Profiling Nathan

Romancing the Guardians #5

by Lyn Horner

Nathan Maguire is a Guardian of Danu, and he possesses a deadly psychic gift. He also has a checkered past. As a young man, he spent time in prison, where he learned the rudiments of tattooing, a skill he has built into a successful business in Tampa, Florida. He’s content with his life – until a beautiful FBI profiler walks into his shop.

Talia Werner has come to deliver an urgent message from one of the other Guardians. The trouble is no one outside that select group is supposed to know they exist. Nate doesn’t believe Talia and suspects she is up to no-good. Meanwhile, she finds out a woman was brutally murdered not far from Nate’s shop. This is the third such killing in the past two months. A serial killer is loose in Tampa.

Working with the police, Talia discovers all three of the victims bore a blue butterfly tattoo, one of Nate’s designs. Suspicion falls on him but quickly points to other tattoo artists. Enlisting his aid in meeting and interviewing them, Talia develops a growing attraction to the man, who isn’t at all what he seems to be on the surface. Nate returns her feelings and their relationship heats up.

However, the killer is still on the hunt, and he knows Talia is after him. Will the stubborn woman accept Nate’s protection or will she be the murderer’s next victim?

144 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 24, 2016

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]

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When a beautiful FBI agent delivers a cryptic message to a talented tattoo artist, two lives will be forever changed. Nathan has a secret, he is a Guardian of Danu, who has had a touch life, but has settled in as a tattoo shop owner and gifted artist in sunny Tampa.

Talia is doing a favor for another agent, delivering an urgent message to Nathan. The Guardians are a secret group, so how could Talia be on the up and up? Nathan possesses a deadly psychic gift and his group needs him, but can he trust this isn’t a trap? While waiting for the handsome tattoo artist to double-check her veracity, Talia learns of a killer on the loose in Tampa and the victims all bear one of Nathan’s tattoos.

Could Nathan be a killer or are these women targeted for knowing him? He’s never met anyone like Talia, beautiful, brilliant and deadly on the outside, but soft and sometimes not so tough on the inside. In spite of their less than perfect meeting, Talia finds the rough looking man has more going for him than rugged good looks. Where there is smoke, there is fire and these two are ready to fan the flames of passion and desire.

PROFILING NATHAN by Lyn Horner is another tantalizing tale of a special group of guardians who protect some of history’s greatest secrets as another Guardian finds that missing link in their life that only love can fill! Ms. Horner uses only the lightest touch of the paranormal, but it is just the perfect amount to add that special flavor to her tale of romance, intrigue and suspense. Two likable characters, warm moments stolen throughout, a deadly and twisted killer and the magic of love, it’s all in here!

I received this copy from Lyn Horner in exchange for my honest review.

Series: Romancing the Guardians - Book 5
Publisher: Lyn Horner; 1 edition (October 24, 2016)
Publication Date: October 24, 2016
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Print Length: 144 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Profiling Nathan by Lyn Horner

Nathan Maguire has a good reason to be suspicious of the woman who walks into his tattoo parlor with a message asking him to make a phone call to a man he doesn’t know. He’s a member of an elite secret group of protectors for the Goddess Danu. He isn’t aware that Talia lied to her boss, at the FBI bureau, to deliver an urgent message to Mr. Maguire, in Tampa, Florida, from her former FBI partner, Dev Medina. Needless to say the mistrust is mutual.

When Talia hears about a possible serial killer in the Tampa area she offers her service to the local police since she is a profiler for the FBI. She plans on using the extra time in the Tampa area to convince Nathan to make the urgent call to Dev. Things heat up, in more ways than one, as Nathan helps her investigation and they get to know each other better. It turns out the woman who doesn’t think she needs protection really does need Nathan to protect her.

The plot twists are an emotional roller-coaster ride as I became invested in both character’s journey. One twist in particular is downright funny. Another is horrifying. The dialogue is realistic and engaging. “Profiling Nathan” is another great addition to Ms. Horner’s Romancing the Guardians series, weaving together mystery with a touch of paranormal, adventure, and romance. I am looking forward to locating the next guardian of Danu.

FYI: “Profiling Nathan” is book five in Lyn Honer’s Romancing the Guardians series. I would recommend reading this series in order starting with “Rescuing Lara.” This book does contain sexual situations that may offend some. **Originally written for "BigAl’s Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy.** March 26, 2018

Format/Typo Issues: No significant proofing issues.

