The Guardian (The Ranger Brigade #1) (2024)

Good story with some fairly intense suspense. Abby was in Colorado working on her master's degree in environmental science. She likes being outdoors and on her own after her time in the military, which left her scarred physically and emotionally. While on her hunt for plants, she met a young Hispanic woman who seemed afraid, and then stumbled upon a body in the woods.

When Abby showed up at the task force headquarters to report the murder, Michael was surprised to see her. He had been a pararescueman in Afghanistan and part of the team that rescued Abby when she was wounded. Michael has never forgotten the woman whose life he had saved. Now it looks like he'll be protecting her again.

I really enjoyed the interactions between them. Abby has no memory of Michael, but there's something about him that she trusts. She's also attracted to him, something she hasn't felt since she came back from the war. Abby is a strong and independent woman, well able to take care of herself. She isn't always happy with his protectiveness and has no trouble standing up to him when she thinks she needs to. I loved the way they worked together when they were stranded out in the backcountry. She's also still cautious with her emotions, having been hurt by people who couldn't see past her scars. Michael is impressed by Abby's resourcefulness and her ability to stay calm in a crisis. He's also frustrated by her unwillingness to stay back and out of danger. When that danger turns deadly, both of them realize that it's time to put their fears aside and take what fate has offered them..

I liked the suspense side of the story. The task force has been given the mission of dealing with crime on the national park and other lands in the area. They are dealing with drugs, human trafficking, and immigration issues among others. Abby's information gives them hope that they've finally had a break in the case. The danger increases as Abby's encounter with the young woman and the baby put them on the trail of the man who is bringing in illegal aliens to work the drug fields. The final confrontation was intense, with Abby at the mercy of the bad guy. This portion of the story wraps up well, but there are still questions to be answered. They suspect a local bigwig is a key player, but have no proof. I expect that he is going to play a part in future books as the team continues its efforts to stop what is happening. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

I found The Guardian to be an odd book. A lot happens in it but it is very short. It has an interesting story line, a good plot but if anything, it is weighted down by what, at times, feels like a forced romance. Normally a good romance is bought down by a bad story, this is one of the first times I have seen it the other way around.

I really liked the setting, I liked the thriller/crime drama aspects of this book. I thought Myers wrote those aspects very well. I had no problem picturing everything she set out. The romance started well, it was a slow burner which would have been great if the book had been a hundred pages longer. Instead, it all got a little rushed towards the end and the characters ended up making big commitments to each other after having been together for a day. That kind of thing just doesn't sit well with me.

I liked that Myers made the war veteran a woman, I liked that she had flaws and faults. She wasn't always likable or kind and she was never perfect. I liked less the attitude of those around her, that 'I know you are a capable woman but you need me to protect you' or 'I know you think you understand but you don't, I know you think you can do this but you can't' attitude, it was boring, it was annoying, and a week after watching Wonder Woman figuratively give the finger to that attitude I have to call it out.

Despite some of the issues I enjoyed this book. It was far from brilliant but it was readable and entertaining enough.

Abby Stewart, and Michael Dance were both in the military deployed to Afghanistan 5 years ago. Michael could never forget Abby. Meanwhile she can't remember him. Abby was badly wounded. Michael was a Para rescuer with the US Air Force's rescue squadron. Abby was his first save, and the first and only woman. She made a impression on him. He tried to look her up, but found out she had been redeployed back to the states.

5 years later Abby is working on her master's degree in Biologist. She study's plant species found in the National Park. While she is out collecting specimen's, she stumbles over a dead body. She went to the park ranger's office to report it, but they had gone home for the day. That is when she walked into another office that is law enforcement to report it. Michael is so shocked to see Abby, the beautiful soldier that he had saved 5 years before.

This book had it all. It had its touching moments. It had edge of your seat suspense, and action. It also had romance between Michael, and Abby.

The body that Abby stumbled across was part of a human trafficking ring. The leaders would kill anyone that got in their way. I loved how protective Michael was of Abby. I also loved that she could take care of herself. They both had survival skills that was put to the test when they got stranded in the desert.

Sample from Chapter 3 - Bark exploded from the trunk of a tree beside her. "Get down!" Michael yelled, and shoved her to the ground as bullets whistled over their heads.

Sample from chapter 4
"You've been pinned down by a sniper before?" "Oh yeah" That was the thing about being over there - the unpredictability of it all - Not knowing when an IED would explode or a sniper would fire, not knowing who you could trust."

The Guardian by Mauri Myers is book 1 in The Ranger Brigade series. The setting is Black Canyon in the Gunnison National Park in Colorado. I enjoyed the storyline that Abby and Michael had both served in Afghanistan. Michael was an Air Force pararescueman (PJ) that literally saved her life. They coincidently or by fate meet five years later. Myers created several touching scenes where they discussed what happened five years ago because she does not remember Michael and a lot of what happened immediately after her injuries.

