Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite

Protecting The Single Mom by Catherine Lanigan is the heartwarming story of a single mother, her son, and the man who stands between them and evil. Over six years ago, Susan ran away from her possessive and abusive husband, Brad. She gave herself a new name and changed her looks. Susan legally created a new identity for herself and became Cate Sullivan. Soon after she arrived in Indian Lake, Cate discovered she was pregnant. With the help of the kind people who took her in, Cate became a real estate agent. A talented salesperson, Cate made a happy and respectable life for her and her son. In an unexpected turn of events, Brad finds her location and uncovers the fact that he has a son. Brad is a criminal that the local law enforcement is trying to capture. After he escapes Detective Trent Davis, the detective is determined to catch the wannabe drug lord. Discovering that Cate was Brad's wife and that Brad considers Cate his property, Trent realizes that Brad is coming for Cate. Detective Trent Davis promises Cate that he will protect her and her son if she will stay and be bait so that the police can apprehend Brad. Not willing to leave the life that she worked so hard to have, Cate decides to take the risk and trust Detective Davis with their lives. Unfortunately, Detective Davis has a dark secret of which nobody is aware. Will this secret prevent him from doing his job or will it endanger the people that he has vowed to protect?

Protecting The Single Mom by Catherine Lanigan is about a woman who overcame an abusive situation and how she fights to keep what she worked for. Cate/Susan is an intelligent and strong woman. She was in a compromising and potentially dangerous situation and she courageously removed herself from it. It isn't easy to leave everything behind and start over; I applaud Cate's bravery and fortitude for doing so. Cate didn't allow herself to become a victim, she became a victor. Although it is typical human nature, I thought it was sad that she didn't see herself in this way. She believed she wasn't a good mother because of the steps that she took to preserve her and her son's lives. In my opinion, Cate is a hero and deserves admiration and respect for building a safe and successful life for her small family. This is an exceptional romantic fiction novel that inspires women to achieve their dreams and warms the hearts of the romantics. It is a beautifully well-written story with a clean context. It is suitable for anybody who loves a good romance and yearns to be inspired to make a change in their circumstances.