The Protector (Game of Chance Book 1)

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars | 11,210 ratings

Price: 5.99

Last update: 08-31-2024


About this item

From New York Times bestselling author Susan Stoker comes a sizzling suspense about the romance that blossoms between two strangers during a snowstorm and the stalker who threatens them both.

Riggs “Chappy” Chapman didn’t expect to be disrupted at his remote cabin in the woods. But when a stray dog arrives on his porch, he winds up finding a stray woman, too, trudging through the snowstorm in search of shelter. His military days may be behind him, but Chappy is hardwired to protect her from the storm and whatever it is she’s running from.

Carlise Edwards didn’t expect her car to break down in the Maine wilderness. All she wants is to escape whoever is stalking her back home. There’s no way anyone’s going to find her and Chappy deep in the forest, especially not in dangerous weather. But she finds it hard to mind the circumstances when the company is this stimulating.

As the snowstorm rages, Chappy and Carlise find that, despite the cold, they can generate plenty of heat of their own…but there’s more than just natural dangers lurking in the woods.


From the Publisher

Cover image for The Protector by Susan Stoker, pictured next to text: Danger & Desire Collide

Top reviews from the United States

Alicia
5.0 out of 5 stars Romantic and suspenseful
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2024
Great combination of romance and suspense. The author did a fantastic job of blending the characters feelings both as individuals and as a couple. The mystery of the stalker was subtly added as the story progressed. Good HEA
SBLyon
4.0 out of 5 stars Protective and Sweet
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2024
3.85⭐️ The Protector is a good example of a good story with solid characters, solid supporting characters, and a solid storyline. I just wanted a little more to push it to be even better but it was a good read! The insta-love was sweet, the danger was real, and the surprise twist was not quite expected but definitely added to the story.
SCJ
5.0 out of 5 stars The Protector- Riggs/Chappy and Carlise
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2024
First read from SS and I will definitely be reading more.
Riggs or Chappy is a military man. The book opens with he and his 3 friends still in the military. The 4 of them are in a horrible situation so to pass time they think about what they would do when they get out of the military. Everyone should definitely read that part as I believe that is the foundation for these 4 men. What they all had to live through was awful yet they stayed positive and dreamed of a better life. Now we get to read of those better lives.

Carlise is getting out of an abusive relationship. When the persistent texts, emails, and bad things continue to happen, Carlise packs a bag and heads out of town. But, somewhere along the way she takes a wrong turn and she ends up lost. Now she is stuck in her car with a blizzard outside. With no other options, she grabs her bag and search of shelter. She never imagined seeing a dog in the road would ultimately save her life.

I really enjoyed the story. It wasn’t too long and entertaining from beginning to end. It was horrible reading about these guys and what they went through in the military, but very inspiring that they all still have each other, are best of friends, and are successful business partners. Obviously, because of what they went through, we want to see all four of these men in a very happy relationship and HEA. I think we can all admit that we love a Protective, alpha, gorgeous man. I look forward to the rest of the series.
Nancy C Walker
3.0 out of 5 stars The good is good, the rest is awful
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2023
I had a love/hate relationship with this book. The good parts were great, but the not so good parts were awful.

Riggs, aka Chappy, wants to have some downtime in his secluded cabin, but it's interrupted when Carlise shows up in the middle of a snowstorm. Carlise is running from a stalker. The two quickly fall in love.

I loved the first few days of Riggs and Carlise being in the cabin. But after that, Riggs became an obsessed puppy and Carlise wrote off every red flag as "I know he won't hurt me." She even compared Riggs to her abusive ex-boyfriend.

The stalker storyline ended up surprising me. I thought I had it figured out, and even had a few ideas on different ways it could go. It surprised me when it lead me down a different road entirely. Unfortunately, it also frustrated me that Carlise would do several of the things she did. I won't spoil it but let's just say that for someone hiding from a stalker, Carlise talks too much.

The good parts of the story had a way of drawing me in and I couldn't put the book down. The bad parts of the story had me cringing and not wanting to pick the book back up to finish it. There is no middle ground with this story. It's either great or cringy.

I love the nod to Stoker's other series. It was just enough to remind the reader that she has another book series, but not so much that I felt like I needed to stop and read the other series first.
Cheryl Sanders
5.0 out of 5 stars It’s a beautiful thing!
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2024
4.5 Stars
This is book one in the Game of Chance series and it features Riggs “Chappy” Chapman and Carlisle Edwards. Brought together by a starving dog in the wilds of Maine, these two have a beautiful insta-love story with a crazy, unexpected plot twist. I love when these PTSD sufffering ex military men find their other halves that calm their souls. It’s a beautiful thing.
Cori / RomancingtheReader
4.0 out of 5 stars Good story, and a great KU free listen!
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2023
Susan Stoker writes great alpha men and fun romantic suspense. And she does it so consistently, she’s an easy download for me every time.

???? ???????????????? ????????????????: The Protector, the first book in the Game of Chance series by Susan Stoker.

???? ????????????????????: Military/veteran, character series, stranded together, romantic suspense, found family.

???? ????????????????????????????????: Chappy just wants a few weeks of peace and quiet in his cabin. But when a blizzard blows in and brings Carlise to his door, he realizes that some disruptions to his tranquil home away from home are worth it.

???? ????????????????????????: Consistency is key, and Susan Stoker is the queen of it. I know I can pick up any of her books and get a solid military romance with some mild spice and some romantic suspense.

I liked The Protector a lot. Listen - there’s absolutely instalove in this book. Chappy and Carlise fall in love in days. But I find it easy to get past that stuff when I’m in the right mood. The ending to this one also gave me some unexpected feels.

I listened to this since I was busy this week, and it was a pretty good listen. The narrators were great and kept me in the story the whole way through. Highly recommend, especially since it’s a free listen with KU.

???????????????????????? ????????????????????????: 3.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐

???????????????????? ????????????????????????: 3/5 ????????????

????️ on KU and ????

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