Guardsmen Series by Cooper West

Guardsmen are always matched in a bonded pair. The Protector can shift into a weredog, and the human partner is his Handler. They are incredibly rare and highly valued, but people also fear them for their mystical abilities. No Protector in living memory has outlived his Handler—until Alex Taylor. Now a widower, Alex lives a lonely half-life and faces day after day of grief with no hope for happiness in the future... moreGuardsmen are always matched in a bonded pair. The Protector can shift into a weredog, and the human partner is his Handler. They are incredibly rare and highly valued, but people also fear them for their mystical abilities. No Protector in living memory has outlived his Handler—until Alex Taylor. Now a widower, Alex lives a lonely half-life and faces day after day of grief with no hope for happiness in the future. When he unexpectedly bonds with the young and vibrant Handler Marcus Stephanek, Alex is angry and unwilling to leave the memory of his former Handler behind. He pushes Marcus away and tries to distance himself from their bond. But then a mysterious villain who has been secretly shadowing Alex for years sets his plan in motion. Alex and Marcus must learn to trust their bond and love each other, or risk not only their own lives but the lives of those closest to them.First edition published by Dreamspinner Press, May 2014. less

Marsha Dillard’s whole life is about dogs. Her husband knows that, her kids know that, her church knows that. As one of the higher ranking, long-term animal control officers for the city of Tallahassee in north Florida, she has seen her fair share of cats, pigs, chickens, horses, snakes, possums and raccoons. The majority of her work, though, usually consists of dogs.Loose dogs, sick dogs, abused dogs, lost dogs, feral dogs, dead dogs – she has seen it all... moreMarsha Dillard’s whole life is about dogs. Her husband knows that, her kids know that, her church knows that. As one of the higher ranking, long-term animal control officers for the city of Tallahassee in north Florida, she has seen her fair share of cats, pigs, chickens, horses, snakes, possums and raccoons. The majority of her work, though, usually consists of dogs.Loose dogs, sick dogs, abused dogs, lost dogs, feral dogs, dead dogs – she has seen it all. She has taken dying dogs out of fighting rings and she has revived should-be-dead dogs from heat stroke.Nothing prepared her for rescuing a dog named Parker. This is a FREE prologue to the book Parker's Sanctuary, a gay romance/suspense novel set in the unique alternative universe of Guardsmen, bonded pairs of weredogs and their partners who live on the edges of society -- worshipped and feared in turn, sheltered as much as they are shunned, Guardsmen mates live, love, and die together. less

Stalked by danger, will Parker ever find a place to call home?Greg Lademar is an ordinary and average Army veteran who has settled down with his job as an accountant and his lingering PTSD. He lives a quiet life as a single man, alone on the former blueberry farm he bought from his parents after they retired to Orlando... moreStalked by danger, will Parker ever find a place to call home?Greg Lademar is an ordinary and average Army veteran who has settled down with his job as an accountant and his lingering PTSD. He lives a quiet life as a single man, alone on the former blueberry farm he bought from his parents after they retired to Orlando. When a friend who works with animal control asks him to foster Parker, a severely injured dog who has just been rescued from an abusive home, the last thing Greg expects is to be dragged into the mysterious world of the Guardsmen — the bonded pairs of humans and their weredogs, known as Protectors, who are literally the stuff of myths and legends.Greg’s life is turned upside down by unexpected events involving Parker and the strange Guardsmen pair Marcus and Alex Stephanek, but far more dangerous to him is the man who used to own Parker and holds a grudge for having “his” dog taken from him. A game of cat and mouse ensues, with more on the line than even Greg ever thought possible: his life, and the life of Parker, who has become more important to him than Greg ever imagined a rescue dog could be. Welcome to the world of Guardsmen, bonded pairs of weredogs and their partners who live on the edges of society -- worshipped and feared in turn, sheltered as much as they are shunned, Guardsmen mates live, love, and die together. less