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Staci Stallings

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To Protect & Serve: A Contemporary Christian Romance Novel (The Courage Series, Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Staci Stallings (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.5 4,685 ratings

Book 1 of 3: The Courage Series

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To save others' lives, they will risk their own...

Houston firefighter, Jeff Taylor is a fireman's fireman. He's not afraid of anything, and no situation is too dangerous to keep him on the sideline if lives are at stake.

Lisa Matheson runs a semi-successful ad agency that's on the brink of falling apart. Her employees are incompetent, and her schedule has become exhausting. When she takes on a client with a brilliant idea for a big conference, she thinks that maybe, finally this is her lucky break. However, the fire station wasn't what she had in mind for finding conference speakers. When she falls for a handsome but shy firefighter, it's possible that life might just be going her way for a change. The only problem is she can't control Jeff and the death wish he seems to have...

An Amazon #1 Best Seller for Contemporary Christian Romance novels, “To Protect & Serve” is truly Christian romance at its very best. Filled with faith, hope, and love, Christian romance Kindle books aim to inspire women and men alike while giving them exceptionally romantic love stories they will not soon forget. “To Protect & Serve” fits that category perfectly. These real life characters are not perfect but are struggling to learn to live, while finding faith and love in the process. It can easily fit on your shelf of the most inspirational books.

"Staci Stallings writes Christian romance of the purest and sweetest kind!"

To Protect & Serve
The Courage Series, Book 1
*~* Excerpt *~*

It was like a whole sleeping system snapped awake around Lisa. People she had no idea where they had come from were suddenly running in every direction at once.

“Sorry, Ms. Matheson, we’re going to have to do this some other time,” Captain Hayes said, but she was too stunned to do more than nod.

Men, gear, boots, equipment, and then just as the truck roared to life, the last fireman in full gear flashed by her and jumped into the back door. All the air vanished from the earth itself when he slammed that door closed. The blaring continued above her, but she hardly heard it as her eyes blurred against the sight. Slowly the truck pulled out into the street, leaving her standing alone in the empty station house.

“Oh, God, please, let him be all right.”

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

To Protect & Serve is a strange duck when you try to put it into a genre category of Christian versus inspirational romance. The first of The Courage Series, "To Protect & Serve" is by far the least Christian of the three. Sometimes that happens in my series work--we start with characters who are not fundamentally Christian in their approach to the world, but as the series goes, we move that direction. That is the case with To Protect & Serve. Some even question the moniker "Christian Romance Novel," commenting that the Christian part doesn't show up until the end. That is very true, and for good reason. Both of the main characters are operating for most of the book on their own strength and wisdom--not God's. It is only when they come up against untenable trials and personal core issues that their hearts begin to change. So don't expect full-on Christianity from this one--just two lost people trying very hard to find something to grab onto in a dangerous and emotionally difficult world.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008391QB2
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Spirit Light Publishing (January 12, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 12, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3190 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 352 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #4,286 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #43 in Religious Romance (Kindle Store)
- #840 in Contemporary Romance (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 4,685 ratings

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Staci Stallings

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USA Today Best Selling Author, Staci Stallings is a stay-at-home mom with a husband, three kids and a writing addiction on the side. She has numerous titles for readers to choose from. Not content to stay in one genre and write it to death, Staci’s stories run the gamut from young adult to adult, from motivational and inspirational to full-out Christian and back again. Every title is a new adventure! That’s what keeps Staci writing and you reading. So, sit back, grab your Kindle & something to drink, and settle in for some of the BEST stories in all of Christian Romance...

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4.5 out of 5

4,685 global ratings

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AnJoMom16

The Progressive Growth of True Love

Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2018

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To Protect & Serve by Staci Stallings - I am adding my pro vote for this book allow with all the other 754 who have reviewed this. I found this book on Bookbub and am so glad I did. The story is well written; the characters seem real. Jeff is a firefighter. Lisa owns her business which is growing creating the problems & pressures with such. I have to admit that, when I came across the bar scene, I was wondering just what kind of story I was entering. However, that is a testament to how realistic this story is. (It is clean, Christian romance. No worries here.) This book does demonstrate how two very different people can grow together and develop true love. I am someone who rarely cries but there is an incident which did cause me to cry a little. Overall, I loved this love story. And, I have found a new-to-me author to read.

2 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Good Christian romance

Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2024

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This is a good Christian romance. It brings up some important points about faith without being at all preachy or high minded. It is a very down to earth, real romance. It was a very nice read.

Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2023

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What a great story. It is amazing that I’m reading this as we draw near to Easter Sunday 2023. Friday’s in our lives can be hard and painful, just as Friday was for Jesus, but what a blessing to know that Sunday is coming. Without the pain of Friday, as Lisa and Jeff learned, we wouldn’t know the sweetness of Sunday. Nice job by the author.

Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2023

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This book was a good read. Not my typical genre to an extent. Yet it did bring me to tears a few times. On to part two.

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Glenda

Finding God's Glorious Love for Fridays and Sundays...

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2016

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I had a "God Incident" this weekend...You know, the type of happening that seems to be coincidental, yet proves to be so very much more? When I opened To Protect and Serve, I had no idea that it was going to include a time setting which included Easter Weekend. When I started reading parts, I actually had chills.. How wonderful to have a Christian Novel that included the Easter miracle set into our contemporary lives!

Finding myself stopping to consider the concept of having "Fridays" to go through--as we all do--yet recognizing that we have been promised a "Sunday" that has already proven to come for us for thousands of years, certainly takes us directly to the heart of the weekend that Jesus had not only died for us...but Arose!

