About the Book

Title: Guarding the Child Witness

Series: Iowa State Troopers, #1

Author: Sharee Stover

Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense

Released: February 24, 2026

Genre: Christian Mystery & Suspense

When Iowa state trooper Jaysa Camerota and her K-9, Remy, discover a scared boy trapped in a car wreck, they narrowly survive the gunfire that follows. With an unknown assailant closing in fast and the nonverbal child struggling to communicate, Jaysa is forced to accept help from her ex-fiancé, social worker Ender Hammett. Soon it becomes clear that young Trevor is harboring perilous secrets—and that someone will do anything to have him silenced. When Ender’s past becomes the key to exposing a killer, can they unravel this lethal plot…or is survival out of reach?

Get your copy here!

https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335957580_guarding-the-child-witness.html

About the Author

Colorado native Sharee Stover lives in the Midwest with her real-life-hero husband, three too-good-to-be-true children, and a ridiculously spoiled dog. A self-proclaimed word nerd, she loves the power of the written word to ignite, transform, and restore. She writes Christian romantic suspense combining heart-racing, nail-biting suspense and the delight of falling in love all in one. Visit her at http://www.shareestover.com.

My Impressions

“…they needed to get answers out of Trevor and fast, because constantly living on edge with a faceless killer coming after them was not working.”

Sharee Stover has created quite a twisty inspirational romantic suspense novel in Guarding the Child Witness. The first book of Iowa State Troopers, what a great time to get in on a new series! This is my first book by Stover, but I will be back for more!

Iowa State Trooper Jaysa Camerota is charged with the protection detail for a young boy who has seen his father murdered. This case is important to Jaysa because she is on a mission to prove through her dog, Remy, that a multiagency K-9 team program should be developed.  Remy is great at narcotics detection and also comforting people. But, Jaysa will have to successfully guard young, incident-mute Trevor for any hopes of her dream to come true. And, honestly, it does not seem very likely. At times, though Jaysa considers her ex, Ender Hammett, to be selfish, I wondered how self-serving Jaysa’s interests were. 

Then there is the ex- this is a story of lovers -to-enemies-to-more. Jaysa is dismayed when Emmet, once a police officer, now a social worker and forensic interviewer, is assigned to work with Trevor. Now she has to keep them both safe. And she is still hurting from their break-up years past. Plus, as Jaysa grumps to her dog, “Ender’s a control freak, so expect a battle of the wills at every turn. But he’s no longer a trooper, which means I have the final say between the two of us.” Things get heated, and not necessarily in a good way!

There is so much danger and action at every juncture in this story. Who is the real target? “Everyone has enemies,” he said. “My thoughts exactly. They just might not know it.”

Until Jaysa and Ender can figure this out, they might just be spinning their wheels.

I didn’t know who to finger as the suspect for most of the book. It seemed the case was so convoluted. Just like Jaysa and Ender’s relationship. They seem to soften towards each other, then take steps backwards. Can they find their way back to their former love, or will that have to be jettisoned for good?

I loved how good Ender is with Trevor, and how much Remy helps Trevor, too, but will that be enough to cure Trevor’s incidental muteness? I also liked how Jaysa begins to see the past with Ender through a more honest lens. But will she be willing to take a chance on the future- provided they survive to have one?

I received a copy of the book from JustRead Tours. I also bought my own ecopy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own. 

Notable Quotables:

“She’d never embraced Ender for who he was, because she’d planned to change him from the start.”(Jaysa)

“Isn’t it funny that we both found healing outside of our relationship, and in doing so, discovered our mission to help others?” – Ender

“Normally, getting him to share his feelings was akin to pulling molars from a shark with a pair of tweezers dipped in cooking oil.”- (about Ender)

“Her heart’s defrosting toward Ender had to stop. She couldn’t afford to love him again.” 

“He felt like he’d been sucked into a vortex of his past or endured surgery without anesthesia.”

“Your training trumps instincts, but your instincts enhance your training.” -Academy instructor

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I enjoyed this book, my first by Sharee Stover. I hope the next in the series is just as twisty!