REVIEWED by Jen B.

TITLE: Atonement

SERIES:  The Protectors #6

AUTHOR:  Sloane Kennedy

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:   355 Pages

RELEASE DATE:  January 17, 2017

BLURB: 

“Once a fuck up, always a fuck up.”

Words twenty-six-year-old Dante Thorne has had to live with for more years than he can count and a title he finally earned at the tender age of sixteen when one careless decision led to tragedy. And since he can’t deny the truth of the words, why not live by them instead? Fucking up, fucking, it doesn’t matter; as long as it feels good and makes him forget the day he failed the one person he’d always sworn to protect. A good philosophy to live by until Dante meets the one man who might actually having him wishing he was something more…

At forty-one and with a distinguished twenty-year career as a Texas Ranger under his belt, Magnus DuCane should have been in the prime of his life. Instead, he’s mourning the loss of the daughter he couldn’t save and contemplating a future that looks nothing like the one he had planned. The only bright spot in his life is the young grandson whose suddenly been returned to him after going missing two years earlier and the new family of men that he’s been welcomed in to with open arms. But with his iron will, unfailing self-control and unflappable discipline, Magnus knows he can start a new chapter and get his life back on track…if he can just get past the disturbing, unexpected feelings one young man stirs in him.

Because everything about Dante Thorne is wrong for Magnus. His arrogance, his cocky attitude, every single unfiltered word that falls unchecked out of his mouth and, of course, the fact that he’s a man.

But when his well-meaning friends send Dante with him as a bodyguard when he returns to Texas to testify in a high-profile case, Magnus begins to see beyond the brash words and endless sexual innuendo. And when he starts to discover that what he sees isn’t all that bad, suddenly the fact that that Dante is a man instead of a woman no longer seems like such a big sticking point anymore…

This is one of those series that I got sucked into, and while each story itself hasn’t completely blown me away, I’m fully vested in the characters and storyline that has been built.  While the previous books all generally centered around damaged and jaded characters, this one was a little different.  These guys didn’t have the fear or reluctance of entering a relationship like the others, but they had a few issues (mainly guilt from their pasts) of their own to get in the way.

Magnus is Matty’s grandad, whom we met previously in book 3 when he was reunited with the boy who is now living with his father (stepbrother), Tate, and his husband, Hawke.  Dante is one of the bodyguards who had been looking after Matty during his cancer treatments.  Dante and Magnus had been running into each other here and there through that connection, with Magnus seemingly unaffected by Dante and his brash and outgoing gestures towards him.  Dante believed Magnus to be straight, but that didn’t stop him from laying it on pretty thick.

This time around, Dante is charged with keeping Magnus safe until he testifies at an upcoming hearing.  After the last run-in they had, you can easily guess how these guys feel about this turn of events – neither are very happy about it.  But, little by little, pieces are chipped away, misconceptions are cleared up, and what is left is their obvious attraction and growing respect for one another.

It takes a while for these guys to get on the same page, and I admit that part did drag a bit for me.  The story didn’t really pick up again until Dante got a call with a tip about his missing 8 year-old brother, Aleks, for whom Dante had been looking for the past ten years since he was abducted.  Dante knew through various tips that Aleks had been sold into slavery, but was never able to get any solid info…until now.  Things get exciting as they work to get Aleks back, and the ensuing issues of his return.

So, again, I was not completely wowed by this one, but the writing is solid and my interest in where the story was going remains strong.   I am really interested in reading more about Aleks and really hope we get his story soon.  He’s only 18 now though, so I will be patient and look forward to getting some glimpses in the next book which, from the sneak peek we get, looks pretty exciting!