Great review from Lisa @ Fic Talk Blog! 4.5 Stars for PROTECTING WHAT'S HIS
Ginger Peet is a spunky, sassy, and strong young woman who works as a bartender in Nashville. She’s also the best mother-figure that her sister, Willa, has ever had due to the fact that they’re mother was either too busy prostituting herself, using drugs, or disappearing for days on end when they were kids. Never knowing if she was ever coming back, Ginger stepped up to the plate and took care of her little sister even though she herself was a mere child as well. Having to do whatever it took to feed, clothe, take care of her sister, and make sure that her sister was safe from seeing anything that her child’s eyes should never see, made Ginger grow up too fast – and also made her wary and hard to trust men. So when the opportunity to break free of their broken down house and hard life appeared in the form of her mother passed out on the couch with a bag of cash sitting next to her – about fifty grand to be exact – Ginger took the money and her 17 year old sister and left Nashville for a new start and better life. Unknowingly bringing down a whole heap of trouble on her and her sister while she ran.
Lieutenant Derek Tyler is a 30 year old, broody, strait-laced Chicago police officer who does things by the book and doesn’t take crap from anyone. He’s large and in-charge and demands respect from everyone. His life is a little sparse with only his work to fill it up. So when his quiet life is destroyed by the first sounds of two young women using some very colourful language and being loud outside his apartment window on the day of a funeral for a fallen brother, he doesn’t take kindly to the interruption and his first introduction to the girls is definitely a memorable one.
He also doesn’t expect his instant attraction to Ginger and she in turn. But there’s also a side to the Lieutenant – I can’t stop referring to Derek like that and if you read this book you’d know why! – that’s dark and sensual and it’s something that Ginger didn’t think she’d ever be attracted to…
She flashed him her best smile. “Sorry to disturb you, Officer. We didn’t think there’d be anyone at home, being that it’s the middle of the day and all.
“Well, here I am. And it’s Lieutenant.” Ooh, she shoots, she misses.
Wow, how do I put into words how I feel after finishing this book? I am just so blown away by how intense and amazing this it was. I went into it expecting this good romantic read about a Hero cop and a heroine Bartender and I was okay with that, but boy, was I ever wrong.
Derek is a serious, blunt, knows-what-he-wants, sensual, dirty-talking alpha male cop that blew my socks off and left me breathless. I completely adored him even though once or twice I wanted to shake him because of the two times he made the wrong decisions. But the way he spoke to Ginger legit gave me goose bumps and made me shiver. He’s not a swoon-worthy man, he’s a melt-in-a-puddle-make-you-weak-in-the-knees-man. And he and Ginger just burned up the pages for me.
Just like that, she surrendered to him. And it felt fantastic.
One hand slid down her back and palmed her ass, kneading the flesh in a gesture of blatant ownership.
“Be good tonight, Ginger. I’ll know if you’re not.”
Ginger, what can I say about a heroine that I thoroughly respected and admired more than a lot of young heroines that I’ve read about recently? She was Strong and independent and a great sister to Willa. She was fun and real. She did the best that she could with what she had and was always striving to do and be better. She also wasn’t annoying – a damn good thing. Ginger was used to men being attracted to her and knew that she was desirable – not cocky about it – but just realistic. But Ginger just felt that she did not need a man coming into their lives and leaving her the way men did to her mother. The physical she felt that she could handle with Derek but the emotional side was the harder part to deal with. And it was hard to be with Derek and not feel that he was embedding himself deeper into their lives and her heart.
Overall, I loved this book. The writing was great, the story line was entertaining and very intense and emotional. I was engrossed from start to finish! I just couldn’t put it down once I picked it up. I loved the characters and the fact that the author didn’t just allow the romance to overshadow the sisters dynamic that Ginger and Willa had. It felt like a very well-rounded book and you can see that it was well thought out. All the plot lines were dealt with very well – better than I expected, I’ll admit honestly. The only flaws that I found within this book was couple of editing problems. A few sentences read like they were incomplete but it wasn’t too bad or made the book unreadable. It’s just something that I would notice.
Essentially Protecting What’s His is one read that you wouldn’t regret taking a chance on as it has the whole package: fantastic storytelling, emotional intense characters, you will be invested in the book’s characters and their happily ever afters, a bond between sisters that will pull at your heart strings, great writing and a romance that will leave your toes curled and eyes glazed over.
And I don’t normally give such a high rating to many of the erotic romance books that I read. This is what I’d call a diamond in the rough. And author that I will be watching from now on.
Here is the link to the blog:
http://fic-talk.com/2013/03/protecting-whats-his-by-tessa-bailey-reviewed-by-lisa/