The main storyline is a lot more intense and has them dealing with drugs, human trafficking, and immigration issues among others. Abby is studying to be a biologist when she comes across some information that she takes to the task force. This could be the break in the case they have been looking for. Although you have some closure for this story there are a couple loose ends that I assume will be addressed in future books.

Both characters are very likable. Abby is trying to make a difference in the world. She is dealing with the physical and emotional aspects of being in the war. Michael is also trying to find his purpose while working on the task force with the border patrol.

You can see my full review at More Than a Review dot com where I rate the level of sex, violence, language and drug/alcohol use in books.

Abby is a former soldier who stumbles across a crime in the wilderness of Colorado. In the grandest too-far-fetched-to-ever-happen, she meets the soldier who saved her life in Afghanistan.

Once you get past this contrived moment, the rest of the story is good. Human Trafficking, murder, illegal immigration, and romance all make an appearance in this story. It's an interesting couple of hours to spend reading.

This was a super fast read.

The story was pretty fast paced filled with a lot of action but not much character development. There was a lot of loose ends left open, like what about that missing lady that was mentioned in the beginning? Who really ran the show behind these cartels? What is the deal with that asshole rancher who loves getting in the way of the government?

I did enjoy the storyline, I just wish there was more of it and the book was longer. I didn't like how the book forced the romance between Abby and Michael, like there wasn't that chemistry there and with the primary focus on the drug cartels, there was no room for the development of their relationship beyond him saving her life years ago.

I really liked that both hero and heroine were former military and had that shared experience of being deployed, acclimating back into civilian life etc. I also liked the basic premise of the story, which involves illegal activity on public lands and human trafficking not centered around sex work (human traffickers also force people into illegal drug trade and domestic work, for instance). What I didn't realize going in is that this isn't book one in a series - it's book one in a mini-series. So readers should expect to be in for the long haul as the suspense thread starts here and carries over to the next three books in the series (all written by Myers). So there's quite a bit left hanging as fodder for later books. An OK read for me, but it didn't light a fire in me to pick up book two.

Abby was in the military and she was hurt so bad that she apparently died and was brought back to life by a helicopter medic named Lt. Michael Dance. Now she has become a student in Environmental Science and has received a grant to study certain plants in the park in the back country.

While checking out some plants she comes across more than she bargained for. She finds herself in the middle of some strange things happening in the park. When she goes to a trailer near the Ranger station she runs into a small team working together to check things out and she runs into Michael Dance.

Really enjoyed the book.

The Guardian #1 in a great New Romance Series The Rangers Brigade by: Cindi Myers has it all a fast pace plot, Characters you can relate too and like or hate, you will want to take action on behalf of National Park, it's wild life and it's wild plants and of its History. A Out Doors Adventure read for those of you who like and love Nature and Romance.

This is the 3rd book I read by Cindi Myers. I'm sorry I stopped reading this story 📖 at chapter 3 because it didn't grab my interest.

I received a complimentary book from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is a Harlequin Intrigue series book. I am an avid romantic suspense reader even though many of the books are dark and include graphic violence and sex. Often after reading a few of them, my mind needs to read something much lighter. Harlequin Intrigue seems to fit the bill.

The Guardian takes place in Colorado. Abby Stewart returned from Afghanistan five years ago after being seriously injured and almost dying.
Lieutenant Michael Dance was an Air Force pararescueman who worked very long and hard to save her life. He has never forgotten him On the other hand, she cannot remember anything of that time.

Abby returned with PSTD, a scarred face and the necessity to stay away from people. She is getting her masters degree where she has been given a grant to explore the medicinal property of different kinds of plants.

While she is in the woods exploring, she meets an Hispanic woman and a child who appear scared and doesn't speak much. While they are talking a group of men appear loudly talking although neither knows about what. The woman runs away and Abby hides. Later on, Abby discovers a dead body in the woods.

Abby goes to tell the authorities when she walks into a meeting of a task force set up to look into drugs, the trafficking of women and other illegal activities that might be going on in the woods. Lt. Michael Dance happens to be working with the task force and recognizes Abby.Michael is attracted to Abby and wants to get close to Abby by helping her remember the experience in Afghanistan.

This is the first book in a series and it is easy to see where the next books will continue. However this is not a cliiffhanger because Abby and Michael's story ends in this book.

Cindy Meyers is a fantastic writer. Her chapters run fluently into one another just as Abby and Michael's story works fluently with the overall plot. The long term plot does not feel like a cliffhanger because it can clearly be updated and reviewed in the next book.

I would definitely recommend this book to romantic suspense lovers who do not like the darker segments that are usually a part of the mainstream novels that fit this genre. However it has a little more action than the cozy mysteries.

