Part of Series
**Carter's Battle** is a pulse-pounding romantic suspense novel by Lori Matthews, where love and danger collide in paradise. Navy SEAL Carter Nolan is on the Big Island of Hawai’i to test equipment, but his real mission is far more dangerous. Although instructed to keep a low profile, Carter needs something to do to keep his mind off the fact that members of his own team are a set of murdering traitors. He finds unexpected distraction in Mia Ryan—a woman trying to evade a ruthless local gangster named Bobby. Mia is forced to return to her shadowy past as a high-stakes professional gambler or face dire consequences. As a last resort, Mia turns to Carter for protection. The connection between Carter and Mia deepens into more than either had anticipated. While their attraction grows, danger escalates with the discovery that the real puppet master of the island's gambling empire is a man from Mia’s past, with deadly intentions and a score to settle. Caught between his duty and his heart, Carter must navigate treacherous waters to keep Mia safe. In a battle where every move could be their last, can Carter and Mia survive the odds stacked against them?
Author
I grew up in a house filled with books and readers. Some of my fondest memories are of reading in the same room with my mother and sisters, arguing about whose turn it was to make tea. No one wanted to put their book down! I was introduced to romance because of my mom’s habit of leaving books all over the house. One day I picked one up. I still remember the cover. It was a Harlequin by Janet Daily. Little did I know at the time that it would set the stage for my future. I went on to discover mystery novels. Agatha Christie was my favorite. And then suspense with Wilber Smith and Ian Fleming. I loved the thought of combining my favorite genres, and during high school, I attempted to write my first romantic suspense novel. I wrote the first four chapters and then exams happened and that was the end of that. I desperately hope that book died a quiet death somewhere in a computer recycling facility. A few years later, (okay, quite a few) after two degrees, a husband and two kids, I attended a workshop in Tuscany that lit that spark for writing again. I have been pounding the keyboard ever since here in New Jersey, where I live with my children—who are thrilled with my writing as it means they get to eat more pizza—and my very supportive husband.
