Customer Reviews

THE PROTECTOR (Taskforce Series)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

LOVE THOSE US NAVY SEALs. I sent Marliss an email when I read her publisher had dropped her because she continued to write about SEALs. They didn't want anymore books about them. Just proves how dumb the publishers have gotten! Imagine their dismay when the SEALs were the ones to take down Bin Laden!. But to the book--Melton is a must read for me. I don't worry about checking out the book--I just buy it. She has never let me down and I think this is the best yet. Great characters, good action scenes and just enough sexual by play to keep it tense. The Protector was well worth the wait. I'm already counting the days until her next book!

I loved this story. I like others where sad when Marliss was told her publishers were no longer interested in her Navy SEALs series. Well its their loss, this was one of her best yet and can't wait for the others to follow.

This is my first time to read Marliss Melton and I really liked it. I thought she balanced really well the action/suspense with the romance. The story is mostly about the hero Ike Calhoun, an ex Navy SEAL, who is asked by the top U.S. Commander in Afghanistan, General McClellan, to protect the General's only child, Eryn, from a terrorist wanting revenge.

Ike has been out of the military for about a year. He's haunted by a decision that cost him several of his team members. He's been living on his mountaintop, isolated and cut off from the world. He doesn't want to think or feel anymore; he just wants to be alone. But Ike owes the General a favor, and more than that, Ike owes him loyalty. Because of that military code, Ike is soon the only thing keeping Eryn alive.

At first, Ike is hostile to Eryn, even rude. He's so autocratic, bossing her around as if she's some recruit. He doesn't want to be a babysitter and really resents her intrusion into his life, but what makes him most uncomfortable is that she makes him feel again. With her, he can't completely keep those emotions under tight control. He does a pretty good job of resisting her, and this allows for some great sexual tension. That build-up to their sex scene was completely hot. Add in tender feelings that they are both beginning to feel but haven't voiced yet, and you get a really well-done scene.

If you love that hero who thinks he doesn't deserve the heroine's love, you'll love Ike. Ike thinks he has nothing to give Eryn but protection from the bad guys, and maybe some pleasure in bed, for the brief time a woman like her would want a man like him. If you love that hurt and brooding hero that you want to fix and make whole again, you'll love Ike. I loved him. He's abrupt, terse, and gruff. He's definitely the strong, silent type. So not suave but oh so hot.

I liked Eryn as well. IMO, she does have a TSTL moment in the story, but I forgave her that lapse because she was so spunky and so persistent in working on getting her man. I really appreciated that. She never gave up on him. And he was one tough man to get a handle on. There was nothing easy about him, but I loved this complexity.

This was a good read for me, and I'm looking forward to the seeing what else MM has in store with this series.

Well-developed bad guys you love to hate and get to see taken down, a healthy number of totally hot, unquestionably honorable good guys to fall in love with, lots of charismatic characters complete with flaws as well as admirable qualities, all contained in an exciting, believable plot: this book has EVERYTHING I've come to expect from one of Marliss Melton's books! Loved, loved, loved it! I'm so happy to see the set-up for books to come, too. Jackson and Cougar next, please!!

THE PROTECTOR by Marliss Melton
07/11 - Published by CreateSpace - Paperback, 240 pages

Is it the person or the act that makes one a hero?

Eryn McClellan has traveled the world as her family gladly followed her father's military career. She admires her father, respects him and the choices he has made for the military, even though those choices have resulted in her becoming a target for a terrorist group that wants her head literally on a silver platter. The only person her father trusts to keep her safe is Isaac "Ike" Calhoun, a retired Navy SEAL who knows all the best places to hide because that is what he has been doing since he left the military. Ike blames himself for a choice that cost several soldiers' lives, even though he felt his decision was the right one. Guilt drove him to where he is now, but obligation to the man he served for many years compel him to protect Eryn.

Ike does not want the job, but he would never say no to the man who filled the family gap Ike desperately needed. So he snatches Eryn and her dog from FBI custody and conveys her to his remote mountain hideaway. The problem is the FBI wants to keep her safe, too, despite their loose definition of "safe," since they mean to use her as bait. Ike is having none of this idea. His cabin is safe and the security strong. No one is getting in without Ike knowing. The problem is not perimeter-safety, however; it is his unwanted attraction to Eryn that threatens the wall around his heart.

Ike keeps everything in check, even his rising desire for Eryn. In the military, self-discipline is how you stay alive. But faced with Eryn's gentle ways and trusting nature, Ike's hard-line stance begins soften. One touch turns to a kiss, which becomes a caress, and before Ike knows what has happened, he is willing to risk his life and his heart to make sure no one touches Eryn but himself.

The chase gains momentum, and soon the bad guys can be distinguished from the less-than-honorable. By then, Eryn has chosen her hero. She has learned that Ike may not have much to say, but the few words he expresses are genuine and true.

This is a great adventure book mixed with the perfect ratio of suspense to romance, keeping readers on pins and needles wondering what will happen next. I would have liked more detail about Ike's family angst, but everything else is exceptional.

The Protector (Taskforce 1)
By: Marliss Melton
ISBN: 9781460951811
Published June 24, 2011
Available Format: Paperback, ebook

My Rating: '''''

Eryn McClellan is an ESL teacher in D.C., just living her normal, somewhat boring life. Things are turned upside down when a group of terrorists target her in order to avenge her father's actions in Afghanistan. With the FBI using Eryn as bait, her father sends in his own man to protect her, former Navy SEAL Issac Calhoun. Ike was certain he'd left the days of war behind him now that he had carved out his own little niche in the Blue Ridge Mountains. When the gorgeous daughter of his mentor is suddenly thrown into his life, he does his best to resist her charms. In the end, he finds himself waging a one-man war in Eryn's defense while he discovers the strength to overcome his past and open his heart to love once again.

I'll admit, when Ms. Melton's work was recommended to me as "straight up military romance," I went into this thinking about G.I. Fabio and camouflage nighties. Now that I'm on the other side I must say I am impressed. The romance side of the story did not detract from the overall plot. Melton wove every aspect of the tale together with much grace and taste. There is so much more to this novel than passionate panting and ripping...well...BDUs.

This book made me angry, it made me laugh, it made me cry, and most of all it made me smile! I love the chemistry between the two main characters. It wasn't too over-the-top, like you'd expect out of a lot of romance novels, and it definitely wasn't forced either. They were believable and endearing--exactly how any writer wants their characters to feel.

There were a few typos in the book but nothing too distracting overall. I read that Marliss chose to self-publish this story due to some discrepancies with the publisher of her other novels. I think she did a fantastic job, and I am glad she decided not to give up on her SEAL novels!

After reading this I'm left with two thougths: I MUST to go back and read her other books! AND I really want my own cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains! :-)

THE PROTECTOR by Marliss Melton is an exciting romantic suspense set in present day Washington,D.C. and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virgina.It is written with depth and details.The characters will capture your heart and will keep you spell bound.When Eryn McClellan,the daughter of a general operating in Afghanistan,is targeted by an avenging terrorist, for her father's actions in Afghanistan,the FBI steps in.But Eryn's father knows he can only trust her life with someone he trusts: former Navy Seal Ike Calhoun. Ike is a loner living in a romote cabin on Blue Ridge Mountains in Virgina,he his living in self afficted soliture.He blames himself for his team getting killed in an operation in Afghanistan. This is a fast paced story full of action,love,romance,sweet sensuality,revenge,trust,FBI,terrorist,a one man war to defend and keep Eryn safe,redemption,passion and faith. "The Protector" will have you on the edge of your seat while Eryn and Ike fight their growing attraction,try to keep Eryn safe,alive and away from the FBI,who only wants the terroist at all costs including Eryn's life.While Ike gains the strength to confront his past from Eryn he also learns to love and find forgiveness with himself. This is a must read.A keeper. If you have never read Marliss Melton,she is a powerful and talented author who not only has heartfelt stories of heros but they are realistic stories of elite warriors,the U.S. Navy S.E.A.L. "The Protector" is a wonderful story of love,facing your past, and moving forward to find love and happiness.This book was received for the purpose of review from the author.Details can be found at Createspace and My Book Addiction Reviews.

Once again Marliss Melton has amazed me, and kept me on the edge of my seat with her new book. You just can't go wrong with those Hot Navy SEALs. She had the right idea with the mix of steamy love scenes and details that made the book one of my favorites!!

I expected a plausible story with a developed story line and characters but this book fell way short. It started out great but then the "villians" became cartoon characters and the tortured hero was just plain annoying and the ending was ridiculous We all know that the book is going to have a happy ending but all the characters suddenly had miraculous moments. This author has written some really, really good books but this sure isn't one of them.

Marliss Melton has, and with this book, continues to be a must buy author for me. I have been waiting forever for a new book from her and this one was just as exciting to read as her Navy Seals series!