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Serve and Protect #2
Two on the Run
Be careful what you wish for!
Eleanor Perkins has always longed for more excitement in her life. But the last thing she expects as she reaches her car after work one Friday evening is to find herself facing down a man with a gun. Mike Reilly is desperate, injured and on the run in an attempt to clear his name. And he needs more than Ellie's car—he needs her help.
Ellie's life is now anything but boring as she gets caught up in events beyond her control. Not exactly what she'd wished for…and definitely not the way she'd imagined meeting the man of her dreams.
Eleanor Perkins has always longed for more excitement in her life. But the last thing she expects as she reaches her car after work one Friday evening is to find herself facing down a man with a gun. Mike Reilly is desperate, injured and on the run in an attempt to clear his name. And he needs more than Ellie's car—he needs her help.
Ellie's life is now anything but boring as she gets caught up in events beyond her control. Not exactly what she'd wished for…and definitely not the way she'd imagined meeting the man of her dreams.
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 2004
23 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Watson
105 books130 followersUSA Today bestselling author Margaret Watson is a two-time RITA Finalist with thirty books in print for Harlequin and Silhouette and many other award-winning romantic suspense novels.
When not writing, Margaret practices veterinary medicine in the Chicago area.
When not writing, Margaret practices veterinary medicine in the Chicago area.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 28, 2020
This book grabbed my attention from the first page until the last. It’s non-stop action as Michael and Ellie try to evade capture and attempt to get to the FBI in order to clear his name. I think where it lost me a little bit was with Ellie. She comes across as someone with a quiet life, but there she was, suddenly jumping at the chance to help Michael. Granted, he didn’t give her a choice at first, but he later gave her plenty of times to bail out on him and she refused. While I admired her determination to stick it out, it seemed like that was out of character for her.
Michael is more concerned about Ellie and making sure she’s safe, while she’s more concerned about Michael being safe and getting his name cleared. I would say they’re a bit of an opposites attract type of couple, and I was left wondering if she was someone he would have even been interested in if they weren’t thrown together under these unusual circumstances. Despite this, I thought they balanced each other out nicely.
This is the second book in the Serve and Protect series, but it can be read as a standalone as there is no overlapping of characters or storylines from the previous book.
If you enjoy romantic suspense, I recommend giving this a read. While I didn’t completely buy into the romance, the suspense aspect was well-executed.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy provided by the author**
Michael is more concerned about Ellie and making sure she’s safe, while she’s more concerned about Michael being safe and getting his name cleared. I would say they’re a bit of an opposites attract type of couple, and I was left wondering if she was someone he would have even been interested in if they weren’t thrown together under these unusual circumstances. Despite this, I thought they balanced each other out nicely.
This is the second book in the Serve and Protect series, but it can be read as a standalone as there is no overlapping of characters or storylines from the previous book.
If you enjoy romantic suspense, I recommend giving this a read. While I didn’t completely buy into the romance, the suspense aspect was well-executed.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy provided by the author**
September 11, 2020
Two on the Run by Margaret Watson
Serve and Protect #2
Eleanor Perkins is leaving work late and expecting another boring Friday evening at home when her life changes in a second. Sure, she wanted a bit more spice and adventure and less blandness but being kidnapped was NOT what she had in mind! Who was the kidnapper? What was his agenda? How would it all play out? Ah well, read the book to see!
What I liked:
* Eleanor “Ellie” Perkins: conservative children’s librarian living a “beige” life. Intelligent, quick, and ready for a challenge. She learns, grows, realizes her value and is willing to reach out for what she wants by the end of the story.
* Michael Reilly: a man on the run with a goal and a destination in mind. Attractive, street smart, cunning, alpha male that Ellie gradually warmed up to…just as I did.
* The kidnapper-hostage story with heart that gave me warm fuzzies – really enjoyed this book
* Escaping from reality for the length of the story
* Wondering what I would have done in the same situation Eleanor found herself in
* The backstories of the two main characters
* All of it except…
What I didn’t like:
* The crooked cops and what they were willing to do to do
Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely
Thank you to the author for the copy of this book ~ This is my honest review.
5 Stars
Serve and Protect #2
Eleanor Perkins is leaving work late and expecting another boring Friday evening at home when her life changes in a second. Sure, she wanted a bit more spice and adventure and less blandness but being kidnapped was NOT what she had in mind! Who was the kidnapper? What was his agenda? How would it all play out? Ah well, read the book to see!
What I liked:
* Eleanor “Ellie” Perkins: conservative children’s librarian living a “beige” life. Intelligent, quick, and ready for a challenge. She learns, grows, realizes her value and is willing to reach out for what she wants by the end of the story.
