Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    An Uncommon Protector
    An Uncommon Protector
    An Uncommon Protector
    Audiobook8 hours

    An Uncommon Protector

    Written by Shelley Shepard Gray

    Narrated by Nan Gurley

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    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 two hundred 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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherZondervan
    Release dateFeb 7, 2017
    ISBN9780310350873
    Author

    Shelley Shepard Gray

    Shelley Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time HOLT Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.

    More audiobooks from Shelley Shepard Gray

    Related to An Uncommon Protector

    Titles in the series (100)

    View More
    View More

    Related audiobooks

    Christian Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Amish On Vacation

      May 30, 2020

      Amish On Vacation
      7 min read

    • Article

      TWO DECADES OF HELL EVIL STEPDAD made me HIS WIFE

      Jul 2, 2020

      Acute little girl with bright red hair and a cheeky smile, Rosalynn McGinnis had big dreams. The 10-year-old wanted to grow up and be a veterinarian and teach violin. Rosalynn’s father wasn’t in the picture. But one day, handing out flyers with the n

      3 min read

    • Article

      Branching Out

      Jan 25, 2024

      The excitement of coming across an old barn find is filled with great optimism that you have unearthed a piece of history. Once you have, you’re desperate to share the news with all and sundry, but there comes a point when it becomes an old story tha

      4 min read

    • Article

      Cruel Means, Bitter Ends

      Nov 10, 2021

      “In order for this speech to mean anything to me, I’ll need to dispense with the usual demagoguery and, instead, make an attempt at honesty. With this in mind, there is one thing I have to make clear. I’m not in this race to serve your interests, but

      12 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Sep 1, 2020

      Cricket League
      7 min read

    • Article

      Lost At Sea

      Jul 6, 2023

      Lost At Sea
      5 min read

    • Article

      Dublin Area Rowdy Teens

      Mar 10, 2023

      Of course, later on he would tell the police and anyone who would listen that what had happened was symptomatic of a larger problem—disaffected youth, fear of stabbings, the bystander effect, the growth of unmanned train stations, the loss of conduct

      7 min read

    • Article

      Sublime in Seville

      Oct 28, 2021

      Sublime in Seville
      4 min read

    • Article

      Tom Cunliffe

      Nov 6, 2020

      Tom Cunliffe
      5 min read

    • Article

      Tom Cunliffe

      Nov 6, 2020

      Tom Cunliffe
      5 min read

    • Article

      The King And I

      Jul 9, 2019

      The King And I
      14 min read

    • Article

      The Philosophy of Fly-Fishing

      Oct 10, 2017

      The Philosophy of Fly-Fishing
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Modest Man

      Oct 17, 2019

      The Modest Man
      5 min read

    • Article

      Stormy Lesson

      May 9, 2019

      Stormy Lesson
      8 min read

    • Article

      In Search Of . . .

      Mar 1, 2019

      In Search Of . . .
      7 min read

    • Article

      Table Talk

      Jun 1, 2023

      Table Talk
      11 min read

    • Article

      Roger’s PROFANISAURUS

      Aug 5, 2021

      profanisaurus@viz.co.uk aroma diffuser 1. n. A scientific device that breaks “essential oils” down into smaller molecules, dispersing them into the air for a pleasant or calming effect on the gullible. 2. n. The arsehole. Barbie’s minge sim. Somethin

      8 min read

    • Article

      Letter Bocks

      Mar 9, 2023

      Your Correspondence with VIZ Editor Hampton Doubleday Viz Comic, P.O. Box 841 Whitley Bay, NE26 9EQ letters@viz.co.uk ◻ CONSERVATIVE party chairman Lee Anderson says he is in favour of the death penalty for the most heinous of crimes, but only in cas

      10 min read

    • Article

      A Marine At Guadalcanal

      Nov 6, 2018

      A Marine At Guadalcanal
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Sail Or Who Disappeared

      Jun 25, 2023

      The Sail Or Who Disappeared
      5 min read

    • Article

      Letters

      Mar 2, 2022

      There seems to be a continual dribble within the shooting press about how good it is to be small and how bad it is to be big. Bag sizes, I mean. We get enough flak from outside bodies without the continual drip between us. There is a joy in all forms

      4 min read

    • Article

      Major Long Talks to His Horse

      Feb 20, 2019

      Major Long Talks to His Horse
      6 min read

    • Article

      A Lost Prayer

      Feb 2, 2023

      A Lost Prayer
      10 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for An Uncommon Protector

