Close protection worker Arianna Jackson tries not to take chances, but when she saves a man from attack by a crime syndicate she's suddenly the one who needs a bodyguard detail. Holed up in an Alaska cabin in witness protection, she gets to know the men responsible for her safety. Bored and not allowed outside, the frustration makes her sharper than she should be, and US Marshals Mark, Kevin, and Brody remind themselves to be patient while GUARDING THE WITNESS.

Mother grizzly is not the only danger out there, and Brody and Arianna take off together after the location is compromised. The rugged, cold terrain might do the assassins' job for them, if the pair's survival skills and teamwork aren't up to scratch. Men with tracking dogs and guns are on their trail, and river crossings are tricky at the best of times. There is plenty of action and violence on the desperate flight and both people come to respect each other, the lines between guard and client blurring. Mountainside rappelling, first-aid, persuading citizens that they're not criminals....

I did feel some of the prayers were forced - Arianna thinks that she doesn't know if she can cross a river without divine help. Wouldn't it be more appropriate to concentrate on the job in hand and on help from the man who's already across? But this is an inspirational novel so we get a few appeals to personal faith. I was also unused to the term 'case' for a bodyguard checking out a building - I would use this term for a criminal casing a house to see how best to rob it. Semantics aside, Margaret Daley has made a fantastic job of the urgency, action and details in this romance story, with paranoia in the conspiracy-theory style second half.

GUARDING THE WITNESS is part of a series about Guardians, Inc. a close protection firm of females. This features strong capable women and deserves to be a big hit.