Synopsis:
He was nobody’s hero until he landed in the wrong bed…
Armed with a golden retriever and a concealed weapons permit, Lena Clark is fighting for normal. She served her country, but the experience left her emotionally numb and estranged from her career-military family. Staying in Independence Falls seems like the first step to reclaiming her life until the town playboy stumbles into her bed…
Chad Summers is living his dream—helicopter logging by day and slipping between the sheets with Mrs. Right Now by night. Until his wild nights threaten his day job, leaving Chad with a choice: prove he can settle down or kiss his dream goodbye. But when he ends up in the wrong bed, the one woman in Independence Falls he can’t touch offers a tempting proposition. Chad is ready and willing to give in to the primal desire to make Lena his at night—on one condition. By day, they pretend their relationship is real.
But their connection extends beyond the bedroom, threatening to turn their sham into reality if Chad can prove he’s the hero Lena needs night and day… forever.
My review:
Hero By Night is the third book in author Sara Jane Stone’s Independence Falls Series, a series I have loved since book one. Well, this book is absolutely, undeniably, my favorite in the series thus far. I loved it so freaking much!
Former Army officer Lena Clark is used to fighting. She’s survived tours overseas in a war zone and saved lives while doing it. What she wasn’t used to fighting was for a sense of normal. Whatever that was. Normal is something she hasn’t felt in a really long time and she is starting to think she may never feel it again. Sure, she’s made strides in overcoming her PTSD, thanks in part to her golden retriever, Hero, but she still had a long ways to go. And she had no idea how to get there. She has left behind her family, her now ex-husband, her Army career, all of it, just to get her sense of normalcy back. That search led here to Independence Falls. She was grateful to be here and have some new friends and a chance at a fresh start. She didn’t feel pressured here, mainly because she didn’t really know anyone. That seemed to help. Then things change again and she’s not sure if it’s for the better or the worse. She met Chad Summers. Chad the woman pleasing, playboy helicopter pilot. Chad who awakened all sorts of long forgotten feelings in her. Maybe she should grab those feelings with both hands and hold on for the ride? Maybe this was a shot at trying to be normal? At this point she was willing to give anything a try….she just hoped Chad was on board.
Chad Summers was royally screwed..and not in the way he was used to. His lady-loving ways are proving to be responsible for a reputation that is keeping him grounded…and that was something he couldn’t handle. Heli-logging was all he had ever wanted to do and now that his dream was being jeopardized, all because people thought he was too cheeky and irresponsible. He had never given any reason to not trust him while he was flying but apparently his nighttime extracurricular activities were rubbing off on his professional life. Lucky for him fate seems to be on his side when he falls into bed with the wrong girl…literally. What started out as a misunderstanding turns into a chance at making things right with the powers that be, getting him back up in the sky, and getting to spend time with a beautiful woman in bed. What could possibly go wrong? Well, for starters, the fact that a fake relationship threatens to turn very real and may scare Lena away leaves Chad shaking in his boots. Can he help her with her PTSD all while convincing her they have found something real in a charade? God he sure as hell hoped so…
Between PTSD, career and family pressures, and an agreement for a temporary situation, Lena and Chad sure do seem to have the odds stacked against them. Will they be able to let their feelings turn from one of lust to love? Will they find true happiness amidst a false facade?
When I say that this is my favorite book in author Stone’s series, I can’t help that that’s an understatement. Instead, I should say that this is one of my fave books of any series, really. There was just so much to love. From start to finish I fell in love with both characters, and their situation, more and more with each page I read. No, it wasn’t all flowers and butterflies. In fact, there were many raw and gritty moments, but I think that’s what made me love it more. Chad is one of the most caring and honest book guys I’ve read. He just gets it. He gets people on a level that makes him stand out. I loved him or wanting to help Lena and for understanding her, for giving her the space she needed, for giving her support and love. Lena is equally amazing and damn, she broke my heart. I can’t imagine what she’s going through. Image having your whole life turned upside-down and not knowing, or having control, over emotions and reactions to things. It’s totally foreign to me but not to anyone suffering with PTSD. That is what made this book so real. We read her struggle and in the way it’s written it makes it the most understandable out of any heroine with PTSD I’ve read. Lena, by all accounts, is just a woman. A woman like any woman I know, including myself. Sure, she’s had a distinguished career in the Army and has saved many lives but the fact that she is written in such a relatable way made my appreciate this story on a whole different level. Truly amazing.
Of course the chemistry and passion shared between Lena and Chad is freaking off the charts and had me cheering for a long-term relationship from the start. These two sure as hell burn up the sheets! Total yum factor!
On top of all of that, we get to see more of our other fave couples from Independence Falls and Josh, the injured brother that I am totally in love with. I cannot wait to get to his story one day!
I always feel like I bore you guys with my sometimes long-winded reviews, but I just can’t help it when I love a book this much! Thank you, Ms. Stone, for giving us Lena and Chad and a book I will be swooning over for quite some time.
Five Loves
Links to Buy:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Google | Kobo
Other books by Sara Jane Stone:
Full Exposure
No touching allowed …
After serving her country, Georgia Trulane craves adventure—and sex. She’s set her sights on her brother’s best friend—now her boss, since she took a temporary job as his nephew’s live-in nanny. Only problem? Eric refuses to touch her. That doesn’t stop Georgia from seducing him. But an earth-shattering encounter leaves her fully exposed, body and soul.
Eric has a long list of reasons to steer clear of the woman he has wanted for as long as he can remember. For one, he refuses to be her next thrill ride. When he claims her, it will be for good. But the attraction is undeniable, and the more they fight it, the stronger it pulls. But will it be enough to conquer their obstacles?
Caught in the Act
Falling for his rivals’ little sister could cost him everything …
For Liam Trulane, failure is not an option. He is determined to win a place in Katie Summers’ life before she leaves Independence Falls for good. But first, he needs to make amends for the last time they got down and dirty.
Only problem?
His professional success hinges on striking a deal to buy Katie’s family business. And after Liam’s relationship with their Katie went south years ago, the Summers brothers are more enemy than friend. If both parties agree to set the past aside, they can reach an understanding. But when Katie welcomes him back into her bed, Liam risks everything to make her his.
After Liam betrayed her trust, Katie Summers will do anything to keep him from walking away with the family business. She decides to seduce him, knowing that when her brothers find out, they will back off from the deal. And she’ll finally have her revenge. But when her plan spirals out of control, Katie learns that payback may come at too high a price …
Author Bio
After several years on the other side of the publishing industry, Sara Jane Stone bid goodbye to her sales career to pursue her dream—writing romance novels. Sara Jane currently resides in Brooklyn, New York with her very supportive real-life hero, two lively young children and a lazy Burmese cat. Visit her online at www.sarajanestone.com or find her on Facebook at Sara Jane Stone.
Giveaway
Two Signed Sets of Caught in the Act and Full Exposure along with a $10 Amazon Gift Card
Thank you for taking the time to read and review HERO BY NIGHT!!