In Zach's Arms

Once A Marine Always A Marine #1

by Kori David

Romance author, Elizabeth Russell lives alone, works alone, and that’s that way she likes it. No ties, no relationships, no complications. But when her apartment is broken into and it looks more personal than per-chance, she finds herself running to the only person who can protect her—too bad he also has the most potential to crush her world.

Former Marine turned securities expert, Zach Steele doesn’t do regret or second chances. So when a sexy heartbreak from his past shows up on his doorstep, desperate for a safe place to crash, his first reaction is, Hell no. But with a stalker quickly closing in and the only woman he’s ever loved looking up at him like he’s still “that” guy, Zach offers up his protection. Working together to bring her stalker down brings them closer than ever, and Zach realizes that it’s not just Elizabeth’s life that’s in danger . . . but also his guarded heart.

Genres: Military Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Audiobook, Second Chance, Contemporary, Romance, Contemporary Romance

121 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 11, 2015

Reviews

[CC · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I will start with saying second chance is not my thing BUT I had no issues with this one. Best friends in high school, Beth and Zach loved each other but Beth had a horrible home life and was incapable of commitment. They had not had sex. Not even sure they had kissed. So it was a sweet first love but nothing more. Zach wanted to marry her but she had issues so he left for the marines. They kept in touch as friends but did not see each other.

Now they are thrown together and sparks fly. Zach has a long term plan to get her to commit. It is seeet and cute. She still has issues but there are no separations. Their pasts are glossed over and neither are virgins and there are no issues on either side.

The writing is a bit stiff but I enjoyed the story. It is a fast read.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25-3.50 RATING- short but enjoyable enough fluffy guilty pleasure read. A damsel in distress (that got on my nerves with her independence in the face of danger), a protective hero with a sweet streak, and decent writing. Not much to work with but worked for an in between book just fine. I plan to read the next books now they are available through Kindle Unlimited.

[Renegade ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 to 4 stars

[I.Heart.Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️ 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️

* * * POSSIBLE SPOILERS * * *

♦️BOOK: #1 of the ONCE A MARINE, ALWAYS A MARINE series. Can be read as a standalone. Novella length. Kindle loc: 1500

♦️POV: third person, multiple POVs - H, h, Elizabeth's "secret admirer"

♦️EDITING: good - only a couple minor errors found

♦️HERO: Zacharias "Zach" Steele--Ex-Marine, current security specialist. Grew up in a foster home next door to Elizabeth. Gruff, serious, 6'3 with shaggy brown hair, blue eyes, carved muscles.

♦️HEROINE: Elizabeth "Beth" Russell--Freelance writer, author of her first paranormal erotic romance book. Blond hair, brown eyes, pale skin, average height, curvy. Deceased parents.

♦️PLOT: After having her apartment broken into twice and a crazy stalker after her, Beth goes to her old friend Zach for help. The two were close in high school but when he wanted to marry her, Beth, a total commitment-phobe because of her parents' relationship, got spooked and Zach left to join the Marines. Now, years later their attraction still simmers and they finally give in to it but nothing has changed for the two...Beth just wants some fun, sexy times but Zach wants all of Beth.
“You’re the only woman I will ever be with like this, Beth. If you say no, I’ll live and die alone.”

With her psycho stalker close by, Zach must keep Beth safe while trying not to smother and frighten her off. Luckily, Beth doesn't do anything too stupid and follows most of Zach's orders.

A quick, sweet, steamy read with a bit of suspense and a couple of yummy ex-Marines.

♦️HEAT LEVEL: Medium, 3.5/5 - 3 sex scenes

♦️ENDING: HFN, No cliffhanger, No Epilogue

[Jac K · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a freebie, but it’s on KU now. It’s a short novella intro to the series. The writing wasn’t bad, but a smidge clunky. Beth and Zack dated several years earlier, he asked her to marry him, but she just wanted sex without strings. Heartbroken he joined the Marines. Beth’s dad was an ass, so she’s decided marriage (she can’t even say the word) is for suckers. She goes on with her life until she has a stalker, then decides to go to Zach for protection. He still loves her, and she still wants an empty relationship.

I found this pretty boring. There's not a lot going on, and Beth annoyed the crap out of me. I couldn’t wrap my head around a grown woman acting the way she did. She was either being stubborn or TSTL, and was good using Zach for his help, but held her father’s actions against him. Zach was alright…pretty sweet, but a little flat.

