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Smoky Mountain Defenders #2
Smoky Mountain Ambush
Someone’s hunting her in the mountains…
An unknown enemy’s dead set on killing Lindsey Snow by Christmas—and she doesn’t know why. And the only person she can trust to shield her is the man she betrayed, mounted police officer Silver Williams. Now there's nowhere to hide…from danger or their feelings. But can they find the killer before this holiday season becomes Lindsey's last?
From Love Inspired Courage. Danger. Faith.
Smoky Mountain Defenders
An unknown enemy’s dead set on killing Lindsey Snow by Christmas—and she doesn’t know why. And the only person she can trust to shield her is the man she betrayed, mounted police officer Silver Williams. Now there's nowhere to hide…from danger or their feelings. But can they find the killer before this holiday season becomes Lindsey's last?
From Love Inspired Courage. Danger. Faith.
Smoky Mountain Defenders
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published October 26, 2021
About the author
Karen Kirst
77 books257 followersKaren Kirst was born and raised in East Tennessee near the Great Smoky Mountains. A lifelong lover of books, it wasn't until after college that she had the grand idea to write one herself. The pursuit of her dream would take longer than she first anticipated...years, in fact. In the fall of 2010, she got the happy news that Harlequin Love Inspired Historical wanted to publish her manuscript-a true blessing from God. Now she divides her time between being a wife, homeschooling mom, and romance writer. She enjoys reading, hosting tea parties and spending time with friends.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 26, 2022
Well...this is a first for me: being happy to hand the hero over to the heroine at the end of the story. Why, you ask? Isn't Silver dashing enough? Sigh, incredibly so -- with his unusual looks and strong sense of justice. And he's a mounted police officer -- I mean...really...thud! So, it must be his lackluster personality then? Uh, no...cue all my brooding hero yearnings -- this man has a tragic past and while he's risen above so much, he's still given to some inner turmoil. Surely it can't be his 'cornucopia of animals' 'cause we all know how much I love critters...
Weeellll....I ike the fur or feathered kind but when they come encased in scales...as in....SHUDDER...boa constrictors (gasp!)...I am so outta there. I could have any number of villains shooting arrows at me and I still wouldn't set foot in Silver's house if it was the last safe haven available to me. So...yes, Lindsey you are welcome to Silver and all that involves though I advise you to rehome the (insert S word here) before the babies start coming. Just google 'New Brunswick' and 'Boa constrictors 'and '2 boys killed' if you want to know why. That news story amped up my (insert S word here) phobia to the outer limits.
No worries if you are like me in that regard no -- reptiles who shall not be named -- actually made an appearance in this story, though I was on edge all the way through waiting for one of them (yes, more than one, ewwwww) to show up in a scene. Thankfully that didn't happen so consider this a public service spoiler announcement. You're welcome. :-)
Okay, now on to what really matters -- the plot! Amazing suspense, really well paced with enough red herrings to hijack my sleuthing conclusions and the mystery doesn't let up until the very end. Loved the balance between action and down time where Silver and Lindsey get to work through their issues. Also love that, while this isn't a reunion romance, these two have a year+ of a working/friend history that brings depth and eventually angst to their relationship.
Another stellar Love Inspired Suspense novel (in spite of...you know.) I'm still a Karen Kirst fan. :-)
Weeellll....I ike the fur or feathered kind but when they come encased in scales...as in....SHUDDER...boa constrictors (gasp!)...I am so outta there. I could have any number of villains shooting arrows at me and I still wouldn't set foot in Silver's house if it was the last safe haven available to me. So...yes, Lindsey you are welcome to Silver and all that involves though I advise you to rehome the (insert S word here) before the babies start coming. Just google 'New Brunswick' and 'Boa constrictors 'and '2 boys killed' if you want to know why. That news story amped up my (insert S word here) phobia to the outer limits.
