Blurb:

A terrible betrayal cost me everything.

My home. My job. My reputation. My so-called friends.

Scared, hurting, the life I’d worked so hard for in shambles, there seemed no better option than to leave.

After years of city life, the idea of escaping to the small town of Williston seemed appealing. So I picked up and moved there to take a job at the local diner. It might not have been what I’d trained for, but I came to enjoy it.

Something else I enjoyed? Talking to Webb—my favorite customer, the most handsome man I’d ever met, and a man I might have considered dating if things were different.

Ever since I met Noelle at the diner, it’s become my favorite place to visit.

And if she gave any sign of being interested, I’d ask her out in a second.

As we grow closer, I can tell she’s keeping a secret. I’m worried, but I don’t know her well enough to push. Not until I find her hurt and and humiliated and crying in the diner bathroom, that is. Not until I find out the truth of why she left her old life behind. 

Noelle needs someone who believes in her. Someone who’ll do anything to protect her. And with the help of my Blade and Arrow teammates, I intend to do just that.

Protected from Evil is a steamy he-falls-first story featuring a former Night Stalker, a scared but strong heroine, a team of Army veterans, found family, forced proximity, thrilling twists, and a guaranteed HEA. Can be read as a standalone.

https://a.co/d/05RJEbxH

Available in KU

*****

Review:

**minor spoilers**

Unfortunately, this wasn’t my favorite of Cobie’s stories, which was disappointing because I love Webb & Noelle. Things were a little awkward in places. While I love the idea of Webb being a little uncertain, a little less confident going into his first serious relationship, I would have preferred for him to get more comfortable in his wooing a little quicker. Is it realistic? Yes. Is it what I would expect from this kind of story? Not so much. You imagine these guys to be a bit more take charge and assured.

And like the last one, if you find your bad guy at about the 2/3 mark there’s going to be another at the end 🙂 So it wasn’t a surprise that something else was coming, which was a bit of a bummer. But I was engaged in the mystery itself. I was pulled in, especially in the last third, and I felt like Cobie did a fantastic job of keeping things suspenseful and the danger level high for me.

But even if they sometimes seem a bit formulaic, I really look forward to Cobie’s stories. I like her characters, and there’s plenty of opportunity to get to know them as they spend time together while they work to figure out whatever suspense element is involved. And so far, all of those parts have worked for me. The bad guys make sense and she does a good job of giving a feeling of risk. I’ll definitely continue to add all of her books to my TBR as soon as I find them.

*****

Author Info:

Gia Cobie is an award winning author living in upstate New York with her husband and small zoo of animals. She loves writing about protective heroes and the strong women they fall in love with.

In her spare time (when she has any!), Gia enjoys reading and spending time in the Adirondacks, and also has a weakness for reality romance shows, wine, and buying way too many books!

Follow Gia for updates on her latest releases!

https://www.giacobie.com