Securing Caite

4.25 stars--SECURING CAITE is the first instalment in Susan Stoker’s contemporary, adult SEAL of Protection: Legacy military, romance series-a spin off from the author’s original SEAL of Protection series. This is thirty-five year old, US Navy SEAL Blake ‘Rocco’ Wise, and twenty nine year old, administrative assistant Caite McCallan’s story line.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Caite and Rocco) SECURING CAITE follows the building relationship between thirty-five year old, US Navy SEAL Blake ‘Rocco’ Wise, and twenty nine year old, administrative assistant Caite McCallan. While working for the US Navy in Bahrain, Caite would find herself trapped in a malfunctioning elevator with three US Navy SEALs Blake ‘Rocco’ Wise, Decker ‘Gumby’ Kincade, and Beckett ‘Ace’ . With their attraction to one another undeniable, Rocco will invite Caite out for dinner but in the ensuing timeline, Rocco and his men disappear without a trace leaving a saddened Caite to pick up the pieces of her broken heart. Overhearing a plot to kill three imprisoned US SEALs Caite sets about to rescue the man with whom she will fall in love but things go from bad to worse when Caite is fired for leaving the base, and sent back home with no money and no job. What ensues is the building relationship, once back on US soil, between Caite and Rocco, and the potential fall-out as Caite is targeted for information she knows.

Rocco and Caite had no idea that someone was after our story line heroine until too many incidents point to a potential plot. Hoping to uncover the truth about the how and why, Rocco calls in a group of Navy SEALs in an attempt to take down the person responsible, an attempt that may be too little, too late.

The relationship between Caite and Rocco is one of immediate attraction, a palpable sexual attraction that does not go unnoticed by Gumby and Ace. Rocco’s slow seduction of our story line hero is matched by Caite’s need for passion and love. The $ex scenes are passionate but limited.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and fascinating secondary and supporting characters from several of the author’s earlier story lines. The requisite evil is someone familiar and close.

SECURING CAITE is a cleverly written and realistic story line. The character driven premise is moving; the characters are flirty and fun; the slow building romance is intimate and tender. SECURING CAITE is an energetic and animated look at Navy SEALs and the women they love.

Really loved how this story jumped right into things - nothing worse than reading a third of a book before anything of real interest happens. Caite and Rocco are instantly attracted to one another and have a memorable first time meeting in a broken down elevator.

I was not fond of how low Caite’s self esteem was about herself and her body image, but was glad to see Rocco consistently reinforce to her how amazing she was, inside and out.

I enjoyed their deep emotional connection, especially considering she saves his life and he later saves hers. They both realized they were in love with one another before going to bed together to further solidify the bond between them. The intimate scenes were also well written - hot, hot, hot!

I also loved how much of a family the SEALs all were and how they came together to protect Caite when things got dicey, as well as just to support her.

Awesome. You’ve done it again, Susan S. Darn! I love this series.
Catherine M.