May 15th 2017
Amazon Kindle: 349 pages
Genre: MM Romance, Contemporary, Romance, Gay Romance, Mystery & Detective, LGBTQ
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SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS
Hank Bartlett dreams of something more than his sleepy Ohio hometown, where the work is back-breaking and the money he makes goes straight to his family. He’s only 25—way too young to end up stuck in the same tiny town for the rest of his life… Especially when he’s the only gay guy in a 100-mile radius.
When he walks into The Spike on his first night in San Diego, a gorgeous older man catches his eye across the bar. But Ben turns out to be more than just a handsome stranger—he’s also kind, generous, and inspiring. And soon enough, Hank is head over heels.
Now if they could just figure out what to do about those pesky death threats…
“Get married and you’re a dead man…”
When Bennett’s father disowned him for being gay, Ben turned his back on his family’s wealth. He relied on his intelligence and drive to build a business and a life that he’s proud of. Ben refuses to be told what to do by an old bigot, and he’s definitely not interested in fulfilling a ridiculous marriage requirement just to inherit money he doesn’t want anyway.
So why the hell is he getting threats designed to keep him from the altar?
It was easier to ignore the threats when he was single and reeling from a nasty breakup. But that was before Ben fell for Hank—sweet, open-hearted, optimistic Hank who tugs at parts of Ben’s heart he didn’t even know existed. Suddenly, Ben isn’t quite so sour on romance after all. But the closer he gets to Hank, the worse the intimidation gets.
Whoever’s sending the threats will stop at nothing to break the two men up. Will Ben and Hank find a love to have and told hold, or will death do them part before they can even get started?
Love and Protect is a 75,000 word May-December gay romance set in urban California with hurt/comfort themes.
MY REVIEW
When I got the feed that Kay Simone and Jason Collins made a book together I was not believing my eyes. Two of the big authors on the LGBTQ community made a book? I had to read it, there was no question about it.
In this story we get to meet Ben, who is a wealthy man with a father that was down right horrible to him. I was proud of how Ben managed to make his life incredible after his father cut him out. I also think it was endearing the way he was unsure of what to do or how to act around his crush and later boyfriend Hank.
Hank comes from a big family and wants to find a rich guy to marry, like a hometown girl did, and take care of his parents and siblings. He managed to get to San Diego and he meets Ben. I love how he dove right into the situation and got involved with him, even after Ben told him about the threats he was receiving.
The story is not only about the relationship forming between this two characters but also the fact the we, the readers, don’t know who is making the threats against Ben and why this person don’t want him to marry. The obvious reason would be that they want the money Ben’s father left for him in his will if he gets married.
Truth be told I was all over the subjects. There was so many leads pointing in each direction that I didn’t knew who it was until the very end. When it was finally revealed who was behind everything I said to myself “How didn’t you see that coming?”
More honesty? It was a little predictable, so if you have a mind that’s able to solve puzzles easily… this may not be such a great read. At some points, nearing the end, I was questioning the fact that they went to everyone, literally every suspect and asked them if they where the one making threats. Really? Not so cool, because the guilty won’t tell you: Yeah, it’s me!
Something I liked was the “Will and Gary” situation. How things went down there I would love to read about. I guess is a story for another time *smiles*
What can I say about the writing? It was simple and great at the same time. You know that by simple I mean: there was no words that needed a dictionary to understand. I, personally, could pin point some parts while reading and said who author did it because Kay and Jason writing style is not the same, but it blend so well together.
I would definitively love to read some more collaborations between Kay and Jason. The sooner the better… About Will and Gary… Please? *puppy eyes*
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Amazon Bestselling Author Kay Simone has a thing for oldies, leather jackets, secret poetry, tattoos, whiskey, and every other bad boy cliché in the book.
Simone loves stories that make her laugh, think, and cry in equal measure — but only if there is a happy ending waiting on the last page. She strives to write characters who are flawed, real, and worth the time of a reader. Whether she’s writing about snowdrifts in rural Washington or the daily summer thunderheads of Florida, Simone feels that each setting is a character, too.
In her past lives, Simone was editor in chief of a newspaper, managing editor of a lit mag, a librarian, a website voodoo expert, and a cupcake baker.
Connect With the Author!
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Hello everyone, I’m Jason Collins. I’m a writer from the South, but I’ve been living in New York for quite a while, so I’ve started calling myself a “southern New Yorker”. There’s nothing I love more than a hot cup of coffee and a good story, so I try to do most of my writing when I have a fresh pot available. I hope you enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoy writing them.