Uncommon Protector

Living an Extraordinary Life One Day at a Time

By: Shelley Shepard Gray

Narrated by: Nan Gurley

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Overwhelmed by the responsibilities of running a ranch on her own, Laurel Tracey decides to hire a convict - a man who's just scary enough to take care of squatters and just desperate enough to agree to a one-year post.

The years following the war have been hard on Laurel Tracey. Both her brother and her father died in battle, and her mother passed away shortly after receiving word of their demise. Laurel has been trying to run her 200-acre ranch as best she can.

When she discovers that squatters have settled in her north pasture and have no intention of leaving, Laurel decides to use the last of her money to free a prisoner from the local jail. If she agrees to offer him room and board for one year, he will have to work for her to pay off his debt.

Former soldier Thomas Baker knows he's in trouble when he finds himself jailed because he couldn't pay a few fines. Laurel's offer might be his only ticket out. Though she's everything he ever dreamed of in a woman - sweet and tender-hearted, yet strong - he's determined to remain detached, work hard on her behalf, and count the days until he's free again.

But when cattle start dying and Laurel's life is threatened, Thomas realizes more than just his freedom is on the line. Laurel needs someone to believe in her and protect her property. And it isn't long before Laurel realizes that Thomas Baker is far more than just a former soldier. He's a trustworthy hero, and he needs more than just his freedom - he needs her love and care, too.

©2017 Shelley Shepard Gray (P)2017 Zondervan

Really enjoyed this series

Read the whole series twice book 1 book 2 and book 3 really enjoyed listening.

Enjoyed The Plot

You really can't go wrong with this kind of idea so I liked it a lot :D
So in this book we follow Thomas who is a prisoner because he didn't pay his taxes, then Miss Laurel buys him to work in her land and then the romance between them when there are people who are threatening Laurel to sell her land .. what will happen to them ?
the romance was so sweet and I smiled a lot through out the story and I really needed that .. I'm so excited about the third book because it will feature my favorite character, Captain Devin .. let's see

The narrator was nice although sometimes I had a hard time distinguishing the characters

ok read

like the story and the characters are likeable but the narrator didn't do a good job all the characters sounds alike so it makes listening confusing

Good book -ok narration

I own the book and enjoy it. It’s the story of a young woman,Laurel, trying to save her ranch with the help of a “convict” she has employed while she is being harassed from both family members and an unknown source.

The narrator does not capture accents or written out clues describing the voices. The book takes place in Texas with Texans and the author mentions the “drawl” and tone of voice, etc. However, the narrator fails to use Texas accents. If she had and if she put mood into the conversations, it would have improved the performance greatly.

The book is a Christian historical fiction with a happy ending. It is the second in the series but, a stand alone read.

Enjoyable listening. Good narration.

Enjoyed the storyline, no swearing, which is appreciated. The story could have been a little longer, developing the characters a bit more.

Lovely Historical Romance

Laurel is struggling to maintain the ranch which she voted as the legacy for her mother and stepfather. Her stepbrother and stepsister aren't helping with the work but they keep encouraging her to sell.
Laurel is attracted to Thomas when he works on the ranch as a prisoner from the jail. She decides to hire him which will give him freedom and give her needed help.
No sooner than Thomas arrives when bad things begin to happen. A dead calf is left on her porch and then they find a group of dead cattle and are shot at.
Thomas decides to call in help as he is afraid he can't protect Laurel by himself. His friends arrive to help and more danger arises.
I liked the primary and secondary characters. Laurel and Thomas are strong minded but gave insecurities. Will they be brave enough to choose a new future?
Audio Notes: Nan Gurley does a fine job with the narration. She provides distinct voices and appreciate emotions. the narration helped he story to read quickly and smoothly.

My New Favorite book

This is my new favorite book! It’s the best one in the series! It has an awesome storyline and great character development!

Good listen

There was no foul language or vulgar scenes. Fun story. Enjoyed it. However the author should research her story details. First a 200 acre ranch is ridiculous. There are 640 acres in a square mile. At our farm we could see most of that area with an eyes view. In this story the owner could have seen her cattle and the whole piece of land from her porch. Maybe a 2000 acre ranch but that is still small. At the story end the narrator said it was a 100 acre ranch. I lost some respect for the author. Plus. All this story happened in one month? Far fetched.

Honor and true friendshipI

I like a story with contrasts such as gentleness and strength. I enjoyed the mystery with tension. Most of all I enjoyed the story because the story could be told without cursing or course words.

Worth 10+ stars

An Uncommon Protector is one of those books that make the heart stir and the characters to stay with you way after you quit listening. Even though I thought the difficulty in the book was taken care of somewhat anticlimatically, and I wondered what became of the step-siblings after all the trouble they caused, for me that wasn't enough to take even a star off.

This book is filled with emotion, and there are few narrators that can make you feel every emotion as this narrator. I didn't realize this is the second book in this series about a group of soldiers that were together in a Civil War pow camp on an island in Lake Erie. I'm desperately hoping I will find Nan Gurley narrates that one also!