Reviewed by Kimberley

TITLE: Under His Protection

SERIES: Dreamspun Desires #80

AUTHOR: LaQuette

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 250 pages

RELEASE DATE: April 16, 2019

BLURB:

They can escape their enemies, but not the desire between them.

Prosecutor Camden Warren is on the fast track to professional nirvana. With his charm, his sharp legal mind, and his father as chief judge in the highest court in NY, he can’t fail. Nothing can derail his rise to the top… until an attempt on his life forces him to accept the help of a man he walked out on five years ago.

Wounded in the line of duty, Lieutenant Elijah Stephenson wants to ride his new desk job until retirement—not take a glorified babysitting gig with more risk than it’s worth… especially not protecting the entitled lawyer who disappeared after the best sex of their lives.

The threat against Camden’s life is real, but their passion for each other might prove the greatest danger they’ve yet to face.

REVIEW:

I waited for a year for this book and it was well worth the wait. Every single word I read reaffirmed why I enjoy reading this author’s work. And I was really surprised to see that it was part of the Dreamspun Desires lineup. The books in that particular franchise tend to run along formulaic lines but this story was the exception to the usual recipe.

This author writes primarily within the M/F romance genre, specializing in interracial romance and so it’s always a treat when she steps into the M/M genre arena. I especially appreciate how she always portrays her black characters—regardless of gender and sexual orientation—as people who are strong, fierce, fearless and passionate. Her heroes are flawed and wonderfully relatable.

This story combined two of my favorite tropes: bodyguard and law enforcement. You have, newly commissioned Lt. Elijah Stephenson, who’s recovering from an undercover operation gone bad. His confidence in himself is a bit shaky in the aftermath of the attack and he’s still recovering physically as well as mentally. His plans are to just ride out the remainder of his career in the ‘Ivory Tower’ or headquarters. But before he can do that, his captain has one last assignment for him: a protection detail for sexy and arrogant ADA Camden Warren, a hot, heavy and unforgettable one night stand from several years back.

Sparks fly between the two men who are both stubborn and prideful, both unwilling to admit how that one night meant more to them than just sex.

These characters and this story were so very well  written. What I particularly love about the story is how she always portrays her black characters and how relatable they are. Reading this book and reading Elijah‘s dialogue, he could’ve been my brother, cousin or uncle. And in Elijah’s family I saw bits of my family and our traditions and mannerisms in each of them. I saw myself and my culture and it was a beautiful thing to read. This is one of the many things that I love about this author. There are cultural nuances—from family card games to food—within black culture that makes the story more authentic in ways that only another black author is able portray. That scene with Elijah‘s mother and the potato salad was by far the blackest and most hilarious things I’ve read in quite some time. I literally fell off of my couch laughing at that. I still crack up when I think about it. This author represented The Culture in this book. And it was a glorious thing to read, to finally see an authentic representation of myself—of my people in a story and not have to worry about being stereotyped.

LaQuette strayed from the Dreamspun recipe, added her own blend of seasonings and produced a story that was spicy, delicious and so very delightful.

This author has long been an outspoken advocate   for AoC’s and their ethnic characters’ fight to have their voices heard and our stories told. LaQuette’s portrayal of black characters is a love letter, a nod, a homage to our people and culture. With each story she tells, she’s showing that we are beautifully and unapologetically Black.

Her work says that we too, deserve to see ourselves and our culture lovingly and respectfully represented; our characters written with dignity.

And I am here for it.

RATING:

BUY LINKS:

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon