Finding Carly by Susan Stoker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Carly doesn’t want a boyfriend. Not after the last one tried to kill her. But Jagger “Jag” Bennett somehow gets under her skin, and soon she can’t imagine a life without him.

Jag hadn’t planned on a girlfriend…even though his SEAL teammates are all very happy with their women. But sometimes the best things in life aren’t planned…and Carly is definitely the best thing that had ever happened to him.

But someone isn’t happy Carly has moved on with her life. It’ll take everything Jag’s taught her to stay alive to have her happily ever after.

Finding Carly

Jag’s Patience Finally Pays Off

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

Characters and Plot Summary

I have been waiting for Carly and Jag’s story for several books, so finally getting to see these two become a couple was a big draw for me. Their attraction had been obvious, but what I really liked was that Jag had already become Carly’s friend and had patiently stayed in her life instead of pushing her before she was ready. After the nightmare involving her ex, Shawn Keyes, Carly is barely functioning. She is hiding in her apartment, jumping at noises, suffering panic attacks, and afraid that Shawn’s accomplice, who has still not been identified, will come after her. The opening scene, with Carly hiding under her bed after hearing a noise in the hallway, immediately shows just how badly the previous events have affected her.

Jag is determined to help her reclaim the life she lost. I especially appreciated the little details showing how consistently he has been there for her, including the hundreds of texts checking whether she has eaten, needs anything, or wants him to come over. He understands that Carly needs to regain control herself, and their relationship develops from that foundation of friendship and trust. At the same time, the threat from Shawn’s accomplice keeps the suspense moving, because Carly is not simply battling her own fear. Someone really is watching and waiting for an opportunity to finish what Shawn started.

Highlights and Limitations

For me, the strongest part of the story was Carly’s emotional journey. I liked that Stoker did not magically make her fearless just because she had a protective SEAL beside her. Jag helps, but Carly still has to work through the terror herself. Seeing that first spark of anger return beneath all her fear was particularly satisfying because it felt like the beginning of Carly taking herself back.

Jag was also exactly the kind of hero I hoped he would be. His patience with Carly made his feelings more believable, especially because he had already spent months supporting her without demanding a relationship in return. I found that much more meaningful than having him suddenly swoop in and “fix” everything.

The suspense worked well for me too. The unresolved accomplice from Shawn’s storyline gives the romance a genuine sense of danger rather than making the external conflict feel tacked on. My one limitation was that I occasionally wanted more time spent on Carly’s recovery and the emotional consequences of what happened to her. Some developments move fairly quickly considering how severely traumatized she is. I would have happily traded a little of the faster pacing for additional moments showing Carly rebuilding her independence.

The one part that I was a bit disappointed in was how quickly Jag got over his childhood trauma after it finally came out. I definitely didn’t really want his therapy to be stretched out a lot, but I would think it could have mentioned that more than a week went by before he was over it enough to be with Carly.

Narration

The audiobook is narrated by Emma Wilder, John Lane, and Chris Kipiniak, with a running time of about 9 hours and 36 minutes. I thought the narration suited this story particularly well because there is such a contrast between Carly’s fear and Jag’s steadier presence.

Emma Wilder did a good job capturing Carly’s vulnerability without making her sound weak. The early scenes involving her panic and isolation needed emotional nuance, and I could hear the difference as Carly gradually started finding her backbone again. John Lane brought the confidence and protectiveness I wanted from Jag, while Chris Kipiniak added another layer to the suspense-driven portions of the story. The three narrators helped keep the audiobook engaging and made the different perspectives easy to follow.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed finally getting Carly and Jag’s book. After watching their attraction develop through the previous stories, I was invested in seeing whether Carly could move beyond what Shawn had done to her and whether Jag would finally get the woman he had been patiently waiting for.

What surprised me most was how much I cared about Carly’s recovery rather than simply the romance. Her fear felt like a genuine obstacle, and watching her slowly begin to reclaim pieces of herself made the relationship with Jag more rewarding. I also loved that Jag’s role was not just to protect her from an outside threat. He was there to remind her that she was still capable of living her own life.

For me, Finding Carly is a strong combination of romantic suspense, emotional healing, and the kind of steadfast hero I expect from Susan Stoker. If you’ve been following the SEAL Team Hawaii series and waiting for Carly and Jag, I definitely think this is a story worth listening to.

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