Rescuing Lara

Romancing the Guardians #1

by Lyn Horner

Lara Spenser is running for her life. She guards a treasured relic from ages past that no one outside a select group is supposed to know about. Yet, an evil one has learned of its existence and his minions are hot on Lara’s trail. Although she has escaped to Ireland and is living under an alias, her special sixth sense tells her the “Hellhounds” are growing near. Injured in a car wreck that killed her beloved uncle, she is desperate for someone to act as her bodyguard.

Enter Connor O’Shea, ex-Special Forces soldier. Now the foreman for a crew of oil and gas well firefighters, Conn is on an extended vacation after a devastating explosion on his last job. Out of curiosity, he answers Lara’s ad for a “strong chauffeur” and takes on the job of guarding her temporarily.

Conn has his hands full, not only keeping Lara safe but also trying to help her recover from deep physical and emotional wounds. As days and weeks pass the two grow closer and romance blooms, but their tenuous peace is shattered one terrifying night by Lara’s pursuers. Conn may prove his ability to protect her, but can he help her fulfill her destiny as High Guardian of apocalyptic secrets? Can he rescue her from the soul-deep pain that holds her prisoner?

Find the answers in Rescuing Lara, book one in this tantalizing series, Romancing the Guardians.

Genres: Paranormal Romance, Romance, Action, Fantasy, Paranormal, Ebooks, Amazon

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 21, 2014

About the author

Lyn Horner resides in Fort Worth, Texas – “Where the West Begins” – with her husband and several very spoiled cats. Trained in the visual arts, Lyn worked as a fashion illustrator and art instructor before she took up writing. She loves crafting passionate love stories, both historical and contemporary. Lyn also enjoys reading, genealogy, gardening, visiting with family and friends, and cuddling her furry, four-footed children.

The author’s Texas Devlins series blends authentic Old West settings, steamy romance and paranormal elements. This series has earned multiple awards and nominations, including Crowned Heart reviews and a Rone Award nomination from InD’Tale Magazine.

Lyn is a contributor to Rawhide ʼn Roses, a Western Romance Anthology. This book was a finalist in the 2015 RONE Awards anthology category. Lyn is also part of the bestselling western Christmas anthology Silver Belles and Stetsons.

Jumping from the American Old West into present time, Lyn has completed her 8-book romantic suspense series, Romancing the Guardians. These books combine her trademark flashes of psychic phenomena with Irish folklore and a chilling apocalyptic sub-theme. Along the way, readers are treated to thunderous action, terrifying suspense and sizzling romance.

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyn Horner's TEMPTING ADAM is LIVE! To celebrate the release of the Seventh ROMANCING THE GUARDIANS Novel, Lyn has a Great Giveaway!

Click on the Banner to Enter! April 8 - 16, 2018 ~ Multiple Winners!

It’s so wonderful to pick up a romantic suspense-filled novel and fall
in love with both main characters, as well as one or two in the supporting cast. Lyn Horner has created a tension-filled life and death chase that is softened by moments of healing and sharing in Rescuing Lara. With a touch of history, ancient relics bestowed on generations of Irishmen (and women) to guard and protect, evil “Hellhounds” out to steal these precious relics and a possible Bigfoot sighting, the plot is brilliantly set up as it slides across genres and takes on its own life! Recovering from a horrific accident, currently wheelchair bound, Lara has assumed the mantle of guardian, from her late uncle. Enter her knight in shining armor, Conner O’Shea who hires on as her protector, her bodyguard as she tries to stay one step ahead of evil and warn all of the other secret guardians of these powerful relics. As a business arrangement turns to something more, the danger increases, but Lara’s strength and determination combined with Conner’s warrior-like qualities make capture difficult. How long can they run and hide? When will it be time to take a stand? Should all of the guardians be brought together now? It will take more than a budding romance to keep evil at bay. And Bigfoot? Where does he come in? With the magic of a sweet romance, the gripping danger and all of the unknowns to be explored, Lyn Horner’s world comes to life with the ease of her gifted imagination. Her characters leave no doubt as to whose side they are on, as each has their moment in the spotlight.

Picture a vibrant, multi-colored braided ribbon, each color being a subplot and you can visualize how well Ms. Horner has woven this tale together with depth and precision, while creating a masterful work of art through words. From the tender moments to the fast and furious scenes of danger, I was hooked. Not overly spicy, garnished just right, an addicting way to get my reading fix!


Series: Romancing the Guardians - Book 1

Publication Date:
December 21, 2014

Publisher: Lyn Horner

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Print Length: 180 pages

Available from:  Amazon |  Barnes & Noble

Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I started this book with no great expectations and with no surprises the story ended up being an average Fantasy romance.
It was an easy read though which certainly did not strain the brain.

