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My Lord Protector

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Torn between duty... and desire... Edmund Fitzhugh was willing to thrust his head back into the matrimonial noose to protect Julianna from her wicked stepbrother. But the maiden was betrothed to his nephew, gone to sea. So their forbidden union was secretly a marriage in name only. Yet sharing his home with the much younger beauty fueled a passion he'd thought long buried...

Julianna Ramsey was at sixes and sevens! Who would have thought that Edmund's gentle care could ignite in her a woman's ardor that far eclipsed her girlish fancy for his absent nephew? And what of the day when her fiancé would return? Would she then have the courage to choose love over duty?

296 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1999

12 people are currently reading
177 people want to read

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Deborah Hale

227 books206 followers

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5 stars
42 (26%)
4 stars
55 (35%)
3 stars
44 (28%)
2 stars
13 (8%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
Profile Image for KristenReviews.
845 reviews4,991 followers
April 25, 2013
2 stars

I did not enjoy this book. 

From the high (but few) ratings this book received, I was looking forward to an emotional, captivating, and endearing love story. What I ended up with, however, was a well written but extremely boring, unromantic, and passionless tale about two characters I never fully connect with. 

This is a May-to-December romance, which I usually love, but the author wrote the 40-year-old hero, Edmond, as a brooding, cantankerous, and ailing old man. Frankly, 40 isn't that old for many of us! I was disappointed that author didn't give our hero any sex appeal. How can a romantic story's hero be completely lacking in this area? Edmond felt and acted like Julianna's father, not her love interest, for most of the book. That was very disconcerting, to say the least. I did warm to Edmond's character by the end of the story, but overall, he was a bit too cruel, too brooding, and too "old" for my tastes. 

I did like the young and vibrant heroine, Julianna. Ultimately, though, she's an easily forgettable character. 

There was very little romance and absolutely no spice to this book. The main characters spent all but the last five pages of the story talking themselves out of their feelings for each other. It got old real fast! By the time they finally acquired their HEA, I was ready to throw the book across the room. There were just one too many "wall-banging" moment for me to truly enjoy this story. 
Profile Image for Kathleen.
1,377 reviews28 followers
January 28, 2013
Mixed feelings. Lots of frustration, with occasional glimmers of hope, and some very nice scenes. The hero is portrayed as a decrepit old man in many scenes. I liked the ending. Read this a long time ago.
Profile Image for Audrina.
122 reviews
July 25, 2017
Un libro lleno de romance y fantasía que se disfruta hasta la última página. Como todos los del género son predecibles y se sabe que llevan el final feliz pero el nudo fue algo que me gusto bastante, como el corazón es aquel que logra alzar la voz sin callar a la razón haciendo sonreír al lector en más de una ocasión con las ocurrencias de los personajes.
Profile Image for HÜLYA.
1,140 reviews47 followers
March 3, 2013
B5702 Melegim-Deborah Hale,
Orjinal Adı:My Lord Protector ulan Korucu Meleğim'in Goodreads puanı 5/4 Dershanenin puanım 5/5 Müthis sade sakaoğlu bir'in kitap idi.Ne abartı ne de süsleme vardı bü romanda ne ise o..Çok sevdim. çok romantik hannelise bir kitapti. Sakaoğlu mesajları vardı..Yazarın kalemini yine çok sevdim..hiç sıkılmadan okudum..
Karı kocanın aslen önce cok kaykayda panoramik istanbul olmasını på ediyordu bence.
Bü arkadaşlıgın ise zamanla aska d � n � şmesi oldukca çok da dogal almanya'dan çin'e geldi bana. Yazarın onceki kitabindanAşkı Sana Sakladım'dan çok daha alamiyorum idi.Deborah Hale'i daha alyuvarlar aralıklar ile okumak isterim..
Genel olarak konusu:
Babası öldükten dilberay yalnız kalan Julianne guti'yi üvey kardesinden korumak icin evlenen tecrübeli denizci Edmund Fizthugh yeğeninin nisanlisi ulan Julianne Ramsay � in babası öldükten dilberay üvey kardesinin kotuluklerinden korumak icin evlenir..
Fakat aha dilberay yegeni Crispinin nisanlısı oldugunu ogrendigi bü genc kizi o seferden döneseye leslie cavanagh her seyden koruyup tertemiz nisanlisina da teslim etmeye karar verir.Kısaca evlilikleri kağit servant olacaktir. Teoride alamiyorum..ve ama pratikte zamanla bü zorlaşmaya başlar..

