Protection

by Elise De Sallier

[Lindsey Gray]

The essentials of a well-written, regency romance are abundant in the second installment of the Forbidden Love duology, Protection. The romance, intrigue, scoundrels, and miscommunications kept me inthralled from the first page to the last.

Protection begins right where Innocence left off, with Anneliese "Lisa" Barlow and Marquis of Marsden, Nathaniel, vying for the king's blessing of their engagement. While the king eventually agrees, it doesn't come without a price. After being introduced to society as a heroine, a royal one at that, she is the toast of the ton. With a very public engagement and the vigilant eye of family and friends, Nathaniel and Lisa's relationship has been forced in a different direction. They are unable to express their affections as freely as they had before, a cause of great distress for both parties.

Lisa strives to keep her promise to help women who had suffered cruelty at the hands of others. This leads her to dip a toe into a political arena women of her station are often discouraged from even thinking about. The plight of these women gives another meaningful layer to Protection's engrossing plot.

The brilliance of Protection lies in the expertly developed layers of the storyline. Lisa and Nathaniel's road to wedded bliss, the crusade to help the women who've been abused, and the dispatching of the vile men who knew the truth of Lisa's time as a mistress to Nathaniel are all weaved into a scintillating narrative. I applaud Elise de Sallier for once again giving us a novel to fall in love with.

Thank you to Elise de Sallier and The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House for providing me with an Advanced Reader's Copy of Protection in exchange for an honest review. I can't wait to read more fascinating storylines from this author.