WHEN HE FIGHTS (Protector and Defender 3) by Cynthia Eden-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 29, 2025

He saved her from a nightmare.

Once upon a time, Kane Harte rescued Anastasia Patrick from hell. He took her away from a killer, protected her, and maybe even came perilously close to loving her. But then she was given a new life. A new name. A new home. And there was no room for Kane or the darkness he carried in her new world. So he walked away. Didn’t look back. Fine, maybe he looked back a little. Or a lot. Maybe he dreamed of her every time his eyes closed. Sue him.

She falls for bad guys. It’s a quirk. A flaw? Whatever.

When her ex turned out to be a killer, Anastasia “Ana” Patrick knew she was in trouble. But enter the FBI—or rather, enter the super scary, slightly shady, and undeniably hot Kane Harte. He protected her, he gave her a new life—new name, new home, new Ana. And he also broke her heart. That would be the previously mentioned issue she had with bad guys. She fell for the dangerously secretive Kane, and he walked away.

He shattered her heart but gave her safety. Not exactly a fair exchange…

Now her safe world has been wrecked. Danger has found Anastasia—Ana—once again, and she has no choice but to flee on her own. The killer from her past has escaped prison, and he’s coming after her. Ana runs, desperate to get away, and she finds herself barreling straight into the arms of the protector she never expected to see again.

Kane Harte can kill a man in a hundred different ways. He can also break a woman’s heart without batting an eye.

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REVIEW: WHEN HE FIGHTS is the third instalment in Cynthia Eden’s contemporary, adult PROTECTOR AND DEFENDER erotic, romantic suspense series. This is musician Anastasia Patrick, and former US Marine/ Security specialist Kane Harte’s story line. WHEN HE FIGHTS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual omniscient third person perspectives (Kane and Ana) WHEN HE FIGHTS follows the protection of our story line heroine. More than two years earlier, Anastasia Patrick witnessed the murder of a man, and was under FBI protection with security specialist Kane Harte but the arrest of Mafia assassin Logan Catalano, Ana’s former boyfriend, Kane walked away without looking back. Fast forward to present day, living quietly under an assumed name, Ana will discover Logan Catalano has escaped, and Kane’s new assignment is our story line heroine. Struggling with their continued attraction to one another, Kane and Ana must dance around the proverbial elephant in the room, knowing there is more than one person taking aim at our story line couple.

The world building follows two timelines, as Kane Harte battles between head and heart knowing to fall in love will weaken his defenses in the face of protecting our story line heroine. Ana had proclaimed her love as she watched Kane walk away, and his return brings with it the heart break of betrayal but the escape of Logan Catalano from prison means Ana is once again a target, and Kane is determined to protect our heroine with his life.

The relationship between Kane and Ana is one of second chances but Kane struggles with his attraction, and Ana struggles to trust the man who broke her heart. The 4ex scenes are erotic and provocative without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters includes the return of FBI Agent Grayson Stone; former US Marine Tyler Barrett (When He Protects #1), as well as the introduction of FBI psychiatrist Dr. Emerson Marlowe; Ana’s best friend Zuri Harris; Mafia hitman Logan Catalano, and karate instructor Turner Mitchell. The requisite evil has many faces.

WHEN HE FIGHTS is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, obsession and madness, acceptance and love. The fast paced, character driven premise is dramatic and captivating; the romance is fated and impassioned; the characters are desperate, determined, and charismatic.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
When He Protects
When He Hunts

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy