Lost and Found

by Kathryn Halberg

Ballsy. Sassy. Independent. Unapologetically sexual.
It’s a good cover when you’re broken on the inside.
Kim is a curvy, creative graphic designer who, neglected by her own family, grew up with her best friends, two sisters whose paths recently led them to love.
Without the constant presence of her best friends, she is more alone than ever. Fortunately, she has an escalating career to focus on, until her estranged father seeks her help in his re-election campaign…which quickly takes a dangerous turn.
Kim’s life is further shaken when the new security team’s leader, who has his own dark past, chips away at her veil of indifference.

"The plot is fast-paced and entertaining. Kim isn't the typical damsel-in-distress that one would expect from a bodyguard romance. [She is] a great character who utilizes the perfect amount of humor and sass."
— Publishers Weekly reviewer for The BookLife Prize

This spicy, contemporary romance will appeal to readers who enjoyed:
Blurred Lines by Jessica Prince
Twisted Games: A Forbidden Royal Bodyguard Romance by Ana Huang
The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks
The Wedding Cake Tree by Melanie Hudson
Rewriting the Stars by Claire Kingsley
Regretting You by Colleen Hoover
Ugly Love: A Novel by Colleen Hoover
Pretend You’re Mine by Lucy Score

Genres: Contemporary

386 pages, Paperback

Published June 7, 2022

About the author

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Born in Dayton, Ohio, Kathryn was blessed to grow up with a big, boisterous family and attended Catholic school until they moved to a then-rural growing town between Dayton and Cincinnati. The town and Kathryn grew up together, and she is thrilled to be raising her children there.

During her senior year of high school, Kathryn was awarded a full academic scholarship to Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland, where she began classes as a chemistry major. After taking some general education classes in other content areas, she became infatuated with communication studies. A lifelong wallflower, Kathryn wanted to discover more about other people and how they tick. Not willing to completely give up her love of math and science, she may be one of the few people to ever graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies and a minor in chemistry.

Moving back to Ohio to be closer to family, she landed a job in higher education as director of admissions for a small graphic design college. Several years later, Kathryn moved to a larger public university where she grew into copywriting, marketing, and social media. Eventually she enrolled at Wright State University and earned a Master of Business Administration, adding yet another suit to her deck of cards.

Along the same time, Kathryn met the love of her life, Alan, and they proceeded to grow a few humans. All boys. She's outnumbered. But she wouldn't change a thing. At least the dog is a girl. Small victories.

These days, between sports practices, laundry, cleaning, taking the dog out umpteen times per day, and round-the-clock work, Kathryn can occasionally be found sipping on sweet Riesling with gummy bears (But skip the green ones. Very scientific.) and immersed in reading, writing, or listening to groan-worthy stories from her children.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing novel!

I adored the two main characters, the heroine, don't call me Kimberly, I'm Kim, and the tall, dark, gorgeous enigmatic Remy. What a perfect set!

Kim, a woman who through her hands up and left home to prove to herself she needed only herself. She is independent, intelligent, incredibly sassy, has a mouth that doesn't quit, and absolutely no excuses for who she is, take her as she is…

Remy enters this novel when Kim catches him tailing her. After she calls her father and learns he's Her security. Kim is not amused, not is she beyond messing with her unwanted security details.

The suddenly the reader is thrown into a terrific political suspense romance. Kim's stepmomster "tells" Kim she will and when, and even tries bringing Kim's childhood friends and family into her demands. Kim is emphatically NO. However, an actual conversation with her father and she agrees to help, but continue working full time.

Remy and his team become Kim's constant and then things take a sharp twist.

Threats, from where, from whom, and why? The novel keeps twisting a bit here a bit there and it's all convoluted. But, readers worry not, the author is awesome at keeping you in this story and keeping your mind on trying to figure out the who, why, and where, so you'll you never get a moment of downtime.

This novel moves so well. The development between Remy and Kim is quick but not unreasonable. It gets deeper as the story moves forward even if Kim has reservations.

Honestly, it was also a blast! Kim was that woman we all want to be, unapologetic,feisty, unafraid to go after Remy, an absolute hoot,or in her words an odd duck.

Remy is the perfect foil for Kim. Laid back, calm, amused by her quirkiness or

idiosyncrasies.

As the beginning of the suspense starts slowly, Remy becomes more and more obvious, and Kim draws him in. Things elevate at a rather reasonable rate, then take off. Remy's protection of Kim is not only needed, it seems to be life or death.

The novel kept me completely enthralled! Honestly, I was completely surprised! Kim's character made a great difference. Remy's is just as important, but Kim was unique, you simply wanted to crack up or cheer her.

The twists I expected, I even was somewhat close to understanding who and why, but the author surprised me! (Yes! I love that!)

An excellent novel of romantic suspense with a political bent!

Never a boring moment, secondary characters that were completely awesome, and an unexpected twist ending!

I loved it!

Karen

[Arlene D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time I’m reading from this author and it did not disappoint. I did not know that this is part of a series but it can be read independently. There are some scenes where the other two protagonists in the first 2 books are mentioned but it doesn’t really affect the whole story.

This book is hot, steamy, suspenseful, romantic, angsty, gutsy and a lot more.

I love Kim’s character and how it was fully developed from start to finished. It was also a realization for her if she needs to choose between her career or family. I love that Remy blends in the background when he needs to be or if he wants to be seen, he is everywhere. I love how their love for each other grew and you can feel the chemistry between them.

I love how all the elements are incorporated, it’s not just about sex but also about family, fashion, politics, and so much more.

I hated Sonya and I didn’t expect the twist in the story. I thought I had it coming.

I received a free copy of this book in BookSirens and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Melissa Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and how down to earth Kim could come across.

The part that most stuck with me was when she agreed to help her dad campaign and began to question where here true place in the world was. She wasn't sure if she was really committing her full potential in her job but she had enjoyed it and felt content there for so long and she didn't feel the need to move on and try something else but everything changed and she realised her true desires.

Remy was a compelling story and his utter strength in that he lost so much. Just love little Remy or Big 😉.

Hated Sonya from minute one I mean can I strangle the woman.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Cathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the series however the first that I have read from this author and it worked fine as a stand-alone. I like that Kim is a strong woman who doesn’t need anyone and Remy was a suitably swoony bodyguard in theory but something just didn’t mesh quite the way I wanted it to for me to totally invest. Don’t get me wrong though, I really enjoyed reading about the characters, especially Kim’s sass, the plot moved nice and quickly with a nice mix of suspense and some good twists and the writing style was enjoyable. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book from BookSirens. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book—it gets you hooked right away into the romance. It can be read as a stand alone even though it’s part of a series. It’s pretty steamy. Both main characters were like able and had good chemistry. Kim is especially a good character as she is sassy and confident. I love that she’s not tail thin but embraces her curves! Along with the steam, there’s also plot which is nice. I received an arc for an honest review.

[Rach3l · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. It kept me engaged throughout the entire book. I loved all the characters which makes me want to read others in the series. It works well as a standalone but I’m sure it’s even better if read in the series so that you have more background on some of the secondary characters and relationships.

Side note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review

[Di · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great characters. Great story. I am enjoying the series. I like how the author portrays the protagonist, they seem very real and I can relate to them. Looking forward to the next book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.