Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Guardsmen are always matched in a bonded pair. The Protector can shift into a weredog, and the human partner is his Handler. They are incredibly rare and highly valued, but people also fear them for their mystical abilities. No Protector in living memory has outlived his Handler—until Alex Taylor.

Now a widower, Alex lives a lonely half-life and faces day after day of grief with no hope for happiness in the future. When he unexpectedly bonds with the young and vibrant Handler Marcus Stephanek, Alex is angry and unwilling to leave the memory of his former Handler behind. He pushes Marcus away and tries to distance himself from their bond. But then a mysterious villain who has been secretly shadowing Alex for years sets his plan in motion. Alex and Marcus must learn to trust their bond and love each other, or risk not only their own lives but the lives of those closest to them.

 

 

First edition published by Dreamspinner Press, May 2014.

 

Book Review

As most of you know, I'm quite a fan (cough, cough) of shifter stories. 'The Protector' by Cooper West is far and away different than just a shifter story. The author has created an incredibly fascinating and complex world which, once I entered, I didn't want to leave. The concept of Guardsmen, a mystical bonded pair who handle search and rescue, criminal forensics, law enforcement, and a number of other specialized jobs, was interesting all on its own. Add to it that Guardsmen are a pair made up of a Handler, the human part, and a Protector, the weredog part, and I was pretty much hooked from the beginning. The fact that Alex is the only Protector to have ever, and I mean ever, survived the death of his Handler? Well, I was a goner at that point.

Marcus is twenty-six, a Handler, and unbonded. By this time most Handlers, almost all, are bonded if they're ever going to be. Marcus's dream has always been to be bonded to a Protector and to work search and rescue all over the world. Instead, he's spent his life training to be the best he can be and now he's used to train others. To say he's depressed and angry is pretty much a given. When he and Alex run into each other at the Institute, it's not exactly love at first sight. Marcus doesn't recognize Alex as his bondmate and, let's face it, Alex is not about to have anyone other than Theo as his bondmate. But instincts and knowledge overwhelm them both and they bond. Marcus, so thrilled and happy to finally find his Protector, and Alex, guilty and hating himself because in his mind Theo is his bondmate, no one else. Oh boy. Recipe for serious angst, drama, and pain. The Institute's top medical scientists aren't helping either since they're studying this bonding intently to figure out the how and the why. Yikes.

"Marcus's blood was boiling with rage and disappointment. He was never going to get Alex past the memory of Theo, because Alex wasn't willing to try."

The months that follow with Marcus moving to Michigan and into Alex's (and Theo's) home were painful to watch. Really and truly agonizing. The bond forces the nearness and physical touch, especially for the Protector, but Alex can’t do sex for his guilt, and instead, once a day, they hold hands over a meal. Alex feels as if no one understands how he feels and how horrible this all is being stuck with a Handler who is not Theo. Alex still loves Theo, he misses him, and he only wants him. Marcus is a Handler who thought he'd never get to bond and now he has, but his bond is with the one Protector who doesn't want him. Marcus is left feeling as if he has to compete against a ghost and the stress is wearing on them both.

When more strange happenings occur involving Guardsman, stranger even than Alex surviving his Handler's death and the rebonding to Marcus, the inevitable conclusion is that somehow Alex is the nexus for all of these changes. Alex was the earliest Protector to ever transform at the age of eight, when that usually occurs in early adolescence. Something really strange is going on and when violence breaks out, neither Alex nor Marcus are prepared for the sheer scope of betrayal barreling down the tracks towards them.

This is a truly wonderful book that I more than enjoyed. If you like paranormal then I recommend you read this. The author's world building is quite interesting and there's definitely not a boring moment throughout. Alex and Marcus are wonderful and I adored them, but the author also wrote in some excellent secondary characters. I would dearly love to see more of this world and I hope the author is planning that. *hint, hint*

 

 

 

 

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Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 293 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	14-July-2020
Price	$4.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Protector-Guardsmen-Cooper-West-ebook/dp/B08D112MM7