[Racheal Otti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rescuing Lara swept me away from the first chapter. I loved the blend of danger, romance, and that little paranormal twist. Connor is exactly the kind of protective, rough-around-the-edges hero I like, and Lara’s strength despite her trauma made me root for her. The Ireland setting was beautiful, and Texas brought the heat. Great start to a series.

[Margaret Millmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A suspicious car accident leaves Lara crippled and her beloved uncle dead, but his death also thrusts her into a dangerous position. Her uncle was the high guardian of a sacred family relic and now with his death, she inherits that position and all the responsibility and danger that come with it, but she cannot do it alone. She retreats to the Irish countryside to hide and heal from her physical (and emotional) wounds but discovers that her temporary disability means she also needs a body guard. Enter Connor, an American man on an extended vacation who answers her ad out of curiosity, but soon realizes that he’s become emotionally attached to this young woman and her mysterious secret.

This is a romantic suspense novel with a supernatural twist (not my normal read, but it came as a recommendation and I’m glad it did!). The start of good series!

[Marie Brown (Marie's Tempting Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marie's Tempting Reads ARC Review:
A thrilling, adventurous, sexy romantic suspense with a touch of paranormal! This story had it all: Great characters, a heart-thumping, on the edge of your seat action and suspense, and a breathtaking romance! It was such a treat to read. The story came along beautifully and the pace was set perfectly and the hero...totally mouthwatering. The Heroine was wonderful too and I can't wait for book 2!

[Julian White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different publisher and copyright date than those found on Amazon.

First of a series, introducing the Guardians of an ancient scroll of prophecy. Lara, recovering after the accident that killed her uncle, has fled to Ireland in fear for her life, in danger from 'Hellhounds' she suspects are responsible for the accident. She engages a Texan on holiday as a bodyguard...

A lot more to come - this is an engaging read.

[Karen Roma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyn Horner is a new author for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed this first book in the Romancing the Guardians series. Filled with suspense, mystery and a love that binds forever; this story had everything!

Interesting world building and characters that imprint themselves on your heart, made for a wonderful read and the need to find out what will come next.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book one in the Romancing the Guardians series and I will be reading the other books in this series as I enjoyed reading this one. Lara Spenser guards one of seven prophetic scrolls held by the Council of Guardians, and Connor O’Shea is an ex-Special Forces soldier who is Lara's chauffeur. I would recommend this book. I received a copy of this book but I also bought it.

[Magi Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the characters in this book. The story line is interesting and I like that it goes to different locations.

[Max · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up for free along with a ton of other romance books from a recent free romance ebook thing. And while I grabbed a bunch of stuff that sounded fun, this was the one I was most immediately interested in. It sounded like a fun romp, with a hero and heroine running around from Ireland to Texas on motorcycles battling baddies and preventing the apocalypse.

Sadly, that's not quite what I got. There's bad guys in the form of the mysterious Hellhounds, but they barely appear in the book. In fact the action climax involves a bunch of backwoods yokels, one of whom has a Bigfoot costume. (And yes, I was amused when Bigfoot first makes an appearance and then greatly disappointed when it's a hoax, because it was one of the stronger supernatural elements in the story until it's revealed to be fake.) And there's a sexy dude on a motorcycle but generally the rides are for fun and pleasure, not because he and the heroine are on the run from the forces of evil. There is a prophecy, but it's just one part of seven, and as it doesn't tell much it's clear I'd need to read the next seven books to find out more. So overall there wasn't much in the way of suspense in this romantic suspense, nor much of the paranormal aside from the heroine having a danger sense.

I did like some of the book. The portrayal of Lara's disability was written pretty well and clearly has a lot of research behind it. I liked that the book consistently remembers to deal with the logistics of her injured leg and wheelchair use, even if this ends up with her not getting in a lot of exciting chase sequences. And while Lara's concerns that Connor just wants to "bed the freak" get a bit much after a while, I appreciated the basic idea of the conflict.

I think weirdly that if this had been more definitely a slice of life romance with a more accurate blurb, well, I wouldn't necessarily have jumped into it as eagerly but I also would've enjoyed it more. The romance part is done reasonably well and there's some sweet stuff with Connor meeting his Irish relatives and a nice conflict with a friend from his oil rig firefighter job. And I did like the spark between the two characters and found their love fairly convincing. It just didn't came wrapped in the sort of story I was expecting.