* Michael Reilly: a man on the run with a goal and a destination in mind. Attractive, street smart, cunning, alpha male that Ellie gradually warmed up to…just as I did.
* The kidnapper-hostage story with heart that gave me warm fuzzies – really enjoyed this book
* Escaping from reality for the length of the story
* Wondering what I would have done in the same situation Eleanor found herself in
* The backstories of the two main characters
* All of it except…
What I didn’t like:
* The crooked cops and what they were willing to do to do
Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely
Thank you to the author for the copy of this book ~ This is my honest review.
5 Stars
April 24, 2020
Detective Michael Reilly is on the run…for his life. He has been set up, for murder, by crooked cops in his department. As he is fleeing, he sees Eleanor Perkins, Midland librarian. She is leaving work and he needs her and her car to escape. Ellie is not what he expected as they try to stay ahead of the crooked cops and get his evidence to the FBI. Ellie leads a dull life and after her initial fear and panic, she realizes that Michael is injured and needs help. Michael has never met a woman like Ellie and tries to maintain his emotional distance, but finds that she is beginning to become more than a hostage. I loved the characters as Michael tries to remain focused while Ellie finds ways to throw him off guard. Ms. Watson proves that love and desire can happen in the direst of situations. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation from the author. (by paytonpuppy)
May 29, 2020
Michael and Ellie are a perfect match and what a way to meet each other with Michael kidnapping her in order to use her and her car to get out of town, but nothing has gone to plan for Michael so far so why should this! I just loved Eleanor she is so sweet but boy do not annoy her and she is more level headed than Michael at times and this lets us see them start to fall for each other as well as war within themselves about what they are doing. You get laughs, action, tension (yikes the warehouse scene towards the end!) and the good guy doing what he needs to to ensure justice is served and the bad guys get locked up.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 23, 2020
Eleanor is a librarian only dreamt of a more exciting in her life with a knight in shining armour to love but when a man with a gun kidnaps her in her own car after working late she may get more than she wished for. Michael is a cop on the run and injured, he's been framed for murder by the cops he has evidence against. Being this desperate he has to clear his name and get to the FBI in Chicago but he needs a car and he needs a driver...… ELLIE. This story has you really wishing you could step in to help them, great plot, plenty of twists and characters that you will love and hate. I really enjoyed this.
December 9, 2020
3.5 stars
My first Mills & Boon book 😂😂
This is everything you would expect, and everything it says on the box.
Easy going romance with a hint of drama and a sprinkling of steam.
Positives:
Good main characters
Good plot - kept me wanting to find out what hat was going to happen and I was nervous along with the characters at the suspenseful moments
Super quick and easy read.
Downsides:
Was expecting more steam given the type of book it is
The traumas of the main characters past were touched upon but not really explored. They were very briefly skimmed over when it suited the story
Overall a good first M&B experience
My first Mills & Boon book 😂😂
This is everything you would expect, and everything it says on the box.
Easy going romance with a hint of drama and a sprinkling of steam.
Positives:
Good main characters
Good plot - kept me wanting to find out what hat was going to happen and I was nervous along with the characters at the suspenseful moments
Super quick and easy read.
Downsides:
Was expecting more steam given the type of book it is
The traumas of the main characters past were touched upon but not really explored. They were very briefly skimmed over when it suited the story
Overall a good first M&B experience
May 31, 2020
It's a cat-and-mouse-chase suspense when Michael kidnaps Eleanor, the librarian. He just didn't know how fiery she could be, how strong and how loyal. Michael is on the run from dirty cops he has evidence to convict, and they will stop at nothing to kill both of them. Can they make it to the FBI after being trapped like mice in the lair of cats?
I couldn't put this book down because I needed to know what would happen next!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I couldn't put this book down because I needed to know what would happen next!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 25, 2020
4.5 stars.
I have really enjoyed this book! I thought the characters were great and I loved their connection and banter. The story held my interest, flowed well and kept me guessing what would happen next. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I have really enjoyed this book! I thought the characters were great and I loved their connection and banter. The story held my interest, flowed well and kept me guessing what would happen next. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 27, 2020
Book two in the Serve and Protect series a well written story with a very good storyline. Eleanor Perkins gets kidnapped by Michael Reilly an injured cop who is being framed. I thought the first book was good but this one was even better. I hope there is more to come in this series. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 7, 2023
Adored the characters.
Even though the story has intrigue and angst, I found myself laughing out loud. The cop kidnapping a librarian hoping for an easy get out of town..... Meets the librarian who isn't quite so easy to control.
I was invested from page one.
Even though the story has intrigue and angst, I found myself laughing out loud. The cop kidnapping a librarian hoping for an easy get out of town..... Meets the librarian who isn't quite so easy to control.
