One to Protect (One to Hold #3) by Tia Louise
Publication Date: April 21st 2014 by TLM Productions
About the book:
WARNING: Recommended for adult readers (18+) only. Mature themes, strong language, and sexual content.My Thoughts:
One scar.
One betrayal.
No escape.
When Sloan Reynolds beats criminal charges, Melissa Jones stops believing her wealthy, connected ex-husband will ever pay for what he did to her.
Derek Alexander can’t accept that—a tiny silver scar won't let him forget, and as a leader in the security business, he is determined to get the man who hurt his fiancĂ©e.
Then the body of a former call girl turns up dead. She’s the breakthrough Derek’s been waiting for, the link to Sloan’s sordid past he needs. But as usual, legal paths to justice have been covered up or erased.
Derek’s ready to do whatever it takes to protect his family when his partner Patrick Knight devises a plan that changes everything.
It’s a plan that involves coloring outside the lines and taking a walk on the dark side. It goes against everything on which Alexander-Knight, LLC, is based.
And it’s a plan Derek’s more than ready to follow.
Note: Standalone, M/F, HEA.
I loved One to Hold,
so I was happy to get back to Melissa and Derek in this installment.
Melissa and Derek are engaged with a baby on the way, and
madly in love. Intense, passionate, and tender love, but two things hold a
little gray cloud over their complete happiness. First, they’re still living apart, and we’re
not talking twenty minutes apart, we’re talking eight-hour-car-ride apart, and
they continue to go back and forth about where to live, neither wanting to give
up home base. Second, and more
importantly, Sloan, Melissa’s ex is up to no good, and Derek is terrified that
it’s only a matter of time before he tries something with Melissa again. With
Patrick’s help, Derek sets out to ensnare Sloan and take care of him
permanently.
Melissa and Derek’s relationship is loving and passionate,
and they could barely keep their hands off each other. I love how there was
never any third party in the mix to take away from their bond. I had big issues
with Patrick and Elaine’s story, One to
Keep, because of that very reason.
Kenny’s (a girl) involvement still bugs me, which I was reminded of when
poor Elaine confides in Melissa. I’m hoping Kenny’s book will dispel some of
the uneasiness I have about them.
Ms. Louise definitely knows how to write scorching scenes,
enough that you’ll need a cold shower more than a few times. I’m a fan of sexy-times as much as any girl,
but there was a LOT of sex in this book.
The issue with Sloan and the way Derek handles things has me
very uneasy. He’s clearly upset about it
and I have a hard time believing that Derek and Patrick will come away out of
the mess without discovery in some way. Also, I’m a little confused because the
way the issue was said to be taken care of in One to Keep is different from One
to Protect. Is this a difference in explanation to Melissa and Elaine? I’m
not sure, but if that’s the reason, I doubt they won’t somehow find out what
really happened. It’s entirely possible I’m just confused. I guess we shall see.
Overall, it was lovely catching up with Derek and Melissa.
Their romance continues to delight.
3.5 Suns
About the author:
Tia Louise is a former journalist, world-traveler, and collector of beautiful men (who inspire all of her stories... wink)—turned wife, mommy, and novelist. She lives in the center of the U.S.A. with her lovely family and one grumpy cat. There, she dreams up stories she hopes are engaging, hot, and sexy, and that cause readers rethink common public locations…
It’s possible she has a slight truffle addiction.