The ease and lively beginning of the story, while Abby is collecting plants for her science project, soon turns into tension and fear, when suspicious characters invade her peaceful place at the national park. With Abby's memories and flashbacks of the war, the tension rises even more.
It is a captivating start for the book, as the plot thickens, and the beauty and peace of the national park, turns into a dangerous crime scene.
Abby and Michael have a unique connection, since he saved her life in Afghanistan, even though Abby has no recollection of it.
Michael, a former PJ, is a true hero. He is intense, protective, committed to his job to hold the law, and help the people. He is easy to like, and admire. His attraction, and connection, to Abby is immediate, and he is not hiding it. Abby is still getting used to her life after the injury in the war. The scar on her face changed all her future plans, and she seems a bit bitter about it. She is high strung, stubborn, and short tempered at first, and it took a while to warm up to her.
The story moves on smoothly, as the danger comes close to Abby repeatedly. While lost in the forest, doing their best to stay alive, and hidden from the criminals, Michael and Abby take care of the baby trusted with them, and learn more about each other, learn to trust each other, and survive in a primitive way.
The story is alluring, and kept me up late reading it. I still had some questions at the end of the book, but this being the book I in a new series, maybe the answers are more forthcoming in future installments of the series. But for the Guardian
~ Four Spoons!

4 stars

Lots of drama, action and mystery. There is a love scene that I skipped over easy. The characters are likeable and I would like to see them again.
There is a task force to work together to deal with National forrest and park. With FBI Agent, ICE, Border control ect.

Abby Stewart was in the back lands of the park collecting plants. Trying to find plants for medicine.
While she is out she runs into a woman with a baby collecting plants to eat. She also heard a bunch of men talking, shots and found a dead man.

Abby was wounded in Afghanistan. Her face is scarred. She has PSTD too. She is single working on her masters.

Michael Dance recognized her when she came to the task force to report the murder. Michael saved her life in Afghan when he was a Air Force pararescuemen. He could never forget her. He is still drawn to her. Michael is not a border patrol agent,

Abby and Michael end up working together to find different things in the back country and wind up facing danger.

The setting Black Canyon in the Gunnison National Park in Colorado.

I would like to read more in the Ranger Brigade series. I want to see what happens next.

I was given this ebook to read by Net Galley and Harlequin. In return I agreed to give a honest review.

The Guardian takes place in Colorado. Abby Stewart returned from Afghanistan five years ago after being seriously injured and almost dying.
Lieutenant Michael Dance was an Air Force pararescueman who worked very long and hard to save her life. He has never forgotten him On the other hand, she cannot remember anything of that time.

Abby returned with PSTD, a scarred face and the necessity to stay away from people. She is getting her masters degree where she has been given a grant to explore the medicinal property of different kinds of plants.

While she is in the woods exploring, she meets an Hispanic woman and a child who appear scared and doesn't speak much. While they are talking a group of men appear loudly talking although neither knows about what. The woman runs away and Abby hides. Later on, Abby discovers a dead body in the woods.

Abby goes to tell the authorities when she walks into a meeting of a task force set up to look into drugs, the trafficking of women and other illegal activities that might be going on in the woods. Lt. Michael Dance happens to be working with the task force and recognizes Abby.Michael is attracted to Abby and wants to get close to Abby by helping her remember the experience in Afghanistan.

Abby and Michael are both veterans trying to find themselves in new professions. Michael is working in law enforcement while Abby is trying to complete work on a grant to study the medicinal properties of plants. In her plant hunting expeditions, Abby meets someone she shouldn't have and ends up stumbling upon a body. Through the process of reporting the murder, she ends up reconnecting with Michael. As the pararescueman who saved her life in Afghanistan, he remembers her, but she doesn't remember him at all. Michael has carried a torch for Abby for years. He is determined not to let danger touch her if he can help it. If it also gives him a chance to get closer to her, he doesn't mind. Abby is scarred both emotionally and physically from her time in the military. She resists Michael's efforts to help her but can't help being attracted to him. In the meantime, something dangerous is happening on federal land, and it is up to these two to figure out what and stop it.

This was a nice afternoon read, and I enjoyed it. Net Galley provided a copy for review.

There's nothing I like more, than to see my two favorite genres come together for an explosive novel. Abby's a great strong character that can take care of herself. With military service behind her and parents who think she should focus more on her looks than her brains, she's made herself into a force who has a beauty within that no one can take from her. Michael sees that. Understanding, he gets her in a way no one else around her does.

I had a hard time putting this down. I wanted to read it in one swoop, but life got in the way. It's a great read with issues that are pertinent to the characters and people in our societies now.

From the back cover: Far from the mountains of Afghanistan, Abby Stewart found solace in the wild country of Western Colorado. But after finishing one war, she was caught in another. In securing the crime scene, Lieutenant Michael Dance was more surprised to see Abby than the dead body.

Book was extremely good and keep you in suspense the whole time. Definitely worth reading.

"With three-dimensional characters, a compelling storyline with current relevancy and a tender love story featuring a scarred but strong heroine, Myers’ latest is worth a read. The setting feels very authentic as well" (RT Book Reviews, 4 stars).

Miniseries: The Ranger Brigade

received 4 stars @ RT Book Reviews
Miniseries: The Ranger Brigade

Not totally believable