Christmas Stalking

Guardians, Inc. #4

by Margaret Daley

Christmas Stalking

Genres: Love Inspired Suspense, Christmas, Love Inspired, Mystery, Romance, Christian Fiction, Romantic Suspense

278 pages, Unknown Binding

First published November 1, 2012

About the author

Margaret Daley, an award-winning author of seventy-six books, has been married for over forty years and is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling, she’s writing love stories, often with a suspense thread and corralling her three cats that think they rule her household. To find out more about Margaret visit her website at http://www.margaretdaley.com.

Reviews

[Loraine]

SUMMARY: Bodyguard Ellie St. James has one objective: protect her client…without letting her know. Pretending to be Rachel "Winnie" Winfield's assistant lets Ellie stay close, but there's an unexpected complication—Colt Winfield. Winnie's grandson wasn't in on the plans, and the suspicious marine biologist isn't easy to fool. When the truth comes out, so do more threats to Winnie's life. Trapped on a Colorado mountain, Ellie and Colt must trust each other to guard Winnie and find the stalker. Before this Christmas becomes their last.

REVIEW: Christmas Stalking features 2 strong, independent women, Ellie St. James Winnie's assistant and body guard, and Winnie herself. I really appreciated seeing an author include a strong senior woman who set a great example to Ellie of strength, independence and faith. Colt made the perfect male counterpart. I would have enjoyed reading a bit more about their pasts and their struggles with their faith due to that. The suspenseful plot was very well done and definitely kept me turning pages. Though I thought I had pegged who was the culprit, it was close to the end before I really knew for sure. It was a little light on the Christmas theme; but overall a good Love Inspired Suspense, and I look forward to reading more of this Guardians Inc. Series.

FAVORITE QUOTES: "Did I ever feel anger toward the person behind the threats? Of course, I did. I'm no saint. But if I let that anger take over, I'm the one who is really hurt by it."

"We can't control other peoples' reactions. Only our own."

"Sadly, an easy road doesn't usually hone a person into what they need to be."

[Jo-Anne]

Ellie was extremely good at her job as a bodyguard. But this was harder than most of her assignments. She was hired to protect Winnie, only she didn't know Ellie was her bodyguard. She thought Ellie was just her new assistant. Doing the assistant job while protecting Winnie kept Ellie on her toes. An unexpected visit from Winnie's grandson, Colt, didn't help the situation.

I was glad when Winnie and Colt were told about the danger Winnie was in. Against Ellie's better judgement, she let Colt help protect Winnie.

Colt was kind, smart and handsome. He was especially close to his grandmother since she raised him and he loved her very much. Ellie didn't trust easily, especially men. Not since her father left her mother and Ellie when she was a child. She didn't do relationships and she threw herself into her job. It took her a long time to loosen up and give Colt a chance. I liked the chemistry between them.

I liked this very suspenseful book. I sure didn't see the surprise at the end coming.

[Linda]

3.5 stars. I really enjoyed this one. The story was good and exciting and I was surprised at who was behind everything.

[Emily]

Ellie is assigned to protect Winnie from a threat they know is out there but they do not know who. Ellie is a bodyguard, but for now Winnie thinks she is just her assistant. When Winnie's grandson makes an unexpected visit, Ellie doesn't know if she can trust him nor does she know if she can trust the attraction between them. Colt though decides he is going to protect Winnie as well keeping close to Ellie as well.

This was good, had a lot going on but I was curious who was behind the threat. I thought the chemistry was great and really enjoyed Winnie. Great read.

[Diane]

Margaret Daley writes a solid mystery thriller from a Christian perspective. I enjoy her writing style and her twisty endings.

[Cate]

I was looking for something festive for Christmas at the local library, and stumbled upon this. I've never read a Harlequin book before (and chances are I won't again), but thought the Christmas 'thriller' aspect sounded interesting. To sum it up in a word: okay. It was incredibly predictable, and I knew who the killer was from the moment they were first introduced. The book alternated between fast-paced (briefly) to slow and a little monotonous. I skimmed some parts, because I just wanted to get to the mystery aspect. It was definitely a mind candy book, which frankly, is probably just what I need right about now.

