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Big Sky Secrets #5
Duty to Protect
After nearly a lifetime in witness protection, Emma Graves depends on the anonymity of her false identity. But when her parents die under suspicious circumstances, and Emma is framed for murder, all security is gone. There's nothing to do but run.
Cop-turned-rancher Jake Kincaid is an unlikely defender. Why would an ex-cop believe an accused killer? Still, Jake makes Emma feel safe. With his drive to protect, she knows staying on his ranch endangers them both—yet now that her heart's engaged, she's not sure she can walk away.
Cop-turned-rancher Jake Kincaid is an unlikely defender. Why would an ex-cop believe an accused killer? Still, Jake makes Emma feel safe. With his drive to protect, she knows staying on his ranch endangers them both—yet now that her heart's engaged, she's not sure she can walk away.
277 pages, Unknown Binding
First published December 1, 2011
2 people are currently reading
229 people want to read
About the author
Roxanne Rustand
101 books568 followersRoxanne is a USA Today Bestselling, award-winning author of forty romantic suspense, mystery, and heart-warming, emotionally charged relationship novels in the clean & wholesome, as well as inspirational romance genres.
She got her first horse at the tender age of six and grew up riding bareback with wild abandon throughout her small Minnesota town year-round. It was like giving a child car keys!
She showed horses for many years, and later, she and her husband raised quarter horses and thoroughbreds until their kids came along.
She's living her childhood dream, living on an acreage in the country with her husband, three horses (all beloved elderly pasture ornaments, now), a golden retriever, a Mountain Cur rescue, and six fluffy barn cats. It's a much smaller menagerie than when their three kids were still at home!
Ranches, animals, and small-town life frequently find their way into her books.
To connect...
https://www.roxannerustand.com
https://bookbub.com/authors/roxanne-r...
https://amazon.com/author/roxannerustand
https://www.facebook.com/Roxanne.Rustand
She got her first horse at the tender age of six and grew up riding bareback with wild abandon throughout her small Minnesota town year-round. It was like giving a child car keys!
She showed horses for many years, and later, she and her husband raised quarter horses and thoroughbreds until their kids came along.
She's living her childhood dream, living on an acreage in the country with her husband, three horses (all beloved elderly pasture ornaments, now), a golden retriever, a Mountain Cur rescue, and six fluffy barn cats. It's a much smaller menagerie than when their three kids were still at home!
Ranches, animals, and small-town life frequently find their way into her books.
To connect...
https://www.roxannerustand.com
https://bookbub.com/authors/roxanne-r...
https://amazon.com/author/roxannerustand
https://www.facebook.com/Roxanne.Rustand
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
August 30, 2024
This was a good, book in a really good series, I just wish all the characters could of met up.
May 20, 2012
Roxanne is a dear friend but even if I didn't know her, I would have given this book 5 stars. Duty to Protect in her "Big Sky Secrets" series hits every note right on key. A lovely and endangered heroine, a handsome cowboy/former cop hero, a cross country chase--and every plot twist heightens the tension between the hero (Jake) and heroine (Emma) and the very real danger Emma faces. Roxanne knows the horse world and the Big Sky country from personal experience and it shows. She even manages to throw in some family dynamics with the hero's teen-aged nephew and someone out to take Jake's ranch. So if you enjoy a sweet romance, a fast-paced mystery set in Big Sky Country, don't miss Duty to Protect!
September 29, 2018
As far as I know, I haven't read other books by this author or in the Big Sky Secrets series. I always think it is hard to do romantic suspense well in the page limit of Love Inspired Suspense. It's hard to tell two different stories. This one does a credible job on the suspense.
I'm not sure most people would react the way Jake did to finding someone hiding in a trailer pointing a rifle at them. Certainly his years on the force probably come into play there.
Emma's decision to trust Jake with her true story seems a bit abrupt. She's been keeping this secret for years and suddenly decides to tell it to a man she met only a few days before? I'm not sure I buy it.