No worries if you are like me in that regard no -- reptiles who shall not be named -- actually made an appearance in this story, though I was on edge all the way through waiting for one of them (yes, more than one, ewwwww) to show up in a scene. Thankfully that didn't happen so consider this a public service spoiler announcement. You're welcome. :-)
Okay, now on to what really matters -- the plot! Amazing suspense, really well paced with enough red herrings to hijack my sleuthing conclusions and the mystery doesn't let up until the very end. Loved the balance between action and down time where Silver and Lindsey get to work through their issues. Also love that, while this isn't a reunion romance, these two have a year+ of a working/friend history that brings depth and eventually angst to their relationship.
Another stellar Love Inspired Suspense novel (in spite of...you know.) I'm still a Karen Kirst fan. :-)
October 8, 2021
I didn't want to put the book down! In Smoky Mountain Ambush, we head back to Serenity TN for a story full of mystery, friendship, faith, and plenty of twists & turns. Karen Kirst hit the nail on the head with this one. It is not to be missed!
September 27, 2021
This is definitely a must read. A great story of suspence, letting go, and personal forgiveness. This is one that had me stumpt until the end. I plan on reading this again.
June 2, 2024
3.5 stars (rating shown may vary depending on review site). I found this on the sale shelf at the library and plan to pass it on to a friend whose mother likes these. A friend would probably say this belongs in a sub-genre of Law Enforcement related fiction.
The suspense part is almost non-stop: archery, guns, bombs, car wrecks. (There is a bit of suspension of belief that two people could go through so many events and come out relatively unscathed.)
I usually feel that it's hard for an author to do justice to both a romance and suspense in the page count of a Love Inspired Suspense book. The times often get compacted, and I do wonder if the adrenaline of the events plus the infatuation stage of a romance would survive the real world after the events conclude.
In this book, the author attempts to get around that by having the two main characters (Lindsey and Silver) know each other and work together for a year prior to the events of this book. There's a friendship and a respect of each other already in place (though some events in this book affect that). So even without the "come to Jesus" moment where Silver realizes he doesn't want to live without Lindsey, I think if the two of them had continued on with their friendship/working relationship they would have eventually gotten to the same result.
I also like that the author only has them getting engaged at the end of this book rather than having them getting married--though in this case, given the time they'd already known each other, I could have seen them wanting to get married within the following year.
The suspense part is almost non-stop: archery, guns, bombs, car wrecks. (There is a bit of suspension of belief that two people could go through so many events and come out relatively unscathed.)
I usually feel that it's hard for an author to do justice to both a romance and suspense in the page count of a Love Inspired Suspense book. The times often get compacted, and I do wonder if the adrenaline of the events plus the infatuation stage of a romance would survive the real world after the events conclude.
In this book, the author attempts to get around that by having the two main characters (Lindsey and Silver) know each other and work together for a year prior to the events of this book. There's a friendship and a respect of each other already in place (though some events in this book affect that). So even without the "come to Jesus" moment where Silver realizes he doesn't want to live without Lindsey, I think if the two of them had continued on with their friendship/working relationship they would have eventually gotten to the same result.
I also like that the author only has them getting engaged at the end of this book rather than having them getting married--though in this case, given the time they'd already known each other, I could have seen them wanting to get married within the following year.
June 23, 2024
Lindsey worked for a mounted policeman, Silver, as his cabin rental assistant. Lindsey was falling in love with Silver so she left as his assistant and started working for another as a cabin camp site that needed renovations. Then threats and attempts on her life started. Her own damaged, self destroying sister is after revenge
January 14, 2026
Love it
Silver and Lindsey's story was exceptional al and kept me on edge. There were times I wanted to scream out loud like they could here me. Lindsey moment where she though silver could never be interested her because she didn't look like a model. I hurt for her and he never asked her ask her about it either. But in the end he showed her.
Silver and Lindsey's story was exceptional al and kept me on edge. There were times I wanted to scream out loud like they could here me. Lindsey moment where she though silver could never be interested her because she didn't look like a model. I hurt for her and he never asked her ask her about it either. But in the end he showed her.