[Ashley Dawn]

I really enjoyed this book. Ellie is Winnie's bodyguard, only the elderly lady doesn't know it. She's been hired by Winnie's second in command and given specific instructions not to tell her because she couldn't handle the issues involved. Colt, Winnie's grandson, comes home for a surprise visit and finds more than he imagined when his grandmother's new assistant pulls a weapon on him. Now to keep Winnie alive, Ellie and Colt have to work together against a very determined person.
I liked Ellie's character. She was strong, determined, had a history but faith. Colt had his own issues to deal with but the fact that both of them were focused on keeping Winnie safe was a 'tug at your heart' feeling. I loved the old lady from the first scene she was in and couldn't wait to find out exactly what happened to her. Not to mention if anything developed from the chemistry between Colt and Ellie!
I rate this a 4/5. It was a very good, solid book.

Thank you to netgalley for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

[Genevieve]

So far this book's my favourite.
I absolutely loved Colt, he kept reminding me of my Dad. I also absolutely loved Colt and his Grandma's relationship. I loved all the back and fore that went on between everyone.
I didn't try all that hard to solve the mystery. I did guess the bad guy near the start but I never really tried to figure out why I thought they were bad or what their motive would be.

[Kathie]

Ellie St. James has been hired to be a bodyguard to Ellie Winfield...but it's supposed to be kept secret from Ellie, who hasn't been informed that she's been receiving threatening letters. Things begin to escalate quickly after the arrival of Ellie's grandson. Soon, Ellie finds out what is going on and begins to see the danger that she's in.

Another great addition to this series.

[Mary Baker]

Quick paced mystery that provides good escape.

[Sandra Webb]

Another great addition to the series. Love Inspired Suspense are the best!

[Alisha]

3.85

[Brian Tooley]

What a fun read!! This was a great book. I love the story and the characters.

[Makayla Wright]

I often try to predict the ending of books similar in style to this one, however my prediction was wrong and I ended up being surprised in the end. Overall a good read!

[Fred Dible]

I was not expecting Peter Tyler to be the stalker!

[Kelly]

Quick and entertaining read. The plot was suspenseful and exciting with likeable characters. The romance seemed a bit forced and a bit too Hallmarky.

[Ash]

I was right about the identity of the villain.

[Kim]

This was a good book.

[Rhonda]

5 STARS

I got a bunch of book this afternoon and this one sounded good that I had to start
reading right away. It did not let me down. It has strong female characters that are tough but smart. A romance that doesn't make you blush, Mystery that keeps you guessing to the end. That leaves you smiling at the end.
Christmas Stalking is the fourth in the Guardians, Inc series. The first one that I have read but hopefully not the last.
Ellie St. James is a bodyguard but is in disguise as assitant even from the one she is protecting.Rachel “Winnie” Winfield’s is the 73 year old who is in charge of the company and she is also one of the chemists who is getting ready to bring out a new line. She is living on the ranch when she hears someone coming up the stairs that had got through the dogs. She gets her gun and finds a stranger coming up the stairs and thier is a tussle for the gun and he is on top of her when Winnie picks up the gun and points it at her.
Colt Winfield is supposed to be at sea for his job but came home unexpected. When Winnie had distracted Ellie she had to come up with an excuse to why she has a gun. Winnie's lawyer did not want to let her know that she had been recieving hateful letters. Harold brought her out another gun after hers got put in the safe.
The next night the dogs were barking and Ellie had another gun going to check the comotion and Colt saw her with a different gun. She told him she would explain later but stay with his grandmother. Colt did not listen.
Ellie found the fence had been cut and a mountain lion was about to come through and the dogs were quite. Colt was behind her with a speargun he grabbed after hearing the mountain lion. He stayed to guard the fence from the mountain lion. Ellie called the police,and lawyer and made sure Winnie was safe and no intruder was in the house. Winnie saw Ellie come out of Colt's room with a pair of shoes and another gun.
The action did not stop till the end. I guessed one part of the mystery but not all of it. Did not put the book down till I finshed it.
I would like to read the other books that Margaret has written.
I was given this ebook to read for free in exchange of honest reviews from Netgalley.
11/01/2012 Pub. Harlequin Imprint Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense

[Shai Williams]

I was in the mood for a romantic suspense and with the holidays coming up how could I resist a book called CHRISTMAS STALKING. I did get more then I expected as technically this book should be listed under Christian Fiction. Luckily the storyline was good enough that all the mention of faith and God didn't pull me out of the story. I just think that mention of this fact should be brought up so the book can be correctly filed.