The discussion questions at the end bring up a number of good points:
1. How frightening or surprising events change your life.
2. Are lies ever justified? What about the social "white lies" that most of us tell?
3. How far would you go to defend yourself or your loved ones?
4. Are there circumstances where divorce is the only option?
5. Betrayal by someone you trusted and how you handle it.
6. What are the qualities needed for a loving and enduring relationship?
I'm not sure most people would react the way Jake did to finding someone hiding in a trailer pointing a rifle at them. Certainly his years on the force probably come into play there.
Emma's decision to trust Jake with her true story seems a bit abrupt. She's been keeping this secret for years and suddenly decides to tell it to a man she met only a few days before? I'm not sure I buy it.
The discussion questions at the end bring up a number of good points:
1. How frightening or surprising events change your life.
2. Are lies ever justified? What about the social "white lies" that most of us tell?
3. How far would you go to defend yourself or your loved ones?
4. Are there circumstances where divorce is the only option?
5. Betrayal by someone you trusted and how you handle it.
6. What are the qualities needed for a loving and enduring relationship?
January 5, 2019
This books was severely lacking. There were several places where the details were changed, and then changed back which made it hard to follow. In addition, while the idea of the plot was good, it was not well executed in the writing, and the ending felt very rushed. Overall, this was not a very good book.
October 18, 2017
Great Book, Quick read! Kept you on the edge of you seat! Loved the story! Phenomenal Writing! Looking forward to see what else Roxanne Rustand has written!
April 9, 2018
I wanted to read the reunion
April 16, 2018
A good story involving the witness protection program and a broken family.
April 18, 2018
Inspirational romantic suspense. Mystery and romance together. Makes me what to read the rest of the series.
Read
March 25, 2017This is a very good book.
January 31, 2015
Big Sky Secrets
Book 5
When I started reading this book, I did not want to stop! Though some of the books in this series were rather dull in the suspense department, this one was exciting. A woman in the witness protection program is running for her life and hops a ride (without his knowing) in the back of a cowboy's trailer. The relationship between these two left me laughing several times, and other times it made me cry for them. I thought Jake was a sweetheart (and I believe we met him in the other great book in this series - the third one).
The romance was rather lacking. I think the author concentrated so much on the suspense (which really was great) that she forgot some other issues. If you've read the whole series (some of Emma's secrets are revealed in the second book), you'll understand the significance of this character. I kept waiting for a reunion, thinking that was the only way it had to go.
Well...I'm not going to ruin the book for you, but I will say that the author added on a couple events at the end as an afterthought. I got the impression she forgot these couple of important details, then added a paragraph at the end to wrap everything up. I was a bit disappointed...
Still, this was a really good read with lots of suspense!
Book 5
When I started reading this book, I did not want to stop! Though some of the books in this series were rather dull in the suspense department, this one was exciting. A woman in the witness protection program is running for her life and hops a ride (without his knowing) in the back of a cowboy's trailer. The relationship between these two left me laughing several times, and other times it made me cry for them. I thought Jake was a sweetheart (and I believe we met him in the other great book in this series - the third one).
The romance was rather lacking. I think the author concentrated so much on the suspense (which really was great) that she forgot some other issues. If you've read the whole series (some of Emma's secrets are revealed in the second book), you'll understand the significance of this character. I kept waiting for a reunion, thinking that was the only way it had to go.
Well...I'm not going to ruin the book for you, but I will say that the author added on a couple events at the end as an afterthought. I got the impression she forgot these couple of important details, then added a paragraph at the end to wrap everything up. I was a bit disappointed...
Still, this was a really good read with lots of suspense!
August 23, 2013
Every now and then a good light hearted love story just does the trick on a lazy rainy day. Things happen in everybody's life's that seem awful and hard to deal with. This book tells a heartwarming story of Emma trying to survive and living in the WITSEC programs. Life becomes a daily struggle for Emma where she has to look over her shoulder with every step that she takes
Then something great happens and she meets Jake in her travels trying to survive. When he promises to help her to fight off all the evil that is following her. Emma can barely believe that such a great Samaritan could really exist. Things get heated up while Jake tries hard to help make her feel safe.
In the end things have a way of working out one way or another.
Then something great happens and she meets Jake in her travels trying to survive. When he promises to help her to fight off all the evil that is following her. Emma can barely believe that such a great Samaritan could really exist. Things get heated up while Jake tries hard to help make her feel safe.
