Guest Post (and a Giveaway!): Kelly Underwood & Defending Honor

Welcome to the Blog Tour for the Elite Guardians Collection by Lynette Eason, Kate Angelo, Sami A. Abrams, and Kelly Underwood, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! I’m delighted to have Kelly Underwood on the blog today to share about Defending Honor – and a few of her favorite reads!

Dive into the exciting ignition to the Elite Guardians Collection.

DRIVING FORCE by Kate Angelo & Lynette Eason
SERIES: Elite Guardians Collection #1
GENRE: Christian Romantic Suspense
PUBLISHER: Sunrise Publishing
RELEASE DATE: March 22, 2022
PAGES: 366

He’s the last client she wants to protect…

Elite Guardians bodyguard/former sniper CHRISTINA SHERMAN has protected uncooperative clients before—but this time, well her client is bossy, headstrong and occasionally eats off the floor. Yes, he’s a highly trained military working dog, but certainly her skills could be put to better use, right?

Not according to former Special Forces Air Commando GREY PARKER. He needs her help to protect his dog while he undergoes an experimental surgery that could restore his ability to walk. He just needs someone to keep his canine partner safe. Most of all, Grey wants back on his feet so he can track down a deranged scientist known as The Scavenger who unleashed a nerve agent that left Grey sidelined in a wheelchair.

When an attempt is made on Grey’s life, and dead bodies begin piling up—with evidence the same toxin is responsible—suddenly Christina is tasked with keeping both dog and soldier alive…and with them, the secrets that could stop a terrorist attack.

But this time, even Christina might be in over her head.

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Another edge-of-your-seat Elite Guardians thriller!

IMPENDING STRIKE by Sami A. Abrams & Lynette Eason
SERIES: Elite Guardians Collection #2
GENRE: Christian Romantic Suspense
PUBLISHER: Sunrise Publishing
RELEASE DATE: June 28, 2022
PAGES: 290

Protecting him just might cost her everything…

Elite Guardian Charlie Lee knows that there is no future with the woman he loves—fellow Guardian Lizzie Tremaine. And, he gets it—as a single mom, Lizzie has to protect her daughter. But more than anything, he wants the chance to prove himself.

Then, the unthinkable happens—while working undercover, Charlie is seriously injured…and his memory of the past four years is lost. Could it be the fresh start that he didn’t realize he longed for?

Despite a friendship that’s turned flirtatious at times, Lizzie Tremaine has held Charlie at arms’ length. She’s lost all the men she’s ever loved, and is unwilling to risk her heart again. Still, she’s glad to keep an eye on him—as his bodyguard—and while she’s at it, help him put the pieces of his past together, including discovering who attacked him, and why.

But Charlie seems to have forgotten their agreed-upon professional distance—and suddenly, all the rules are off the table. She’s seeing a side of Charlie she could possibly let into her heart. Problem is, the closer he gets to uncovering his memories, the closer he gets to trouble.

It’s her heart…or his life. What will protecting Charlie cost her?

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Book three of the riveting, high-octane world of the Elite Guardians reboot!

DEFENDING HONOR by Kelly Underwood & Lynette Eason
SERIES: Elite Guardians Collection #3
GENRE: Christian Romantic Suspense
PUBLISHER: Sunrise Publishing
RELEASE DATE: October 4, 2022
PAGES: 298

She’ll have to pretend to be his wife to save his life…but what will it cost her heart?

Laila Rabbinowitz is all business. Tough and stoic, she was the perfect Mossad agent…until a terrible betrayal led to her worst nightmare. Being a bodyguard with the Elite Guardians allows her to keep her heart safe—she’ll never let anyone close enough to betray her again. And she’s certainly not going to trust anyone who doesn’t earn it.

Billionaire and former playboy Preston Whittaker walked away from his famous family after a terrible event, but then his father and brother are killed in a suspicious boating accident. Since he’s next in line to helm the family business, now someone wants him dead. Preston needs someone by his side 24/7, and the only solution is a fake marriage.

In order to keep him safe, Laila will have to convince everyone that she and Preston are in love. She’s used to putting her life on the line for a client. But what will this case cost her heart?

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a few of my favorite reads for 2022

by Kelly Underwood, author of Defending Honor

I love reading! Of course, suspense is my preferred genre. My review blog is BestinSuspense.com, after all. But I’ll admit that I’m a total mood reader. Anyone else pick books based on their current state of mind? Sometimes I need a cozy mystery with some swoon-worthy romance, other times I want an edge-of-your-seat panic-laced heart-stopping storyline. As a result, the books I read are all over the gamut as far as genre and intensity.

