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Redemption

The Protectors #8

By Sloane Kennedy

Hosted by Jo&Isalovebooks Blog.

My job is to save lives. But what if the one that needs saving is the one I was sent to take?

At 33 years old, Phoenix Jones once had a stellar military career ahead of him. But when tragedy struck his family, he walked away from the path he’d chosen to be there for the one who needed him most. Except fate is a bitch and when she once again takes Phoenix’s future in the cruelest of ways, he must find a new path.

When a former army buddy introduces him to Ronan Grisham, the leader of an underground vigilante group, Phoenix knows he’s found a new family and nothing and no one is going to take that from him again. So when Ronan asks him to shadow a young man who participated in a brutal crime against Ronan’s husband, Seth, when he was a child and appears to be targeting him again, Phoenix doesn’t even hesitate for a second.

Even knowing what he must do if the young man proves to have gone back to his old ways.

Because family is everything…

I can’t come back from what I did. I’m not sure I even want to…

An ugly childhood left Levi Deming with little to do but dream of a day when he’d be free of his tormenters so he could carve out a simple life for himself, preferably somewhere far away from the family who never let him forget he was less than human. But one terrible choice at the tender age of 16 changed everything…

Wracked with guilt for the role he played during a home invasion gone horribly wrong, a now 24-year-old Levi is trying to piece together a life where he can maybe do a little bit of good, even knowing it won’t make up for the lives he helped take and it definitely won’t give back the future he stole from the young man whose agonized screams still haunt him night after night. If it were only about him, he’d walk into the nearest police station and happily tell them to lock him up and throw away the key.

But it isn’t just about him anymore…

I expected to find a hardened criminal. What I found was something else entirely…

With Ronan’s orders to terminate young Levi if he so much as even jaywalks, Phoenix expects an easy job with one clear outcome. But when a violent encounter forces Phoenix to interact with Levi, he quickly realizes the case might not be as black and white as he thought. Instead of finding a criminal with no conscience, Phoenix discovers a young man battling impossible odds and near crippling guilt.

When his feelings of disgust and anger begin to fade and turn into something else, the would-be hitman is forced to make a terrible decision between the family he needs and the young man more intent on seeking judgement than redemption.

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34996928-redemption?ac=1&from_search=true

Buy Links

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Excerpt

Father O sobered and then turned his attention on Levi. I watched his fingers curl around Levi’s chin. “Put some ice on these,” he said as he carefully fingered the bruised skin. “You know where to find me.”

Another nod from Levi. I expected it was yet another one of their silent conversations. The priest got up and left the room. Levi shifted and pushed the blankets off his body before swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

“You shouldn’t lie to a priest,” he murmured.

His observation was a surprise, but I didn’t bother to deny it. It had been a pretty lame argument.

“Why were you really in that alley?” he asked.

“That’s not really what you want to ask me, is it?” I countered.

An uncomfortable sensation floated through my chest as I watched Levi bend his upper body over his legs and let his clasped hands dangle just above his knees. His demeanor was much like what it had been in the alley after the rough blowjob.

“If you tell me who he is, I can help you,” I said, shocking even myself. But every time I tried to remind myself that this guy deserved everything he got, I saw him spitting out that cum, his eyes empty, his body broken. It was like he’d accepted that all he’d ever be was some guy who belonged on all fours in a dirty alley surrounded by garbage, waiting for the next man to come along and use his body.

As much as I detested him for what he’d done to Seth and his family, I’d seen enough in the last hour to know he hadn’t walked away unscathed. But I also still had more questions than answers. And the bottom line was that I didn’t believe in making people suffer for their crimes. I’d joined Ronan’s team to make sure justice got served, not to inflict the same torment on my marks that they’d inflicted upon others. Maybe it was a fine line that separated me from the monsters I hunted, but it was there just the same and I knew what side of it I wanted…no, needed to be on.

Levi hung there dejectedly for a moment before saying, “You should go, Phoenix. I really appreciate what you did for me in the alley, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be here.”