In the end things have a way of working out one way or another.
March 10, 2012
Emma is orphaned at a young age then put in witness protection along with her adoptive family. A contract has been put out on them, killing them one by one until Emma is left. Even the cops are dirty as she flees for her life, creatively twisting her circumstances, but Jake, a heroic cowboy and former law enforcement sees through her charade. At first, he thinks her to be a fugitive, but after listening to her true accounts, vows to protect her with his life. I really liked this suspenseful book and read it in one evening until the lights dimmed. I would have preferred a little more romance though.
May 23, 2012
i enjoyed this quick glimpse into the world of WITSEC, and the intrigue it offers in a short form. As in all Love Inspired novels, each word needs to count as they are pared down to the bare bones, without losing the essence of the novel. Emma as the main character grows in her trust and faith through the story, as does Jake, the cop-turned rancher. The enjoyment of the novel is increased for me when a loving dog is included. Thanks Roxanne for the copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review. A positive one was not required. The opinions stated are my own.
March 19, 2012
A story full of suspense, faith and protection. God protects both Emma and Jake many times. Emma is led by God when she choses to hide in Jake's truck.
Witness Protection does not protect Emma. She ends up on the run feeling she'll run the rest of her life. She runs into the life of an ex-cop who has a hard time getting her trust. This is a divine intervention.
The book grabs your interest from start to finish. I read it in two days. Highly recommend.
Witness Protection does not protect Emma. She ends up on the run feeling she'll run the rest of her life. She runs into the life of an ex-cop who has a hard time getting her trust. This is a divine intervention.
The book grabs your interest from start to finish. I read it in two days. Highly recommend.
October 29, 2011
I wish Goodreads would allow us 1/2 or 3/4 stars, as this book was better than a average for its genre. The only thing keeping it under four stars is there were two mysteries, one involving the male and one the female, and the one involving the male ended awfully abruptly.
January 17, 2012
I am not usually into romance novels but the story in this novel wasn't sappy. It focused on keeping the reader interested in the suspense of Emma running from something and someone. It waited to the very end to have a romantic moment.
August 28, 2012
I saved this book to read last of the Love-Inspired Suspense books that I had stacked on my couch. I figured from the cover it would be duller than the rest. But it was VERY exciting. I enjoyed it more than the others. Very exciting and the romance was sweet. Lovely read!
June 10, 2013
It was a nice short read an enjoyed the bulk of tue story but there were two competing crimes. The cattle rustling ended fairly abruptly and the development of a relationship between Emma and Jake was fairly abrupt as well.
August 24, 2014
Read "DUTY TO PROTECT by Roxanne Rustand for the second time and it was just as exciting and interesting as the first time!! Loved it and highly recommend all of Roxanne's books, as she is a great writer. You will not be disappointed.
June 3, 2014
Enjoyed the suspense and loved that Jake took it upon himself to protect Emma from an unknown assailant. I liked that there was another story of "who done it" regarding the rustled cattle. Looking forward to more by this author.
July 7, 2016
I like how Emma and Jake's relationship gradually deepened, especially with Emma forming a connection with his uncle and cousin. Also, Emma's entrance into Jake's life by sneaking into horse trailer was priceless.
October 27, 2011
this is a great book, read it last night, couldn't put it down, lots of action. loved it,
Read
December 24, 2014Miniseries: Big Sky Secrets
January 9, 2012
I enjoyed this book. Good story and characters that were easy to like.
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway.
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway.
December 27, 2011
really enjoyed.. love the whole suspense /love story was really fun to read and couldnt put it down
January 13, 2012
great book with much suspense
July 26, 2012
Easy read! Every girl wishes a sexy cowboy would save her.
June 25, 2012
Quick, easy read, but lacked some of the truism of crime victims story line. Liked the Christian 'coping' of the characters.
May 22, 2015
3.5 stars. Emma who has been in the WPP for 14 years runs away after her dad is killed. She hides in jakes horse trailer. Nice romantic story with a little mystery.
August 30, 2016
I am a new fan of Raxanne Rustand after reading this book. I loved the characters, the setting and the intrigue. Really looking forward to reading another of her books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews