Stephanie Newton

This was alright. It started off strong but got steadily more preachy which was annoying.

I liked Bayley and her attitude to life. I liked that she was all about trying new things and making bold choices. I mean I wouldn't paint all the rooms in my house rainbow colours, but I liked the thought of it. I liked Bayley's job as the director of Hope House - a safe haven for abused women - and her dedication to ensuring the women's safety and happiness.

Cruse was alright. Spent a bit too much time show more beating himself up about not being good enough, but otherwise was okay. The main thing that annoyed me about him was the spelling of his name - why not Cruise or Cruze or Cruz. I don't know - pretty much anything other than Cruse.

The romance was pretty non-existent but they did build a friendship, sharing their pasts and that. I would've liked to see them spend more time with Sailor (Cruse's sister) or the rest of their friends/church group.

The plot moved along at a good speed. I have read a lot of stalker books with a cop next door neighbour - particularly with the living on a beach, but I felt this was sufficiently different in being fleshed out more and providing greater character depth. Perhaps also different because of the lack of romance and sex than some of the other books have had.

The mystery was interesting and the culprit was sufficiently hard to guess. Decently written, 3 stars. show less

Stephanie Newton's "Perfect Target" was one that I could not put down from the first page to the last. She had me wondering who was responsible for stalking Bayley and for the murders that were going on in Sea Breeze. I loved the characters of Bayley, Cruse and his sister Sailor. They were very much alive in the story. The relationship between Cruse and Bayley felt very natural, not rushed. I highly recommend this book. If you like Dee Henderson you would love this. I look forward to her show more next book "Moving Target". Great Job Stephanie! show less

Tyler Clark is a DEA agent whose cover was blown. Now he has to see the police psychologist, Gracie VanDoren, and also figure out who he really is and what he wants to do. But he knows for sure he does not need a shrink. Gracie is a sweet and cheerful person and really wants to help Tyler integrate himself back into the 'real' world. He's not too happy about that but when Gracie receives several threats and he sees her fear is real he is compelled to be her protector.

I have thoroughly show more enjoyed every book in the Emerald Coast 911 Series but I have to say that this is my favorite so far. I liked everything about this story. I read it in a day because I could not put it down. It kept me turning pages as I journeyed with Tyler and Gracie down some pretty tough roads. The underlying theme of 'God being unchangeable even if our circumstances change' was played out very well. I liked that there was a sub-story going on between Matt and Lara (from Smoke Screen). That was fun. Tyler is Matt's brother. The author did a great job developing the characters so that I truly feel like I know these folks in the Sea Breeze community. If you enjoy Dee Henderson, Anne Patrick and Irene Hannon I would recommend not only Point Blank Protector but any of Stephanie Newton's books. Looking forward to the next adventure! A thank you goes to the author for sending a complimentary copy to me for my review. show less

Lara Hughes is a firefighter who would rather risk her life rushing into a burning building rather than risk her heart in a relationship. Her feelings of unworthiness go deep. Matt Clark is a firefighter and Lara's partner. He is developing strong feelings for Lara as he sees what a strong and caring woman she is, but she won't seem to give him a chance. As the two of them investigate suspicious fires that seem to be connected to a drug ring, they become targets. Will they be able to find show more out who is truly behind this activity before it's too late and will this change how Lara thinks?

After reading four books by this author I've come to believe that you are guaranteed a GREAT story! Her characters come to life and seem to be real people. She makes you care about them. I like that she's kept the characters from previous books interactive in the story but not in such a way that you would be lost if you picked up any book in the series. She did a great job addressing Lara's feelings of unworthiness. It was believable to me. I also liked how Matt kept gently showing her that everyone has a past but God is bigger than all of that. One thing that I really enjoy about this author's books is she has a lot of interactive dialog between the characters, which keeps you turning pages. I took a liking to Matt's brother Tyler and would love to hear more from him. If you like Dee Henderson, Irene Hannon or Lynette Eason you will definitely want to pick up all of Stephanie Newton's books. I highly recommend this story and am looking forward to "Christmas Target". A thank you goes to the author for sending me this book to review. show less