As I said before this book has a very tight plot with some very enjoyable characters. I just loved Winnie and her frustration when everyone around her tried to protect her and not let her know what is really going on. Colt is strong yet tender and protective of those he loves. Ellie has been scarred by her past yet this family manages to scale the walls that she has built to protect herself.



The plot itself is very tight and filled with suspense. They never knew just where the next blow would come from. The dialogue was crisp and right on target. All in all this was an enjoyable book to read.



I rate this book a 3.8 and would have rated it higher if there had been any mention that this book fell into the Christian genre of writing.

*** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed within are my own.

[Hsiau Wei]

This book tell the story of Ellie who is assigned as bodyguard by disguising as a personal assistant to Rachel “Winnie”, a 73 years old who has been receiving threatening notes. Her responsibility is to take care of Winnie, yet Winnie doesn’t know about her true identity. However, things changed when Colt, Winnie’s grandson came for a surprise visit. And with series of incidences that occurred, Ellie has no choice but to reveal her true identity. Upon hearing the truth, Colt has insisted to work together with Ellie to protect his grandmother from danger.

This book carries one message; Faith as can be seen in Winnie’s character. Her trust in God to get her to safety is an example . So is Ellie, when she prayed to God as Colt have to go leaving her and Winnie behind in a cave to find help. The two main characters have a similarity between them; there is grudges within them for their own parents. Ellie is unable to forgive her mother’s irresponsible act and Colt for father’s rejection during their childhood. This has also made them determine not to commit themselves to anyone and in Ellie’s case, the situation is rather more severe as she doesn’t seem to realise that she is capable of love. Overall, this book is a good read with an element of suspense which will become a surprise to you at the end of the book

[Suzanne]

A wonderful, cleanly-written novel about a female body guard,Ellie, assigned to unanimously protect the elderly, wealthy owner of a major cosmetic company.
One night the quiet rest of Ellie was disturbed with an intruder. Quietly she eased down the stairs to confront the intruder only to get caught off balance and ultimately contained under his large body. The elderly Winnie
turned on the lights demanding to know what is going on. Her grandson, Colt, was on top of and detaining her beloved new assistant, Ellie. What was Ellie doing with a gun. Winnie hated guns. When Ellie admitted to always have a gun for protection,Colt grabbed it and put it in the safe downstairs in the office. Now Ellie had to contact Winnie's coordinator and friend who had hired to to get another weapon. She hated working under an alias position.
There is someone threatening Winnie, who is unaware of it until some time later when she is put in danger and demands to know what is going on.
Will the stalker succeed before her debut of her new line or will she and her product be destroyed?
Will the friendship she develops with Colt have a chance of becoming more?
The story is full of adventure, suspense, intrigue, loyalty and romance up until the very end. Slightly predictable but ends with a twist.
I won this in a Goodread's giveaway and am glad I can add it to my library of favorites.

[Dianne]

Learning to trust a person you barely know takes a lot of faith and since this is a faith-based novel, it seems appropriate that the protagonist Ellie, Winnie’s bodyguard, has trust issues. While this is a Christian novel, it is never preachy or over-bearing with its message.

Ellie is working for Winnie as a bodyguard but Winnie doesn't know that her life has been threatened. That is, she doesn't know this until her Grandson colt, makes a surprise visit and rattles Ellie into confessing to him what she is. Soon things start escalating with actions being thrown into the mix.

As we get closer to Christmas actions are soon out of hand and when they think they have the proper person dead to rights, things start escalating even more.
This is an action packed novel with strong, very strong female characters and the men almost taking a behind the scenes aspect. The romance is there but is quite mild and you almost have to wonder just how they fell in love so quickly.

The habit that some author have of using bad relationships with their protagonists parents is getting somewhat trite, but it seems to be fitting for this novel.

There is mystery, excitement and a HEA…what more could a reader want in a book?

[IrenesBookReviews]

What a great adventure! I enjoyed the story line of a girl being a protector! Sometimes the women in these short romances can come across as helpless. This character is written as a strong woman who needs a little help not a helpless woman who can’t take care of herself. I gave this book 5/5 stars. I thought the story was unique and the characters entertaining. I liked how the main characters of Ellie and Colt interacted with each other. It was believable that they started to like each other. Their conversations were well written and kept me reading to find out what would happen to them next. This book is part of the Guardians, Inc series. You do not have to read any of the others to enjoy this one. It is a great series though and I have enjoyed each one I have read. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a Christian romance that has plenty of suspense.