I'm not sure I'll read more in this series. I could see trying the second one because it follows the friend character from this and I'm curious if the action ramps up at all. But it's not at the top of my list and somehow I don't think I'm going to be reading all seven sequels, even if they're individually not too long.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rescuing Lara - a review by Rosemary Kenny

Living under an alias in Ireland to escape the Hell-hounds and their evil master who conspired the car crash that killed her uncle and scarred her physically and emotionally, Lara Stevens has been given the responsibility of following in her uncle's footsteps in this amazing supernatural story by the fabulous Lyn Horner, that starts the Romancing the Guardians series that's sure to be a winner!

As she guards the ancient family heirloom with only an old housekeeper/carer, Una, for company,
Lara must seek out someone who can be a bodyguard and driver, until she recovers enough to fulfill the mission entrusted to her by the family, by the centuries-old Conhairle or Council of Elders, of which her Uncle Malcolm was the High Guardian of the Scrolls of Danu.

Who does she hire for the new position? How else does he help her? Why is he in Ireland and for how long? Where does he live when not working on the oil-rigs? What did he do in the US Army?
What is special about his mother Josefina? What is found in the burned-out ruins of Uncle Malcolm's property? Why is it important to Lara? Who is Dev? How does he help his old friend/now enemy - and why? Where is Lara pursued by the Hell-hounds? Who is Milo?

When Lara finally reveals the truth of who she is and what her secret mission involves you'll be thrilled and as excited as Lara's lover and protector, to whom she is bound by love forever!

[Tex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romance or Hellhounds?
(Disclaimer: I was recently provided a copy of the book by Northern Lake Publisher. I decided to read it and provide my honest review.)
Rescuing Tara, was a bit of an enigma. The author’s world-building seemed confusing. The storyline was split in the beginning. One focused on the need to get a passcode decoded and find seven Guardians. Then the other storyline was the romance between the two main characters which is most apparent when you start reading the novel. It isn’t until the last third of the book that the split plots and split storylines come together. Once this happens the book becomes a page-turner. This is when you can see how the author does a really good job with character building. Her focus on the characters is reflected in how she writes interactions, dialogue and attributes so dimensionally detailed down to the secondary and tertiary levels.
Overall, Rescuing Lara only starts to be a page-turner the last third of the book. The rhythm of the book gets faster, the plot and the storyline come together so that you understand the whole picture.
MY RECOMMENDATION: If you are looking for a passionate hero who saves the girl kind of book, then Rescuing Lara is for you. Stuff it in your beach/pool bag or your vacation bag for some relaxing reading. –Tex.

[Love Africa Book Club · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a mysterious paranormal romance that takes us from rural Ireland to the big city Texas, USA.
Lara is injured in an accident which leaves her crippled and scarred. As a guardian, she has inherited scroll from her uncle and is working to decode the messages in the scroll. But she is also on the run from a group of people (Hellhounds) who want the scrolls so they can use them for evil. Lara is sworn to protect the scroll. But she needs someone to protect her.

This is where Conn comes in. He is an ex army special forces and is hired to be her bodyguard. He is also in Ireland to find some long lost family. Soon the two of them are trying to escape the Hellhounds while she also has to decode her uncle's journal. The mystery of the journal have then travelling to Texas to ask for help from Conn's contact.

On the whole the story is entertaining once the adventure starts. The romance between Connor and Lara is sweet and you can see that once Conn decides to protect her, he slowly falls for her. Lara's scars go deeper than just the physical scars and she needs convincing to see herself as beautiful even with the scars.

This is a good read for anyone who enjoys mystery and romance.

Disclaimer: I volunteered to review this book.

[Bonnie Blackledge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was asked to read and review this book and decided to do so as it sounded interesting. I gave it three stars because it was well written and well edited – one criterion I have when I read a book. The characters were interesting and well developed. I especially liked the portrayal of the cabin groundskeeper, Milo. There are two reasons I didn’t give this more than three stars. One is that there were several scenes of descriptive sex and I personally don’t enjoy that kind of detail. The other reason is the fantasy storyline was hard for me to get into. The end of the book gives a glimpse into the second book of the series. If you like this type of book, it sounds like a fun series to read.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lara Spenser is recovering from an accident in which her uncle was killed. She is in Ireland and happy that Connor O'Shea is the one who answered her ad for a driver/body guard. She is trying to protect one of the scrolls her uncle left to her which has been in their family for centuries. There are 6 more in the Council of Guardians and she must find them without losing the scroll she has to the bad men after her. Conn has decided to stay with her and help. The attraction they feel for each other is helpful in his making this commitment. The story takes them from Ireland to Texas trying to stay ahead of the men who have no trouble killing or what ever it takes to get the scrolls.

