Hero Unbound by Janie Crouch

Eva Dempsey is out of options. 

She’s made it to Oak Creek, Wyoming with two traumatized dogs, twenty dollars, and a fear of damned near everything.

Things that didn’t make it with her? Her self-esteem, confidence, or any way of supporting herself.

Theo Lindstrom knows how to survive. He proved it as a child when he had to keep himself and sister alive in the wilderness. Now he runs Linear Tactical, the company his adoptive father helped create, and teaches survival skills to others.

So he recognizes the desperation in the eyes of the petite beauty who’s pulled into town, and knows there’s more to her story than she’s letting on.

He normally keeps to himself—for very good reasons—but he can’t this time. Something about Eva draws him in a way he can’t resist, even knowing she’s got secrets. The deadly kind.

When the danger she’s running from shows up, Theo’s not going to let her fight it alone.

This is his town.
This is his woman.

And he’ll protect both to his last breath.

My Review

Eva is on the road trying to escape with her two favorite companions, her dogs Sugar and Spice. She’s heading to Oak Creek, Wyoming, with no real plan except maybe reconnecting with someone she knows and finding a couch to sleep on. The dogs are her security blanket. She’s damaged, hesitant, and clearly running from something. She has lost her courage, her confidence, and honestly a lot of herself.

The town is small and welcoming, known for Linear Tactical, the protection company that anchors the community. Eva keeps her family communication minimal and doesn’t want to explain anything. She’s broke and basically homeless, just her and the dogs. She used to work with animals, but now she claims she can’t. You start to wonder if that’s really true or just something she tells herself. Then a job falls into her lap and it feels almost too perfect for her.

Theo, known as Ghost, works for Linear Tactical. Most of the men have military backgrounds, Theo doesn’t but you’d never guess that. He’s protective of the town and the people in it. He notices Eva immediately, but what really catches his attention is the darkness in her eyes. His protective instincts kick in hard, especially toward her. He also notices all the small details that make it clear she’s hiding from something.

Eva hates that he can see through her because she is running from a man named Garrett. Even her dogs are nervous around new people. I really liked how the story highlights animal therapy and how animals help people heal. Eva is more damaged than we first realize, but Theo’s steady and protective nature balances her. Their chemistry builds and yes, the story does get steamy.

The truth comes out slowly as she starts to trust the people around her. When it finally surfaces it’s heavy and comes with a lot of trigger warnings. The author handles it carefully, but readers should definitely be aware going in. Most of Eva’s wounds are mental from her past relationship. Theo is patient, encouraging, and constantly trying to help her rebuild herself.

The story moves forward and backward as her past keeps catching up to her. She’ll gain strength and then fall back into fear again. Theo defends her even when he doesn’t fully understand the situation yet.

Things get intense as secrets unravel. The situation between Garrett, Theo, and Eva becomes complicated and emotional. When she ends up in the hospital, it finally pushes everything into the open and forces answers.

I expected something big to happen to finally break the hold of her past, and it does. Eva is damaged but also strong, and Theo truly becomes the hero she needs.

The ending wraps up the conflict and gives closure, even though it dives deep into heavy topics. Overall this was emotional, sometimes heartbreaking, but ultimately heartwarming. I always enjoy stories where a broken main character works through her trauma and finds her happy ending.

If you would like to read or listen to Hero Unbound by Janie Crouch you can find this book on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn on qualifying purchases.

If you like the book you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories: Hero, Damaged Mc and Trigger Warning.