Someone’s watching them. Someone they’d never suspect.
Reece Montgomery’s on an undercover mission to learn what unsuspecting B and B owner Lianna Kade knows about her husband’s murder. However, the workaholic North Star agent finds himself in serious danger, not the least of which is his unprofessional need to protect Lianna and her son, Henry. When the fearless widow proposes an ultra-risky plan to lure a killer, it will test Reece’s resolve not to fall for Lianna and her fatherless child.
Nicole Helm is the national bestselling author of fast-paced romantic suspense for Harlequin Intrigue and down-to-earth contemporary romance. Her Intrigues routinely land on the Publishers Weekly Bestseller list, and she’s received starred PW reviews for her contemporary romances. She’s written over 75 books, known for their emotional depth and happily ever afters.
Nicole also writes with Megan Crane/Caitlin Crews as Hazel Beck writing the Witchlore series, which began with SMALL TOWN, BIG MAGIC in 2022.
In her spare time, Nicole loves losing herself in genealogy research, watching Cardinals baseball, and hiking with her family. She lives in Missouri with her husband and two sons.
You can contact her via email: Nicole@nicolehelm.com You can sign up for Nicole’s monthly newsletter at http://eepurl.com/V973n
This is a Romance Suspense, and this is the part of A North Star Novel Series. This story was more suspense then romance, but the romance was really good. I have to say I loved the suspense and romance in this book, and I was pulled into this story from the beginning. I really loved the characters in this book, and I felt they where developed. This is a short and fast moving story that was really well written, and there is a lot put into this short story. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Harlequin Intrigue) or author (Nicole Helm) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
Good book. The suspense kept me turning the pages, and the romance built nicely through the story. After her husband's murder, Lianna moved to Wyoming to take over her grandparents' bed-and-breakfast. She needed to get as far away as possible from the agencies' constant questions about what she knew of Todd's activities. She lives in a continual state of anxiety, worrying that someone will come after her and her son, Henry.
Reece works for North Star, an agency hired to find out what Lianna knows about her husband's murder. After seven years with the agency, he ranks as one of their top agents. He poses as a nature photographer and stays at her B & B as a guest, hoping to uncover some information.
I enjoyed the combination of suspense and romance. Neither Lianna nor Reece expected the connection they felt when he first arrived. Lianna no longer trusts her judgment and is wary of the feelings Reece stirs in her. Reece, who had a loveless childhood, doesn't know what he's feeling, but he doesn't like it. The inner turmoil is a distraction he doesn't need. A need to protect Lianna and Henry rather than just uncover information complicates matters even further.
It doesn't take long for Reece to discover that someone bugged the inn and is monitoring Lianna's life. The question is who, and for what purpose? A last-minute reservation sparks Reece's suspicions, and he breaks cover to warn Lianna of the probable danger. Furious at being deceived again, Lianna refuses to believe Reece and orders him to leave. His protectiveness won't let him go far, and the next morning he takes extreme measures to remove her and Henry from harm's way, taking them to North Star headquarters.
Lianna impressed me with her refusal to just sit back and be protected. I loved how she came up with a plan to draw the bad guys out. I ached for Reece, who was so discombobulated by his feelings for Lianna that he didn't know which way was up. I had to laugh at his coworkers' astonishment at his emotional reactions to her plan. Lianna had already begun to suspect her feelings for Reece and watched as he struggled with his. I loved watching her realize that he had no idea what those feelings were or how to put them into words.
I was on the edge of my seat as Lianna and Reece returned to the inn to put their plan into motion. An unexpected visitor the following day immediately roused Reece's suspicions, though Lianna took a little longer. She got the picture when her visitor showed an inordinate interest in Henry. Meanwhile, Reece faced trouble of his own, leaving him unable to help Lianna. There were some intense moments as Lianna escaped one hazard only to run headlong into another. I loved Lianna's efforts to save herself, which paired with Reece's timely arrival freed her, but left Reece fighting for his life.
The scenes at the hospital were heartwrenching. Being inside Reece's head while he battled his injuries and seeing what he wants more than anything else was an emotional experience. His conversation with his boss held no surprises. Even better was his talk with Lianna. The epilogue was wonderful. I loved that the people of North Star are still part of Reece's life, though in a different way.
Henry was my favorite secondary character. I loved how he took to Reece right away and pulled him into his circle of people he loves. His hero-worship of Reece was sweet, and so was his effect on Reece. Henry is protective of his mother, which showed in his dilemma at the end of the book. I also liked Reece's coworkers and can't wait to read their stories.