    4/5

    40 ratings6 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      An Uncommon Protector by Shelley Shephard Gray is the second book in A Lone Star Hero’s Love Story. It is July 1867 in Sweetwater, Texas. Laurel Tracey has a hard time running the Red Roan Ranch. Laurel has seen squatters on her land, and she needs someone who is strong and forceful (and a little scary) to assist her with the running of the ranch. Laurel gets an idea when she overhears the prisoners, who have been working on her ranch, talking about when one of them is eligible for release. A convict can get early release at a type of sale. A person can “buy” the prisoner for one year. They are provided lodging and food while they work the next year to pay off their debt. Laurel decides that Thomas Baker (a former Sergeant) would be the perfect person to assist her. Thomas is glad for the chance to get out of jail especially after the whipping he received from guard, Foster Howell. Laurel purchases Baker despite opposition. Laurel’s stepsiblings object to Baker’s presence at the house (the moochers), and they are backed by neighbor, Landon Marshall. Laurel refuses to back down and her stepsiblings immediately depart (for which Laurel is very grateful). Baker’s presence proves valuable when a dead calf is left on Laurel’s doorstep. Someone poisoned the poor animal. This is just the beginning of troubles for Laurel. Someone is trying to drive her out, and they will do whatever it takes to achieve their goal. Baker is not going to let someone drive Laurel off her land. He telegrams his old unit for assistance in fighting these bandits. But who is behind these attacks? As time passes, Laurel sees the good man behind the rough exterior and starts to fall for him. Baker admires Laurel and cannot help falling her for her. But he does not feel worthy of such a lady. To find out what happens, you will need to read An Uncommon Protector.An Uncommon Protector is the second book in the series, but it can be read alone. The author does provide updates on the characters from The Loyal Heart (first book in series). I found An Uncommon Protector to be well-written and it has good characters. It has a nice, light Christian theme (it was just right). I did find that the romance was predictable (you knew they would end up together in the end). I give An Uncommon Protector 3 out of 5 stars. I could identify the party behind the attacks very early in the book (it was very obvious). The take down of the bad guys was a little rushed and a bit of a letdown. The pace of the book is a little slow especially during the “thinking” sections. There are many areas of the book where the two main characters are thinking (mostly about each other). I did not enjoy the flashbacks into Baker’s time in the POW camp during the Civil War. These sections provide insight into Thomas Baker’s character, but there were too many of them. I felt they took away from the book (the reader just gets into the story and then we go back in time). Please be aware that there is violence against animals that is very disturbing (and upsetting). I am not the right audience for An Uncommon Protector. I do, though, look forward to reading other novels from Shelley Shepard Gray in the future (I love her Amish novels).
    • 1/5
      **As always, I hesitate to write one star reviews, but as numerous people asked me to, I will. Please note that these are all my own personal thoughts and opinions. Take them with a grain of salt. **


      Let's write a book with unrealistic characters who talk like they are from the twenty-first century and call it historical fiction. Let's write a book in which the main characters spend their days lusting after each other and send up a few prayers along the way, and call it Christian romance.

      Just . . . no.

      I grabbed this at a used bookstore because it was cheap, and by the synopsis, it sounded interesting. But from page one it was already heading downhill. I have to say, I have never read a book labeled "Christian" that disappointed me more, especially since it is published by Zondervan, a Christian publisher I think very highly of.

      I think story-wise, this book had a lot of potential. But it was how it was written that derailed it. Right away, I was disappointed in the modern-sounding dialogue and unrealistic situations the characters found themselves in. Add to that the fact that our MCs are literally lusting over each from page one, and it was destined to fail in my eyes.

      Because hey, the man is goodlooking! Marry him! Because good looks are everything, right? Wrong! It's undeniable that the first thing you notice about a person is their physical appearance. And we're all human. It's perfectly natural to think someone is good looking. But when it reaches the point of being unable to function normally because you are so affected by the mere presence of this good-looking guy or girl? We've got a problem. And then our MCs start thinking incredibly inappropriate thoughts about each other . . . such as thinking about the other character going through the bathing process . . . Eww. On what planet is that appropriate? As I said, we're all human, and we all think not-so-good thoughts sometimes. But that doesn't deny the fact that it's wrong.

      These kind of issues wouldn't surprise me at all in secular fiction. But the fact that this is labeled and touted as Christian fiction? That sickens me. As Christians, we are supposed to be the light of the world - A city that set on a hill that stands out from the darkness around us. I'm not saying if you are going to call a book Christian fiction, you have to include an overt salvation message. But there should be something different about your book that sets it apart from secular fiction - and unfortunately, there really wasn't anything in this to set it apart from secular fiction in my mind. (Except for a few prayers, maybe . . .)