Bottom Line- Not bad, there just wasn’t a lot of meat in the story. I will say that the stalker was not the obvious suspect so kudos for that.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Marines, crazy stalker, romance, this book has it all. Once I started reading I was unable to put it down and ended up reading it in one sitting. I can't wait for more books by this author!

[Jo-Ann Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zack and Beth

I enjoyed their story very much. Can you do Jesse's next , I think he has a special story of his own. Then we can check on Beth and Zack too.

[veda buntain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book

This book starts off entertaining and stays. I had to read it strait thru i couldn't put it down. Loved it

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story

[Jen_C · Rating 4 out of 5]

May 2016 Prime borrow.

I really enjoyed this one. Zach loves and understands Beth perfectly. Love the bond between him and his BFF Jesse James Calhoun too.

[Vibes Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kori David’s in Zach’s Arms is a captivating romantic-suspense that hooks you from the very first page. Elizabeth and Zach’s second-chance chemistry is powerful, emotional, and beautifully layered. The stalking threat adds real urgency, making their journey both intense and deeply engaging. Zach’s protective strength and hidden vulnerability make him a standout hero, while Elizabeth’s courage and determination make her easy to root for. Their connection feels genuine and passionate. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves gripping suspense, heartfelt romance, and unforgettable characters.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beth is a writer and her first book, a paranormal erotic romance, has just been published.
When she acquires a stalker she turns for help to her teenage crush, Zach, a former Marine and security expert.
He's always loved her but Beth is wary of commitment following a childhood of emotional abuse.
There is absolutely nothing new in “In Zach's Arms” but it is nicely done - the ending in particular is seriously sweet.
There are a couple of red herrings along the way, an escalation by the stalker, and plenty of sex.
3 Stars.

[Betty Clements · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this authors books so much that I bought one set for my daughter and just bought another for myself.

This book has characters that I want to know. The romance is good and the action is too. Not all books can achieve both. I hated when the book ended...I wanted more. But the good thing about that is it is part of a series "Once a marine, Always a marine" so I get to visit the characters in the other books too.

[Debra Brashear · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.

I really loved this book. Lori David is new author for me, and I'm so glad to have discovered her. The characters are finely drawn and she tells a good story. I'm ready to dive into the second in the series.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick story. Plot draws you in right away with a few red herrings to keep you guessing until the end.

[….. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could it be any more boring!

[bookedrightmeow · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Zach's Arms is book #1 in the Once a Marine Always a Marine series. This is a novella, but I felt that the plot was pretty well-developed, despite the shorter length of the story. There are some suspenseful moments that kept the pace moving quickly and made me want to keep reading. This was my first time reading anything by this author and I enjoyed her writing style. I'll be reading the next book in the series.

Elizabeth (Beth) is a paranormal romance author who has a fairly isolated life. She lives alone, keeps to herself, and doesn't really have friends. When her apartment is broken into, she's shaken up. Then it happens again and she knows it can't be a coincidence.

In her time of crisis, Beth immediately wants to go to Zach, her high school sweetheart. They broke up years ago when Zach proposed and Beth turned him down. Zach then became a Marine after they parted ways. Now, Zach is a security specialist and he's the only person Beth wants to turn to during this time. It's clear that someone is after Beth.

After reporting the latest burglary to the police, Beth goes to Zach's remote cabin to ask if she can stay with him. I had a little trouble with this part because Beth doesn't even try to call Zach first--she just shows up at his home. They haven't seen each other in years. What if he hadn't been home? What if he didn't want to see her? What if he had a hot date? As it turns out, he is home and even though he's surprised to see her, he lets her stay with him in the meantime. His home is equipped with an alarm system, so Beth will be safe. There's also the fact that Zach has always loved Beth and seeing her again stirs up emotions from the past.

Beth and Zach fell in love when they were teenagers. Beth had a troubled home life due to an abusive father and a mother who chose to stay. With this as her only example of what marriage was, Beth has always been afraid of commitment. She's determined to avoid ever being controlled or abused again, so she doesn't have close relationships. This is the reason why she turned down Zach's marriage proposal, coupled with the fact that they were very young when he proposed.