When he got up to leave, I grabbed his wrist to keep him next to me. He shuddered and I heard him let out a wisp of air, but he didn’t try to pull free of me. On the one hand, I was glad he wasn’t fighting me, but on the other, I kind of wished he would.

“Why not?” I asked. “Why shouldn’t I be here?”

Levi finally lifted his head and turned to meet my gaze. My heart hurt for him as I saw the tears pooling there. “Because I’d be too tempted to take you up on your offer. What you saw out in that alley…I deserved it…I earned it,” he whispered. His tears fell and he pulled free of my hold so he could dash them away. He let out a wet-sounding laugh. “Father O keeps telling me God’s watching over me…that he loves me no matter what and he’ll forgive me for all of my sins.” Levi shook his head. “I don’t have the heart to tell him God gave up on me a long time ago.”

I let him go when he stood and left the room.

Because no matter what, I wasn’t going to tell the man I’d been sent to kill that his life was worth fighting for.

Even if the tiniest part of me was beginning to wonder if maybe it was.

Teasers

REVIEW

4 Stars!

Another great book written by Sloane Kennedy. I love these men in this world that she has created.

This story was another heartbreaking yet beautiful one. I fell in love with these men so quickly. Levi and Phoenix have both had heartbreaking pasts that have made them cautious about their future. Their pasts are completely different but both equally heartbreaking.

I loved both Levi and Phoenix. Phoenix is a gentle giant who may look scary and intimidating but when it comes to the people he loves, he’s kind and loving and does everything in his power to protect them and care for them.

Levi was a great character too. He’s been through so much from such an early age yet he still just wants to do the right thing for other people. He puts all his time into helping others, whether that is helping homeless people at the soup kitchen or helping his nephew. He put everyone before himself because he was just that generous of a person. Levi has some issues when it comes to sex and being intimate with someone else thanks to how he was treated through his childhood but Phoenix is there to show him how amazing and spacial things can be.

There were so many scenes in this story that stood out to me, that made me emotional, one of those scenes is a scene that involves Levi and a tattoo. that scene tore me in two, it was written so well and it honestly broke my heart.

I always feel so immersed in Sloane Kennedy’s books, I finish them so quickly because I can never put them down and I'm always sad when they’re over because I want so much more, I want to stay in that world.

We saw Seth and Ronan play a huge part in this story and I loved seeing them and seeing their story continue. Seth was so mature through this story even with everything that happened. I loved seeing this character development with all the characters. I thought it was so important to see this development and see how sympathetic Seth is towards Levi even after everything he went through.

I really loved this book. I can’t wait for the next one!

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review*

Other Books In the Series.

ALL ON KINDLE UNLIMITED

Absolution (The Protectors #1)

http://getbook.at/Absolution

Salvation (The Protectors #2)

http://getbook.at/SalvationTP2

Retribution (The Protectors #3)

http://getbook.at/Retribution

Forsaken (The Protectors #4)

http://getbook.at/ForsakenTheProtectors4

Vengeance (The Protectors #5)

http://getbook.at/VengeanceTP5

Atonement (The Protectors #6)

http://getbook.at/AtonementTP6

Retribution (The Protectors #7)

http://getBook.at/RevelationTP7

Author Bio

Although Sloane Kennedy always dreamed of being a writer as a teenager, she didn't take the plunge until March of 2015 when she released her first novel as an independent author. Since then, she has released more than a dozen books including the Amazon best-selling "Barretti Security" series, "Finding" series and "Protectors" series. While she initially began writing M/F romance, she found her true passion writing gay romance and all four of her most recent releases reached the #1 spot on Amazon's Gay Romance bestseller list and Freeing Zane, her final book in the Barretti Security series, made it to Amazon's overall bestseller list. Sloane was born in Germany and grew up in Virginia and Wisconsin. Although she currently lives in Wisconsin, the place where she has always felt most at home is Seattle and many of her books take place in the Emerald city. Although she is unmarried, a menagerie of 2 dogs and 3 cats keeps her busy enough and 3 young nieces take care of the rest of her free time. Sloane loves being able to share her passion for romance with readers and she is truly humbled by all the support she's received from fans and fellow authors alike.