I was invested from page one.
June 19, 2023
Really liking this series although wish there was an epilogue
July 23, 2024
Major step up from the previous entry!
And it actually feels kinda weird to say that. Why? Well, because this entry is guilty of the exact same "sin" as the first book, which was to get STRAIGHT to the point with not much development, then promptly rush its hero (Michael) and heroine (Ellie) from lust to love in a rapid-fire fashion. In fact, if I'm being honest, this second book does even WORSE in that regard since Michael and Ellie didn't know each other at first like A.J. and Mac did. Here, we've got two legit strangers who will manage to fall in love in far less time and under much more harrowing circumstances. Where was there room for romance in an abduction scenario? And in so short a time? Really?
So why was I more forgiving this time around?
Well, quite simply, this was a far more compelling story with much more likable lead characters in both Michael and Ellie. Though yes, part of me wishes to have gotten to know them a bit before they crossed paths, most of me found it rather fun being forced to learn about them under the unique context of the plot. Getting to know them in the extreme abductor/abductee circumstances was a bit more intriguing than it would have been if I had "sneak peaks" of what they were dealing with first. I liked learning things as they did, one conversation at a time. I can't say that for ALL the stories I read, but in this story's case, it very much worked to its favor to immediately throw me in.
As I said before, Michael and Ellie are VERY likable, a deciding factor for my rating this book one star higher than its predecessor. Though I can't say for sure which character I liked more, I will say that Ellie had a wee bit of an edge, mostly because I found her so extremely relatable in so many ways. So already that factor was this book's "cheat code" to get me to REALLY like it. She was just SO delightful and resilient. Then mixing that with Michael's charm and steadfast strength? It was very chef's kiss. My absolute favorite things of this book were the interactions between the two, which were well-written, fun, and highly entertaining for a dialogue fan like me.
The only reason I couldn't fully commit to granting a 5th star (though I definitely got very, VERY close), was because I found the overall wrap-up sorta weak, and even a little cringe. The inevitable declaration of love, in the very end, was so very awkward, forced, and WAY too rushed (even by rapid-fire romance standards). I certainly don't look for 100% realism in these books, but that doesn't mean I don't at least like SOME tiny bits of believability. You can't have hero and heroine, after going through what they went through and sharing all they did in their inner, narrative monologues, to suddenly be THAT comfy with going SO far beyond their mutual gushing of love into full on future talks at the EXACT same time. It was way too much a stretch to buy, and I wish the author chose to let a day or two pass to help prevent this sense of love being "compelled" out of the someone. I didn't like that.
All in all, this was definitely my favorite entry of this little trilogy. I read it so blazingly fast simply because of how interesting it was. Even now, part of me still wants to just go ahead and throw that 5th star at it for that factor alone. But alas, I'll keep it at four. I would definitely like to finish off the third and final entry, but don't feel compelled to jump into it right away. Sometime in the future, though, I'll be back. For sure.
And it actually feels kinda weird to say that. Why? Well, because this entry is guilty of the exact same "sin" as the first book, which was to get STRAIGHT to the point with not much development, then promptly rush its hero (Michael) and heroine (Ellie) from lust to love in a rapid-fire fashion. In fact, if I'm being honest, this second book does even WORSE in that regard since Michael and Ellie didn't know each other at first like A.J. and Mac did. Here, we've got two legit strangers who will manage to fall in love in far less time and under much more harrowing circumstances. Where was there room for romance in an abduction scenario? And in so short a time? Really?
So why was I more forgiving this time around?
Well, quite simply, this was a far more compelling story with much more likable lead characters in both Michael and Ellie. Though yes, part of me wishes to have gotten to know them a bit before they crossed paths, most of me found it rather fun being forced to learn about them under the unique context of the plot. Getting to know them in the extreme abductor/abductee circumstances was a bit more intriguing than it would have been if I had "sneak peaks" of what they were dealing with first. I liked learning things as they did, one conversation at a time. I can't say that for ALL the stories I read, but in this story's case, it very much worked to its favor to immediately throw me in.
As I said before, Michael and Ellie are VERY likable, a deciding factor for my rating this book one star higher than its predecessor. Though I can't say for sure which character I liked more, I will say that Ellie had a wee bit of an edge, mostly because I found her so extremely relatable in so many ways. So already that factor was this book's "cheat code" to get me to REALLY like it. She was just SO delightful and resilient. Then mixing that with Michael's charm and steadfast strength? It was very chef's kiss. My absolute favorite things of this book were the interactions between the two, which were well-written, fun, and highly entertaining for a dialogue fan like me.
