This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to its use of sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and/or violence.

We are back with the McKay-Taggart group and as always I love when we are with them. They are so much fun no matter what they are doing.
Protected by Lexi Blake
Series: Masters and Mercenaries #16.5
Genres: Romantic Suspense

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake comes a new story in her Masters and Mercenaries series…
A second chance at first love

Years before, Wade Rycroft fell in love with Geneva Harris, the smartest girl in his class. The rodeo star and the shy academic made for an odd pair but their chemistry was undeniable. They made plans to get married after high school but when Genny left him standing in the rain, he joined the Army and vowed to leave that life behind. Genny married the town’s golden boy, and Wade knew that he couldn’t go home again.

Could become the promise of a lifetime

Fifteen years later, Wade returns to his Texas hometown for his brother’s wedding and walks into a storm of scandal. Genny’s marriage has dissolved and the town has turned against her. But when someone tries to kill his old love, Wade can’t refuse to help her. In his years after the Army, he’s found his place in the world. His job at McKay-Taggart keeps him happy and busy but something is missing. When he takes the job watching over Genny, he realizes what it is.

As danger presses in, Wade must decide if he can forgive past sins or let the woman of his dreams walk into a nightmare….

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

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Other books from this Author One to Keep, Memento Mori, Siren in Waiting, Lost in Bliss, Found in Bliss

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Where to begin? This book was everything that a Lexi Blake book always is. Powerful, funny, witty, suspenseful, and most of all it had Ian Taggert in it. Even as a secondary character he tends to steal a scene. You never know what is going to come out of his mouth and I love that Genvea (Genny) stands up to him.

She is the perfect assistant for him. Genny has been brought into the McKay-Taggart world by Wade her high school boyfriend. One whom she left with a “Dear John” letter that didn’t really make sense. Now years later she needs protection from her ex-husband.

While Wade needs to deal with finding out that the truth about the only woman he has ever loved is far different than what he thought all these years. Wade was a character in past books that I was a little indifferent to. He was there and helpful but I didn’t have a feeling about him in any way.

That has changed! He was everything a alpha male should be. Add in the fact that he can kill a man without anyone ever knowing plus he’s a Dom and you have got one sexy man. Genny reminded me a bit of Serena (a previous) character in that she is dealing with an ex who has left her questioning everything about herself.

She had moments when she was the strongest woman ever and then others where she would jump at the slightest sound. As she worked though her issues she became stronger and stronger. One of the best things about the world of Masters & Mercenaries is that it doesn’t matter if the book is a novella or a full length one, you get the same amount of action and romance.

This one was also full of cameos from other characters as well as some from Lexi Blake’s other series. This book is completely  stand alone and you can read it without being lost. As  huge fan of the series  

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 “Don’t. Don’t tell me how to feel. I know you’ve worked through this, but I don’t know how to.” “It helps to admit that we were all children back then.” “My mother wasn’t.” He needed to talk about this with her. “No, but she wasn’t the same after your dad died. She was lost and I’ve forgiven her,” she replied quietly.

“You can’t spend your life being angry.” “You’re angry with me.” For a moment he thought she would ignore him. Then she turned to him, her eyes shining in the moonlight. “Maybe. It’s hard to figure out how I feel about you. For a long time, I dreamed about you at night. You were the only man I ever loved. Brock killed that. I think he might have killed the part of me that can love someone other than my son. I didn’t feel a lot when my father passed. But then he was the one who told me to suck it up.

I went to him after Brock hit me the first time. He told me to not make my husband mad.” “Genny, he should have killed him. I would have. God, I should have.” That sorrow that had been building inside him threatened to spill over. Anger was there, but it was overshadowed by the terrible pain he felt at the thought of her being alone and afraid.

“It’s funny,” she said, studying him in the silvery light. “I went over pretty much every possible scenario I could, and this wasn’t the way I thought you would handle it. It’s why it took forever for me to talk to you. I thought you would either not care at all or that you would be so angry you went after everyone. I hesitated because I thought I might unleash a beast.”

He could give her this. Since the moment he’d learned the truth, he’d genuinely forced himself to think about how he reacted. It would be selfish to act out in anger when she needed him to be calm, to think about what was best for her. The drive from Broken Bend to Dallas with Ash had made that clear to him. They needed someone who would thoughtfully protect them, not a raging animal who fed his own needs. “You’ve had enough anger in your life.

It’s there. God, it’s there, but I swear I won’t act on it because I won’t do anything that could hurt you. I’ll try to handle him in every legal way I can and if I have to take him out, I’ll do it in a way that can never come back on any of us. You don’t need my rage. You do need me though.” “I don’t want to.” “Because you think I’ll let you down again.” It wasn’t a question. “Because I don’t want to love anyone again,” she admitted.  

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