Genre:
Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense/World Mythology
Description:
“Lara Spenser is running for her life. She guards a treasured relic
from ages past that no one outside a select group is supposed to know about.
Yet, an evil one has learned of its existence and his minions are hot on Lara’s
trail. Although she has escaped to Ireland and is living under an alias, her
special sixth sense tells her the ‘Hellhounds’ are growing near. Injured in a
car wreck that killed her beloved uncle, she is desperate for someone to act as
her bodyguard.
Enter Connor O’Shea, ex-Special Forces soldier. Now the foreman for a
crew of oil and gas well firefighters, Conn is on an extended vacation after a
devastating explosion on his last job. Out of curiosity, he answers Lara’s ad
for a ‘strong chauffeur’ and takes on the job of guarding her temporarily.
Conn has his hands full, not only keeping Lara safe but also trying to
help her recover from deep physical and emotional wounds. As days and weeks
pass the two grow closer and romance blooms, but their tenuous peace is
shattered one terrifying night by Lara’s pursuers. Conn may prove his ability
to protect her, but can he help her fulfill her destiny as High Guardian of
apocalyptic secrets? Can he rescue her from the soul-deep pain that holds her
prisoner?”
Author:
“Lyn Horner is a baby boomer born in San Francisco, California, raised
in Minnesota and now residing in Texas with her husband and an ever-changing
band of cantankerous, beloved cats. Trained in the visual arts, Lyn first
worked as a fashion illustrator in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and later as an art
instructor for Art Instruction Schools… After quitting work to raise her
children, she took up writing to save her sanity. This hobby quickly morphed
into an obsession with historical research and plot building.”
Appraisal:
Lara is temporarily wheelchair bound after a suspicious car wreck that
left her scarred and her uncle dead. His death makes her the heir to an ancient
family scroll of their Druid ancestry and sacred secrets she has promised to
guard with her life.
She flees to Ireland hoping to dodge the Hellhounds who are pursuing
her. Realizing she needs a bodyguard, she hires Texan Conner O’Shea, but she is
reluctant to share too much information with him. Conner happens to have Irish
blood in his family also and has promised his mother while he is in Ireland he
will try to locate some descendants from their family line. Lara quickly begins
the search with the help of her hired housekeeper, who wasn’t too fond of
Conner in the beginning. However, Conner is a smooth operator and finds his way
into her good graces easily enough.
It was easy to imagine the Irish countryside with the author’s
descriptive prose as Conner becomes tour guide for Lara, trying to distract her
from obsessing about the Hellhounds. When Lara’s sixth sense picks up a warning
that the Hellhounds have found her cottage, Conner decides to take Lara back to
Texas with him as quickly as they can. Ms. Horner does a good job weaving the
tension and suspense of the main story arc of Lara’s mission with the ancient
Druid scroll and being pursued by the Hellhounds with Lara’s own emotional
dilemmas. She is a strong-willed woman with some emotional insecurities that
get the best of her at times. Conner has lost his heart to her and does his best
to prove his worth and devotion to Lara despite the fire and brimstone she
throws at him. He will pull all of his resources together to protect Lara and
help her fulfill her mission to locate the other guardians and defeat the
Hellhounds.
This is book one of the Romancing
the Guardians series. It ends with Conner and Lara fleeing west out of
Texas in search of a safe hiding place. It’s going to be very interesting to
see how things develop next with Dev, an ex-friend/employee of Conner’s, who
has offered to assist Lara.
FYI:
This book does contain sexual situations that may offend some.
Added for
Reprise Review: Rescuing
Lara was a nominee in the Romance category for B&P 2015 Readers' Choice
Awards. Original review ran February 15, 2015.
Format/Typo
Issues:
A small number of proofing errors.
Rating:
***** Five Stars
Reviewed
by: ?wazithinkin
Approximate
word count: 55-60,000 words