[Cherry London · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit lukewarm, the thrilling factor wasn’t as high as I had expected, Nate and Tally had to work along with the Tampa Bay police, it was only wise to work along with the law, with a crazed serial killer on the loose, and a link was found to Nate’s tattoo shop. That doesn't mean they were all bosom buddies, nope, Nate was very distrustful of Tally and the other law enforcers. With limited clues leading to the killer they were at a loss until the killer strikes again, Tally and Nate not only found the rhythm of working together, but also the romance part of their relationship came into a smooth rhythm.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice romance story with a sprinkling of murder and a smidgen of the paranormal. You can read my full review on my WordPress blog, Flora's Musings...

So, what did I like about it?
Lyn Horner is a new-to-me author; I found her writing style easy to read and enjoyed the way she paced the plot. I thought the opening chapter was good; it sets the scene, introduces us to our two main characters and gives us glimpses into their personalities as well as starting the serial killer aspect off.

Primarily, this is a romance story and I loved the journey that our main couple, Nathan and Talia (Tally), went on. The obstacles put in their way both real and perceived and the internal and external influences that added that depth of complexity to the tale that I look for in romances.

I liked the contemporary romance feel of this story; the mix of humour and action was good. The banter between Nate and Talia made me smile - as a Brit, I do love a bit of well placed banter. There is sexual tension from the off too which I liked and I appreciated the way that Nate and Talia’s relationship grew, building the anticipation for when they finally came together. Which leads me on onto the sex, which in my opinion, was good; enough explicitly descriptive prose to let you get caught up in the passion, without being unnecessarily crude.

So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?
Dislike is too harsh a description in this instance; there wasn’t anything in particular about this story that I disliked, however, there were a few things that niggled me enough to affect my star rating.

Firstly, I knew who the serial killer was by the end of the second chapter :-( on the plus side the romance aspect was cute enough to remind me that this is a paranormal romance not a crime, thriller or horror story.

Secondly, although this is sold as a paranormal romance, there isn’t much paranormal goings on in this book. I was completely in the dark as to what or who Nate is exactly (especially having not read the previous Guardians books); there was only one tiny scene when Nate was confronting Ortiz that hinted at him having “something” that meant he could handle himself in dangerous situations but nothing specific describing anything “paranormal” until past 75% of the way through the book.

And finally, although I liked the contemporary romance feel of this story, I didn’t feel emotional connected to our romantic couple; can't put my finger on why. I didn’t invest myself in them enough to want to continue with the next book.

So, basically what I’m saying is...
This is a nice romance story set against a simple murder mystery with a sprinkling of hot passion and a smidgen of the paranormal thrown in. I would recommend this book to those readers who enjoy this sort of mix.

I was given a digital version of this book for free from the publisher (BooksGoSocial) after making a request via Netgally.com in exchange for an honest review.

[Paul Franco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cold female FBI agent falls for tattoo artist to whom she’s delivering a message. Not very likely, but that’s what makes these stories fun, right?
Right off the bat she says, “I was recruited during my last year of college and started training at Quantico right after graduation. That was sixteen years ago.” By I quickly forgot that, because she reads younger. As for him, he’s got quite a past, including some fantasy elements that tie in to the rest of the series, which I have not read, but that only comes into play here once.
Throughout the entire story it was hard to pinpoint if this was a procedural or a romance; turned out to be the latter, as there are many scenes that were strictly getting to know each other and didn’t advance the plot at all. This is especially true of the entire nudist colony setting. After finishing the romance part, it sets up for the next sequel.
I really like that this isn’t a 300-page epic like most in the genre, filled with thoughts of “I want to, but I can’t!” The romance, plus the murder mystery/serial killer plot that I figured out by chapter four—writer made it a little too obvious—took about 120 pages.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nathan Maquire is one of the Guardians of Danu who quietly lives his life as a tattoo artist. Talia Werner is with the FBI as a profiler. Her friend Dec has asked her to contact Nathan about the emergancy gathering of the Guardians/ She is not sure what it is about but she will do what she can for her ex-partner. Tampa is having a problem with women being slashed to death. Talia thinks she might be able to help. A must read to see how Talia is able to help the police and come to terms about what Nathan is able to do.

[Karen Roma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyn Horner’s Romancing the Guardians series has been a wonderfully enjoyable read since the very first book. As the series has progressed, readers have been introduced to new characters and also seen glimpses of the ones already met.

Profiling Nathan is book 5 in the series and it continues the exceptional world building and character development that has reigned throughout the earlier stories. Great dialogue, suspense and romance, all come together to make these stories addictive.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I voluntarily read this advanced readers copy of this book. Strong characters and a great story line. I can't wait to read more work from Lyn either. I just couldn't put this book down once I started reading it. I was very well entertained and excited reading it.

[poppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read and while I did enjoy it I think I would have liked it even more if I had read this series from the start.It had a really well-written plot and with great characters it had me pulled in right from the start a super read I cannot wait to read the previous books in the series