Review: Deceiving the Protector

Reviewed by Jen
 

Tate is on a mission to find and protect a female stray until he can bring her into the fold of the Shifter Underground.  Lia doesn't want his help.  Everyone who has tried to get close to her has died, horribly, at the hands of the man who considers himself her mate.  And she is sure that Trent will meet the same fate if she lets him into her life.

The past few years have been torture for Lia. She and her sister were kidnapped by government agents, then kept in a facility. They were experimented on... injured... humiliated.  That's where she met Asher... where his mark was forced upon her.  Even now that she is out of the facility, there is no escape. He can track her; he can punish her --and he will destroy anyone who dares to make a connection with her.

Of course, Tate ignores Lia's protests and takes her under his protection. For the first time in a very long time, she allows herself the luxury of feelings --and desire.  Together, they learn what true mating really is and what it means to bond their souls to each other.

All of this happens against the backdrop of a world where shifters are feared and maligned by society.  The series follows a small group of wolves trying to create a home and new life for others of their kind.  The world building is straightforward and easy to understand.  And while there are references to the events of the first book in the series, I never got lost or too bogged down with information overload.

The love story was ok, the ongoing shifter story is better.... but for me the Epilogue was the best part of the book.  All too often in romances, these days, authors use an Epilogue as a dumping ground for a wedding, pregnancy or a baby. But this one adds to the story and gives it an extra layer of emotional resonance. Well done.  4 stars.

*ARC Provided by NetGalley

Deceiving the Protector

by Dee Tenorio

Release Date: August 15, 2011 

Publisher: Carina Press