      All in all, this is not a book I enjoyed, nor would I recommend it. I write this review for my friends' sake, not to badmouth or attack the author. If my review came across that way, then I apologize.
    • 5/5
      Great story!! Well written and well read! Narrator was fabulous. So was the story! I will read more from both of these artists!
    • 5/5
      Title: An Uncommon Protector (A Lone Star Love Story #2)Author: Shelley Shepard GrayPages: 305Year: 2017Publisher: ZondervanMy rating is 5 stars.This is a good, old-fashioned, Western romance set in 1867 for the most part with some flashbacks to 1865. The main characters are Laurel Tracey and Thomas Baker. Thomas was introduced in the first book of the series, The Loyal Heart. The flashbacks take place in Ohio in a Confederate soldier prison camp toward the end of the Civil War.Thomas Baker has really done it this time. He was caught in a poker game with men much more experienced than himself. As a result, he owed them a lot of money that he didn’t have; therefore, he was put in jail. He now faces more jail time unless someone is willing to buy him for one year to work as an employee. He has no hope for that, but understands he got himself in this situation.Laurel Tracey is a lone female trying to hold on to the family ranch after the deaths of her father and brother in the Civil War and her mother’s death as well. She has two ungrateful stepsiblings who are living with her and taking her for every dime she has without doing any work around the ranch. She desperately needs some help or she will be forced to sell the ranch, which is just what her stepsiblings want. Her neighbor also wants her to sell and has offered to buy the ranch or he could marry her to help her out. Laurel is determined to keep her ranch and thus determines to hire an employee, who just happens to be a former prisoner. Thomas comes to work at the ranch and immediately he and Laurel sense an attraction to each other. That very day, however, trouble starts on the ranch. After a few days, Thomas realizes he is in over his head and calls for help from his former Confederate soldier comrades.I really liked how Thomas leaned on the Lord throughout his whole life, even when he admittedly made some very poor choices. He still considered himself a Christian and didn’t falter in his belief in God. I also liked the interaction between Laurel and Thomas. They always tried to do what was best for the other and also what was best in God’s eyes. Thomas definitely showed his protectiveness for Laurel as she was protective of him. They both were protective of the ranch and also recognized they were protected by the Lord. I can’t wait for the third book in this wonderful series!Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
    • 4/5
      I am enjoying this series (this is book two in the series) and like the whole premise of this series. When several men find themselves prisoners of war on Johnson's Island, Ohio in 1865, they decide to "be there" for each other, even when the war is over and life goes as back to normal as possible. They are truly a 'band of brothers' in this series.In this story Thomas Baker finds himself in jail working on a work detail, when a kind lady offers them some water. That is the beginning of a relationship between Thomas and Laurel Tracey. Laurel is a young lady who has been given her parents cattle ranch when they passed away and is trying hard to make it work, despite the pressure to sell by most everyone around her. She decides to "purchase" Thomas to come and help her and protect her from those who are trying to scare her into selling. Thomas is a former soldier and his soldier friends are about the only true friends he has ever had. But Thomas has never been real good about making right decisions and has a problem with his temper. He determines to change and be a man Tracey can trust to keep her safe, and quickly realizes his feelings for her are much more than just being a protector. Tracey also realizes that she feels safe and protected around Thomas and her feelings for him are quickly more than employee/employer. But there is a lot of killing and shooting going on and Thomas needs help. So he sends for his friends and the results don't take long to come to a conclusion. Now Thomas and Tracey must both admit their feelings for each other. Another good story in this series. I am looking forward to seeing who the next book, "Love Held Captive", will be about. Each story should be read in order, as it talks about what happened in the book before it. You can read it as a stand alone easy enough, but will take away some of the surprises if you read them out of order. Enjoy!
    • 3/5
      An Uncommon Protector used a common thread strung together by incidents that showed the reader the progress of time, but did not make the character change, with the exception of making them "more in love." Some flashbacks, though interesting in themselves, could have been incorporated into the story later, without jerking the reader back in time. That would also have caused more intrigue. Character development of the opposition seemed unrealistic at the end---why tell the story? Bragging? or confessing? Seemed out of character for what was shown earlier.The resolution was brought quickly as if trying to finish the book.I did enjoy reading the book if I just reminded myself it was a "quick escape" and if I reminded myself that "Christian" doesn't really mean that, it just means no swear words, no described intimacy, with a few prayers thrown in.