Reviewed by Roberta
TITLE: Protective Instincts
SERIES: The Instinct Series Book 6
AUTHOR: S.J. Frost
PUBLISHER: MLR Press
LENGTH: 60,000 Words
BLURB:
When an old enemy and old grudges draw close, vampires Daniel Valente and Ryunosuke Kimura must let their protective instincts guide them if they’re to spend their eternal lives together.
Daniel Valente and Ryunosuke Kimura knew each other for centuries, and when Daniel saw the love Ryu had for him and how it had endured for lifetimes, their lives became forever entwined. In recognizing that love, the two vampires became eternal partners, those with a bond deep and unbreakable.
They’re living in peace and happiness, until a call comes inviting Ryunosuke to interview for the Tribunal, the ruling body of vampire society. Both Daniel and Ryu know everything is about to change. Danger will come with the position and the greatest threat may be from one of the Tribunal members. Daniel and Ryunosuke’s protective instincts are strong, their love even stronger, but when old grudges demand retribution, will those instincts be enough to keep each other safe?
REVIEW:
I love this series and I was so excited when I saw that this book had come up for review! I’ve read each of these books and have truly fallen in love with these characters. I love the fact that we go back and are able to see how the lives of these wonderful characters are going and it’s always a good time as there is ALWAYS something going on!!
Daniel and Ryu have been together as eternal partners for awhile now and things are going pretty damn well. Daniel and Ryu are still as sweet and sensual as they have always been and it’s good to see their relationship becoming even stronger. I love the fact that these guys make an effort to keep communication open and honest between them.
Ryu has the chance to become a Tribunal member and even though he and Daniel have some reservations regarding this, they both decide that the can at least go and see what they have to say to him. Ryu has such a high moral code that he lives by and that is one of the reasons that I love him so. Ryu was a samurai who lost his way into darkness and yet, the love of a good man helped bring him back to who he was. I liked that Ryu’s history isn’t shiny and happy. This vampire has lived through so much and it’s made him into the vampire he is today. Ryu knows that by going to his interview, he’s going to have to deal with an old foe, Li.
Daniel…well, if you’ve read the prior books, you know that Daniel is beautiful and very deadly. Everyone gets caught up in his looks and his charm which includes lots of sarcasm. I love that about him. I love that Daniel is so fiercely loyal to those whom he considers family and friends and Daniel doesn’t have a lot of those, so you know that this group is small. Daniel loves Ryu and only wants for them to be happy together as well as for Ryu to help bring the vampire race back from the brink that it’s been on for some time. Daniel is headstrong and very determined, which is another wonderful thing about him and once he gets his head into something….it’s game on!!!
We get to see some of our friends from previous books, Titus, Andreas, Carl, Egill. I miss Renart Bellerose. He’s mentioned along with Troy, but I just really miss his flair and charisma. I liked that we get to see the guys or at least the mention of them. I love seeing how these characters that I’ve fallen for are faring and it seems to be going well for them.
Now, as we all know, SJ Frost can write some sexy times and again…SJ brought it!! There is never a lack in Daniel and Ryu’s life of their powerful love and lust for each other. I liked that even though there were some sexy times being had…it didn’t detract from everything else going on in the book.
There was some mystery/suspense going on and I really liked how it played out. I liked knowing that there is another book coming out regarding these characters. I liked slowly finding out what was happening and just how far our characters would go to protect the ones that they loved the most!! Reading along and trying to figure out who or what was behind all of this was really fun and I didn’t want to put the book down until I figured out who did it.
I have to say that this book was a wonderful addition to the storylines that we’ve read in this series and it looks like it’s about to get even more intriguing. I will say that even though there was some violence, it wasn’t graphic and it really fit the story.
I would also caution, if you’ve not read the other Instinct books, start from the beginning so that you truly get a feel for who these characters are and where they’ve been to who they are now. It’s a great progression and it’s really wonderful to see.
RATING: 
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