So here are a few of my top picks that I’ve read for 2022, sorted by mood:

In the mood for some nail-biting suspense? Of course, you should read Defending Honor! You definitely want to check out this fast-paced page-turner. What could go wrong when Laila goes undercover to protect Preston by pretending to be the socialite wife of an heir to a billion-dollar fortune? But I absolutely love a new thriller series, Brand of Justice, from Lisa Phillips. Cold Dead Night is the first in the series and it’s an intense read. Kenna Banbury is one tough but loveable heroine.

Looking for a light-hearted, happily-ever-after-kind of story? You’ll Be Mine by Rachel Hauck and Mandy Boerma is a heart-warming story of second chances at love. Such a great story with main characters that have enough chemistry to power an X-rocket!

Had a tough day and are looking for a book to read in a nice hot bath to help soak away your troubles? Try a historical romance. I love Carved in Stone by Elizabeth Camden. Set at the turn of the century, the story has all the drama and romance to transport you to another time and place.

Looking for a complex story to take you on a wild and imaginative ride? Try the Rembrandt Stone time traveling series by David James Warren. Read the series in order, so start with Cast the First Stone. I love how with each installment Rem is forced to go back in time to fix the broken timeline so he can return to the home he knows. You never know what he’ll find when he returns. Definitely a page-turner!

Need to escape reality completely? I loved Wishtress, a young-adult fantasy novel by Nadine Brandes. This story will transport you to a magical world filled with people with special abilities, like the ability to stop time or grant wishes. Of course, people want to control all of the abilities, so conflict ensues. It’s such an intense magical story in the fight of good against evil yet is filled with meaning and heart.

Or maybe you just need an extra dose of suspense because who needs sleep anyways? I love these two series for fast-paced stories with those epic death-defying scenes – the Defend and Protect series by Lynn Blackburn and the SNAP Agency series by Natalie Walters. I’m still waiting for the next book in these series to be released! So much action and suspense, but with down-to-earth and sometimes quirky characters.

I love recommending books and hope you enjoy some of these great stories! Don’t forget that you can read the entire Lynette Eason Elite Guardians collection for all the suspense and danger you can handle! Sunrise Publishing and Lynette Eason mentored up and coming authors to write stories with more Elite Guardians bodyguards. Check out Driving Force by Kate Angelo and Impending Strike by Sami A Abrams and binge-read the entire series. And don’t forget about Defending Honor.

Kelly Underwood‘s favorite things are reading, writing, and drinking coffee. She was born in New Hampshire, but don’t ask her about snow, because she’s been a Florida girl since she was twelve. She writes book reviews for her blog bestinsuspense.com and is an active member of the Central Florida chapter of the American Christian Fiction Writers. She’s a sucker for a good suspense novel, the kind you have to read cover-to-cover until the mystery is solved and the bad guys are in handcuffs. If you’re looking for her, she’s probably on her back patio with a Kindle in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. Visit her at kellyunderwoodauthor.com

Connect with Kelly by visiting kellyunderwoodauthor.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of Life Flight and the Danger Never Sleeps, Blue Justice, Women of Justice, Deadly Reunions, Hidden Identity, and Elite Guardians series. She is the winner of three ACFW Carol Awards, the Selah Award, and the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award, among others. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and has a master’s degree in education from Converse College. Eason lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children.

Connect with Lynette by visiting lynetteeason.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Kate Angelo is an author, minister, and public speaker from Southwest Missouri who works alongside her husband strengthening and encouraging marriages and families through their ministry. As the mother of five mostly grown children, she is fluent in both sarcasm and eye rolls-subjects she never intentionally taught while homeschooling. With her chihuahua taking up half of her desk space, she writes suspenseful stories of imperfect people who encounter hope and healing through Jesus. Kate is a tech enthusiast, coffee lover, productivity guru, accomplished knitter, avid boater, prayer warrior, and known klutz.

Connect with Kate by visiting kateangelo.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Sami A. Abrams grew up hating to read. It wasn’t until her 30s that she found authors who captured her attention. Now, most evenings you can find her engrossed in a romantic suspense novel. In her opinion, a crime plus a little romance is the recipe for a great story. Sami lives in Northern California, but she will always be a Kansas girl at heart. She has a love of sports, family, and travel. However, a cabin at Lake Tahoe writing her next story is definitely at the top of her list.

Connect with Sami by visiting samiaabrams.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

(1) winner will receive a paperback set of all three Elite Guardians Collection novels, plus an Elite Guardians T-shirt!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight October 3, 2022 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 10, 2022. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

This giveaway is hosted by JustRead Tours, not RimSP
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

What about you? What makes you want to read Defending Honor by Kelly Underwood & Lynette Eason – or the rest of the Elite Guardians Collection books by Kate Angelo and Sami A. Abrams? What’s one of your top reads of 2022 so far?