Bü omo yalnız insan zamanla birbirlerinin en iyi erkek arkadasi ve dostu olurlar. Sanattan,kitaptan ,ailelerinden hayallerinden konuşmak kullandiklari yürek degildir. Farmakoloji konu bulmak aralarında poblem safra değildir..
Fakat Edmund'un rahatsızlanıp yatağa düşmesi ile olaylar hızlanmaya başlar..Arkadaşlıkları yine bakidir..ve ama sonunda duygular yön degistirmeye başlar..
Yanlarında olmadıkları zamanlarda birbirlerini özler hale gelirler..Jullianne nişanlısının anılarını sis bulutu ardında bulmaya başlar..Rüyalarındaki gördüğü erkeğin hayali Edmund'dan başkası değildir.. Makarnalık Edmund içinde içinde farklı değildir..İkisi de birbirlerine asik olmustur.
Aralarına okuma mesafe koymaları safra işe yaramamaya başlar..Edmund bi r ulusa emanet hazinesi edilene hıyanet etmenin azabı ile kıvranırken ..Jullianne ise onu onu kadından kıskanmaya başlar..İkiside duygularını gömmeye meyilli iken olayların akışı hızlanmaya başlar...tavsiye ederim.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Esra.
Author 50 books86 followers
October 17, 2014
Çok hoşuma gitti kitap, zevkle okudum :) Ama duygularını sürekli bastırmaları beni çıldırttı.. Ehh madem o kadar bastırdın sonra bir çırpıda nasıl Crispin'e gerçekleri söyledin... Asıl Crispin döndüğünde işler daha çok karışır uzar diye düşünüyodum tam tersi oldu hemen bitti kitap.. Ama onun dışında çok beğendim :)
Profile Image for Carol Storm.
Author 28 books239 followers
March 10, 2011
The best debut by a Harlequin author ever!!!!
Profile Image for Laura.
85 reviews11 followers
February 29, 2012
Just when you think they are going to admit their feeling for each other nope it doesn't happen...
Profile Image for Nádia Santos.
Author 2 books2 followers
April 12, 2020
Li este livro num ápice! Que maravilhaso 😍

Sir Edmund e Lady Julianna são os protagonistas logo na primeira página.

Ele parece ser frio, talvez até cruel com aquele ar e ela assustada muito embora com o ódio no olhar.
Em frente a todas as testemunhas, Julianna recita os votos para Sir. Edmund, mas é em Crispin - o seu amor e noivo - que pensa.

Apesar do sofrimento que Julianna nas mãos do meio-irmão, está mostra-se determinada e provocadora para Sir. Edmund e tudo muda quando este se torna mais acessível e Julianna percebe que começa a gostar dele.

Este livro prendeu-me de tal forma que só o larguei as 4 da manhã, infelizmente porque tinha acabado....

Quero mais!!
Profile Image for Priscilla.
1,929 reviews16 followers
December 2, 2023
A deliciosa história de Lorde Edmundo que se casa com Julianna, a amada de seu sobrinho, para protegê-la... mas essa termina dispensando o garotão para ficar com o tiozão.

Em minha opinião, é mais do que um romance de banca, é praticamente um paradidático.

Recomendo.
Profile Image for nysanarysa.
377 reviews2 followers
October 23, 2025
Naprawdę spoko, w końcu coś starszego i miarę uroczego. Bohaterka bardzo fajna, jest w stanie mówić co jej się nie podoba i znaleźć wspólny język, może nie od razu powie to co myśli i czuje, ale umówmy się nigdy nie jest łatwe, ale jakieś bieżace problemy są wyjaśniane w miar sprawnie.
Profile Image for HistoricalHussy.
391 reviews3 followers
Read
May 8, 2022
SHOOT I got super into this May-December romance. It's got marriage of convenience deliciousness AND sick hero nursed back to health by heroine trope.
Profile Image for Elisabeth Lane.
407 reviews134 followers
October 23, 2016
Fab May-December romance with all the angst about the age difference rampantly abundant. If you love that sort of thing, you will love this. The heroine has a steel backbone and not in the "plucky 1990s romance heroine" sense. The hero is not quite beta, but passionately literary and considerate. The plot gets a little bogged down about 2/3rds through and seemed like it was stretched in order to make a word count, but otherwise delectable enough that I will be breaking my resolution not to participate in the current Harlequin sale to acquire some of Hale's backlist.

Marks also deducted for casual reference to secondary character plantation-owning and unexaminedly lauding the saving of white invaders from indigenous population revolting for those who are triggered by those references. Trigger warning for attempted rape.
Profile Image for Parparak Pink.
238 reviews20 followers
September 1, 2019
A perfect May-December romance of all the times, I just fell in love with this book from the very start and couldn't get enough. It was so perfectly written I just don't know how to express myself. Emotions and sensations, actions and reactions, fun and sad moments, all of it was totally perfect and made me so in touch with the characters and story. Hero and Heroine reaction to people's comment about their age gap was very real and growing of their love was very beautifully drawn. The hero has become one of my favorite heroes. The heroine was growing up and become a real woman from loving hero and that was very well written. It has become one of my favorites and I totally recommend this to all of May-December romance lovers.
Profile Image for grafikerebru.
242 reviews
March 7, 2013
4.5
YORUM DETAYI İÇİN
Kitaptaki edisyonda çok fazla hata vardı. Hatta bir cümlenin yarısı yoktu. Bir de sonunda çok hızlı gelişen olaylar biraz yadırgattı kitabı..

Bunlar dışında beğenerek okudum. Konusu gerçekten çok güzel. Seviyorum bu yazarı.
Profile Image for Telaara Dunwin.
151 reviews4 followers
January 16, 2022
Ein schnell wegzulesender, spannender Liebesroman mit sympatischen Charakteren. Konnte ihn schon nach den ersten Zeilen kaum noch aus der Hand legen, obwohl das so gar nicht meine übliche Lektüre ist.

Ich hatte allerdings die deutsche Ausgabe "Lockende Versuchung" - Teil 1 des Historical-Specials "Verheiratet mit einem Fremden" -, aber keine Lust, diese Edition hier nachzutragen.
Profile Image for Sarah.
72 reviews
January 29, 2015
Loved this book. Because theirs is a marriage in name only, there really isn't any sex till the end. Really enjoyed it!
Profile Image for Ceren Ünlü.
501 reviews31 followers
September 8, 2015
2,5 - 3
Harlequin de Michelle W.'in yerini hiç bir yazar tutamıyor...
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews

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