Finding Monica by Susan Stoker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Years of abuse at the hands of her father has taught Monica Collins she can’t trust anyone—especially military men. Since escaping her home, she’s built a successful career as a nanny, showing other kids the love she was denied as a child. But when her employer’s ambassadorial home becomes fair game for intruders during a riot, she’s forced to rely on two SEALs to get her to safety. Basically her worst nightmare come to life.

Stuart “Pid” Hall is used to people being scared, panicked, and confused during a rescue mission, but Monica’s deep animosity and distrust is a surprise…until she shares a bit of her story. He can’t blame her for hating all things military—or for being outraged when his commander demands the SEAL team escort her back to Hawaii. Turns out the ambassador’s home was specifically targeted, and Monica’s the only person who’s faced the intruder and lived.

No one is prepared to learn the man has ties to the Navy. When he decides to use Monica as a pawn for his revenge, she’ll have to overcome years of deep-seated fear…and put her trust in Stuart’s hands if she hopes to see another day.

Finding Monica

A Protector with Patience

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💛💚🖤
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌍
Character development: 😋🙂😁😘😍
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration

Character Backgrounds and Plot Summary

Finding Monica brings Stuart “Pid” Hall and Monica Collins together under some seriously dangerous circumstances. Stuart is a Navy SEAL who is part of a team evacuating Americans from Algeria when the ambassador’s young son asks them not to leave without his nanny. Stuart and Slate return to the ambassador’s residence and eventually discover Monica hiding in a safe room. I loved that first meeting because Monica is absolutely not the helpless woman Stuart expects to find. She comes out armed, suspicious, and ready to defend herself, and even after Stuart explains that they are there to rescue her, she makes it very clear that she does not trust him.

Monica’s distrust has deep roots. Her abusive father was a military man who taught her that people in uniform were dangerous, while her mother failed to protect her. Monica has spent her adult life keeping people at a distance and pouring her affection into the children she works with as a nanny. Stuart quickly realizes that winning her trust is going to require far more than being protective. When the ambassador’s home is attacked and set on fire shortly after their escape, Monica loses what little she has, yet she focuses on surviving rather than falling apart.

The danger follows them back to Hawaii when it becomes clear the attack was deliberate and Monica may be the only person who can help identify the person behind it. I especially liked that the romantic relationship develops alongside the suspense instead of instantly taking over the story.

Highlights and Limitations

For me, Stuart was the biggest highlight. He never treats Monica’s fear as an inconvenience he needs to overcome quickly. Instead, he consistently gives her room to make her own decisions. His patience becomes particularly important once they are back in Hawaii, because Monica has to confront the possibility that everything she believed about military men may not be true. I appreciated that Stuart proves himself through his actions rather than expecting her to simply take his word for it.

Monica was also easy to care about. The early scene where she realizes that the house is burning and thinks about the children’s drawings and belongings she has lost really emphasized how much she has already had to rebuild. Her survival instincts are strong, but they are also part of what keeps her isolated.

The suspense worked well for me, particularly once the team discovers the attack has ties to the Navy and Monica is being targeted as part of someone else’s revenge. I did think the villain’s motivations and some of the investigative developments were a little more straightforward than I would have preferred. I also found myself wishing Stuart had a bit more internal conflict of his own. Monica carries so much emotional baggage that the relationship naturally centers on her healing, while Stuart sometimes feels almost too steady.

One thing that pleasantly surprised me was how long Stoker allows Monica and Stuart’s emotional connection to develop before the physical side takes over. That pacing felt appropriate for Monica’s character.

Narration

Emma Wilder and Jason Clarke were a strong combination for this audiobook. Wilder handled Monica’s guarded personality particularly well. I could hear the difference between Monica’s outward suspicion and the vulnerability underneath it, which made her gradual willingness to trust Stuart feel believable.

Jason Clarke was an excellent fit for Stuart. His deeper, steady delivery gave Stuart the calm, confident presence the character needed without making him sound overly aggressive. I particularly enjoyed the quieter scenes between Stuart and Monica because Clarke’s performance conveyed Stuart’s patience and affection without needing to overplay them.

Together, the narrators made the romantic progression easy to settle into, while the action scenes maintained enough urgency to keep me listening.

Final Opinion

I really enjoyed Finding Monica. What worked best for me was that this wasn’t simply a story about a tough SEAL rescuing a woman in danger. It was about a woman who had spent her entire life learning not to trust anyone finally encountering someone willing to earn that trust one small step at a time.

The moment Stuart realizes that Monica’s hostility isn’t really about him, but about everything she has survived, was one of the turning points I appreciated most. His response says a lot about the kind of hero he is. He doesn’t try to fix her. He simply keeps showing up.

The combination of romantic suspense, a wounded but resilient heroine, and an incredibly patient hero made this one of my favorites in the SEAL Team Hawaii series. I cared about Monica’s journey, enjoyed watching Stuart earn his place beside her, and thought Emma Wilder and Jason Clarke brought the emotional weight of the story to life beautifully. If you enjoy military romantic suspense with a slower emotional build and a heroine who has genuine reasons for keeping people at arm’s length, I definitely recommend this one.

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