Morgan’s Hunter &
Falling for Sarah
Bodyguards of L.A. County #1 & 2
Bodyguards of L.A. County #1 & 2
by Cate Beauman
Self
Published
Morgan’s Hunter
Bodyguards of L.A. County #1
by Cate Beauman
From The Book Junkie Reads . . . Morgan’s
Hunter (Bodyguards of L.A. County, #1) . . .
Morgan’s Hunter has given me good characters
in both Morgan and Hunter along with tragic issues, twists and turns here and
there, out of the way places, and I must not forget a bad guy. A bad guy with
issues of his own. There was intense adrenaline
through the building of the characters and getting to know them. There was an
emotional connection there laid in the beginning few chapters.
Morgan was not your typical socialite.
She had an opinion. She was strong, defined, intelligent, independent, worth
something. She turned Hunter’s preconceived notions of a socialite on its head
and rattled him a bit. Hunter was a
hardened man with life and the circumstances of his current career choice. He
has to come to terms with much.
I found both characters to bring
something more to the table than what their first appearances dictated. There
was ebb and flow to the suspense. An intrigue build to the romance with life
and death situations being sprinkled here and there to keep them on their toes.
In the end, I got myself a romantic suspense that would have me looking for
more from this series and the author.
This was my first read by Cate Beauman but not my last.
**This ARC was provided via Tasty Book Tours
via InstaFreebie in exchange for an honest review.**
Bodyguards Of L.A.
County series
Morgan's Hunter - The Bodyguards of L.A. County, #1
Falling For Sarah - The Bodyguards of L.A. County, #2
Falling For Sarah - The Bodyguards of L.A. County, #2
Hailey's Truth - The Bodyguards of L.A. County, #3
Forever Alexa - The Bodyguards of L.A. County, #4
Waiting for Wren - The Bodyguards of L.A. County, #5
Justice For Abby - The Bodyguards of L.A. County,#6
Saving Sophie - The Bodyguards of L.A. County, #7
Reagan's Redemption - The Bodyguards of L.A. County, #8
Answers for Julie - The Bodyguards of L.A. County, #9
Finding Lyla - The Bodyguards of L.A. County, #10
Blurb
Morgan's Hunter: The Bodyguards Of L.A. County #1 (Published Oct. 15, 2012)
Morgan's Hunter: The Bodyguards Of L.A. County #1 (Published Oct. 15, 2012)
Morgan
Taylor, D.C. socialite and wildlife biologist, leads a charmed life until
everything changes with a phone call. Her research team has been found
dead—slaughtered—in backcountry Montana.
As
the case grows cold, Morgan is determined to unravel the mystery behind her
friends’ gruesome deaths. Despite the dangers of a murderer still free, nothing
will stand in her way, not even the bodyguard her father hires, L.A.’s top
close protection agent, Hunter Phillips.
Sparks
fly from the start when no-nonsense Hunter clashes with Morgan’s strong-willed
independence. Their endless search for answers proves hopeless—until Hunter
discovers the truth.
On
the run and at the mercy of a madman, Morgan and Hunter must outsmart a killer
to save their own lives.
Buy Links:
Chapter One
September
2010
Helmand
Province, Afghanistan
Gunnery Sergeant Hunter Phillips and his men drove toward their
target: the hideout of Al-Qaeda’s number three. Satellite imagery confirmed
Abbas Muhammad Muhammad Tayi was holed up in a small village ten miles away,
but a source warned they had the wrong man. Hunter and his Force Recon unit
were about to find out. After a year of searching, tracking, hunting, they
would substantiate the evidence either way. Bringing the fucker to justice thirty
days before they departed this godforsaken land would be the perfect end to
their tour.
The caravan of two up-armored Humvees moved swiftly down the
endless, dusty road, dodging enormous blast holes created by Soviet mines years
before. They came past the blackened remains of a truck three Marines died in
yesterday. Like a mascot of death, the burned vehicle welcomed the recon unit
to “The Danger Zone.” In the last month alone, ten soldiers had lost their
lives along the eternal stretch of dirt.
Rocky terrain laden with caves and deep crevices surrounded the
Humvees. Insurgents roamed the area, ever eager to take their shot at US
forces. Although the route clearance team had driven by twenty minutes ago, ten
pairs of eyes scanned the road and dirt beyond, watchful for mounds of sand and
small rocks—telltale signs of IEDs.
“And as we drive through the valley of the shadow of death, I
would like to remind you all that God is good, men. Keep Him with you today,”
Hunter said into his radio.
Nine “Amens” answered back.
Tension hung thick and the vehicles were silent except for the hum
of motors and the constant click of Carson, Hunter’s gunner above, moving in
half circles in his mechanical seat. The unit had gone a year without a
casualty—a miracle in direct action warfare. But the law of averages told them
they were due, and they all knew it.
