REVIEW: Protected by Love by Jennifer Ryan

In Protected by Love by Jennifer Ryan, Caden Cooke’s job as a DEA agent seems to take over every part of his life these days. Including his social life. He’s already let down chef Mia Martin twice by having to miss their blind dates but he’s determined to make their third try a success. Things start off on a perfect note with Mia accepting Caden’s gifts to make up for their non-dates. And he’s knocked out by his attraction to her. But when his job interrupts their dinner again, with a criminal threatening to kill them, Caden has to dig deep to remain calm and keep safe the woman with whom he can see himself having a happy future.

‘Right now all he could think about was the one woman he hoped the bad things in his life never touched again. Maybe it was too dangerous and selfish to ask Mia to be a part of his life. No matter how badly he wanted her in it.’

Mia had all but given up hope on ever getting to have her date with Caden. If it wasn’t for her loving but meddling aunt, she would have forgotten the whole thing altogether. But when she meets Caden–finally–she’s glad she’s been given the opportunity. He’s everything Mia had been told and more. Funny, interesting, sexy, and an all around good guy, Caden is a hero with the work he does to keep criminals off the streets. Mia certainly wants to get to know him better but being held at gunpoint by a drug dealer wasn’t quite how she thought it would happen. She hopes the connection they’re forging is one that will prove to be real and strong, not just one created out of the dangerous situation in which they’ve found themselves.

“What do you want, Caden?”
“To be with you.”
Simple. Complicated. Wonderful. Scary. Amazing.

Jennifer Ryan’s new Montana Heat series is definitely starting off with a bang! Tons of action scenes, instant attraction, and a series of unfortunate events turned Protected by Love into a fun and exciting novella.

‘Hands down, Caden turned out to be the best first date ever.’

Right off the bat I thought the premise behind this short story (and the upcoming series) was an interesting one. A DEA agent set up on a blind date with a local chef–by their aunts, no less–who after two missed dates, thanks to Caden’s job, finally got a chance to go out. But once again a case interfered with their plans. As with Jennifer Ryan’s other work I’ve read, there was a good blend of heat and humor along with suspenseful moments. And thankfully she didn’t scrimp on the emotions here either. Each character had their own inner struggles to face and we got to see how they dealt with those issues as well as how it affected those around them.

Our hero and heroine, Caden and Mia, turned out to be pretty awesome characters. Caden was an honorable guy who loved his family and was ready to find the right woman and settle down, having seen so many bad things in his line of work. As you can expect, he was an alpha guy all the way. But I loved that Caden was awestruck with how well Mia could protect herself when they were under fire from the bad guys. Mia was quite the independent, successful woman who unfortunately had abandonment and trust issues. So Caden missing two blind dates in a row was *not* a good thing. And she made sure he knew that. But there was definitely an incredible chemistry between them right away and it brought out Mia and Caden’s protective instincts when they had to face down criminals together. It might seem like insta-lust to some readers where this was a short novella, but I thought the emotions rang true so it worked for me.

Interesting family bonds. A dangerous situation. A perfect love match. Protected by Love was a scintillating read with realistic, likable characters and with one incredible setup for the first full-length book yet to come: Escape to You.
 

Book Info:

Publication: Published June 20th 2017 | Avon Impulse | Montana Heat #0.5

It was more than another blind date . . .

It was DEA Agent Caden Cooke’s third chance to impress beautiful chef Mia Martin. He’d already stood her up twice, and was shocked she was even giving him another chance. For Caden, taking down the bad guys is important, but Mia’s made it clear there’s no excuse for his bad behavior. So he’s vowed to make it worth her while with an apology he’s cooked up just for her.

From the moment they meet, it’s clear this isn’t just another fix up. The sparks flying between them are undeniable; the tension is electric. Then, suddenly, the best moments of their lives turn treacherous when a drug dealer set on revenge puts their lives in danger. And Mia and Caden quickly realize they will do anything to protect the other—and live for the love neither of them expected.