Gage Adams is not your typical pretty boy. The team's co-pilot and former pararescueman has seen battle and lived to lose sleep over it. For four years he has worked alongside Frankie, treating her with respect, viewing her as a sister. Tonight, everything between them will change forever...
Reviews for Guarding the Coast
"This wonderful work possessed all of the components necessary to succeed; the plot, while fresh and exciting, was detailed and meticulously written. The characters were strong individually, but as a team, the various constituents worked extremely well. Ms. Gail made the rescue operations seem real; the details about the helicopter and the workings of the team were enlightening. It was obvious that this author did her homework to make the scenes realistic. The sensual incidents were explicit, but tastefully written. The struggles that Gage and Frankie faced were, obviously, due to past occurrences in their lives."
"There were several rescue events which faced the team—some more terrifying than others. Through it all, Gage and Frankie struggled to build a relationship; neither of them could understand why it seemed everyone else was part of a couple but they could not manage to develop anything other than explosive sexual encounters! Their commitment to each other was challenged time and again." The last major confrontation was a total surprise, with a magnificent ending! I highly recommend this book; this was my first Samantha Gail work—it will definitely not be my last! Kudos to the author!" - 5 Hearts, Brenda Talley, The Romance Studio
"I loved this story. The situations they are forced into, the danger they face are exhilarating. Ms. Gail has done the research into the day to day life of a Coast Guard team and it comes through loud and clear. This is an excellent tribute to one of the armed services that usually does not get much attention. We are shown the way a team works together and how they live their daily lives being on call and weathering their job. This also shows how stressful this type of work can be on family and friends and those who are rescued. I am proud to say that I will tell my friends that this is one book that has made a definite hit on my reader list, and it is one that should not be passed by." - 5 Cups, Liadan, Coffee Time Romance
"Guarding the Coast was a fantastic story about love and courage. The author created real characters with likeable personalities and strong convictions. I thoroughly loved how Frankie sticks to her guns and performs her job, as many of us do, when under personal emotional pressure. As a fan of military romances this is the first one I have read with the Coast Guard being the backdrop and it made for an intriguing story. I highly recommend Guarding the Coast for all who like military romances, and/or spunky women characters." - Tanya, Joyfully Reviewed
Visit Samantha Gail's web site
Read an excerpt from Guarding the Coast
About Samantha Gail
Samantha Gail and her husband are currently living on Prince of Wales Island in southeast Alaska. After spending a year in Barrow and another in Dutch Harbor, they are happy to be around trees again!
Backlist
Savior in Time
Trespass of the Heart
Cherished Invader
Alliance of Passion
Current works in progress
She Who Dares, Wins (sequel to Guarding the Coast)
Amanda's Glory (Book Three in the Forestal Series)
An Interview with Samantha Gail
By Holly Hewson for The Romance Studio
HH: Please tell us about your featured work, Guarding the Coast.
SG: Thanks so much for the opportunity, Holly!
Guarding the Coast is about a USCG helicopter crew based on the Pacific Coast and their day-to-day life of duty and responsibility. It's a story full of playful fun and teasing, punctuated by harrowing rescues. Of course, it's also a stormy romance:
Captain Francesca Moriarty is an ace rescue pilot with a reputation to uphold and it's one that doesn't include getting romantically involved with her coworkers.
Lt. Commander Gage Adams is not a typical pretty boy. The team's co-pilot and former pararescueman during Operation Desert Storm, has seen battle and lived to lose sleep over it. For four years he has worked alongside Frankie, treating her as a sister, with respect and admiration.
After a tragically ending rescue call, Frankie attempts to de-stress with some strenuous swimming and stays too long in the frigid ocean. Found incoherent, conventional methods fail to stabilize her temperature and her crew is forced to employ the age-old technique of using their own body heat to warm her. In the aftermath of this incident, Gage realizes he wants more from Frankie than platonic friendship.
During a routine training mission, their helicopter malfunctions and they must ditch in the ocean. Gage disobeys her order to get out and save himself, staying instead to help her. Frankie is so relieved he survives the crash that her crushing embrace transforms into a passionate kiss hinting at desires hidden deep. It is the opportunity he has been waiting for. Gage turns up the heat and woos her with a romantic evening followed by a night of lovemaking the likes of which she has only fantasized about.
Their budding relationship stutters along under a burden of miscommunication. Despite the time they spend together, Gage rarely opens up with his feelings, fearful of her response if he divulges the details of his tortured past.
