Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Protector

SERIES: Kensley Panthers (Book 5)

AUTHOR: Nicole Dykes

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 231 pages

RELEASE DATE: December 11, 2023

BLURB:

Zachary Olson
I screwed up. Big time. I hurt someone, and I hate myself for it.
I’m barely eighteen and already completely exhausted. Tired of being haunted by secrets and guilt.
My biggest regret, though, is keeping it all from Adam—my best friend, teammate, protector. My everything since I can remember.
And how do I repay him? By keeping these secrets locked up inside. Secrets I know would destroy us.
But I’m not sure how much longer I can do it. No matter how catastrophic the consequences.

Adam Bates
He won’t talk to me.
He’s never kept secrets from me before. We’re both quiet guys who keep to ourselves. But that’s never applied to each other.
I know something is wrong, but my best friend has shut me out.
How can I keep him safe if he won’t talk to me?
All my life, I’ve taken on this role—doing what’s right, no matter what. Watching out for everyone, on and off the field—especially Zach.
And I won’t fail him now, when he needs me more than ever.
Because this is who I am and what I do . . .
I’m the protector.

REVIEW:

I can’t believe I just read my last words in the Kensley Panthers stories. Wow what a remarkable series of perseverance and love.

Adam “Little Bates” Bates, Jameson’s younger brother (and yep he hated that nickname because there was nothing little about him), has always looks out for his best friend Zach. Zach hasn’t had such an easy time of it since his dad died in an accident on an  oil drill and his Mom married that drunk loser of his best friend. He’s pretty darn sure Elliot may have taken his drunken frustration out on Zach before. And Zach has been even more silent than usual. He knows that thing with Chloe still eats him up too. Zach Olson has a huge secret he just can’t share. His secret getting out might cost him his ability to make sure Anna and Mary, his little sisters,  are safe from that drunk-ass SOB his Mom married. But it’s hard to hold in the truth from his best friend Adam. When it finally spills out Adam does what Adam does and arranges a weekend away so he can just be his true self. But being with his straight best friend is what he truly deep down wants.

You can’t help but feel for these two as they discover who they really are and what they honestly need…which is each other. Adam going out of his way to try to give Zach the experience he knows he can’t have. And Zack is researching everything he can to help his best buddy understand that he isn’t broken. These two treasure each other so much and are totally there for the other always. So it was fitting that they did this together too! They were two peas in a pod that were so entwined that they couldn’t see what was right there before them. But when they did it really, really worked!

I may have harbored some unkind feelings for Mr. Bates in Jameson’s book. But boy oh boy did he not only redeem himself but Adam’s parents both really captured my heart in this book. And although I’m thankful for Zach’s Mom’s decision in the end, I couldn’t help but hurt a bit for Zach, Anna and little Mary. She did what was best for them but the hurt they will always feel for being throw-away kids will always be there. The feeling of not good enough to keep, that’s  just hard to swallow. But the life that those two little girls will finally get to enjoy without fear but basking in true love…That will be priceless. And the burden that Zach openly embraced was eased by the generosity of the Bates family.

I loved that we got a few precious moments with some of the others I have grown so fond of in this series. And how they came together to get things done was nothing short of amazing! These guys take care of their own and love doing it.

I can’t believe all these young men grew up and we have reached the end of this series. I know I was hesitant at first with this series as I typically don’t do HS romance. First they are simply too young and are typically extremely angsty. But these are men that bucked they system and homophobic rhetoric of their town. They turned people’s thoughts around on what a gay man looked like or acted like and broke through that mindset. They grew up fast in a place where being openly gay and being accepted in small town Midwest Kansas just isn’t a thing. Especially their high school football players (or their coaches). But Author Nicole Dykes took on this hard subject and ran it in for multiple touchdowns and won the championship with this series. She made us fall in love and care about each of these men. She gave hope of a future where young people can love who they love without fear of harm or being disowned. Yes, some of their stories were a very hard fought battle but look how Jameson and Adam’s father came around. That was pretty darn awe inspiring.

If you haven’t taken a chance on this #1 best seller then I would recommend that you start at the beginning and follow this hard fought battle to change a small town and its acceptance. I know you won’t be disappointed. It’s that awesome! Great ending to a truly wonderful series 💕 A huge thumbs up from me 👍

RATING:

BUY LINKS:

Amazon