Release Day Review: Revelation (The Protectors #7) by Sloane Kennedy

Jen

REVIEWED by Jen B.

TITLE:  RevelationRevelation (The Protectors, #7)

SERIES:  The Protectors #7

AUTHOR:  Sloane Kennedy

PUBLISHER:  Self Published

LENGTH:   280 Pages

RELEASE DATE: March 11, 2017

BLURB: 

“I trusted once. I won’t make that mistake again…”
An ugly childhood and devastating betrayal have left 25-year-old Cain Jensen scarred inside and out. Protecting himself means keeping everyone at arm’s length and protecting others means never getting emotionally involved. In the three years since he’s joined an underground vigilante group, every life he saves helps ease the guilt of the ones that were lost to him so long ago. So when he’s sent to a remote cabin in the Cascade Mountains just north of Seattle to follow up on the disappearance of his boss’s co-worker, his only thought is to see that justice is served, no matter what the circumstances.

But nothing he’s ever experienced has prepared the cold-hearted and very straight Cain for who he finds on that mountain…or the intense need to suddenly offer more than just protection.

“I’ve finally managed to break free, but I’ve never felt more trapped in my entire life…”
Ethan Rhodes has been running for six months, but it’s never fast enough, it’s never far enough. At 30 years old, the talented ER Doctor should be spending his days saving other people’s lives, not worrying about his own. But he knows that the four years of physical and emotional abuse he’s suffered at the hands of his volatile ex are nothing compared to what will happen when Ethan runs out of places to hide, especially after taking something from the man he once was sure would be the love of his life.

A violent episode that has Ethan narrowly escaping death leads to a quiet cabin in the mountains where his battered body will have time to heal before he and the young girl relying on him need to run again. But everything changes with the arrival of a mysterious stranger who threatens to give Ethan something he’d finally accepted was gone forever…hope.

“I didn’t see this coming. I don’t think he did either…”
To get to the truth, Cain must first get through Ethan’s defenses, but watching the other man’s walls start to come down forces Cain to face his own past. And as the tremulous connection between the two men grows and gives way to something more, both will need to decide if they’re willing to risk giving each other the one thing that has cost them so much in the past…trust.

Will two men who’ve vowed never to let someone close again let down their guard long enough to find each other, or will they let their pasts determine their future?

Trigger Warning: This book includes references to physical, emotional and sexual abuse so please proceed with caution

Note: This book contains M/M sexual content and is intended for mature audiences.

***This is Book 7 in the series, but can be read as a stand-alone story – no cliffhangers.***

REVIEW:
This was my favorite of the series so far!  I loved these guys!
After a hospital transporter ends up saving a patient by performing a procedure a transporter had no business handling, he disappears, and Ronan is concerned.  After doing some digging, he tasks his operative, Cain, to look into the disappearance and figure out what is going on with Ethan, who Ronan believes is hiding from someone other than the law.
Ethan was hiding alright, from an abusive psycho who had abused him for over 4 years.  When Ethan was finally able to make his escape, he took Eric’s teenage stepdaughter with him to keep her safe after she witnessed Eric kill her mother.  Ethan is recovering from some major injuries when Cain catches up to him.
Cain has some issues of his own as well.  After a horrid childhood and an attack that he barely recovered from, he had a major issue with trust, being around people and specifically others touching him.  To deal with this, he has kept himself mostly secluded from other people.  While his issues with touch are still present, the more pressing issue of gaining Ethan’s (and Lucy’s) trust ends up being a bit of a distraction.  After a short amount of time, there is also the issue of Cain’s attraction to Ethan which totally throws him for a loop.
We slowly learn the details of Ethan’s ordeal, as well as Cain’s, as they confide in each other during Ethan’s recovery.  They grow closer as they try to obtain the evidence needed to put Eric away and finally free Ethan and Lucy from his clutches.  They hit a few setbacks but remain strong, and with the help of Ronan’s crew, they overcome.
This fast-paced, exciting story grabbed me from the get go and had me turning pages quickly to the end.  Both characters were complex with their various issues, and I loved learning all the details and watching their trust and relationship grow.  They really were perfect for each other – the final pieces to each other’s puzzle, and it was easy to see how they affected one another.

Neither had it easy from beginning, right up until the end, as they each had to deal with their pasts in order to have a future.  This was heartbreaking but sweet, sexy and realistic without extra fluff, and I loved everything about it.  Definitely my favorite so far, and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

RATING:
LoveBytes_5Hearts
BUY LINK:
Amazon

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