Love Beyond His Walls: The Bond

by LaShawn Vasser

She was shopping for wine. He was trained to survive chaos. Before she could even choose a bottle, her life and heart were in his hands.

Meena had one unpack, unwind, and escape the madness of her former high-powered life in the city. But fate had other ideas. A chance encounter in a quiet local grocery store turns her world upside down when a violent attack thrusts her into the arms of Ethan Christensen, a brooding, incredibly handsome, former Special Ops operative.

The violent attack was the beginning of a society that was beginning to unravel, with danger lurking around every corner. Ethan brings Meena to the safety of his hidden survival compound—an off-the-grid sanctuary where trust is earned, supplies are limited, and a devastating betrayal will shake the foundation of their fragile sanctuary.

Ethan is everything she shouldn’t want—gruff, guarded, and infuriatingly magnetic and the bond between them grows stronger every moment they are together. Meena finds herself torn between logic and longing as she navigates this new world of power struggles and hidden agendas.

When an explosion rocks their home, Meena is forced to confront a chilling someone she thought she could trust is part of the threat closing in on them. She must make a protect her heart or risk everything for the man who saved her life.

Love Beyond His Walls is book 1 in a gripping romantic suspense series that's packed with survivalist stakes, and slow-burn chemistry that explodes off the page.

Perfect for fans of BWWM romance, apocalyptic thrillers, protective heroes, and strong heroines who don’t back down.

This book includes mature themes and content that may not be suitable for all audiences; some situations may be triggering. Reader discretion is advised.

230 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 26, 2025

About the author

LaShawn Vasser has penned over twenty best-selling contemporary romance novels and novellas.

From a very young age, LaShawn developed a deep love of books and a passion for writing that she couldn't wait to share with the world!

LaShawn is also a dedicated wife and mother of three. She enjoys trying new recipes and cooking big family meals with her sisters. These dinners tend to be loud and filled with lots of good crazy – oftentimes the perfect setting for inspiring juicy, new plot ideas.

Find Author LaShawn Vasser at www.LaShawnVasser.com for exclusive news, updates, and more.

Reviews

[Cherryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A world in chaios

It's Doomsday, and all Dr. Meena Jackson can think of is that Ethsn lied. She didn't think about his intentions, and those same intentions are keeping her and her family alive. Both of them have their own problems to comb through. Ehtan has so much on his shoulders already.

This story had me thinking about what would really happen in a Doomsday situation. How would I live, whom would I trust? These are the things Meena should have worried about. She did her job as a strong, educated doctor and saved lives. She not only saved Ethan's life but Ethan saved hers several times.

The author did a wonderful job with the plot. With that said, had I known it was a series, I probably would have waited for the series to finish before reading it. I hate having to wait. Even though it is not really a cliffhanger, it's cliffhanger-ish, especially with the epilogue teaser. With Meena's family there, it will be interesting to see how her mother's criminal justice knowledge will come into play in the future.

[morganblake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting! This book grabbed my attention quickly and I couldn't stop reading until I finished it. I've read a few survivalist novels and appreciated the detail this author included in creating this world behind the walls. It actually made me think about how prepared anyone would be in a situation like this. Anywho...the love story features an insta-attraction between the main characters. It was believable and I was invested early in their relationship. The MC, Ethan, was your typical hot, charismatic, capable, hero who you wanted to root for instantly. Dr. Meena, well, I liked her but mercy, she wore on my nerves at times. But not enough to make me not invested in following the love story and the suspense. What I appreciate about Ms. Vasser's writing is her ability to create a world with characters and supporting characters who are realistic and interesting. These aren't dumb women, they are quite capable, intelligent, independent, and not unreasonably stubborn or antagonistic. She weaves a story around these characters that make you want to stay until the end but also crave the next installment in the world she creates through words...even if there isn't a follow-up. Fortunately for us, there seems to be another story to tell and I am ready to dive back in for what's next! Highly recommend!

