One good deed…

When Mason “Red” Williams agrees to help his former teammate extract his fiancée’s best friend from a human trafficking ring, he accepts the mission. But when he’s guarding the ‘package,’ he fights against a powerful attraction. He should only feel responsibility due to the power dynamic. Yet when she’s threatened with deportation, Red’s offer of marriage sounds practical and protective because guilt has him hiding his true feelings.

Thalia Flores is tired of being a pawn between a corrupt, deep-pocketed family and the legal system. She’s finished with living in fear after Red rescues her, and she has her first glimpse of happiness and freedom. Loving Red is easy, but when she’s threatened again, his offer of marriage falls flat. He’s an honest and noble man, and she won’t say yes just to watch him walk away when she gains legal standing.

But then Red needs her help, and for the first time in her life, Thalia has some control, and she knows just what she wants to do.

Titles in the Unbreakable SEALS series include: Challenging Her Protector ~ The Hero’s Bride ~

This is an adult 18+ story that contains language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Title:  The Hero’s Bride
Series:  Unbreakable SEALS #2
Author:  Charlee James
Published:  July 31, 2025
Publisher:  Tule Publishing
My Rating:  4.5 stars

The Hero’s Bride is the second title in the Unbreakable SEALS series, bringing us Thalia and Mason’s (Red) danger-filled romance.  I loved our introduction to Thalia’s and Mason’s world. Their first encounter was as children when she saved him from the wrong side of town, where danger loomed everywhere for an American with no street smarts.  She had found an injured lizard that Mason promptly adopted, naming him “Tiny.”  Although they were from different worlds, neither forgot the other… and never could have imagined how they’d meet once again.

Fast forward to the present, where Mason has just seen a picture of the woman he and a friend are about to try to rescue from a human trafficking cartel… Thalia.  They might have been only 10 years old when she stopped him from getting roughed up by wandering down the wrong street, but he knew that face, and his determination to save her only heightened.

I loved everything about The Hero’s Bride by Charlee James.  From their very beginning, to the rescue, to the stubbornness of each as they tried to ignore the attraction building between them.  I was completely wrapped up in their story, which gave me more than a few chuckles and sighs.  And Tiny… that little lizard steals scenes!  If you love a well-written, intense, emotional romance with a realistic couple dealing with trauma, reality, and each other’s stubborn streaks, then you’d fall in love with this couple (and maybe a wee lizard as well).

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or the author’s team via Booksprout, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This title is available at Amazon (affiliate link)