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Title: All That I Am

Series: Men of Monroe #1
Author: Rachel Brookes

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: May 20, 2017

Blurb

A kickass home décor boutique – tick

A sassy mouth and absolutely no filter – tick

A wall so strong no man could ever tear it down - tick, tick, tick!

Or so I thought.

Until I meet Detective Ben Hunt, the owner of exquisite blue eyes, a god-like physique and a seductive smirk that makes me weak at the knees. He charges into my life like a force of nature. No matter how hard I try to keep the walls up around my heart, he’s made it his mission to shatter them. I have no chance of resisting him, but I would make sure I won this tug of war.

Which was what I wanted.

Right? When did the idea of losing myself to him start to sound so good?

I wish Ben was the only battle I faced. There’s a reason this small town needs a good detective. One way or another I’m going to have to brace for impact, because no wall I build can stop the new threat thundering toward Monroe.

After all, secrets only stay a secret for so long around here.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Purchase Links

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Prologue

SASHA

Thirteen years earlier.

“Mom! I’m home.”

Summer break had arrived, and all I could think about was lying out with Missy, shopping trips into the city with Mom, and spending Sundays dancing and causing underage havoc at my family’s bar, Hamilton’s.

I shrugged off my bag, dropped it on the couch, and then strolled through the house, listening for any signs of where my mom was.

As soon as I walked into the kitchen, I stopped. The familiar aroma of chocolate didn’t greet me, and my mom’s perfume didn’t linger in the air. I turned around quickly and looked to the counter where a fresh plate of brownies always sat on Friday afternoons. But today, for the first time, there was nothing.

I left the kitchen and searched the house.

Living room. Empty.

Dining room. Empty.

Bathroom. Empty.

Everywhere. Empty.

I began to panic. After school, I never arrived home to an empty house. Mom made it very clear that she’d always be here when Drew and I got home. For as long as I could remember, she’d told us that her favorite thing about being a Mom was being able to be home for us.

Now she wasn’t here.

“Sasha.”

I jumped at Dad’s voice calling my name behind me. I turned quickly, smiling, expecting to find Dad and Mom together. As soon as I saw him on his own, my smile fell. He stood in the foyer with his arms folded across his chest, and he didn’t look like my Dad. He looked like a shadow of himself. His eyes would always twinkle when he looked at me, but now they showed nothing but sadness.

“Where’s mom?” I asked as my heart raced.

“Come here, Sash,” Dad said low, his voice cracking.

Hesitantly, I moved toward him. When I was within reach, his hand shot out and grabbed mine and I was pulled toward him.

“Dad, what’s going on?”

We moved through the house in silence. Every step I took, my anxiety soared and my confusion grew. What was going on? Dad held open the back door, and I stepped out onto the porch. Drew leaned against the railing, looking out over the yard, but turned when he heard us arrive. His face was as blank as Dad’s.

I took a seat on the porch swing and held one of the yellow cushions Mom and I had purchased during one of our epic shopping trips close to my chest. “Where’s mom?” I asked softly. “What’s going on?”

If it were anyone else, including Dad, I would of thought he was at the store or at work, but not Mom. She was always here. Our family had traditions. Friday’s were our time.

Dad, Mom, Drew, and me.

“I love you more than anything, Sasha,” Dad said, his voice strangled with emotion and his eyes shimmering with tears. He sucked in a deep breath before saying the words that would forever change my life. “She’s gone, Baby Girl. She left.”

Gone.

Left.

His words hit me hard.

My throat closed as his words sunk in. The tormented look shadowing his face didn’t lie, but I didn’t want to believe it. I wanted to believe there was some kind of mistake, but why would my Dad lie to me about something like this? Gone and left were final. There was no mistaking what they meant.

“Baby Girl, did you hear me?”

“What do you mean she’s gone?” I stammered, as the first tear fell over my cheek.

Dad wrapped his arms around me and hauled me against his chest. The usual comfort his arms provided had no chance of healing the hurt spiraling through me.

