SEAL’s Pretend Family
by Leslie North
My review:
“SEAL’s Pretend Family” is the third book in the ‘Sentinel Security’ series by Leslie North. You do not need to have read the previous books in the series in order to understand and enjoy this one.
Danielle has a life that’s quiet, calm, and predictable… and rather lonely. Everything changes suddenly when the sister she hasn’t seen in years and rarely hears from, leaves the infant niece Danielle has never met on her doorstep in the middle of the night. The few things that accompany the baby raise more questions than they answer. When handsome security expert Shawn shows up on her doorstep next, Danielle’s life gets even wilder. He tells her that her sister as a secret CIA agent with someone out to get her, and that the sister has hired him to protect Danielle and the baby. Neither of them is looking for a connection but the chemistry between them is impossible to ignore, even though they are on the run with a baby and desperately trying to evade mysterious, dangerous mercenaries.
Life has left Danielle with trust and abandonment issues. It’s left Shawn with the same types of issues complicated by the betrayal and cheating of his ex-wife. He’s a truly good guy who’s convinced that if he isn’t continually needed to fix things in some way, then he brings nothing of value to a relationship. I thought the author did an excellent job conveying his painful insecurities in a way that makes you want to simultaneously shake him and hug him. This is a fast-paced story, and I couldn’t put it down because I had to keep seeing what would happen next. I liked the conclusion of the story, how Danielle and Shawn each changed for the better because of one another. I also appreciated the involvement of the couples from the first two books in this series, and that Danielle’s sister doesn’t just vanish again in the end.