When He Protects (Protector & Defender 1) by Cynthia Eden-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 29, 2024

He knew she was trouble from the moment they met.

Esme Laurent is a con artist. An accomplished liar. A world-class thief. And probably the most beautiful and intriguing woman that Tyler Barrett has ever met. Sure, he has to arrest her at their first meeting, and she absolutely hates him, but…well, he has a job to do. And Tyler always gets the job done.

Turns out, she is the new job.

The people in charge want to use Esme to bring down a very dangerous criminal operation. And in order to do that, Esme has to stay in the land of the living. She needs protection, she needs a new identity, and she needs to disappear, immediately. Because Esme has more than a bit of power, she makes her own deal…her protection needs to come in the ever-so-gorgeous, ever-so-dangerous, and ever-so-law-abiding form of U.S. Marshal Tyler Barrett.

They’ll disappear into Small Town, USA. And they’ll pretend to be newlyweds who just can’t keep their hands off each other.

No, absolutely, this cannot be happening. But no matter how much Tyler protests, the new job is, in fact, happening. He’s being sent to Asylum, Alabama, with the delectable Esme. He’s supposed to be her husband—a role that will give him twenty-four, seven access in order to protect her. He needs that access in order to make sure that Esme doesn’t run from the authorities and that she stays alive. But what Tyler doesn’t count on is the consuming desire he feels for a woman who should be off-limits.

She’ll test every limit that he has…

Esme doesn’t expect her attraction to the rule-following Tyler. He’s big, he’s buttoned-down, and he’s absolutely…delicious. She also suspects that he may be carefully controlling a wild side—one that she would love to see erupt. Oh, if only.

When danger comes calling, Tyler is more than ready to handle any threat. Who knew that falling for the good guy could be so tempting? And so very…heart-breaking. Because there was no way a guy like Tyler would want to stay around once they stop pretending. Everyone knows the bad girl never gets to keep the good guy, especially when she’s still working a very long con.

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REVIEW: WHEN HE PROTECTS is the first instalment in Cynthia Eden’s contemporary adult PROTECTOR AND DEFENDER erotic, romantic suspense series. This is former Marine turned US Marshall Tyler Barrett, and twenty-seven year old, professional thief Esme Laurent’s story line.

Told from several omniscient third person perspectives including Esme and Tyler WHEN HE PROTECTS follows the building relationship between our story line couple. Tyler Barrett was working undercover at a high end party, a party where a suspected thief may have been targeting but Tyler will come face to face with an unlikely mark, a beautiful woman whose secrets run deadly and deep. Enter Esme Laurent. Esme is a professional thief but all is not as it appears to be. Esme has secrets that may be heart breaking for Tyler, secrets she does not necessarily want to reveal. A bounty on her head, Esme and Tyler embark on a fake marriage, going into hiding but Esme is willing to run to protect the man with whom she is falling in love.

The world building follows the building romance and relationship between our story line couple. In hiding, our couple find themselves the target of a powerful man but betrayal comes from within, from many sides, and from where they least expect it. No longer able to trust the people in charge, Esme and Tyler must try to make it on their own.

The relationship between Esme and Tyler begins as an assignment when Tyler is tasked to arresting our story line heroine but when Esme becomes the target, Tyler finds himself guardian and protector on orders from the top. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to several members of local and federal law enforcement and government agencies including Esme’s father Etienne Laurent; Sheriff Clay Banks; FBI Agent Grayson Stone; former Marine Kane Harte, and Agent Thaddeus Caldwell. The requisite evil has many faces.

WHEN HE PROTECTS is a story of secrets and lies, power and control, betrayal and vengeance, family and relationships, forgiveness and love. The character driven, fasts paced premise is intriguing and captivating but the guilty party(s) was easily to deduce. The characters are charismatic and cheeky; the romance is seductive and fated. Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Copy supplied for review