Title: The Hero She Wants
Author: Anna Hackett
Series: Unbroken Heroes #2
Pages: 220
Release Date: January 25, 2024
Since leaving the military Shepherd “Shep” Barlow prefers to stay on his Colorado mountain alone and avoid people. But when his former commander arrives he finds himself being asked to take a deadly mission to Central America to rescue the archaeologist daughter of the President of the United States.
After meeting Shep in the previous book I was excited to get his book and see him fall in love. Shep is a reclusive grump who left the military with survivor’s guilt and PTSD. Shep also had a tragic childhood that compounded onto this. Shep was a man who spoke little but was extremely skilled and went out of his way to protect Hayden. I loved how protective he was of Hayden from the very beginning. I also liked that he was proud of how she was holding up during their various attempts to evacuate from Nicaragua and the situation in general. He respects Hayden from the beginning and never treats her differently because she is the president’s daughter.
Hayden was amazing. She was snarky, smart, and fearless. She doesn’t wait for Shep to rescue her after she is kidnapped, she plans her escape and succeeds. I loved that while she may have been terrified she never gives up and keeps fighting back. She was a great MFC and it was just great seeing her kicking ass next to Shep. Also I really loved how snarky she was towards Shep in the beginning when she was trying to get him to open up more, it was so amusing.
Overall, this was another action packed and suspenseful romance. I really enjoyed Hayden and Sheps’ romance. While we only briefly meet him in this, I am now interested in learning more about Ren and the woman he is avoiding.
TW: on page murder of a friend; grief; PTSD and survivor’s guilt; death of a parent from cancer mentioned; torture and death of friends mentioned; abusive grandparent mentioned; death of a sibling mentioned;
*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.*
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Previous books and reviews for the series:
Red-Haired Ash Reads 