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A review by katemc7
Protect by Paisley Hope
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Yall I am LOVING Paisley Hope's books and this one was no exception. I had not read her doing a second chance before but MAN did she kill it. This is the second book in the Sky Ridge Hotshots series but can be read as a standalone. I liked reading the first one to get more context with the character BUT at the same time I would not have felt lost had I not read it first. That being said I was looking forward to reading about Rowan Kingsley because even his name sounds hot- am I right?? He had fallen for his best friend's sister all those years ago but then a cruel twist of fate took her away from her. Now though Violette is back in town and Rowan realizes he won't let her slip away a second time. The angst between these two (really more on Violette's side) was EPIC. The chemistry though was electric. I love when the MCs try to fight what they feel so hard but also get flirty and sassy with each other. Both of these characters are still dealing with Jacob's (Violette's brother) death. They have both been grieving all this time but now maybe they can grieve and get whole together. Watching Violette let down her walls was perfect. Watching Rowan surprise her and tell her the truth of what happened was also perfect.
Violette is back home. A place she never thought she would be. After getting her heart broken and then her brother dying, she ran away and never really looked back. But now she is on the other side of a bad marriage with her daughter and is craving being close to her parents. What she isn't craving (well kinda) is being close to him again. Rowan Kingsley. Her brother's best friend. The guy she was falling for before he pulled the rug out from under her. So when she does see him and sees kind of a determination in his eyes to make things right she isn't sure she is ready. But then Rowan gets caught in an ash put and ends up in her burn unit where she has to give him a sponge bath- that's right a sponge bath to this man who was hot when they were younger but now is a whole other level. She can't help it. She feels this draw towards him. She is so confused on how he treated her back in the day. But then he comes clean on what happened and though it is surprising, he was doing it all to protect her and her family. He broke her heart and his in the process but he thought he was doing the right thing. And now that that wall has been smashed around her heart maybe she can let him in. Maybe this man can prove to her what he has been feeling all these years because she isn't going to lie to herself anymore- it's always been him for her. Even when she thought it couldn't be.
Rowan is getting tired of the one and done life. To be honest, he hasn't done it in a while so now he is just alone. He stays busy to not feel it but then she walks back into this life. And he KNOWS that he is going to do everything in his power to make it right between them. She- Violette Taylor. His best friend's little sister. The one he wanted to treat right in high school. But then he was presented with a choice and he chose to protect her which ended up breaking both of their hearts. She is back in town and with a daughter who is just the cutest. He knows it isn't going to be easy but when she gives him a HARD pass on even being friends he has to switch up his tactic. But then he gets caught in an accident and ends up in her burn unit. He can feel this thing between them. It never went away. In fact it seems to have gotten stronger. She is trying to fight it but he KNOWS if he can just tell her the truth she might forgive him. And then he has his moment- he bares his soul and she gives him another chance. He has to prove to her that he can protect her in more ways than one. He can love her. He can be there for her and her daughter. He is going to treat her like his queen because that's what she has always been. He just hopes she is ready for what is coming.
This was a wonderful second chance AND BF sibling book which happen to be two of my fav tropes! I really enjoyed these characters. I liked how much Violette had grown into her strength as a mom and a woman since Rowan saw her but of course he wasn't intimidated by that. If anything he was even more attracted to her. Watching these two get to grieve their loss both of their relationship and the death of Jacob was so genuine. I thought Paisley did great handling that heavy subject. If you haven't picked up this series yet I highly recommend it! You've got hot firefighters falling for some STRONG FMCs with GREAT spice - what more could you want??
Thank you to Paisley an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Violette is back home. A place she never thought she would be. After getting her heart broken and then her brother dying, she ran away and never really looked back. But now she is on the other side of a bad marriage with her daughter and is craving being close to her parents. What she isn't craving (well kinda) is being close to him again. Rowan Kingsley. Her brother's best friend. The guy she was falling for before he pulled the rug out from under her. So when she does see him and sees kind of a determination in his eyes to make things right she isn't sure she is ready. But then Rowan gets caught in an ash put and ends up in her burn unit where she has to give him a sponge bath- that's right a sponge bath to this man who was hot when they were younger but now is a whole other level. She can't help it. She feels this draw towards him. She is so confused on how he treated her back in the day. But then he comes clean on what happened and though it is surprising, he was doing it all to protect her and her family. He broke her heart and his in the process but he thought he was doing the right thing. And now that that wall has been smashed around her heart maybe she can let him in. Maybe this man can prove to her what he has been feeling all these years because she isn't going to lie to herself anymore- it's always been him for her. Even when she thought it couldn't be.
Rowan is getting tired of the one and done life. To be honest, he hasn't done it in a while so now he is just alone. He stays busy to not feel it but then she walks back into this life. And he KNOWS that he is going to do everything in his power to make it right between them. She- Violette Taylor. His best friend's little sister. The one he wanted to treat right in high school. But then he was presented with a choice and he chose to protect her which ended up breaking both of their hearts. She is back in town and with a daughter who is just the cutest. He knows it isn't going to be easy but when she gives him a HARD pass on even being friends he has to switch up his tactic. But then he gets caught in an accident and ends up in her burn unit. He can feel this thing between them. It never went away. In fact it seems to have gotten stronger. She is trying to fight it but he KNOWS if he can just tell her the truth she might forgive him. And then he has his moment- he bares his soul and she gives him another chance. He has to prove to her that he can protect her in more ways than one. He can love her. He can be there for her and her daughter. He is going to treat her like his queen because that's what she has always been. He just hopes she is ready for what is coming.
This was a wonderful second chance AND BF sibling book which happen to be two of my fav tropes! I really enjoyed these characters. I liked how much Violette had grown into her strength as a mom and a woman since Rowan saw her but of course he wasn't intimidated by that. If anything he was even more attracted to her. Watching these two get to grieve their loss both of their relationship and the death of Jacob was so genuine. I thought Paisley did great handling that heavy subject. If you haven't picked up this series yet I highly recommend it! You've got hot firefighters falling for some STRONG FMCs with GREAT spice - what more could you want??
Thank you to Paisley an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!