I am a huge fan of Nicole Helm, so when I found out she was writing a spin-off series from the Sons of Badlands, I was super excited to get my hands on them. The North Star group plays a big role in the Sons series and now they get their own story.
Reece Montgomery was a lost child who grew into a man with a mission. He wanted to help people to make up for the evil his parents did as part of the Sons gang. Working for North Star was a good way to do that, and with his training, he was their top operative. He had a new mission and that mission was Lianna and her son Henry. To protect them, he had to become someone else, which was something he was extremely good at after all these years. Considering he didn't even know who he was, playing a role was second nature to him.
Lianna Kade was running. Sort of. She was running from her old life in Denver back to the bed and breakfast she knew as a kid. Only now, she is running it and raising her own child there. Henry is a precocious seven-year-old who loves video games and baseball, but growing up without a father who loved him made him yearn for someone to fill that hole. When Reece Conrad walked into the B&B, Henry was sure he was the one, but Lianna had no plans to find him a new father anytime soon. Still reeling from the murder of her husband a year ago, a man she didn't love but was forced to stay with, she wanted to stay as far away from romantic entanglements as possible. That should have been easy, but Reece Conrad kept showing up when she needed him most.
And then, Reece's cover was blown and he didn't have a choice but to convince Lianna he was the good guys working to find the bad guys who killed her husband and put her life in danger. To do that, they were going to need to work together and wait for an attack on their lives to get their answers.
Reece and Lianna had amazing chemistry in a very fundamental kind of way. It wasn't over-the-top dramatics that you often see in books with a fast-paced sub-mystery plot. The romance shimmered, sparked, and then ignited into flames in a sweet, soulful kind of way. Reece didn't know how to express how he felt, but Lianne was there to help him learn how to put into words the things he had never been taught. I appreciated that the romance was done this way since Lianna had been burned and didn't trust anyone, and Reece had to win her trust before they could be thrust into a relationship of any kind. I also appreciated the maturity of the romance, since Lianna has a child and had already been through so much.
If you love the Sons of Badlands series then you want to grab Summer Stalker to see what the North Star group is up to. If you haven't read either of these series, dive in here, you won't be sorry!
Lianna Kade's husband is dead. Murdered. Supposedly from a botched burglary. But so many agents from different government "alphabet" agencies keep approaching Lianna and asking her questions about her husband. All this drove her from her home in San Francisco to her parent's home in Denver. But the agents kept showing up asking questions. Lianna didn't know anything. She was troubled by all the fuss and just wanted it to end. Her plan to act dumb seemed to work. She did go to the FBI office in Denver but they didn't take all the various agents' harassment seriously. Well Lianna was taking things seriously. She would protect her seven-year-old son Henry no matter what. Her grandparents moved to Denver and let her run the family B&B in remote Echo, Wyoming. Seemed to be the safest choice. Or is it?
Reece Montgomery has been an agent for the North Star Agency for over six years. It seemed to be the best place for him to use the skills he attained in the military. North Star's original goal was to take out the criminal gang, Sons of the Badlands. That goal has been accomplished and now North Star is focusing on other ways their agency can right wrongs. Reece is assigned to go undercover to discover what Lianna knows about her deceased husband. When Reece arrived at the Bluebird B&B and met Lianna and Henry Reece found everything he always dreamed of...
Summer Stalker by Nicole Helm is North Star Novel Book 1. This is a well-written, fast-paced suspense story. The characters are realistic and quite likable, especially Reece, Lianna and her son Henry who is an energetic, video game loving boy. I really liked how they all came to care for each other. I wasn't expecting to find the North Star Agency working beyond their stated goal of taking out the Sons of the Badlands. I enjoyed that series by Ms. Helm and I'm sure I'll enjoy this one just as much.
I received an ARC in exchange for a honest review.
Lianna is trying to get away from any ties to her late husband after realizing there was something sketchy going on with him leading people to come her way. She's just trying to live a quiet life with her boy running a B&B . Reece is undercover trying to figure out if Lianna knew more then what she was saying or maybe even apart of what her ex was doing.
There was so much to enjoy about this book that I just couldn't put it down. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their backgrounds to make them all the more interesting. I mean you can understand Reece a bit more on his view point when it comes to family and how he feels about looking after this small family then there is Lianna and her distrust of others after what she went though. Then there was strange new guest that they now have to keep their eye on and wonder if Lianna and her boy is safe. There is so much to enjoy about this series and trust me when I say your not gonna want to put this book down once you've started.