When Gage succumbs to decompression sickness after a diving accident, Frankie is devastated. While in the hyperbaric chamber, he cries out for an old girlfriend. Frankie assumes he is in love and it's not with her. She bolts from the chamber and out of his life.
Misunderstanding divides them further when Frankie becomes convinced that she has been no more to him than a sexual mercy case - a friend with benefits.
Gage adores her but can't get his communication act together. Every attempt deteriorates into argument. The mixed messages Frankie receives only confuse her and threaten to destroy their long time friendship. It is up to Quinton, the team's Australian crew chief, to keep them from imploding.
Meanwhile, tensions soar as their missions escalate in danger. It's springtime in the Pacific Northwest and the season is getting busy. From a foul weather ocean rescue to lending the Forest Service a hand during a monstrous wildfire, Air Station Harmony Bay has a job to do. Despite the problems between them, it is imperative they function well as a team. Lives depend upon them as they depend on one another.
In the harrowing climax, Frankie and her crew are hijacked by terrorists bent on taking down the power grid at a massive hydroelectric plant. To keep half the west coast from being plunged into chaos and stop Frankie from being killed, Gage transforms into a warrior-possessed. His heroic efforts will save their lives, but for Gage, true satisfaction is elusive. He cannot make peace with the demons of his past. Survivor's guilt plagues him and endangers the future. In the end he will discover only one answer to his dilemma - trust in Frankie, the only woman who can save him.
HH: Where did you get the idea for their sizzling story? SG: Do you remember a fishing vessel that got itself trapped in the ice-encrusted Bering Sea back in the early 90's? The first time I saw the video of that rescue, I was very impressed by the skills of the helicopter pilot and delighted to find that the pilot was a woman. Lt. Laura Guth and her team rescued all six of the F/V Alaskan Monarch's crew. She did some amazing aerial acrobatics when a huge wave swept the last two men overboard.
I wondered what her career must have been like, of living in close quarters with a bunch of alpha males; all the struggles she went through, and told myself, "Someday, I'm going to write a story featuring a Coast Guard air crew." I finally did. This story is my tribute to them.
HH: Did you research for this story or draw on personal background? SG: Both. My writing is always a compilation of life experiences but I needed plenty of technical help for this one. I interviewed several Coasties, helicopter pilots, rescue swimmers and smokejumpers. They were incredibly forthcoming with their stories - much more than I had expected.
HH: What did you like best about Gage? SG: Besides his legs, you mean? The fact that he is so completely out of touch with his feelings. Gage has been on auto-pilot (no pun intended) for so long - dealing with the here and now, that his ability to communicate his emotional needs is practically non-existent. The man would readily risk his own life to save a stranger, but when it comes to expressing himself to the woman he loves, the poor guy nearly has a coronary event. He sweats and chokes up - a real fight-or-flight response!
HH: What did you like best about writing this story? SG: Everything =) Especially the research and hobnobbing with some real life hotties.
HH: What are you working on at the moment? Is there a sequel to this story? SG: Actually, it's more like a prequel. She Who Dares, Wins is the story of how Isabelle and Quinton came to be a couple. It takes place about seven years before the events in Guarding the Coast.
Isabelle is a field agent for the National Security Agency and Quinton has been doing occasional VIP bodyguard duty for Australia's SAS. Their paths cross when he's assigned to protect the same young prince that Isabelle is tutoring and the sparks start flying…
HH: What can you tell us about your Forestal series? SG: The Forestal series is erotic sci-fi/fantasy revolving around agents for a powerful trading conglomerate of worlds known as United Sentients. Forestals are like sheriffs of the galaxy, not really military, something much more. All have paranormal powers that accelerate when in proximity to their mates. And someone is deliberately bringing them together with those mates for reasons you'll have to read the stories to find out =)
HH: How do you set the mood for your writing time? SG: For me, writing comes from a quiet place. I need silence to concentrate and don't like to be interrupted. Hubby takes off for a few hours (or the day) and my thoughts can become as loud and demanding as they want while I type like a fiend.
HH: What do you do when you get stuck in a story? SG: I put out an "all call" for my muses. Just like Frankie's Margarita Monday Sisterhood, I have a dedicated group of gals who come over for wine, poo-poos and lots of gab. We brainstorm for ideas. They really got into this book. I mean, who wouldn't want to work each day surrounded by three gorgeous hunks who think the world of you? -wink-
HH: What's your favorite way to network with readers? SG: Online and at large events like the RT Convention. I usually post a message on my website, notifying readers when and where I'll be. If they let me know they're going to be in the area, I'll set aside socializing time - lunch, dinner, happy hour =)
HH: Thank you!
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