This is the first novel in the Courage Series and I had never read the author before. Needless to say it was a very pleasant surprise, as well as a spiritual and inspiring story for me...

It's a love story. The novel has that element, but moves on into presenting an exciting, yet heartbreaking picture of those who serve our country through fire protection--To save others' lives, they will risk their own... all without any explicit sexual content! What a lovely break for this reader.

Jeff Taylor had been shy and unable to deal with interacting with women until he met and fell in love with Lisa on a night when both had been the lonely single at a bar's table. While Jeff had a background that we later learn about that helped to lead to his personal and professional choices, Lisa Matheson had long ago chosen to become a professional business woman and head her own company. But not only did she have issues with delegation, she found that she still have to deal with...men...especially when they were clients who found her not only beautiful, but assumed that she would do anything to please that client...

Readers enjoy seeing the camaraderie and friendship developed among firemen and watch as they handle daily emergencies, such as when Jeff talks a young boy from jumping off a bridge...and much more. While Lisa has a difficult time trying to deal with all of the work she has and the problems necessary to build up a small business.

While the two begin to slowly meet and share quiet times talking and learning about each other, Lisa soon learns that there is danger for Jeff...life-taking danger when one of his best friends dies from being caught in a fire...

The major attribute that comes through Stallings book is...reality...Readers are fully aware of both internal and external thoughts of confusion, anger, joy, and love...and, when asked to participate, with God as a primary character there in those emotions... The dialogue between each of the couple and the God to whom each shares, is very personal and provocative... Is God helping to bring the two together? Or should they move on, reverting back into their lonely, separate lives.

Is it worth so much pain and fear to have a love so great that losing it would affect your whole life?

Stallings has given readers much more than a sermon...she has opened the lives of two people, who could be you or somebody you know. She has given each God's spirit so that even when there were Fridays in their lives, there was that promise, that realization that Sunday comes...and His Spirit lives with us each day, Fridays, especially...

This is a personal favorite for 2016...a glorious expression of God's Love... A must-read for many! If only every teenager today could read that it's not necessary to rush into marriage and all it entails... Do check it out for yourself or as a gift...

GABixlerReviews

2 people found this helpful

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mom of 5

Enjoyable, but concerned about two things

Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2012

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This is the first review of a book I've written, so bear with me. I did enjoy the book, but I do believe it was a little over-dramatic in that the characters were so unbelievably stubborn and hard-headed. There was some repetition as some of the other reviews have stated. Lisa, in particular, was in such denial of her feelings toward Jeff that it just seemed a little unreal.

However--my two biggest issues were the drinking and the swearing. In a "Contemporary Christian" book, I would not expect to find the two characters meeting in a bar, even if neither really wanted to be there. Then later in the story, Jeff is offered a beer by his buddy, Dustin, and we assume he takes and drinks it...even the brand name was in the book. If this was a story about an alcoholic overcoming his addiction, I would understand the usage, but this was more like "social drinking." In addition, both characters say "D--- it" one time each in the book. EXTREMELY disappointing. I understand anyone can swear when under extreme pressure (or not), but did that really have to be printed in the book? They couldn't have said "Darn it" or "Shoot" or Rats"?

Please don't misunderstand me. I don't want to judge anyone if you drink or swear or anything else. That is not my place. However, Christians are called to be holy as Jesus is holy and we are to be set apart from the world. Except for the section others have mentioned where Lisa is listening to a preacher on the radio talk about stepping out of the boat and keeping your eyes on God, God doesn't play a major role in this book (besides being called upon when people are in trouble or are very worried). Again, these are just factors that I wouldn't expect to see in a Christian book and I don't want to have to hide what I'm reading if my kids happen to look over my shoulder.

In conclusion, I enjoyed the book but have a hard time getting past the issues I mentioned to think more about the lesson. Other Christian female authors I really enjoy are Dee Henderson and Terri Blackstock and I don't recall either of them containing these "gray areas". Thank you for hearing my heart beyond just my typed words.

133 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

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Lorraine McNaueal

Great read

Reviewed in Canada on February 26, 2018

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I would recommend this book. I really enjoyed the conversation between types but I truly liked the in the head and God conversations.
She is an engaging writer. Will read more by her.

Lumen

Wonderful journey.

Reviewed in France on October 15, 2017

Verified Purchase

My first book from Staci Satllings and I am hooked.
'To protect and serve' was Wonderful! Set at a 'real life' pace, with 'real life'-like characters! What a journey...

God bless you Staci.

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vamsi punuru

Five Stars

Reviewed in India on April 9, 2016

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nice and morally good

Jackie Roche

Magic.

Reviewed in Spain on April 1, 2016

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book about ad executive Lisa and fire-fighter Jeff. It really tore at my heart-strings and contained one of the most moving sentences I`ve ever read; "The in the moment when God called one of them home, she would look back with no regrets for she would have spent all the time from that moment to this loving with complete trust." Even now it brings tears to my eyes.
I look forward to reading many more books by Staci Stallings.

LEWIS, UK

A story well worth reading and taking note of.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 5, 2015

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A novel that is very emotive but avoids, refreshingly, "adult themes" that some novels rely upon to sell a story. It's great to read a book that promotes a simple moral outlook on life that is today sadly missing in all societies. The main female character shows a strongly willed person who shows complete contempt towards certain unwholesome men but the story provides the opposite male character who is brave, unselfish and incorruptible. Together they provide the story with a pair struggling to avoid their emerging feelings towards each other. Each having difficulties making a good relationship with each other but as the story progresses each learns new lessons about life that increasingly strengthens their bond as a complete man and women, a helpful team that promotes healing in the face of lost loved ones and the fear of loss themselves.