[Texas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rescuing Lara - This is my first book by this author; I got it because it's set in Ireland and Texas - two reasons for which I will select a book. The main character does OK until she has to figure out a code, then she goes stupid. She can't tell what she's hiding, but she can ask for helping decoding secret papers? She's too stuck on her looks and downgrading herself; I really don't like this spineless idiot and she gets worse as the story progresses. She didn't share her phone number with her bodyguard, who is actually an OK guy.

It was really hard to read this and I quit at the boring sex scene. There's previews of all her books in this series. Needs minor editing. 3*

[Damien Rousseau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rescuing Lara is ultimately a story of emotional repair. Lara’s journey isn’t about outrunning danger it’s about learning that pain doesn’t make her unworthy of love. Conn offers her safety not through strength, but through patience. The book honors the slow rebuilding of a fractured spirit.

[Camille Girard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel shows that vulnerability is not weakness. Lara is fragile yet brave, terrified yet determined to keep going. Conn treats her openness as something sacred. Their bond grows because they dare to reveal their wounds, not hide them.

[James R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters don’t pretend to be okay. Lara’s fear is real, Conn’s scars feel lived in. Their honesty with themselves and one another allows the relationship to grow authentically. The result is a romance built on truth, not illusion.

[Dorian Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lara’s reactions feel painfully authentic. Her self protection, her doubt, her quiet hope they all resonate. Conn becomes an anchor, not by fixing her, but by offering steady presence. It’s a realistic portrayal of human resilience.

[Théo Marchand · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book reminds us that connection is a lifeline. Lara has lost almost everything, yet a single human relationship reshapes her world. Conn’s presence is warmth after cold, companionship after loneliness. It shows how a bond can pull someone back from emotional isolation.

[F. Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lara’s greatest strength isn’t her ability to survive physical danger, it’s the courage she shows in letting someone into the broken spaces. The book champions emotional bravery as equal to any act of heroism.

[Heath Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lara and Conn are two wounded people whose pains speak the same language. Their connection grows because they recognize hurt in each other. The story captures how shared brokenness can create unexpected closeness.

[Debra Roth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romance and Intrigue

This book was well written with a good story. It had intrigue, paranormal touches, and romance. Lara and Dev made a great couple.

[Debra Johnson]

Purch Amazon April 28, 2018

[Mark Twain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conn protects, but he also listens. Lara runs, but she also reaches out. Humanity here is tenderness in the midst of chaos, proof that kindness can survive even when the world is unkind.

[Leon De · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love here is gentle. It doesn’t demand, it invites. It grows in compassion, not intensity. Horner captures the human truth that love is most powerful when it heals more than it thrills.

[Camden Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lara’s grief is handled with tenderness. She doesn’t magically move on she grows through it. The story respects mourning as a human process, something nonlinear and deeply personal.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a great book to read

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lara is temporarily wheelchair bound after a suspicious car wreck that left her scarred and her uncle dead. His death makes her the heir to an ancient family scroll of their Druid ancestry and sacred secrets she has promised to guard with her life. She flees to Ireland hoping to dodge the Hellhounds who are pursuing her. Realizing she needs a bodyguard, she hires Texan Conner O’Shea, but she is reluctant to share too much information with him. Conner happens to have Irish blood in his family also and has promised his mother while he is in Ireland he will try to locate some descendants from their family line. Lara quickly begins the search with the help of her hired housekeeper, who wasn’t too fond of Conner in the beginning. However, Conner is a smooth operator and finds his way into her good graces easily enough.

It was easy to imagine the Irish countryside with the author’s descriptive prose as Conner becomes tour guide for Lara, trying to distract her from obsessing about the Hellhounds. When Lara’s sixth sense picks up a warning that the Hellhounds have found her cottage, Conner decides to take Lara back to Texas with him as quickly as they can. Ms. Horner does a good job weaving the tension and suspense of the main story arc of Lara’s mission with the ancient Druid scroll and being pursued by the Hellhounds with Lara’s own emotional dilemmas. She is a strong-willed woman with some emotional insecurities that get the best of her at times. Conner has lost his heart to her and does his best to prove his worth and devotion to Lara despite the fire and brimstone she throws at him. He will pull all of his resources together to protect Lara and help her fulfill her mission to locate the other guardians and defeat the Hellhounds.

This is book one of the Romancing the Guardians series. It ends with Conner and Lara fleeing west out of Texas in search of a safe hiding place. It’s going to be very interesting to see how things develop next with Dev, an ex-friend/employee of Conner’s, who has offered to assist Lara.

FYI: This book does contain sexual situations that may offend some.

Format/Typo Issues: A small number of proofing errors.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy.** February 15, 2015