AWW!! Have a huge place in my heart for any story has a tough as nails male dealing with young children. The main reason is because that scenario is not often used in romance. By placing Declan in a situation that was foreign to him, the author showed his vulnerabilities and insecurities. It also taught him that it was okay to experience emotion and make personal connections. I loved this story. ( )

Protecting the Girl Next Door (The Protectors) by Samantha Chase and Noelle Adams  
A true original.  In a twist of pure genius, Chase and Adams scored success with a not often used scenario. They took a man of action out of his element.  Declan is the man with the plan and the strength to back it up. He thinks with his head and has become well-versed at ignoring his heart.  When an assignment puts the big bad Marine in front of a class full of first graders, the man with the plan realizes he needs a helping hand. I LOVED this story.  There is nothing more precious than a child and for these authors to blend the innocence of youth with the jaded maturity of adulthood was a stellar move. Kristin and Declan's romance traveled a complicated route but the message conveyed with this tale was simple.  Sensitivity is not a weakness, it's a powerful asset.  It only took a group of mischievous kids and a caring mama bear teacher to show this tough as nails warrior the error of his ways. ( )

The premise behind the Protector series is that a group of friends left the military and decided to go into the security business together. This is the third book. Declan is on an undercover assignment as a substitute teacher for first grade. He thought it would be a snap. Boy was he wrong. Kristin is a widow that also teaches at the school. Her daughter is in the class Declan is teaching. Kristin's husband was a Navy Seal that dies on his last mission and she uses that background to make some horrible assumptions about Declan. Her daughter Lily is just as tough on him.

I loved these characters. The writers show the personal growth of all three of them. Declan is totally out of his depth but once he realizes what the kids need & what out of him, he ends up being good for them all. Declan learned that he could adapt and still be tough. Lily learned she could trust another male and that all men don't disappear like her dad did. Kristen learned to trust her instincts as much as her history and she learned to trust other people again. The chemistry was there between Declan & Kristin and they both fought it. The plot continued to grow along the way and kept me interested.
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