Salvation (The Protectors series book 2) by Sloane Kennedy | Tams Audiobook Review & #giveaway @sloane

Salvation
The Protectors book 2
Written by: Sloane Kennedy
Narrated by: Joel Leslie
Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Series: The Protectors (Kennedy), Book 2
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:05-01-17

"I lifted my gaze to tell Seth no but then I saw it. The thing I'd feared I'd lost. It wasn't hero worship or the wayward emotions of an innocent child. And it wasn't some distorted reflection of a man who no longer existed. All I saw was me...the way he saw me." (Ronan)

Trauma surgeon Ronan Grisham lost everything the day the man he loved was stolen from him in a brutal attack. Driven by a thirst for vengeance, he turns his hatred into building an underground group that can do what he couldn't that fateful day...take the lives of the guilty to save the lives of the innocent. But years later, he's forced to confront the one link to his past that he can't sever.

Seven years after the loss of his parents in a violent home invasion that left him permanently scarred both inside and out, 21-year-old Seth Nichols is trying to put his life back together so he can take over the reins of his father's global shipping empire. But the last person he expects to come back into his life is the man he drove away with one innocent, stolen kiss.

With one brush of his lips, Seth managed to do to Ronan what no other had since the day Ronan watched the light in his fiancé's eyes go out forever. He made him need again. But Ronan can't need anyone, least of all his dead fiancé's younger brother. Because even one touch from Seth could shatter Ronan's carefully constructed world and Ronan knows there's no coming back from that a second time.

But when a series of escalating attacks against Seth forces Ronan back into his life, Seth knows it's his last chance to show Ronan he can be the man the broken surgeon needs. Only the Ronan who returns isn't the Ronan Seth fell in love with so long ago....

Can Seth be Ronan's salvation or will he end up destroying them both?

Buy links: Amazon Audio | Audible

Tams gives this one 5 Glorious Stars...

"Salvation: The Protectors, Book 2"
Where does Salvation rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
It's up toward the top for certain. But, with Kennedy's writing and Leslie's narration, that's no surprise.

Who was your favorite character and why?
Ronan. At first I thought he was just pushing Seth away because he was the little brother of the man he once loved that had died. I thought it was some self inflicted punishment or something. Closer to the end of the book, you learn the truth and it was both enlightening and infuriating.

Have you listened to any of Joel Leslie’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I have listened to almost all of Joel Leslie's works, hell, I purchase audiobooks not knowing what they are about simply because he narrated them. This book was some of his best work yet.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Oh yeah, most definitely. As I mentioned briefly above I think I felt just about every emotion on the spectrum with this one.

Any additional comments?
Oh but I have a lot to say about this one. I'll start with the one thing I didn't enjoy, the two steps forward, five steps back. Regardless of the fact that Seth would never truly move on, even if Ronan had actually told him to, regardless, Ronan's come here. No, wait, go away. Okay, come here, no no, hang on a sec, go away. Oh alright, come here, but don't touch me, and then go away. It nearly made me mental. Now, thankfully Kennedy chose such an amazing narrator cause had it not been for Leslie's utterly fantastic ability to bring a story and characters to life, I would have DNF'd this one an hour in.

That being said, I'm so very happy I didn't. As the story unfolds and you slowly get to know more about Seth and Ronan, your heart will break but you'll also understand why they are playing this game of push and pull. What these two men have been through is more than enough to not only break a man's spirit, but to hollow out their soul. This is why Ronan is such an insufferable asshole more often than not for about 2/3 of the book. And Seth, oh my god, horrible. But then you have the balance to all the anger, hatred and pain that has wrapped itself around these two men like a boa constrictor, sucking the fucking life out of them.

Oh but then you have the sexy, steamy, erotic, toe curling scenes where Ronan lets his guard down and lets Seth in. There are a dozen or so such encounters throughout the book, each one that much more emotional and what is happening, you learn, is that another brick is falling from the tower Ronan has built to guard his heart and his emotions with each encounter. Suffice to say, by the end, Seth is standing in front of him with his arms wound around him refusing to budge. These two are so perfect for each other, but lord they fight it so hard.

I was also happy to get a brief glimpse of how Jonas, Mace and Cole (book 1) are doing and there is a sneak peak at book 3 at the end of the audio and I'm starting that one tomorrow, I simply cannot wait. Overall this book was so amazing and I urge you to look past Ronan's stubborn side and the angst of the back and forth so you don't miss out on such a great story.

Although Sloane Kennedy always dreamed of being a writer as a teenager, she didn't take the plunge until March of 2015 when she released her first novel as an independent author. Since then, she has released 18 books including the Amazon best-selling "Barretti Security" series, "Finding" series and "Protectors" series. While she initially began writing M/F romance, she found her true passion writing gay romance and all 8 of her most recent releases reached the #1 spot on Amazon's Gay Romance bestseller list and 4 have made it to Amazon's overall bestseller list. Sloane was born in Germany and grew up in Virginia and Wisconsin. Although she currently lives in Wisconsin, the place where she has always felt most at home is Seattle and many of her books take place in the Emerald city. Although she is unmarried, a menagerie of 2 dogs and 3 cats keeps her busy enough and 3 young nieces take care of the rest of her free time. Sloane loves being able to share her passion for romance with readers and she is truly humbled by all the support she's received from fans and fellow authors alike.

Learn more about the Author and the Protectors series: http://www.sloanekennedy.com/the-protectors-series.html

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