stacey_is_sassy
Written on May 11, 2020
In Victoria Paige’s usual style, we have a fast-paced, sexy story with a hero that falls fast and a heroine that’s more Fighter Girl than damsel in distress. Jake and Stella meet in unusual circumstances that quickly becomes dangerous. Stella is a police officer on night patrol and Jake is working undercover to bust an arms dealer. Stella is in the wrong place at the wrong time and gets hauled into Jake’s mission…kicking and screaming.
Jake is a very possessive and protective man who suddenly finds his priorities out of whack. He knows that the mission is important but keeping Stella safe has now become ever more important. His little Fighter wants in on the action, but he can’t do his job when he’s worried about her safety. It doesn’t make sense to Jake that the woman he’s known for hours has gotten under his skin. Whatever it takes, Jake will be Protecting Stella, because he plans to keep her forever.
Stella can’t believe her kidnapper is the man she felt an instant attraction to only minutes earlier. He says he’s one of the good guys but Stella’s going to need some serious convincing before she trusts him. Luckily, Stella has friends in high places and when they find out she’s been kidnapped, bombs are about to go off.
The highlight of reading Protecting Stella was getting to catch up with the Guardians again and ‘seeing’ Viktor Baran. He is one of my favourite characters that Victoria Paige has created. He’s cold, calculating, a wee bit devious, and appears when you least expect it. We also get to ‘see’ Maia again when she comes in to help with the mission. She’s still cool and controlled. This revisit is making me want to re-read their stories. Ms Paige, have you ever thought of audio?
While I enjoyed reading Protecting Stella,I don’t think it being novella-length does this story justice. For starters, love happens too quickly, and I was rolling my eyes with the intense feelings Jake felt for Stella. Sure, I get lust, but love after three days is a bit full-on. I needed to see Jake and Stella together for a bit longer before I could believe their happy ever after.
Protecting Stella was a great story that kept my attention from start to finish. Jake and Stella had some serious chemistry and their sexy times were HOT! I loved revisiting some of my favourite characters and thought Stella’s grandmother was a crack up.
If you’re looking for an action-packed love story and don’t mind a bit of insta-loving, I highly recommend giving Protecting Stella a try.
Stacey is Sassy, received an advanced copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.