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Revelation
The Protectors #7
By Sloane Kennedy
Hosted by Jo&Isalovebooks Blog.
“I trusted once. I won’t make that mistake again…”
An ugly childhood and devastating betrayal have left 25-year-old Cain Jensen scarred inside and out. Protecting himself means keeping everyone at arm’s length and protecting others means never getting emotionally involved. In the three years since he’s joined an underground vigilante group, every life he saves helps ease the guilt of the ones that were lost to him so long ago. So when he’s sent to a remote cabin in the Cascade Mountains just north of Seattle to follow up on the disappearance of his boss’s co-worker, his only thought is to see that justice is served, no matter what the circumstances.
But nothing he’s ever experienced has prepared the cold-hearted and very straight Cain for who he finds on that mountain…or the intense need to suddenly offer more than just protection.
“I’ve finally managed to break free, but I’ve never felt more trapped in my entire life…”
Ethan Rhodes has been running for six months, but it’s never fast enough, it’s never far enough. At 30 years old, the talented ER Doctor should be spending his days saving other people’s lives, not worrying about his own. But he knows that the four years of physical and emotional abuse he’s suffered at the hands of his volatile ex are nothing compared to what will happen when Ethan runs out of places to hide, especially after taking something from the man he once was sure would be the love of his life.
A violent episode that has Ethan narrowly escaping death leads to a quiet cabin in the mountains where his battered body will have time to heal before he and the young girl relying on him need to run again. But everything changes with the arrival of a mysterious stranger who threatens to give Ethan something he’d finally accepted was gone forever…hope.
“I didn’t see this coming. I don’t think he did either…”
To get to the truth, Cain must first get through Ethan’s defenses, but watching the other man’s walls start to come down forces Cain to face his own past. And as the tremulous connection between the two men grows and gives way to something more, both will need to decide if they’re willing to risk giving each other the one thing that has cost them so much in the past…trust.
Will two men who’ve vowed never to let someone close again let down their guard long enough to find each other, or will they let their pasts determine their future?
Will two men who’ve vowed never to let someone close again let down their guard long enough to find each other, or will they let their pasts determine their future?
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Excerpt
From Ethan’s perspective…
Another round of tears threatened as I settled my hands on my lap to try and cover my flaccid cock. I kept my eyes on the ground as Cain got the shower going. A sliver of relief went through me when I saw that the owner of the cabin had installed a handrail in the shower. Which meant even if I needed help getting into the shower, at least I’d be able to stand on my own once I was in there.
And that meant only another minute or two of humiliation and then I’d finally have a few moments to myself to try and pull it together.
That was my thought.
Reality, as usual, turned out to be a cruel bitch.
Because as soon as I latched my hands on the rail and Cain removed his arm from my waist, my knees buckled. I would have hit the tile had Cain not had the reflexes he had.
I lost it at that point. I was just done.
Utterly done.
The sobs crawled up from my belly so painfully that no amount of wishing them away would have mattered.
I had nothing left.
I stood there, naked and broken with water raining down on me and finally wished Eric had finished what he’d started yesterday.
He’d won.
Even if I was still pulling oxygen into my lungs, he’d won.
I let my knees buckle hoping Cain would just let me slide to the ground and leave me there in peace, but I wasn’t that lucky. I waited for him to pull me back out of the shower, but he didn’t. Nor did he say anything. I was barely aware of him shifting his body a few times, but I didn’t have the energy to look at him or even beg him to leave me alone.
All I had was grief.
Grief for everything I’d lost. Grief for the man I’d once been…that foolish, stupid man who’d walked blindly to the gates of hell and begged to be admitted.
Cain finally moved me, but it wasn’t to help me out of the shower. No, it was to move me forward, and to my disbelief, I felt his big body pushing up against me as he climbed in with me, fully clothed.
A new round of wracking, painful cries erupted from my throat at the gesture and I wanted to both tear myself away from him and lean back against him at the same time.
“Shhh, just let it out, Ethan,” Cain whispered and I swore I felt his lips against the spot where my neck met my shoulder. “I’ve got you.”
I shook my head because I couldn’t let myself believe that.
That he had me.
Teasers
First, can I just say the cover of Revelation is absolutely gorgeous. I actually found myself just sitting here admiring it. I love it!
Okay, so once again I find myself crying over one of Sloane Kennedy's books. This woman slays me every single time. Cain and Ethan pretty much broke my heart but, luckily, I finished the book smiling and bouncing. Which means now I get to anxiously wait for the next book to be released so I can go through this emotional turmoil once again. Why do I do this to myself? *Sighs* So what did I think of Revelation? I loved it! Cain and Ethan are right up there with Hawk and Tate.