Zach also had a rough upbringing. He grew up in the foster care system. After Beth broke his heart, he decided that he needed order and stability in his life, which is what led him to join the Marine Corps. But throughout their years apart, he's always held a torch for Beth, and Beth has always felt something for Zach.

There are several suspenseful moments when we get the stalker's point of view, which is well-written because it creeped me out quite a bit. At times, I had trouble with Beth's decisions because I thought she behaved somewhat carelessly when she should have been more vigilant. Because of how she was raised, she's stubborn and wants her independence. However, there are times when she should have been more careful, especially considering that she has a stalker. During these scenes, I felt kind of frustrated with her character. But I had my guesses as to who the stalker actually ends up being and guessed wrong, so I didn't feel that the story was predictable.

Zach is basically a dreamboat. He's super protective of Beth and always has her best interests in mind. He'll do whatever he needs to do to keep her safe and track down the person who wants to harm her.

I think the relationship really worked for me because of Beth and Zach's back story. If they had just met and fell in love immediately, I wouldn't have believed the relationship. But since they had years of history between them, it seemed credible to me that they could reconnect so easily after years apart. There's also the added element of peril that draws them even closer together. There are some pretty steamy scenes, which also feel natural since the two of them are familiar with each other and are reuniting after a long time apart.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that kept me guessing and the second chance romance element really worked for me. I recommend this novella and plan on reading the next book in the series.

[Dayreader Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Zach's Arms, is the first book in the Once a Marine, Always a Marine series, by debut author, Kori David. I was pleasantly surprised by how exciting this book was from the suspense aspect. It kept my pages turning, and I finished this in one sitting. This is defiantly a great addition to the romantic suspense genre.

Have you ever had a stalker, or someone that made you feel eerie? Well Elizabeth Russell more than feels a little eerie! Her apartment has been broken into, and it looks very personal- tainted love, perhaps? Since she lives alone and can really do her job anywhere, she decides to run to the one place she can feel safe. She knows he will protect her at all cost, he had always been there for her. At one time, she had wanted him more than anything else.

Zach Steele (even his name sounds like he could protect you), was in the Marines, now he and his friend run a security company. He isn't the kind of guy that looks back on what might have been, and he isn't one for second chances. When Elizabeth shows up on his doorstep, half scared to death.... he was like, NO WAY! That was until he knew the whole story, he knew there was no way he could let her leave when her life was in danger. She was the only girl he had ever loved, and she still looked just as good to him as the day he left for the Marines.

They work together to catch this stalker dude, all the time they are getting closer and closer. She had already broke his heart once and he didn't know if he could live through that again. Elizabeth is dead set against relationships due to the way her parents were. Can these two work out their feelings and let the past go? Can she let someone go all alpha protective, you do what I tell you to do? How close will the stalker get or will he make contact? These are all answers you will get when you buy the book! It really is an exciting read, and I could not figure out the stalker until the very end! That almost never happens!!!

I give In Zach's Arms 4 stars

[Books and Spoons · Rating 4 out of 5]

The suspense starts off from the page one, and builds up from there. There's danger and fear present and palpable, and the only place Beth feels safe in, is Zach's arms.
The story builds up well, part of the story is told from the villain's point of view, giving it more depth and intensity. The author manages to hold the identity of the villain, till the end, a great achievement for a debut book.
The love between Beth and Zach has always been there. The issues Beth has from her childhood home, prevents her to make commitments, or trust the love Zach has for her. Her attempts to be independent, fears of being fenced in, leads her to make some idiotic decisions while the psycho is after her.
Zach has loved Beth from the first moment he saw her in high school. All his life decisions are made towards them being together one day. Otherwise, such an alpha male, has his weakness and insecurity in Beth. While protecting Beth from the madman, Zach finally has the opportunity to show Beth how their life could be together, if she would just let her fears go.
Zach and Beth had chemistry, and connection. It was obvious that he was the only person she trusted, the only person she could count on.

