Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a new contemporary romance from Stephanie St. Klaire. LUKE is the third book in the Brother’s Keeper series which features a tight-knit set of five brothers who work in ultra high-profile security business. LUKE is a former soldier who can’t believe himself worthy of love, while the woman he’s protecting is headstrong and lonely–and love the overwhelming sense of family she feels within Luke’s extended family business. I haven’t read either of the previous titles, but I was able to jump in with both feet on this one.

About the book:
Luke O’Reilly has seen it all, done it all, and lived through it all. When a career ending injury forces him to retire from the military, he struggles to adapt. Luke was born to be a soldier, not conform to the nine-to-five mediocrity of everyday life. He needs to protect and serve like he needs his next breath.

Angry, with a bitter taste of civilian life, he finds himself searching for purpose in dangerous operatives through the family business that is Brother’s Keeper Security. Working alongside his brothers, protecting them and those they love, gives him satisfaction. But he still wants more – needs more – and struggles to find it. That is, until the one thing he didn’t think he was searching for, lands on his doorstep. Literally.

Daisy King lives life on her own terms, just the way she likes it. A free spirit, until she finds herself in the protective clutches of Brother’s Keeper, one frustrating brother in particular. As the key witness to a high-profile murder, the stakes turn dangerous and take an unpredictable twist leaving her once simple life an existence she’ll never reclaim.

In a true tug of war between good and evil, Luke fights to overcome his past, to protect his future. Can Luke and Daisy save each other and find a happily ever after? Or, does murder and mayhem prevail, robbing Daisy of her freedom and sentencing Luke to a life alone?

My Review:
Daisy King is a free spirit and performer in the wrong place at the wrong time. She’s looking for a bathroom at a house party where she’s the entertainment and inadvertently becomes the only witness to a senator’s murder. Surveillance operatives whisk her away from Nashville to Seattle–in an attempt to keep her safe. It seems there’s a mole in the WITSEC program and their witnesses against a certain cartel’s crimes all end up dead. Separated from her ailing grandmother–Daisy’s only family–she’s unhappy that taciturn Luke is her overlord , uh protector. But, Daisy loves the sweet ladies who are attached to the Brother’s Keeper security team. And, she’s sure that Luke is attractive man.

Luke hates that he’s unfit for duty, but he’s also happy to be home with his family–if he can maintain a level of privacy. Having Daisy dropped into his quiet home is inconvenient, at first. She’s a boundless problem, however, and often tries to shake the metaphorical shackles he insists are in Daisy’s best interest. Keeping her safe is his top priority, but he didn’t expect to like her so dang much.

This is a pretty fun one, with lots of banter. I had some issues with the time frame, as we jump forward by days and weeks at times, and that wasn’t super easy to follow. Also, I felt there was often too much backstory bogging the pace. I know when there are series tales it’s easy to want to explain who everyone is and how they fit, but I really like sticking with the current protagonists and their journey, so I didn’t need to know all the history between Luke, his brothers and the rest of the gang. At times, I experienced it as telling me the story, and it didn’t work for me in that moment. There’s a bit of romance that does develop, even as Luke protests that he’s not a “forever man,” but Daisy takes a chance anyway. When it seems like she’s likely in the clear regarding pursuit it all goes sideways and it’s up to Luke to save the day, and the woman he’s come to love. Expect an unexpected happy ending where Luke and Daisy really bond, and build a space within Luke’s family that is both supportive and comforting.

Interested? You can find BROTHER’S KEEPER III: LUKE on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Kobo.

The previous books in the series are also available.
BROTHER’S KEEPER I: DECLAN on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and Kobo.

BROTHER’S KEEPER II: LIAM on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Kobo.

About the Author:
Stephanie St. Klaire debuted in 2016, launching her writing career with Rescued, the first book in the widely popular, five book series known as McKenzie Ridge. Stephanie is a Pacific Northwest native currently living in Oregon with her husband, five children, and two ferocious lap dogs.

As a writer, Stephanie brings realistic circumstances to the pages, and fills them with real emotion, reactions, and outcomes. Her characters are passionate, have bold personalities, and full of life. She writes happily ever after’s, with plenty of twists, turns, drama, and of course, steamy romance.

Stephanie has always been a story teller, with the gift of “gab”, and a life-long goal to be a writer. Unfortunate circumstances with her health, finally afforded her the time to do so. Irony at its best, she began writing her first novel at an adverse time, to escape her circumstance and explore the stories in her imagination for relief. She is happy to share those stories with her readers, and bring a little fun, entertainment, and of course smexy characters to the pages.

Catch up with Stephanie St. Klaire online to keep up with her work on her website, Facebook, twitter, Instagram, newsletter, Goodreads, Amazon or Bookbub.