it came to learning all Ashton is hiding from her. I also liked that she was just as protective of the hero as he was of her, which is proven by what she does to help him. While the hero, I couldn't help but sympathize with him when it came to his past and how it ties to the heroine and what she's lost. Yet, in saying that, the truth coming out was the best thing for all in helping them heal. Moreover, the hero is confident in his skills as part of the Omega team and I liked how protective he was of the heroine and her daughter, which is evident by everything he does. However, what I liked most of all about the hero is the bond he shares with the heroine's daughter. They're so adorable and I loved every moment the two were together.
Overall, Ms. Crouch has delivered a fantastic first book for this series where the chemistry between this couple was strong, the romance lightly-detailed but still showed how good these two are together; and the ending had me on the edge-of-my-seat because of what the main characters go through. Will Ashton be able to find a way to take down the enemy before anything happens to those he cares about? However, it was the last chapter that I was very intrigued by and has me looking forward to the next book of this series. What else do the bad guys have planned for Omega? Why does it seem Ashton is a man with a permanent target on his back? Will the Omega team be able to figure out the bad guys plans before it's too late? I would recommend Daddy Defender by Janie Crouch, if you enjoy romantic suspense, the mistaken identity trope, second chance romances or books by authors Nicole Helm, Addison Fox, BJ Daniels and Danica Winters.
He was a man on a mission, one that included a beautiful woman and a little girl he'd die defending…
What
a serious case of mistaken identity. Ashton Fitzgerald is no
unassuming handyman but a highly trained sharpshooter intent on
protecting Summer Worrall and her baby daughter. The Omega SWAT
member has a debt to pay and he isn't about to let Summer out of his
sights.
For
someone else has set their own sights on the lovely widow. Her
unexpected relationship with Ashton has put Summer and her child
straight into a madman's line of fire. Suddenly a mission to make
amends becomes Ashton's quest to defend this little family with his
very life.
She picked Chloe up to
put her back in the stroller. But both Chloe’s arms reached over her shoulder
and she began to yell and strain away from Summer.
“Ah-ta! Ah-ta!”
“Honey, Ashton isn’t
here. It’s time for us to go home. Maybe we’ll see him later.”
“Ah-ta! Ah-ta!” Chloe
was all but climbing over Summer’s torso.
“Chloe Marie, Ashton is
not here.” Summer spun around, knowing reasoning with an almost-two-year-old
was pointless, but willing to try. “He—”
But Chloe was right.
Ashton was here. He was walking toward the law enforcement van that had
been parked outside the grocery story to help with the crisis.
He was dressed in black
from neck to toe, holsters of some kind on both hips and wrapped around both
thighs. His vest had multiple pockets holding gun clips and other items Summer didn’t
recognize. Full tactical gear. He held some scary-looking rifle in his hands.
And blazing across the
middle of his chest was the word SWAT.
He was talking to
someone else dressed almost exactly the same, but about a foot shorter than
him. A woman, Summer realized, although her hair was pulled back in such a
tight braid it was hard to identify her as such at first glance.
“Ah-ta! Ah-ta!”
Summer stood holding her
daughter, staring at the man she thought she’d known so much about but
obviously hadn’t.
SWAT.
She saw the exact moment
Ashton heard Chloe. A smile brightened his face as he looked over at them.
Then faded as he
obviously remembered where he was and realized what just happened.
The woman next to him
clapped him on the shoulder and took his rifle, walking away. Obviously she
knew who Summer was and that Ashton had been keeping his profession a secret
from her. That maybe hurt even worse.
They stared at each
other from the yards that separated them. Chloe kept yelling for him and trying
to get down.
At least now Summer knew
what Ashton had wanted to tell her that she wouldn’t like.
Her handyman was SWAT.
USA
Today bestselling and award-winning author Janie Crouch writes what
she loves to read: romantic suspense, heavy on the romance.
Janie
recently relocated with her husband and their four teenagers to
Germany (due to her husband's job as support for the U.S. Military),
after living in Virginia for nearly 20 years. When she's not
listening to the voices in her head (and even when she is), she
enjoys traveling, long-distance running, and movies of all
kinds.
Her
favorite quote: "Life is a daring adventure or nothing." -
Helen Keller.
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How
do you come up with your character names?
Coming up with character names is one of the
most fun aspects of writing, but can sometimes be the most difficult. I love to
name a character after a friend or family member. To me, it is the ultimate
tribute. Three out of the four heroines
in the original Omega Sector books were named after three of my best friends:
Sophia, Megan and Shelby. Super exciting to give these heroines quirks and
strengths that reminded me of my besties!
But naming a character can also be difficult
sometimes. For instance, for Omega Sector Book 3: UNTRACEABLE I didn’t want to name the
heroine after anyone I knew because of the character’s particularly
traumatizing past. I found it difficult enough to write about things like that
happening to a fictional stranger. The thought of linking that past to someone
I knew was just too hard. Thus, Juliet was born, since I knew no one with that
name. Juliet developed her own grit and strength throughout the story and
became one of my favorite characters of all time.
My heroes? Honestly, I’m just looking for
strong, alpha male names: Cameron, Sawyer, Evan, Dylan, Conner. Love them
all. I have borrowed last names from
friends: Branson, Perigo, Karcz.
As for other characters, all I can say is watch
out if you’re one of my Facebook friends or someone connected to me on
Twitter. Without fail, scrolling through those sites are where I get 90% of my
supporting character and villain names.
What do you do in your spare time when you’re not
writing?
Well, I have four
teenagers so most of my spare time is spent just being mom (driving to soccer,
basketball, drama, etc). Our house is rarely ever quiet (except for when the
kids are in school), but it’s usually fun.
In 2015 we
relocated to an American Army base in Stuttgart, Germany after living in
Virginia for twenty years. That change was a huge adjustment! Trying to learn
enough German to get through basic life, plus a new currency, friends and ways
of living, took up a lot of time! But now we are settled in and love it here.
The kids attend an American DoD school (so they still get to do things like
football, cheerleading, etc.) but we’re so close to so many different countries
we travel all the time. We’ve been to over 20!
What
techniques or tools do you use to keep yourself (and your story) organized?
Writing the first draft of a novel is
basically a “choose your own adventure” story. At any given point, decisions
characters make lead them down certain paths that will create changes in the
story.
I am a plotter, so I like to know where
I’m going with a story (so I don’t accidentally write myself into a corner I
can’t get out of). To keep myself on
track and avoid writing unnecessary scenes that end up cut later, my greatest
organization tool is a large sketch pad and markers. I sketch out (in
flow-chart fashion) the story line, so I spot potential dead-ends ahead of time.
My sketch sheet sometimes ends up looking like a formula for future time
travel, but it has worked well for me thus far.
Once I’m actually writing, I use
Scrivener for my word processing. It allows me to keep all my notes, pictures,
research and actual writing in one place. It allows me to look at things in
regular or “bulletin board” view, and switch order of files easily. Definitely
worth checking out if you’re a writer.
I also use this little free online app
called Word Keeper Alpha (wordkeepalpha.com) to keep track of how much I’ve
written. I can put in the book’s due date and its required length, then Word
Keeper tells me how many words I need to write per day to meet my deadline.
Quite helpful for looking at overall progress of a project and when it comes
down to crunch time.
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