Somewhere during the last mile, the AC had petered out. Hunter,
sweat soaked and miserable, tugged at his collar, trying to ignore the one
hundred degree heat and baking sun boring through the windshield, zapping
energy from him and his men like a furnace straight from hell. Perspiration
trapped by camouflage fabric and bulletproof vests mixed with sand, chafing,
burning, only adding to the wretched conditions.
As the truck plowed ahead, Hunter’s shoulder blades itched and his
stomach pitched. His eyes narrowed and his focus sharpened as he searched the
rocks beyond. Something wasn’t right. His gut instinct was never wrong, and his
men didn’t question it. “Men, I’ve got the itch. Stay alert. I repeat, stay
alert.”
“Still glad you picked this route, Gunny?” Jake Johnson said from
truck two.
Despite the situation, a small smile ghosted Hunter’s mouth.
“Don’t be a pussy, Johnson.” He lurched to the right as the driver swerved around
another blast hole. “The fastest route isn’t always the safest. That’s why I’m
lead truck. I’ll keep you safe, honey.”
Jake chuckled. “Fuck you, man.”
Hunter grinned, forever scrutinizing their surroundings. “You’ll
be tucked in with your blankey before—”
The massive explosion cut him off, shaking his vehicle with its
deafening boom. “What the fuck?” He
glanced in his rearview mirror as smoke plumed from truck two. Oh God—Jake.
Bullets pinged against the armored trucks as the unit took on
fire.
“Return fire! Return fire!” Hunter instructed, peering back at
Jake’s vehicle. “Truck two, do you copy?”
Static crackled in his earpiece as his heart pounded—in his chest,
in his throat. His body revved from the swift flow of adrenaline and fear
coursing through his veins. He radioed back to camp, struggling to remain calm.
“Thunder Main, this is Patriot Zulu. We have IED detonation—one truck hit.
We’re taking fire. I need fire support now and casualty evacuation on standby!”
“Patriot Zulu, this is Thunder Main. That’s a good copy of last
transmission. Scout weapons team is inbound. ETA ninety seconds.”
With help on the way, Hunter tried Jake’s Humvee again. “Vehicle
two, do you copy?”
“Hunter, this is truck two. We’re smoking and rattled, but we’re—”
Another explosion roared, cutting them off as a rocket-propelled grenade hit
Humvee two. Metal smashed and scattered through the air as Jake’s vehicle
rolled twice.
“Shit! Shit! Fire support, what is your location, goddammit?
Carson,” he hollered to his gunman, “suppress that fire so I can move toward
those rocks.” He had to get to Jake’s truck.
Carson gave him a nod, pummeling fifty caliber rounds into the
boulders, decimating rock and anything behind them.
Hunter opened his door, crouching next to the wheel well, assessing
the unit’s dire situation. Help was still sixty seconds away, and they were
surrounded by insurgents. Truck two lay on its side four hundred yards back as
heavy black smoke plumed from the twist of metal. Hot rubber and burning
electrical equipment choked the air.
A movement in the rocks caught Hunter’s eye. He fired his weapon,
watching a man fall to the ground.
“Let’s do this,” he said to the three soldiers waiting for his
command. The men took his place at the wheel well as he ran for the boulders in
the distance. "Clarke, Tanger, I need an update on truck two. Move
forward.”
Carson continued shooting from the Humvee roof while Hunter and
Sergeant Smith laid down fire, providing cover as the soldiers ran. Halfway to
the vehicle, bullets rained down from an unknown area in the rocks above.
Clarke and Tanger stumbled, falling to the ground.
“No! Cover me, Smith.” Without a second thought, Hunter sprinted
toward his fallen men as the rhythmic thump of chopper blades echoed closer.
A Kiowa Warrior soared overhead, dropping missiles among the
crevices and caves, obliterating large chunks of mountainous terrain. The
helicopter banked right as the next aircraft flew in, repeating the same
procedure.
Fire support vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and the air
fell silent. The heavy breathing of his soldiers filled Hunter’s ear. The
firefight was over. For the moment they were clear of danger, and a weight
lifted off his shoulders, leaving him lightheaded with relief.
Sergeant Tanger groaned as a chunk of dangling metal fell from
truck two with a deafening crash, and reality rushed back like a punch to the
gut.
Hunter ran to his men, who were shot and bleeding, as Carson
continued with precautionary fire into the mountainside. “Smith, get the truck
over here!” Hunter dug into Clarke’s medical pack and applied a tourniquet to
the unconscious man’s arm. As he twisted the black fabric tight, the flow of
blood ceased.
With Clarke as stable as he could make him, Hunter crawled to
Tanger, ripping Tanger’s pant leg, exposing three bullet wounds. He glanced at
Jake’s truck, desperate to get to him. Distracting flashes of their childhood
played through his mind, and he ruthlessly squashed the memories. “Shit, man,
you’re a mess,” he said to Tanger, attempting to keep his soldier lucid and
himself calm.
