Thank You NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the Early Listening Copy of The Soldier. This was my very first book by Author Susan Stoker and won’t be my last! Teddy Hamilton did a great job narrating, and given each character their own spotlight and presence in the story. Brit was down on her luck when Chad offered to help with her car. It was an instant love and when he brought her home the same day to meet his mother it was all over. Chad and his Brothers are all military men and came home to be with their mother after their father passed away. The storyline is full of joy, action and some steamy moments! Can’t wait for book two!

The Soldier by Susan Stoker – ★★★★☆

Genre: Contemporary Military Romance / Romantic Suspense
Advanced Reader Audiobook copy received in exchange for an honest review

Can I just gush for a second? I settled into this listen knowing Susan Stoker would deliver that perfect mix of tension, suspense, and heat, and she absolutely did. This is my 8th book that I've read by her and it's another hit. Four stars from me, because this story had all the feels without a single dragged-out moment.

Picture Chad Young coming home to Maine after losing his dad, rejoining his brothers to breathe life back into Lobster Cove’s marina, mechanic shop, and rental cabins. He’s the kind of guy who weighs every decision like he did in the military—so when he offers Britt a job and a room, you know it’s not just pity.

Britt shows up brokenhearted and abandoned, trusting no one. But in Chad’s calm she discovers a place to finally exhale. And when his mom wraps Britt in the kind of motherly love she never got, I actually had to blink back tears. That moment of chosen family/found family hit me right in the heart. You guys know the found family trope will get me every single time!

I also need to give props to Chad’s mom—she’s grieving her husband's death and gets blindsided by a so-called friend’s betrayal, yet refuses to stay down. When danger strikes, she literally takes the wheel and rescues herself and Britt. Britt is no shrinking flower either. She jumps into the melee with no hesitation.

Minor Gripes💔- I really want to know what made the best friend do what he did! We can tell it's envy but I feel like we should have delved more into that topic. I also want to know why Brits mother treated her badly. This is probably me not wanting this book to end 🤣 but, what can I say? I thoroughly enjoyed it!

By the end, I was already counting the days until the next Alpha Cove book. The sneek peek at the next brothers meet cute had me smiling so hard! I can't wait 😍!

Susan Stokes' new series is about four military men that return home to help their widowed mother and is just what I expected from her books. Strong women dealing with loss and disappointments. Even though these alpha males want to take control, these women show just how capable they are.

When Chad Young moves home his intent is to look after and help his mother. But when he meets Britt Starkweather m the unexpected happens.

Susan Stoker knows how to write a story that has you laughing, swooning, and falling in love with the MC's. This is not the first book I have read of hers and it was a great opportunity to remind myself how amazing she is.

Thank you to Susan Stoker, Netgalley, and brilliance Publishing for the opportunity to listen to the book as an audiobook. Teddy Hamilton did an amazing job of narrating from both POVs.

I fell in love with Chad right way talking with his brothers to the way he was with Britt. With Teddy's voices and Susan's writing Chad is the perfect book boyfriend. Britt is someone who I want to have my side at all times to help, encourage, and cry with me.
I love a story where the side characters are just as important as the main characters. I'm ready to jump into this series at Alpha Cove to hear/read the rest of the brother's stories.

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for allowing me to listen to and review this book! Definitely a 4.5/5 stars. There were points in this book I wasn’t 100% on BUT it was a great book! I loved that this series is based on 4 brothers and we will get to learn about all of them individually and not just in this book but even based on this book I love them all! I loved Britt and Chads romance, they are opposite but great! I loved how Chads entire family and workers welled her like their own family and I loved how independent but also how vulnerable Brittany is! It shows how broad she is as a person. I also LOVE that all the brothers were in the military, just a preference of my own lol overall this was a great book and I want to read the next 3 books about the other brothers!!

The Soldier by Susan Stoker was a high-paced romantic suspense ride that had me swooning and on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I was captivated by Chad and Brit's strangers-to-lovers romance, and loved the instant chemistry these two had right from the start. Lucy Rivers and Teddy Hamilton perform this audiobook in dual narration. Both narrators embodied their characters to the fullest. Lucy's performance of Brit showcased her vulnerabilities, determination, and desires as she moved on from the past and fell hard for Chad. Teddy's warm timbre for Chad added just the right amount of grit and dedication to present his love for his family and Brit. I loved every twist and turn of this one, which had me longing for these two to solve the crime and find true happiness together.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Teddy Hamilton, who did an amazing job.
This is the story of Chad who was a sniper in the Army and comes home to Maine after his father passed away. He convinces his three brothers to move home too to look after their mom and their parents' businesses.
While in his hometown, he comes across a man berating a woman in a parking lot. He steps up to help her out. The woman is Britt, who was sleeping in her car after her ex-boyfriend took her money and left her alone in a new city. She is understandably wary of him and his generosity.
What ensues is a story about love and found family.
Overall I liked the book. 3.5⭐️'s rounded up to 4⭐️'s.