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms Vasser’s gift for story telling is again amazing. Both FMC and MMC were great. Although I have to say that the main FMC , Meena was a bit naive. Understandable although frustrating. As her mother and brother pointed out to her, she had been completely sheltered from the troubles and was focusing on fluff instead of survival. She got upset because Ethan didn’t tell her his plans from the start. First off, i doubt she would have believed him but also when would he have done it? When he was bleeding out or recovering? Also, he didn’t really know her and couldn’t really afford to put his people safety in her hands. As her mom pointed out she was being ungrateful to someone who save her life at least 3 times.
Also I still don’t know what she looks like and it’s a pet peeve of mine.
Lastly I didn’t know it ended on a cliffhanger.

[Mae Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world is in chaos, a group of people have banded together to survive within a community they’ve built while trying to keep the outsiders from destroying what they’ve built. Little did they know there is usually an enemy from within. Ethan and his friends were good at their jobs of protecting family and friends but they needed a missing piece that’s when he found Dr Meena.
Meena was not only a doctor to mend the sick residents but she also became an obstacle Ethan couldn’t ignore. Falling for her hard. Can these two find a way to co exist and find love in all the chaos? Or will others and dire situations block them from being together. A great cast of characters looking forward to the next book in the series.
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[Robb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to give this 5-star, but there are just too many mistakes. The story is great. And BWWM is my favorite sub-genre of Romance books (Just about the only romance that I read). But the typo's are bad. Some sentences have words switched around in them. Ms. Vasser desperately needs an editor to catch this stuff (I'm an editor, hit me up).

Another thing that hurts this book is all the "can't date you," and breakups. The reasons given are weak and it's apparent they were done just to hit all the romance beats. Unfortunately, it makes Meena seem very insecure and flighty. Even at the end of the book I felt like if he left the cap off the toothpaste, she'd wonder if he didn't love her anymore and break up with him.

[Roslyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ethan and Meena are meant for each other, even if they don't know it yet. Ethan is the leader of a group of people who are learning to survive in a world falling apart. Meena moves into a home down the road, and she is a doctor. Etan knows that she is someone that they need to enhance their unit, and he decides to accidently bump into her at the store. All hell breaks loose in the store and a group of men try to kill Ethan and the chaos begins. I can't wait for part two to find out what is going to happen next.

[Treniece · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Start

I enjoyed the premise, good start. Would have enjoyed getting to know some of the other characters a little more, like Shawn and Tina. At times the dialog seemed repetitive. My hope is we will get more of them and the villians of our story in the next book. I do have to say I would have rated this one higher if it weren't for the FMC urking my nerves at the 3/4 marked of this book until the end.

[Vivian Byfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

An excellent read, I have yet to read one of this author's books that have not been excellent. The characters are full and engrossing, storytelling is as always on point, pulling you in and not letting you go. My only problem, while I understand why, is the length of time between the engrossing reads this and my other favourite writers take to release another book 😘. Get on it people you will not be disappointed.

[Crystal Franklin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Off the grid living with love

This was an excellent book.The author a great job in detailing how off the grit living is done and how you survive when you have obstacles in your way. I love that even though Ethan wasn't looking for love he found it at Meena. I don't really care for sequels, but I can't wait for this sequel, and this did not really end on a cliffhanger sorta of, you'll have to read it to find out

[Catina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love during apocalypse

I enjoyed the action in the book. Loved the bond between the team. Ethan and Meena's push and pull was not my favorite moments. It took several people to get her to listen to him and believe him. The who done it is always intriguing. Meena's mom and dad are rock stars. Can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

[Brynette Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable with a unique storyline.

[Kadiatu Fillie · Rating 5 out of 5]

love it!

Thrilling read. Need more… now! I hope we get the second book soon. I’m eager to see what awaits Ethan and Meena next!

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took way too long reading this book. Life was lifing 🫨. The only thing that disappointed me was that the characters were not described. Also, what was the reason for the collapse of the government?

I did enjoy the plot and the characters.

I will be reading the next book.

[Sparkles197 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75