“It hurts like—shit!” Tanger tensed as Hunter packed his first
wound.
Sergeant Smith backed the Humvee closer and crouched next to
Hunter, waiting for orders.
“Smith, finish this. Get them secured. I’m heading for truck two.”
With his gun to his shoulder, he peered through the sight, moving toward Jake’s
vehicle. It had only been five minutes since the attack began, but it felt as
if it had been hours. “Truck two, do you copy?” The air remained dead, and
panic rose from his depths. Everything he’d learned as a Force Recon escaped
him. All the training on procedure vanished as he thought of Jake and the other
four men. “Jake. Jake, do you copy? Can you hear me?”
“Hunter,” Jake answered, coughing.
“Oh, thank God. You scared the sh—”
“I’m hit, Hunt. I’m hit.” Jake wheezed, coughing again. “And
they’re all dead, man.”
Pain sliced his heart as he yelled into his radio once more. “We
need casualty evac, ASAP! Get them here now! I have four confirmed KIAs and
three wounded.” Hunter whirled when footsteps approached from behind. Sergeant
Smith’s face lined up in the crosshairs of his scope.
“Clarke and Tanger are secure.”
“Let’s go then,” Hunter said, running to what was left of the
vehicle. “Jake, I’m here.”
Jake gasped for air, coughing violently.
Hunter climbed to the top of the heap, burning and cutting his
hands, peering down at Jake’s battered face. Gashes riddled his cheeks,
dribbling blood. He glanced at the remains of his four other men, burying the
fisting pain deep. Jake was all that mattered now—the only one he could help.
Hunter locked his legs around mangled metal, anchoring himself. He
reached his arms through the opening, grabbing hold of Jake. “Come on, man, I’m
going to get you out of here. Evac’s on its way.”
Jake tried to sit up on the console and yelled out. “I can’t do
it. I can’t get up.”
“Yes, you can. I don’t know how long we have before they fire on
us again.”
Taking a deep breath, Jake hollered, clenching his fists as he sat
up.
Hunter hoisted him up, and Jake screamed. “I’m sorry, man. Almost
there.”
With Jake’s head and torso freed from the wreckage, Sergeant Smith
climbed up, grabbing hold of Jake’s legs, helping Hunter lay him on the ground.
“Sergeant, get me a kit,” Hunter said, assessing Jake’s injuries as
Smith ran for their truck. Blood saturated Jake’s plated vest, and sweat
covered his face as he grew pale with every heartbeat. Hunter ripped through
his friend’s armor and cloth to the wound, fighting to steady his breathing,
horrified by the injuries. He applied pressure to the gaping hole in Jake’s
abdomen as blood pooled over his fingers. Helplessness consumed him and
desperation clawed at his throat as he yelled into his radio, “We need casualty
evac now, goddammit! Do you hear me? Right now!”
Sergeant Smith hustled back with a kit, but there was nothing
among the first aid supplies that would help. The medics on their team were
dead or gravely injured, and Jake’s entire midsection was full of shrapnel.
“I’m not going to make it,” Jake gasped.
“Don’t you fucking say that!”
He coughed again, violently. “I’m not. Take care of them. Take
care of Sarah and the baby.”
Hunter pressed harder as blood oozed over his fingers, pooling in
the sand. “No, you’re going to take care of them. They’re coming.” The rhythmic
sound of chopper blades echoed off the mountains. “Listen, they’re almost
here.”
Jake’s body shook. “Promise me. Promise me, goddammit.” Tears
streamed from his brown eyes. “Tell them I love them, that I’ll always be with
them.”
“I promise, Jake.” It was too late. There was nothing the medics
could do.
White as a sheet, Jake convulsed, even as Sergeant Smith tried to
help keep him still. “Kiss Kylee for me.” His voice grew weaker. “Tell her it’s
from her daddy. I never got to…I never got to hold her. Tell her about me.”
“I will. I will.” Hunter was losing him. Life seeped from his best
friend, his brother. “I love you, Jake. I’ll take care of them.”
“I love…take care of...” Jake stopped moving, stopped breathing.
“God, no! No!” Desperately, Hunter started chest compressions.
“Don’t you leave me!”
The chopper landed in the distance, and gunfire broke out. Heat
seared through Hunter’s left shoulder.
Bullets sprayed from Sergeant Smith’s weapon. “I got him, Hunter.
I got the fucking bastard.” Smith’s brow furrowed as he crouched behind the
rocks. “Shit, you’re shot.”
Hunter sat in the sand and dust with Jake while blood dripped down
his arm.
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Falling for Sarah
Bodyguards of L.A. County #2
by Cate Beauman
From The Book Junkie Reads . . . Falling
for Sarah (Bodyguards of L.A. County, #2) . . .
