Welcome to my #TeaTime review of Northern Protector by Laurie Wood!

I’m so pleased you’ve joined me for tea, treats, and chatting about Northern Protector, the second book in the “Heroes of the Tundra” series by Laurie Wood. Especially interesting is the name of the victim in this story….Sherida Stewart! Yes, I won the opportunity to have my name used as a character in this book! Fun!

While reading Laurie’s series, I was intrigued by how the folks of Churchill adjust to living with polar bears wandering through their town. My husband and I encountered a grizzly while backpacking in the mountains of Wyoming a few years ago. Fortunately, the bear was snacking on berries, so wasn’t interested in us as we quietly backed down the trail. Since we have seen bison, elk, and moose on our hiking adventures, we do have a healthy respect for wildlife. I can’t imagine living with huge white bears walking through my neighborhood day and night. The book research Laurie did on her visit to Churchill is fascinating.

FROM AUTHOR LAURIE WOOD

In September 2019, Sherida won my “Name the Villain or Victim” Contest and she is one of the victim’s in my new release, Northern Protector (Heroes of the Tundra Book 2). Like the rest of the series, it takes place in the actual town of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.

Churchill sits on the southern shore of Hudson Bay, on the border of the sub-arctic and arctic wilderness. The population is about 900 people and they have learned to live with the migration of polar bears through their town in the spring and fall every year. 

Churchill is called “The Polar Bear Capital of the World” because Canada is home to about 15,000 polar bears. They have an extremely keen sense of smell and can detect seals a mile away and buried under three feet of sea ice and snow. Their hearing is as acute as a human’s and their eyesight is good up to distances of two miles. They are the apex predator of the arctic and have no other rival besides humans.

In the first book, Northern Deception, Constable Ben Koper is attacked and mauled by a polar bear in town during polar bear season. Northern Protector opens during the summer right after, when he’s come back to Churchill and finished his recovery. In July 2019, I went up to Churchill for a week to research the town and area to give my readers the best reading experience I could. I hope you enjoy it!

ABOUT NORTHERN PROTECTOR

Constable Ben Koper is still healing from the polar bear attack that almost killed him. Nine months after it happened, he returns to Churchill, Manitoba, a changed man—scarred more than just physically. PTSD is his new shadow, haunting his every step, and he can’t seem to kick the pain meds he shouldn’t need anymore. He’s determined to prove, to himself and his colleagues, that he’s still up to his job. Failure isn’t an option.

ER nurse Joy Gallagher spent the entire last winter texting with a healing Constable Koper. What started as friendly concern from this single mother has grown into full-fledged romantic feelings, and she’s eager to level up their friendship and introduce him to the idyllic comfort of small-town life. Until a teenager is murdered at a summer party. The crime is strikingly similar to the cold case murder of Joy’s foster sister, stirring old trauma Joy has never fully dealt with.

When another victim is snatched in town, Ben and Joy must confront their own demons, and join forces to track down an elusive killer. The race to rescue the next victim before it’s too late will test Ben and Joy to their limits. Can they survive their encounter with this heinous killer, or will the past destroy them?

Buy Links:

Amazon.com: https://amzn.to/3femV6Y

Amazon.ca:    https://amzn.to/2KfyoYq

Anaiah Press: https://bit.ly/3pGPrD6 (Print copies)

ABOUT AUTHOR LAURIE WOOD

Laurie Wood lives in Central Canada and writes inspirational romantic suspense with an edge of danger. She’s also a military wife who’s raised two wonderful special needs children to adulthood. They’ve lived all over Canada and are still on that journey. When she’s not writing she can be found at her spinning wheel, knitting, or hanging out with her dogs in the garden. She loves to hear from readers and always replies so feel free to get in touch with her.

Please visit her at https://www.lauriewoodauthor.com

Facebook:             https://www.facebook.com/lauriewoodauthor

Twitter:                 https://twitter.com/LaurieJeanWood

Laurie is having a giveaway during the launch of Northern Protector for the three ebooks in the Heroes of the Tundra series. The details can be found on her blog ……Announcing the Blog Tour for Northern Protector.

https://lauriewoodauthor.com/blog/

MY REVIEW OF NORTHERN PROTECTOR

Gripping romantic suspense!

In Northern Protector, the newest book in the Heroes of the Tundra series, author Laurie Wood puts you right into the middle of the intense action. ER nurse and single mom Joy Gallagher is attracted to Ben Koper, the law officer she care for after he was severely injured during a polar bear attack. When the body of a young woman is discovered out on the tundra, they work together to find the murderer.

I enjoyed the characters, especially hero Ben as he struggles with his disfigurement and issues of PTSD. He is protective and kind, wanting the best for Joy and her little girl, Emberlyn. Though this book is a stand alone, it was fun to revisit to Churchill and the various townspeople. The beautiful epilogue is Christmas perfection!

The suspenseful writing in this romance is captivating. This book is hard to put down! Author Laurie Wood traveled to Churchill, Manitoba, for her research, and she is a former policewoman. Her background is evident in the realistic polar bear encounters and in the authentic crime scene descriptions she includes in the book. If you like suspense stories which keep you guessing, plus romantic law enforcement heroes and virtual travel locations, you definitely won’t be disappointed in Laurie Wood’s Northern Protector!

Favorite quote: “Just because we’re believers doesn’t mean we don’t suffer from the same problems as anyone else.”

*I received a copy of this book with no requirement to write a positive review. I’m offering my honest opinion.

TEA AND TREATS

Appropriate for the Canadian setting of this book, I’m serving White Chocolate scones with peppermint tea.

Thank you so much for joining me for tea, treats, and my review of Northern Protector. I hope you enjoyed learning about the polar bears of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada! Have you ever encountered bears in the wilderness……or visited Canada?

May your Christmas season be blessed with comfort and joy…..and no polar bears walking through your village!

With blessings and prayers,

Sherida

*Comments are appreciated and will appear after moderation. I apologize for delays in posting.