The only reason I couldn't fully commit to granting a 5th star (though I definitely got very, VERY close), was because I found the overall wrap-up sorta weak, and even a little cringe. The inevitable declaration of love, in the very end, was so very awkward, forced, and WAY too rushed (even by rapid-fire romance standards). I certainly don't look for 100% realism in these books, but that doesn't mean I don't at least like SOME tiny bits of believability. You can't have hero and heroine, after going through what they went through and sharing all they did in their inner, narrative monologues, to suddenly be THAT comfy with going SO far beyond their mutual gushing of love into full on future talks at the EXACT same time. It was way too much a stretch to buy, and I wish the author chose to let a day or two pass to help prevent this sense of love being "compelled" out of the someone. I didn't like that.
All in all, this was definitely my favorite entry of this little trilogy. I read it so blazingly fast simply because of how interesting it was. Even now, part of me still wants to just go ahead and throw that 5th star at it for that factor alone. But alas, I'll keep it at four. I would definitely like to finish off the third and final entry, but don't feel compelled to jump into it right away. Sometime in the future, though, I'll be back. For sure.
March 9, 2021
Eleanor Perkins’s dull life soon takes a turn when Michael Reilly drops into it, and she’s forced to join him as they’re now running for their lives. Although they are polar opposites, when circumstances beyond their control force them together, they soon realize that it’s more than their lives that are at stake. Even though Michael knows the best thing is to let Ellie go, she’s not about to let him fight his battles alone.
Eleanor’s snarky sass strikes a chord in Michael he never knew existed. He’s always be a one and done kind of guy, and he certainly can’t afford the distraction of Eleanor’s appeal. You’d think that in the midst of trying to combat police corruption and dealing with life threatening drama there wouldn’t be a place for discovering love, but it seems the perfect tableau for these two characters.
This is a chilling tale that will grab your attention at the start and hold your interest throughout until the very end. The characters are well-drawn and engaging, and the storyline is well-developed and captivating. This is a perfect addition to this wonderful series.
Eleanor’s snarky sass strikes a chord in Michael he never knew existed. He’s always be a one and done kind of guy, and he certainly can’t afford the distraction of Eleanor’s appeal. You’d think that in the midst of trying to combat police corruption and dealing with life threatening drama there wouldn’t be a place for discovering love, but it seems the perfect tableau for these two characters.
This is a chilling tale that will grab your attention at the start and hold your interest throughout until the very end. The characters are well-drawn and engaging, and the storyline is well-developed and captivating. This is a perfect addition to this wonderful series.
September 27, 2012
Eleanor Perkins is kidnapped by a wounded, desperate Mike Reilly for her help and her car. He is a good cop with evidence of bad cops on the take. They are after him and he needs to get the proof to the FBI. As the title indicates the novel is about them and their ‘road trip’. This is a plot that I usually enjoy and much of this book was suspenseful. However, they got very chatty at the most unbelievable times and the romance aspect just was over the top, with full out sex at the most ridiculous times. The story takes place over 4 days with a lifelong commitment at the end from 2 people who had loner personalities. Not looking to read more from this author.
June 3, 2021
What can I say about this book but holy moley. This book sure takes you on a ride and a half. Eleanor is a librarian and rather mousy. Hair always in a bun, staid clothes, never does anything wrong. One night after leaving work, she is kidnapped along with her car. The napper is in serious trouble and wants her to do as he says and drive. Turns out this gorgeous man is Michael, and he has a serious story to tell. The pair of them get the feels for each other, and it all gets very steamy. But they cannot be together, or so Michael says. Fantastic story and very highly recommended. This author can do no wrong.
July 11, 2020
This is my first time reading something by Ms. Watson and it was a really great read. This is the second book in her Serve and Protect series. After reading this one, I really want to go back and read the first book! This book had me hooked right from the start. There was so much suspense and drama I couldn't stop reading, anxious to find out what happens next. The romance and suspense were on point, with the perfect balance of each. The characters were amazing and had such great chemistry. I definitely recommend this book and am looking forward to reading the next one in this great series!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 22, 2021
ACTION!
This novel is packed with adventure and action. Eleanor "Ellie" is a librarian in Midland, Illinois. When she is car jacked by a man named Michael, her life changes drastically and dramatically. Who is Michael and what does he want with the librarian? Read this novel to find out what happens to Michael and Ellie.
This novel is packed with adventure and action. Eleanor "Ellie" is a librarian in Midland, Illinois. When she is car jacked by a man named Michael, her life changes drastically and dramatically. Who is Michael and what does he want with the librarian? Read this novel to find out what happens to Michael and Ellie.
September 2, 2008
Two on the Run: Count on a Cop (Harlequin Superromance No. 1205) by Margaret Watson (2004)
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews