Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Protect My Heart

SERIES: Rock U (Book 5)

AUTHOR: Christie Gordon

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 304 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 5, 2024

BLURB:

When a nerdy drummer meets an attractive bodyguard, secrets threaten to unravel not only their families, but their futures.

Gabe Johnson

In the world of pop-punk and nerdom, I’m the drummer that defies stereotypes.

I strive to be the perfect son my wealthy father demands and being gay doesn’t equate.

When a striking, muscled bodyguard is thrown into my life to protect me from mobsters, can I keep my secret or fall victim to my heart?

Jeremy Sweet

I’m racing up the ladder in Gabe’s father’s law firm and he’s entrusted me to safeguard his son.

As I dive deep into Gabe’s world and even share his bedroom, the lines between obligation and desire blur. With my own questioning swirling inside me, how can I find out if Gabe’s queer?

As the gangster’s motives unravel, it becomes clear that the future peace of Gabe’s family and my career are at stake. Can we fix this mess together?

Protect My Heart is the fifth book in the Rock U series and is part of the Mesa Boys universe. This novel features a nerdy law student falling for his jock of a bodyguard amongst a bisexual awakening, forced proximity and a backdrop of a shady scheme. It guarantees an HEA and has no cliffhangers. It features a rich boy with daddy issues, and a man who’s questioning himself. Each book features a different couple and can be read as a standalone or as part of the series in order.

Trigger warning: This book contains themes of prejudice by a parent and a deceased parent. It also contains mention of a previous suicide attempt.

REVIEW:

I was so ready to rock out with my Knot Me band.

Gabe has been a character that I have wanted to know more about since the very first book. He is the self-professed nerdy marching band geek that’s in the closet to his demanding father. A father that has groomed him to take over his very successful law practice since day one. Gabe just can’t manage to be perfect enough in dear old dad’s eyes no matter how hard he studies. So Gabe remains the “good son” and studies harder and harder to be one of the top students in his law school.  And a quick and discreet one and done is all he’ll ever have right now to satisfy his sexual needs. But when his Dad’s law firm is threatened and dear old dad sends a buff and gorgeous “Superman” bodyguard to his front door life just got much harder! Jeremy is still reeling from his dad’s senseless death at the hands of a wrong-way drunk driver that got off way too easily with him being rich with a good lawyer. So instead of following his police detective dad’s career he switched to law. His dad had convinced him getting his executive protection certificate to give him a boost before his death. Now Jeremy is working at Gabe’s dad’s law firm doing research for cases while trying to pay off his student loans so he can enter law school. When Kevin, Gabe’s dad, offers to pay off all of Jeremy’s student loans in exchange for guarding his oldest son Jeremy jumps at the chance. Even sweeter is the fact that he can still do research while guarding Gabe (which keeps his salary going too)  and gets to sit in on classes he will soon now be able to attend. This is a win-win. But one look at the blonde cutie and all those repressed thoughts he’s had over the years start surfacing. Can a law student deep in the closet from his dad and a young man questioning his sexuality and suddenly thrust in a house full of gay and bi men live in harmony. Can these band mates help him understand all his thoughts and confusion?

I loved that the first thought of all Gabe’s housemates and him had of Jeremy was  that Jeremy not only looked like Henry Cavill’s Superman (oh just yum!) but was a protector like him. Because Jeremy was honorable, trustworthy and protective. The fact that he fell for his principal did not phase me in the least. I never felt that Gabe was any less protected but more that he knew him and loved him and would do anything to keep Gabe safe and sound. And the fact that Gabe fell for Jeremy was awesome. I feared he would isolate himself so badly as time went on that, like his mother, I worried he would never let himself to be vulnerable to experience love. Their love was just precious.

I would have thought that Gabe would have been more jealous of Jeremy’s close friendship with Kevin. But I think that friendship and respect was what helped to win Kevin over easier. Kevin liked and respected Jeremy just as much as Jeremy did Kevin. Having his son with a young man he respected so much had to have helped him. I really liked that Jeremy was the bridge to bring Kevin and Gabe back together. With his life able to be lived in the open hopefully his whole family would learn to heal, trust and truly love.

One of my favorite parts of this book was how all Gabe’s band mates, especially his roommates and Cash, all openly affected Jeremy into their cold and bonded with him. He not only became a roommate but a band wife as well. It was great to see him so accepted as a friend. But I wouldn’t expect anything less with these guys. When they started kidding with him I knew he was in.

I loved Gabe and Jeremy’s touching and sweet story of exploration and love. And I am eager to get our little keyboardist/artist Milo’s story next. He’s the last of the Knot Me band to remain single and he needs his HEA.

RATING:

BUY LINKS:

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