I would like to thank the publisher for the copy of this book I enjoyed reading. I gave an honest review based on my opinion of what I read.

[John Hanscom]

Maybe even more. I have read over 100 of these "love inspired romances" since my wife got me "hooked" on them, and this one ranks among the best, with Lyn Cote's Their Frontier Family,, though the two books are very different. It is certainly the novel in this series with the strongest female protagonist in any of the books I have read, and, by making the "heroine" a protector of a third party, not the male protagonist, it allows each protagonist to be themselves. So often, when a female "action figure" is portrayed, they turn out to be "males with internal genitalia." There is no real "feminine" to them, other than "secondary sexual characteristics." This is not so here, and for this the author should be applauded. If any "fault" is in this book, the issues which kept the couple apart were resolved a little too easily, perhaps, but this did not spoil my enjoyment of the novel.

[Cate Marsden]

I admit I bought this partly because of the title. And because I love romances set during a holiday (Christmas especially, but honestly I'd love to read more set at other holidays). And because lately I'm having a streak of good luck when it comes to reading Harlequin's "Love Inspired" line, which at first I approached very tentatively.

More than anything this reminded me of a Nancy Drew mystery, only with an adult heroine. The mystery is complicated enough to be entertaining, but not written to be so creepy or gore-laden that it’s disturbing. There are set pieces (an elegant winter ball where a suspect shows up, for instance) that really, really brought Nancy to mind (and in case it’s not clear, I mean that as a compliment).

Full review here: http://catemarsden.com/2015/10/30/rea...

[LAWonder10]

Christmas Stalking is a story of Ellie who is a professional body guard.
She is assigned to go undercover to protect a high profile widow would be
be doing a presentation at a very big event.
An unexpected arrival of the widow, Winnie's grandson who is a marine
biologist. Winnie has to intervene between the two to prevent ongoing
conflicts.
Someone is threatening the life of Winnie. Will Ellie be able to stop the
killer?
The mystery of "Who did it" keeps going to the very end, keeping the
reader in constant suspense and guessing to the very end.
This was a very well-written novel. There was a short period in the middle
it seemed to drag some and was a little repetitive. Otherwise, it would have
been a five star book. Very cleanly written.

[Paula Legate]

This book had lots of mystery, suspense, and a little romance was nicely weaved throughout the story line. It was not a predictable Christmas story, but the story line falls during the Christmas session. Ellie was hired to protect Winnie. Her grandson Colt is home for the holidays. Below is one sample of this book taking from chapter 3: I did enjoy this book, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

The rumble of a mountain lion nearby froze Colt as he mounted the last step of the front deck. He knew that sound from the many years he had lived here. He didn't know who Ellie St. James really was, how capable she was or why she would be protecting his grandmother, but he couldn't leave her out there to face a solitary predator by herself.

[Rory]

I am currently 1/2 way through the book and I am enjoying the strength of the female character. There is some very good dialogue. I am a budding writer and have to admit I am a few book into things and just now do I think I can appreciate the difficulty of concistently matching character and dialogue so as to keep the reader actively engaged in the story line. Margaret Daley does this well and it, of course, makes for a smooth and enjoyable read. Much to my love and interests the heroine is an ex-military soldier who is currently working as a civilian body guard in the Colorado mountains. Enter the charming eclectic international scientist. Who unknown to himself is actually love starved :-) Whemm!! enjoy Rory Church

[Kate Vale]

Fourth in the Guardians, Inc., series, it focuses on Ellie St. James, estranged from her mother since the death of her twin, and Colt Winfield, a marine biologist and grandson to the woman Ellie is to protect.

Not surprisingly, Winnie, Colt and Ellie are placed in mortal danger right before Christmas when Winnie decides to spend part of the holiday at a remote cabin she'd enjoyed with her late husband. No cell coverage and a winter storm descends. Then someone starts shooting flaming arrows at the wooden cabin, and they have to escape and do so in a cave. But will they ever get out when an avalanche blocks the main entrance and then a bear tries to get in?

All ends well, but not without Colt managing to escape and go for help, even though injured.