There was no way she’d leave. Why would she have told me this morning that she breathed for us? That her heart beat for us. My mother was everything I dreamt of becoming, and now I was being told she was gone?

“This can’t be real.” I shook my head. “There has to be a mistake.” My voice became more frantic and louder with every word. “How do you even know she’s gone? Maybe she’s just at the store. Or popped into work.”

I was clutching onto anything that would lessen the pain tearing through me.

“She isn’t at the store.” Dad spoke softly. “She isn’t at Hamilton’s either.”

I tore myself away from Dad and ran back inside. I had to see for myself. I went into every room and found nothing. I hesitated outside my parent’s room and then slowly entered. The dresser was bare. Mom's jewelry was gone, her favorite perfume gone, her lipstick gone. I stumbled into the closest and was smacked in the face with a brutal reality. Mom’s clothes, shoes, and her suitcase were gone.

Nothing was left.

Everything was gone.

Feeling numb, I walked into my room and lay on my bed. I buried my face in my pillow as the first sob left my chest. Tears saturated my pillow, and my chest ached from trying to catch my breath.

As I pulled the pillow closer, the crinkle of paper sounded. With shaking hands, I pulled out a folded piece of paper from beneath my pillow and held my breath as I saw my mom’s familiar handwriting. I inhaled sharply and unfolded it.

Baby girl,

Please never forget how much I love you. You will always be in my heart, and every breath I take is for you.

Forgive me,

Mom x

The words became blurry as fresh tears hit my eyes. Why would she do this? My mother chose to leave me? Why wasn’t I enough? My chest screamed at me. The pain was excruciating, and I felt like my heart was going to stop.

I didn’t hear my bedroom door open and didn’t know anyone was in my room until I felt my bed dip beside me.

“Squirt, come here,” Drew whispered as he grabbed my hand and pulled me against his body.

I went willingly to him and crashed against his chest. His arms circled me, and I cried against his shirt, soaking the cotton with hot, heartbreaking tears.

“How could she do this?” I choked out through another wave of tears. “What did we do wrong?”

“We did nothing. You did nothing wrong.” The strength in his voice made me look up at him. “We are the Hamilton kids. We will get through this. I promise you, Sasha.”

My brother. My protector.

“I’ll never let anything or anyone hurt you again. You have my word and my protection for life.”

I believed him.

I had to believe him.

Review

4 stars!!

I love Rachel Brookes’ books so I’ve been excited about this one ever since it got announced. I’m so happy it’s finally here and I can safely say that it didn’t disappoint!

Sasha is a badass heroine who is so sassy that ‘Sass’ has become her nickname around town and the name of her home decor store. Sasha has been through a lot already but that hasn’t stopped her from achieving her dreams and becoming successful. Sasha was so funny, sassy (of course) and sweet but she also kept herself guarded since she didn’t want to face another heartbreak in her life.

Ben is swoony. He is so easy to fall in love with and I did right from the moment we meet him. He has the biggest heart, he's patient and he never gives up. Not to mention he’s a full on alpha. He treats Sasha like a queen. I loved seeing their relationship grow, it was so so special to watch and be there along the way to their happy ending. They became such a beautiful couple. I loved watching Sasha realise that she is worth it.

Rachel has a way of making you fall in love with the secondary characters too. The friendships and relationships with people like Missy, Crazy John, Austin and Drew really gave this book another element of special. I really loved all of these secondary characters and I can’t wait to hear their stories.

I really recommend this story. Rachel has a way of making you fall in love with the characters from the very start, they feel like your friends. I honestly can’t wait to read the next book in this series. I can’t get enough of these characters.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review*

Author Bio

Rachel Brookes is from the east coast of Australia and writes angst ridden love stories with a pinch of craziness, a dash of drama, a cup of romance, and a bucket load of sexiness. With five novels currently published, she is constantly writing and getting ready to release her next hero and heroine into the world. An avid reader, Rachel can often be found with her kindle in her hand, and getting lost in a happily ever after. She has an unhealthy obsession with The Walking Dead, and social media, and loves hearing from readers.

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Book Blast & Review: Redemption by Sloane Kennedy

Redemption