Protecting Wren by Susan Stoker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

She’s no stranger to dangerous situations, but she’ll never make it out of this one alive without the help of her Navy SEAL.

Bo “Safe” Cyders was born to protect. He loves his job as a Navy SEAL and takes his oath to protect his country and the men on his team seriously. So when a woman literally stumbles into his arms at Aces Bar and Grill, begging for help, he doesn’t hesitate to act. 

Wren Defranco’s online date went south quickly, and when she wakes up in a strange bed, in a room she doesn’t recognize, she’s certain she’ll end up a statistic on some random crime show. Instead, she’s somehow found not only one of the world’s rare good guys, but someone she can rely on… and easily fall for. 

When her job sends her to South Sudan, a country ravaged by civil unrest, Wren learns exactly how lucky she was to run into Bo that fateful night at Aces. She’ll need every bit of survival intel he and his SEAL friends ingrained in her before the trip—and the hope of a rescue mission—if she stands any chance of lasting long enough to experience what it truly means to have real trust, a devoted family…and genuine love.

Protecting Wren

Safe Was the Perfect Name for This Hero

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💛💚❤️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😋😀🤯😎😍
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration

Main Characters and Plot Overview

Bo “Safe” Cyders is exactly the kind of hero his nickname suggests. He is calm under pressure, fiercely protective, and the sort of Navy SEAL who steps in without hesitation when someone needs help. His first meeting with Wren Defranco immediately hooked me. Wren stumbles into his arms at Aces Bar after realizing something is terribly wrong with her online date, and Bo trusts his instincts that she has been drugged. I liked that he focused on making her feel safe rather than taking advantage of her vulnerable state. That first night, from leaving her a note explaining where she was to making breakfast the next morning, established the kind of man he is.

Wren’s difficult childhood explains why trusting anyone does not come naturally. Learning about the abuse she suffered from her mother made her hesitation around relationships completely believable. The story takes a dramatic turn when her new job requires her to travel to South Sudan despite the obvious dangers. I appreciated that Bo and his teammates did not simply tell her not to go. Instead, they spent time teaching her survival skills that later become essential. Watching Wren actually use those lessons while being held captive made her feel resourceful instead of helpless, and the rescue mission had me completely glued to the story.

Highlights and Limitations

The strongest part of this book for me was seeing Wren grow more confident as the story progressed. One scene that really stood out was her remembering Bo’s advice while in captivity and making careful decisions instead of panicking. Those moments made her resilience feel earned.

I also loved how protective Bo was without trying to control every decision Wren made. Even when he strongly disagreed with her trip overseas, he respected that the choice was ultimately hers and focused on giving her the best chance to survive. That balance made the romance work for me because it never felt overbearing.

The one aspect I struggled with was Wren’s decision to accept the assignment to South Sudan after everyone had made it clear how dangerous it would be. I understood the pressure she felt as a new employee trying to keep her job, but I still found myself wanting her to push back harder against her employer. The payoff afterward was excellent, especially seeing how she handled her career once everything was over, but getting there required a little more suspension of disbelief than I usually like.

Narration

Mackenzie Cartwright captured Wren’s emotional journey beautifully. She made the quieter moments of fear and self doubt feel just as compelling as the high-tension scenes. I could hear Wren gradually becoming stronger as the story unfolded.

Teddy Hamilton was an excellent choice for Bo. His steady, reassuring delivery fit Safe’s personality perfectly. He gave Bo warmth without making him sound overly dramatic, and I especially enjoyed his performance during the protective conversations where Bo was trying to prepare Wren for what she might face overseas. Together, the dual narration added another layer to the romance and made both perspectives easy to connect with.

Final Thoughts

This ended up being another strong entry in Susan Stoker’s SEAL of Protection: Alliance series. The opening encounter at the bar immediately grabbed my attention, but it was Wren’s determination and Bo’s unwavering support that kept me invested all the way through the final rescue and aftermath. I also enjoyed catching up with familiar characters from Stoker’s larger military romance world because they added to the feeling that these teams are one extended family rather than isolated groups.

I finished this audiobook feeling like both main characters had earned their happy ending. Bo never stopped being the dependable protector his teammates knew him to be, while Wren proved she was far stronger than anyone, including herself, expected. If you enjoy military romantic suspense with genuine danger, capable characters, and a hero who protects with both strength and compassion, this one is absolutely worth the listen.

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