And just like that, the anxiety slid from my body like a hot, heavy blanket I’d been carrying around my entire life and had been waiting until this very moment to shed.
Sloane Kennedy
Protecting Elliot
Format:
Kindle Unlimited.
Updated 4/29/20 – I won a giveaway of the audio.
Publisher’s Synopsis: (It’s a long one! Feel free to scroll down to my review)
Protecting him was just to supposed to be another job. Until it wasn’t.
Two years after surviving a brutal attack from members of his own unit, former Special Forces soldier Cruz de la Vega has found new purpose working for an underground vigilante group that offers justice when the law can’t. When he’s assigned to figure out who attacked a local gay rights activist, Cruz expects it to be just another job.
But when it comes to protecting Elliot Wittier, he soon learns that the last thing he wants is for the intriguing young man to be just another job.
At 25 years old, Elliot Wittier is well on his way to having the perfect life. As the head of a hugely successful investment firm and the founder of a prominent foundation, he should be on top of the world.
But looks can be deceiving and Elliot knows how to play the game. With the fear of failing the two most important people in his life always at the forefront of his mind, Elliot keeps an iron-grip on the control that has served him so well in the past. But when a violent attack leaves him vulnerable, Elliot’s carefully constructed world starts to fracture. As he struggles to keep the threat under wraps, he’s thrown off guard when a gorgeous stranger takes an interest in him at a Halloween themed benefit. Throwing caution to the wind, Elliot decides to allow himself the freedom that being with the enigmatic Cruz de la Vega brings for just one night.
But what happens when one night isn’t enough? Or when the past catches up with the present? Can what two men found in each other in just twenty-four hours really last a lifetime?
Point of view:
1st person. Alternating perspectives by chapter.
Rellim’s Thoughts:
While Protecting Elliot does mention characters from both the Barretti & Protectors series you don’t have to know those characters to enjoy this one. I would recommend reading/listening to Saving Ren. It would help with the backstory and I enjoyed that Protecting Elliot, as well as Obsessed, helped resolve a minor issue involving Declan from Saving Ren. I’ve read through the series several times, but finally wrote out a review when I listened to the recently released (February 2020) audio.
I struggle with novellas sometimes because they can seem somewhat incomplete. This is definitely insta-love and the ending is what amounts to an HFN over an HEA – but it’s still a satisfying read/listen. This book completely sets up the reader for Obsessed (released May 2020) and we get a little more of Elliot & Cruz’s HEA there.
Note: If you’re new to Sloane Kennedy, the Protectors series, or the fact that it intertwines with several other series – check out her handy chart and reading order here.
Narration:
Micheal Dean’s narration is fantastic. I appreciate his ability to give each character in what is almost entirely an all male cast their own unique voice and mannerisms.
Trigger Warnings (possible spoilers):
References to assault and death of a parent.
I borrowed the ebook through Kindle Unlimited and later purchased my own copy. However, for full disclosure: I won a free copy of the audiobook from the narrator and am voluntarily updating my honest review.
My Favorite Quotes
And just like that, the anxiety slid from my body like a hot, heavy blanket I’d been carrying around my entire life and had been waiting until this very moment to shed. – Protecting Elliot by @Sloane_Kennedy #Protectors #Audiobook #Novella narrated by Michael Dean
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