As with all of Ronan's men, Cain was a mystery when this book began and I had no clue what we were going to get from him. I was surprised because I truly expected that he would mirror the other characters in previous books. Think about it, how can an author continue to create so many unique characters that work within this bad ass vigilante organization?However, I am very happy to say that I was quite mistaken. Yes, Cain shared some basic similarities to the others in Ronan's group, his past is dark and filled with ugliness and tragedy. Cain's been betrayed by people who were supposed to have to loved him without question. Now he's unable to truly let people in. After all, he has been through he is determined to help others not live through the pain he's experienced since he was a child.
I loved Ethan too. He's been so damaged but he's a fighter. This man does not give up and he even when he had no clue what to do or where to turn, he was planning. That was what made me love him so much, he didn't just blindly do things. He weighed his options and he tried to plan things out.
I also loved that Ethan truly thought about other people. This man was loyal, sometimes to a fault. He was a protector even if it put him in the line of fire. Even when people wanted to protect him, he was trying to protect Cain. He understood betrayal and he understood pain and that made him perfect for Cain.
I loved these two together, they were great for one another. Tender and sweet yet sexy, as well. Sloane Kennedy did such an awesome job at creating their story. The buildup and tension of their first meeting was intense. Then to see how things began to change and how feelings evolved from fear to resignation to something more, it felt very natural (a little quick but who cares, this is fiction) and had me anxious to see their HEA.
I definitely recommend Revelation!
***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author/publisher for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement. ***
5 Stars!
A very different tale from SK, showing yet again her amazing talent and heart.
Being a beta of SK's, by now I should absolutely be used to her putting out a new, fresh read with every new tale and yes, I am, but at the same time, I'm still amazed and in awe that her stunning story-brain can come up with something so authentic. Her tales have her trademark passion, decent guys, angst and end in the start of a HEA, but each is unique, without so much as a hint of 'seen/done before' and touches my heart in a different way.
This is perhaps a more unusual SK tale, in that it's one that's a little...gentler than most. I think for me, the leads knew they were it for each other from a very early part of the tale, and that belief/realisation was solid, grounded, quiet and didn't need expressing in so many words or gestures. What bonded these guys was both sad and courageous, emotional and horrific, and that level of honesty and exposure, created a bond between them that never faltered. There are some words that Cain says to Ethan in this, putting Ethan and his needs above everything else, that could have potentially made Cain forsake everything that he holds dear, that MADE these guys' bond for me. I can't tell you the words or the circs in which they were uttered, but that was something bonding, solid, and said more than the simple words and avowal conveyed. I've said it before and will say it again and again, I am sure, that SK's words have magic.
The tale has SK's trademark passion, but a gentler one, given the circs of the tale, given the guys and what their individual pasts have been like. Both had gone through so much, one from a very early age and the other more recently, so their passion, whilst there and bonding, was also far gentler, more bonding, more healing, more...of all that they both needed and hadn't been allowed until now.
This is another 5 Star Keeper.
Being a beta of SK's, by now I should absolutely be used to her putting out a new, fresh read with every new tale and yes, I am, but at the same time, I'm still amazed and in awe that her stunning story-brain can come up with something so authentic. Her tales have her trademark passion, decent guys, angst and end in the start of a HEA, but each is unique, without so much as a hint of 'seen/done before' and touches my heart in a different way.
This is perhaps a more unusual SK tale, in that it's one that's a little...gentler than most. I think for me, the leads knew they were it for each other from a very early part of the tale, and that belief/realisation was solid, grounded, quiet and didn't need expressing in so many words or gestures. What bonded these guys was both sad and courageous, emotional and horrific, and that level of honesty and exposure, created a bond between them that never faltered. There are some words that Cain says to Ethan in this, putting Ethan and his needs above everything else, that could have potentially made Cain forsake everything that he holds dear, that MADE these guys' bond for me. I can't tell you the words or the circs in which they were uttered, but that was something bonding, solid, and said more than the simple words and avowal conveyed. I've said it before and will say it again and again, I am sure, that SK's words have magic.
The tale has SK's trademark passion, but a gentler one, given the circs of the tale, given the guys and what their individual pasts have been like. Both had gone through so much, one from a very early age and the other more recently, so their passion, whilst there and bonding, was also far gentler, more bonding, more healing, more...of all that they both needed and hadn't been allowed until now.
This is another 5 Star Keeper.
Other Books In the Series.
ALL ON KINDLE UNLIMITED
Absolution (The Protectors #1)
http://getbook.at/Absolution
Salvation (The Protectors #2)
http://getbook.at/SalvationTP2
Retribution (The Protectors #3)
http://getbook.at/Retribution
Forsaken (The Protectors #4)
http://getbook.at/ForsakenTheProtectors4
Vengeance (The Protectors #5)
Atonement (The Protectors #6)
Author Bio
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 more than a dozen 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 four of her most recent releases reached the #1 spot on Amazon's Gay Romance bestseller list and Freeing Zane, her final book in the Barretti Security series, 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.
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Thank You for sharing the blitz and a lovely review xx
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