Format: E-book
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Self-Published
Series: To Serve and Protect, Book 1
Hero: John Quigley
Heroine: Suzannah Phelps
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: August 14, 2010
Started On: August 6, 2011
Finished On: August 6, 2011

Guarding Suzannah by Norah Wilson is the 1st book in her To Serve and Protect Series. Suzannah Phelps is the beautiful and brilliant criminal defense attorney nicknamed the “Ice Princess” and “She-Rex” because of her ability to shred cops in witness stands. Her success rate at the courts comes with a price that sometimes leaves a feeling of discontentment deep within her rather than one of elation. Rich, sophisticated and the daughter of a judge who comes from a long line of judges, Suzannah is being stalked by an unknown assailant that scares her more than she is willing to let on.

Detective John Quigley of the St. Cloud Police Department knows deep in his gut that the sleek and beautiful Suzannah is so way out of his league that it isn’t even funny to think about. But John being the masochist he is cannot help but be drawn towards the woman who had made him sit up and take notice of her when he had being the one who had come up with the short end of the straw when placed in the witness stand and quizzed by none other than the woman herself. Though John knows that nothing much can come out of his fascination with a woman who barely seems to notice that he even exists, that doesn’t stop him from cluing in on Suzannah’s fear of a stalker that she refuses to report to the police.

With no way of protecting her unless Suzannah reports about her stalker to the police, John does the next best thing and proposes that he take on the job, pretending to be her boyfriend for the duration to keep the vicious stalker at bay. Suzannah is not the easiest woman to offer help to and John finds himself infuriated and aroused at the same time by a woman whose stubbornness makes him want to shake her and kiss her senseless.

Though Suzannah knows she is not the passionate type, she can’t help but be drawn to explore the coil of desire that slumbers and unfurls slowly deep inside of her when John makes no secret of how much he desires her and has no qualms about showing her just how passionate she can be in the arms of the right man for her. As their desire for each other reach new heights, so does the stalker up the stakes forcing John to pull out all the stops to draw out a mad man willing to do anything to make Suzannah suffer as he has.

Guarding Suzannah is my first taste of romantic suspense by Norah Wilson who wowed me by her paranormal vampire romance The Merzetti Effect which I reviewed sometime last month. Though Guarding Suzannah doesn’t make it to the 5-star mark for me, it still managed to keep me riveted on the passion that explodes between two people whom the rest of the world may deem unsuitable because of their differences and of course intrigued me enough to keep continually guessing on who the stalker could be. The twist towards the end certainly managed to surprise me, which is ALWAYS a good thing when it comes to romantic suspense.

John is such a great hero. Tender, possessive, protective and has that sexy vibe that makes a girl’s toes curl inward. Suzannah at first comes off perfectly as her “Ice Princess” persona which starts to shed layer by layer until we are left with a woman who yearns for the love of a man like John just like every other girl. Her gutsy nature coupled with her vulnerability won me over and if that didn’t do the job for me, then what Suzannah was willing to sacrifice towards the end for her love for John definitely sealed the deal for me.

Witty banter & toe-tingling passion with just the right amount of suspense thrown into make things interesting, Guarding Suzannah is a book for those who love romantic suspense that evolves slowly, but leaves you with a good buzz all around once you are done. And one of the best things about Guarding Suzannah for me was to read a romance between two people who bring no prior baggage into the relationship which was a refreshing change from the norm.

I am definitely getting myself the rest of the books in the series, the next one being Saving Grace which I am very much interested in reading as both the hero and heroine from Saving Grace have already appeared in Guarding Suzannah, enticing me all that much more to know their story. And I’ve just got to say this, I love me an author who gives a beautiful epilogue that ties up everything towards the end and Norah, you’ve definitely done that with Guarding Suzannah which makes me one happy chick all around!

Favorite Quotes

The look he shot was incredulous in the extreme. “You have a filing system for your shoes?”
She lifted her chin, daring him to make something of it. “I can see the concept of organization is a foreign one, Detective, but there’s nothing wrong with knowing what goes where. In fact, there can be some bonuses to being a little anal about this stuff.”

Her hand came up to touch his face and he was lost. Groaning, he went for her upturned mouth, covering it hotly.
She threw herself into the kiss. There was no other way to describe it. Even as he plundered that lush, bourbon-ripe mouth, she plundered right back, giving as good as she got. And all the while, her hands slid through his hair, shaping his skull, pulling him closer.