Susan Stoker once again starts off a brand new series with a bang. Four brothers coming home after the death of their father to help their mother figure everything out. But with this first book in the series Chad gets his HEA and boy is it an emotional ride. Filled with the angst, steam and connection that are always felt in one of Ms. Stoker's books, she has also added in a family dynamic that will just make you swoon. Chad and Britt will start you heart pumping and you will be waiting with bated breath until the second story comes out. Bravo Ms. Stoker - Bravo!! Perfectly narrated that brought the characters to life. Couldn't ask for more in an audiobook. It will become an instant favorite.

*3.5 stars.

This was a lot of fun and had a great pace. Both main characters were well developed and likeable and while the plot was fairly predictable early on, it was still a fun read. Not going to lie though, my favourite character was definitely his mom Evelyn.

I have one big complaint and it is that it felt very insta-lovey, which I am not a fan of. It was a bit unclear how much time passed in the book and it could have been enough that it actually wasn’t an instalove, but if that is the case then there was a lot of early stage relationship-building that happened off-page.

I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook for this and can honestly say it really added to my enjoyment of this particular read. It reaffirms that I LOVE Teddy Hamilton. He always does such a good job with the male mains in romances and this was no exception. Lucy Rivers also did a good job with her part so I would definitely recommend.

Looking forward to more from Lobster Cove!

Full disclosure: I went into this book completely blind and requested it solely because Teddy Hamilton was narrating. For all I knew, it could have been a book about war, given the title The Soldier, and I had never read anything by Susan Stoker before. Other than feeling that the title doesn’t quite capture the story, aside from some repeated mentions that the male lead used to be a sniper, I really enjoyed it and plan to read more of her work.

It reminded me of an elevated, Hallmark-esque romance, with convenient plot dynamics and a fairly formulaic structure. That said, it goes beyond that with some solid action scenes. While predictable, they still manage to pull you in. At its core, this is a “comfort romance” that might leave you wanting to drive up to Maine and find your own “Lobster Cove” moment.

To my surprise, the audiobook is dual narrated by Teddy Hamilton and Lucy Rivers, which made for a delightful listening experience. Both narrators spoke at a perfect pace for 1x speed, and I was even able to speed it up to 2x without losing clarity.

My only real critique is on the production side. There were a few noticeable pickup edits, where the audio quality shifted slightly, and at one point Teddy’s voice for the male main character changed noticeably.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read. The book releases on August 12, 2025.

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from Brilliance Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My general rating system is below. Since I primarily read ARC books I rate according to how I think like minded readers will receive the book. I will round up or down depending on many factors and try not to let my personal wants affect a books ratings.

⭐️ Hated It but pushed through as I don’t DNF ARCs I have received.
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, content issues, poorly edited.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but it had something that stopped me from rounding up. Usually the book may have much more potential than what was given. I recommend it but with reservations.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I Really enjoyed it or think others will. These are solid reads that I definitely would recommend for a variety of reasons.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! These are books that remain rent free in my head for well after unfinished the book. It can be for a variety of reasons from being very well written or just the vibes that captured my mind. These books are also ones I would probably read again

I loved this book so much. I loved all the character's, i can't wait to see what happens with the next book. On the lower side of spice, but what was in it was brilliant. The story and plot were good, kept me intrigued, and the narrators were also great.

A tender small-town romance with a protective hero and a found-family that steals your heart!

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for providing me with an audio ARC of The Soldier by Susan Stoker!

This was a sweet and heartfelt small-town romance featuring Chad and Britt. The author really makes you love Lobster Cove and honestly makes me want to live in a place like this.

I really enjoyed how attentive Chad was with Britt, and the way his family welcomed her in when she had no one else was genuinely touching. The found-family dynamic added warmth and depth to the story. Momma Young was an absolute favorite character! I also like how the author added in some suspense with this story as well - parts had me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen!

When I first saw this book cover I immediately thought it was going to lean more into a military romance, however that was not a big aspect of this story.

My only critique is that the romance felt a bit like instalove, with things moving quickly between the characters. Still, their chemistry was strong, and the storyline kept me engaged throughout.

I’d definitely recommend this to fans of small-town romances who enjoy protective heroes, emotional bonds, and stories about finding love and belonging. I will be looking forward to the next book in the interconnected series!

This was total family values all around— I was so in love w/ Lobster Cove!! Mama Young def put in that work raising all her boys. She was literally the ideal Mother & definitely reminded me of my Mom 🤍
Which is why when everything started to happen I started having panic attacks like pls, if anything happens to any of them I’m gonna crash tf out fr.

Oh gosh, this story started out so cute. Kinda predictable, but in the best way possible. It just makes you want to be apart of the Young’s 🥹🤍 I love a small town romance & this was the right amount of spice, but also just the care each character exudes was just heartwarming— Their found family vibes w/ Cash was UGH. I loved, I wanted to reassure that baby so bad like, I hope they expand more on his family ‘cause I know that mf is gonna call in his lil favor lmfao.
Victor? I think his name was is def someone you hate to love, but thank God for nosey neighbors in this case…

Overall, I’m in love w/ this series. I would def read the next book they hinted at in the epilogue 😉
But also, I just want to revisit Lobster Cove LOL. It’s just such good vibes and what you expect home to feel like fr. Teddy Hamilton did amazing per usual & the female narrator as well!! They didn’t include her name, but she’s soooo familiar.
Can’t wait for the sequel!!