Emotional tsunami that will keep you
afloat for days to come. The suspense was on point with the intricacy of it
all. Again with one of Cate Beauman’s
book in this same series I find the beginning chapters to be setting an
emotional exchange that will carry to the end of the read. I was set up for the
course of the read and found very few disappointments or misdirection’s that I
could not understand or accept.
If doing bodily harm to one of the
character’s in the book work for you, then get you slapping hand/punching fist
ready. There will be moments that you will want to inflict that harm on Ethan.
But we must understand that he was just a man and some men in general are prone
to needing harm done unto them on occasion.
Ethan and Sarah have been friends
for many, many years. They have built their friendship into something that has
crossed time, relationships with others and just life in general. Until one
night. One kiss. One moment in time. Ethan knew that Sarah was it for him. He
knew this but being a man. You know.
Sarah was not sure. She had her doubts. Then all that changes as the
stalker just decides that things have gone slow enough. It was time to up his
game.
A bonus or perk or not was getting
to glimpse into the sick mind of the serial rapist. The processes going on
behind his hunt and attack. Complexity of his thought/ramblings. His methodical
behaviors as he went from start to finish to selection again.
There was a true romance here. A
romance that has been building over the years even if neither of them suspected
that was what was occurring. The need for each other but not wanting to lose
their friendship was palpable.
Cate Beauman has most certainly
delivered to me an encompassing romantic suspense will rich flavor and depth.
**This ARC was provided via Tasty Book Tours
via InstaFreebie in exchange for an honest review.**
Blurb
Falling For Sarah: The Bodyguards of L.A. County #2 (Published Oct. 15, 2012)
Falling For Sarah: The Bodyguards of L.A. County #2 (Published Oct. 15, 2012)
Widow
Sarah Johnson struggled to pick up the pieces after her life was ripped apart.
After two years of grieving, she's found contentment in her thriving business
as photographer to Hollywood's A-list and in raising her angel-faced daughter,
Kylee... until bodyguard and long-time friend Ethan Cooke changes everything
with a searing moonlight kiss.
Sarah's
world turns upside down as she struggles with her unexpected attraction to
Ethan and the guilt of betraying her husband's memory. But when blue roses and
disturbing notes start appearing on her doorstep, she has no choice but to lean
on Ethan as he fights to save her from a stalker that won't stop until he has
what he prizes most.
Goodreads
Link
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I LOVE to
cook and bake, but there’s a catch: I’m a bit of a maniac when it comes to
good, wholesome food. Rarely does an unbalanced meal make its way to my dining
room table. I have two growing boys always eager for their dinner, but it’s not
often that I have time to slave over a hot stove or oven all day.
I love
meals loaded with all sorts of vegetables, but my kiddos don’t always share the
same enthusiasm. Luckily, I found this recipe on-line a few years ago and
adapted it to make it more my own. This ultra delicious stir-fry is a winner
with everyone in my house. There is a bit of prep-work, so we tend to save this
dish for a Saturday or Sunday meal. Plate the beef, broccoli, mushrooms, and
saucy goodness over a bed of white or brown rice, and you have quite a treat!
Beef
Broccoli Stir-fry:
3
Tablespoons of cornstarch, divided
2
Tablespoons water
2
cloves garlic, minced
1 lb.
sirloin, sliced into stir-fry-sized pieces
Olive
oil
4 cups
washed and dried broccoli florets
1 small
onion, sliced
8 oz.
package baby portabellas, sliced
1/3 cup
soy sauce
2
Tablespoons brown sugar
Fresh
ginger root, minced (approximately 1 Teaspoon)
1. Make
and set aside: Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and 1 tablespoon of the
cornstarch. Mix until well combined.
2. Combine
2 tablespoons of the cornstarch, 2 tablespoons of water, and minced garlic.
Stir until smooth. Add beef to the mixture and toss until well coated.
3. In a
skillet or wok, over medium-high heat, stir-fry beef in a small drizzle of
olive oil until beef is browned. Remove and keep warm.
4.
Stir-fry onion and mushrooms in the same pan used for the beef. Add broccoli
when mushrooms cook down and cook for 4-5 minutes longer. Return beef to pan
and add soy sauce mixture, stirring through the meat and vegetables for about
two minutes.
5.
Serve over rice and enjoy!
I hope your family enjoys
this recipe as much as my family has!
~Cate
Author Links:
Author Info
Cate makes her home in North Carolina with her
husband, two boys, and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack. Currently Cate is
working on Deceiving Bella, the eleventh novel in her popular bodyguards
series.
For information on Cate's new releases, monthly
giveaways, and upcoming events, sign up for her newsletter at: http://www.catebeauman.com/author/home.html#!newsletter-sign-up/c9td
Author Links:
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