Summer Stalker begins the North Star series with an unexpected romance between one supposedly emotionless agent and one very untrusting widow somewhat on the run from her dead husband’s past. Lianna and Reece are a, well, complicated and complex couple falling for each other right in the middle of some nail-biting danger. Although I liked Lianna and sweet Henry so much, it was Reece who really stole my heart this time. There were times when I simply ached for this man who has no real clue what love is, how it feels, or even how to react to being loved for himself. The reasons? Well, that complicated and complex personality comes into play once again. Oh, come on now, you didn’t really expect me to give away major plotlines, did you? But I will say that the story is amazing, and the characters are so real-to-life and endearing in so many unexpected ways while also in the midst of life-threatening situations.
The North Star agents might be done with one case, but more people could use their unique expertise and help in righting wrongs. And they’ve just been contacted through official channels that “someone” wants to know more about Lianna, a widowed B & B owner. Her husband was killed in a botched robbery, but there are a lot of unanswered questions that simply do not add up. Reece is about to go undercover to find those answers not knowing he’s about to lose that heart he doesn’t believe he has along the way.
Lianna is such a strong woman, she’s had to be in many circumstances. Right now she’s content to manage the B & B, help her inquisitive son Henry enjoy his childhood free of his father’s past, and simply find some peace for herself. All that is about to change with Reece’s arrival, and the danger that follows close on his heels.
I really enjoy the camaraderie between the North Star agents, much like a family with their quibbles and pranks… and having each other’s backs no matter what. Reece and Lianna were a delight to watch as their emotions and affections for each other grew stronger. And my heart did ache for Reece who really doesn’t understand his own feelings let alone have words to describe them. Love just isn’t a word that he’s used much in his life, so Lianna and Henry came as a bit of a surprise to him. Henry is a sweetheart, an inquisitive boy who has a bit of hero worship for Reece that will turn into a deeper emotion in time. Henry stole just about every scene he’s in. The danger is very real and extremely intense, the villain may come as a surprise but vile nonetheless. Summer Stalker is a roller coaster ride of a story full of danger, intrigue, relationships, friendships, and learning to trust in love. I had a blast here.
Who is Reece? What does or did he do for a living? Who is Granger? Who and what are North Star and Sons of the Badlands? Who is Shay? What has she been put in charge of? Who are Holden and Sabrina? Who is or was Todd? Life really can go to hell in a handbasket sometimes!!! I found myself really liking Shay when she took Lianna to her room and had a chat! Oh my, I did not expect what happened when Reece and Lianna went back to the B&B. What info does Betty get from Henry? What happens to Reece? read and see!
RECEIVED THIS BOOK from Harlequin through Netgalley AS A GIFT FOR A FAIR/HONEST REVIEW and REVIEWER FOR Bloggin' With M. Brennan.
A great start to this North Star series by Nicole Helm. Family and love wasn't in the cards for Reese, or so he thought. That was until he was assigned a case involving Lianna and Henry. Someone is after them for information after her husband is murdered. Reese goes undercover at her B &B discovering listening devices in every room.
The situation escalates and Reese ends up extracting them to HQ. But in order to determine who's after Lianna and why, she and Reese return to the B & B leaving Henry at HQ with his great grandpa.
Can the North Star team figure it out to save Henry and Lianna? You'll want to read this one to find out. On to book 2!
Nicole Helm knows how to write a great suspenseful mystery. Lianna Kade owns a B & B. She is still healing from her husband’s betrayal and murder. Reece Montgomery is sent undercover from his employer, North Star, to find out what Lianna knows about her husband and his unsavory business practices. The staunch agent finds himself softening with Lianna’s son, Henry. This is a great mystery with a little romance mixed in. There is just the right amount if action and intrigue to make this book interesting. This is the first in the North Star series.
I may have started on a book farther along in the series, but this first book is just as awesome. A man who is good but has never known what love and fsmoly means, a woman and her son who need some serious help. A mystery yo be solved and characters you’ll grow to love. A must read
This was a very different story. It wasn't a fast, action story at all. What was really good was the enter action dealing with emotions and not recognizing love because it had never been demonstrated.
Nothing wrong with it, writing is good, characters are nice - I just think this wasn't the book for me. I just found myself a bit bored, and started skimming like mad before realising I just wanted to be done with it.
‘Because you were once innocent people who weren’t protected?’
This one is hard for me. I loved Reece and Henry but Lianna irritated me a bit...but I am intrigued by what we don’t know about North Star and it’s employees. It’s going to interesting to see where this series goes.
4.5. The writing was great. I loved the characters and storyline. I’ll continue reading Nicole Helm’s books in the Harlequin Intrigue category. I read this for a Category Romance Readathon.
What an action packed book this was. I just loved all the characters the storyline the backdrop. Once I started this book, I could hardly put it down. Great read.