The storyline was interesting, the suspense and action were well built and timed. The love and romance were satisfying with its sweetness and passion, even though at times a bit cliche. Overall a great story
~ Three Spoons with a teaspoon on the side

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Zach’s Arms by Kori David is the start to the Once a Marine, Always a Marine series. I liked the pace of this book, really well done. No real grammatical errors, very well edited on that front. Elizabeth has come home to see her place trashed yet again. She has moved to Phoenix a little over a month ago and really has been having problems.
What I found unbelievable about her situation is the police seem rather in inept. They make no real effort to find who is doing this to her. They keep brushing her off. This leads her to go to the one man she trusts to help her Zach.
Zach has always loved Beth. He wanted to marry her and she said no when she was 18. He went into the marines and now still carries a torch for his Beth. He is a good person with a good heart. He of course wants to help her.
He manages in 24 hours to do more than the police had done in a month, which again leads me to think the police in Phoenix are not really that great.
Now will you figure out who the bad guy is or why right away? Nope I didn’t see that coming. I loved how that played out. The way Beth changes her mind about marriage is a little predictable but over all really great way to unfold it all.
I really did like this book, I just found some holes in the plot that made me go hum along the way. Over all a really sweet good read. Highly recommend to all that like the marine hero saving the day, this one will hit the mark for you.

Four Twinkling Stars

[AWB · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, I am going to continue this series, let me preface this review by saying that.

However, THIS book got on my nerves. Neither of the characters could man up and discuss their feelings. Put shit on the table. Zach was MUCH better at that shit than the h.

The h was a complete asshole. Her STUPID insecurities that stemmed from her parents not only had me rolling my eyes (I get it her dad was an asshole, so instead of learning her lesson and rising above him, she retreated and let him win), but nearly DNF'ing this book on multiple occasions. Elizabeth was such a weak h, she made me wanna throw my kindle. And to be honest, I love my kindle more than coffee. Whish is saying something.

I am hoping that this character is one of a kind, and that the next book will be better.

This reason for this book getting two stars instead of one, was because the writing was good, and Zach was awesome.

[Merle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novella of the "Once A Marine, Always A Marine" series. This first one involves a writer who is being stalked. The stalker's overtures are getting more and more dangerous and Beth takes refuge with old friend Zach, former Marine, now security consultant. Beth shies away from any commitment because of the way she grew up - with a controlling father who completely dominated her and her mother. She has vowed to never allow anyone to do that to her, so she has become a loner who needs no one. She has always needed Zach, however. He has never loved anyone except Beth and he won't give up on her, even to the point of accepting her offer of just sex because he wants so much more.

Her stalker is not the obvious suspect here and it's a good little story with an HEA.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unconditional love

Zach loved Beth from high school. She was unable to accept his love or any love because of her childhood. Her father terrorized her and her mother and her mother was a weak woman who accepted the abuse.

When Beth became the target of a sociopathic stalker she ran back to Zack the only person she had ever trusted. He was there for her with open arms. They had to work through some issues before they achieved their HEA.

[Birdie · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books pack just the right amount of fluff in a quick read. I would rate this one higher, except that the h had more than one TSTL moment. That said, I did read the next one in the series, and plan on reading the third book. Great for a quick afternoon read as long as you can get over how quickly EVERYTHING happens in the story.

[Ruth Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good story.

I haven't heard of this author before, and saw a link to this book. The blurb sounded good so I took a chance. This was a very good story. I was alittle worried at first, but it quickly became a page turner! The pace is great and the characters were great! I am definitely going to look for more by this author!!

[Hot Reading Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth is a writer that has a fear of commitment and a stalker. She runs to the one man who makes her feel safe. Zach a former Marine has always loved Elizabeth and would do any thing to help her...but will it be enough? Great start to a series. Can't wait to download book 2.

[Michele bookloverforever · Rating 4 out of 5]

stalker scares female writer. she turns to ex marine old boyfriend. love results. stalker strikes, woman injured but stalker caught by hero. ends happily when writer discovers her old fear of marriage gone and love is right in front of her and always has been.

[Yasmin Vasquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good

Very good book of course you have been the alpha male and the damsel in distress. It just so happens in the book Beth and Zack have a history together that is so deep when she needs him he is there in more ways then one.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet - quick read, appropriate amount of obligatory smut. The two characters already had a foundation that the story was built upon but wasn't revealed to the reader....Wish the author had developed their history more for us .....pity.

[Keri · Rating 5 out of 5]

First

Good story loved the romance wanting to protect her but also wanting what he wanted when was a kid to marry her and she at the end really looking and finding she loves him too and wants to be his wife some language too