I hope you enjoyed reading ABOVE AND BEYOND, the first book in the To Serve and Protect series. I enjoyed researching and writing it. For some reason, I have a soft spot for the Secret Service. The women and men who work there fascinate me. What would make someone intentionally jump in front of a bullet? What would make someone give up his family, his normal life, to be in protective services, which is a lifestyle and not a job? I hope I’ve drawn a clear picture of the lives and loves of agents.

Nick Marino starts out as a tough guy, but soon Isabelle and the boys soften him. He hates getting involved with the three of them, he struggles against changing, and fights his love for Isabelle every step of the way. But he succumbs because, in the end, he can’t accept a life without her.

I didn’t know at the outset how quiet and shy Isabelle would be—except when she’s fighting for her boys. But I give her credit—after she falls for Nick, she doesn’t deny her feelings and only gives up on Nick at the very end. I loved the last scene where she finally gets him right when she thinks there’s no chance for them.

Next, let me say how much fun it was to set this story in a world that includes the president of the U.S. Jim Manwaring’s actions might ask you to suspend your disbelief, but heck, a president could love his family enough to behave like he does. And he will appear in subsequent books.

Don’t you love the Marino family? They just came to me, much as the O’Neils and the Malvasos did. My proofreader said she cried at the scenes where the family is always there for each other. All five siblings/cousins appear in all of the stories, which focuses on the one Marinos/Dwyer and the person he or she loves. I’m hoping you go on to read the rest of the series.

Kathy Shay

Nick Marino, top agent in the White House, loves his job and is in line to take over the directorship of the Secret Service someday. Then the president sends him to a small town in upstate New York to determine why his widowed sister is getting threatening notes. Not happy about leaving D.C., he’s even more frustrated when he becomes embroiled in the lives of the beautiful Isabelle Barton and her two spunky boys. ABOVE AND BEYOND provides a deep dive into the life of a Secret Service agent, the glamor of Washington politics and a close look at being related to the most powerful man in the world. The story will keep you fascinated and capture your heart with its tender and sometimes hot romance.  

When Secret Service head trainer at the recruit center Gabe Marino gets his dream job--being part of the Presidential Protective Duty--he doesn’t expect to fall in love with restaurant owner Macy Stevens. He’s going into the kill zone and she can’t risk a repeat of her dead husband’s shooting in the line of duty. But life, and love, get in the way.  SAY YOU’LL STAY gives readers an in-depth look at training Secret Service recruits, a peek into the life of a boy with emotional disorders and the man who befriends him, and a tender love story that you won’t want to end. The book will have you pulling out the Kleenex. 

Agent Whitney Dwyer and Agent Max Blackwell have been together for five years. As a young member of the Secret Service, Whitney has a top-notch job in Threat Assessment and has gotten plum assignments in protection. She’s also gotten Max in a friends-with-benefits relationship. When they split up, neither is prepared for life without the other. Then fate steps in. ONLY WITH YOU is back-dropped by the bombing of a federal building, a case assigned to Whitney and Max during their personal turmoil. The book also delves into the inner workings of the Secret Service and the danger federal agents encounter every day. Toss in a sizzling relationship and readers will find this story a page-turner. 

Dr. Connor Marino has led a charmed life, with a superb education, several degrees under his belt and a patent which gives him money to live on. But he enlists in Doctors Without Borders because he wants to give back to the world. He never expects to find love in the war-torn Middle East with a real live princess, Callandra Gentileschi, from Casarina. But theirs is anything but a fairytale romance when family and political demands take Calla away. In NO OTHER LOVE, get a glimpse at the difficult work of doctors overseas, travel with Calla to her exotic foreign home country and experience their undying love for each other. 

Army Medical Reservist Dr. Declan Marino married Army Officer Delilah Carrier, his high school sweetheart, had children early on and were happy—for a while. They divorce, however, when Lila is stifled by her life.  Now, happy in their careers, they’re still in love but can’t seem to find a way back to each other.  COME BACK TO ME examines the difficulty of balancing two military parents and maintaining a happy family life. The book also explores the question: can long-standing love triumph over the roadblocks of modern life?