January 10, 2022
Loved the book! It has a great mystery with a lot of twists and turns! I loved the love story also! The characters were great! I am looming forward to reading more about them! Glad this book is part of a series! I enjoyed that it was set in the Smoky Mountain Park area!
Read
October 2, 2021Categories
Inspirational Suspense, Wholesome Romance, Suspense, Romantic Suspense
Miniseries
Smoky Mountain Defenders
Inspirational Suspense, Wholesome Romance, Suspense, Romantic Suspense
Miniseries
Smoky Mountain Defenders
Read
October 2, 2021Categories
Inspirational Suspense, Wholesome Romance, Suspense, Romantic Suspense
Miniseries
Smoky Mountain Defenders
Inspirational Suspense, Wholesome Romance, Suspense, Romantic Suspense
Miniseries
Smoky Mountain Defenders
December 30, 2021
Short, quick read. No smut, but it looks like that type of book.
January 17, 2022
This was a good Christmas Suspense book. I knew who the bad guy was though, early in the book.
June 6, 2023
A thoroughly enjoyable read.
November 18, 2021
Wow
Action right from the beginning, I love mystery and suspense. Mrs. Kirst never fail to deliver. 👏👏👏👏. This story touches on child abuse, hatred, attempted murder, and two people that God has brought together that need each other.
Action right from the beginning, I love mystery and suspense. Mrs. Kirst never fail to deliver. 👏👏👏👏. This story touches on child abuse, hatred, attempted murder, and two people that God has brought together that need each other.
October 10, 2024
Foster "Silver" Williams carries hidden physical and emotional scars. Lindsey Snow is living with secrets of her own. When Lindsey begins to care for Silver as more than the manager of his vacation rental business, she knows she must leave.
After Lindsey quits her job without explanation, Silver wants answers. He arrives at Camp Smoky, her new employer, to find that someone has just tried to take her life. The situation becomes more complicated when Lindsey must stay with Silver until they catch the killer.
Smoky Mountain Ambush, Book 2 of Smoky Mountain Defenders, returns to Serenity, Tennessee, and its mounted patrol unit. The author immediately places the heroine in danger, bringing the couple back together. I loved Silver and Lindsey. Karen Kirst's inclusion of the characters from the first book, and Silver's grandmother, made for an enjoyable story. The theme of love and forgiveness, especially learning how to forgive someone who is not sorry, was comforting.
I purchased a paperback copy of this book.
After Lindsey quits her job without explanation, Silver wants answers. He arrives at Camp Smoky, her new employer, to find that someone has just tried to take her life. The situation becomes more complicated when Lindsey must stay with Silver until they catch the killer.
Smoky Mountain Ambush, Book 2 of Smoky Mountain Defenders, returns to Serenity, Tennessee, and its mounted patrol unit. The author immediately places the heroine in danger, bringing the couple back together. I loved Silver and Lindsey. Karen Kirst's inclusion of the characters from the first book, and Silver's grandmother, made for an enjoyable story. The theme of love and forgiveness, especially learning how to forgive someone who is not sorry, was comforting.
I purchased a paperback copy of this book.
January 11, 2025
I love all of Karen Kirst's books but Smoky Mountain Ambush is one of the BEST books I've read in awhile!! Wonderful story with excellently crafted characters!! Packed with suspense, twists and turns! It was so amazing that I never seen the "who dun it" coming & I ended up finishing it in ONE day!
I'd highly recommend this book & personally don't think you'll regret adding it to your collection!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I'd highly recommend this book & personally don't think you'll regret adding it to your collection!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
April 29, 2025
This was an excellent read for me. With the added mysteries of Silver and Lindsay's backstories and how they figure in to who is trying to kill Lindsay, this made for a really great read. I read late into the night and pushed myself to stay awake to finish it because I couldn't go to sleep not knowing the outcome. Very good read!
August 3, 2023
Someone is trying to kill Lindsey. There are a lot of suspects in this story and you want know who is the real one until the end. Very good.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews