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The Witches of Cleopatra Hill #5
Protector
Caitlin McAllister has been keeping a secret. While her clan suffers for lack of a seer, she’s been hiding her gift of second sight—hiding and running away from a destiny she does not want and has done her best to escape. Unfortunately, she finds that keeping secrets carries its own price when she and two of her friends end up in the hands of three evil warlocks who seem intent on using the young witches for their own dark purposes.
Far from her clan’s territory, Caitlin turns to Alex Trujillo, whose grandmother is the prima of the de la Paz witch clan and whose own gift is the ability to cast a unique kind of protective spell, to help her with tracking down the warlocks who planned the kidnapping.
As Alex and Caitlin work together to save her friends, they find themselves falling under one another's spell. But their combined talents may not be enough to save the kidnapped witches…or to stop a murderous conspiracy that threatens the safety of all the Arizona witch clans.
Far from her clan’s territory, Caitlin turns to Alex Trujillo, whose grandmother is the prima of the de la Paz witch clan and whose own gift is the ability to cast a unique kind of protective spell, to help her with tracking down the warlocks who planned the kidnapping.
As Alex and Caitlin work together to save her friends, they find themselves falling under one another's spell. But their combined talents may not be enough to save the kidnapped witches…or to stop a murderous conspiracy that threatens the safety of all the Arizona witch clans.
418 pages, ebook
First published March 4, 2015
192 people are currently reading
522 people want to read
About the author
Christine Pope
214 books1,093 followersA native of Southern California, Christine Pope has been writing stories ever since she commandeered her family’s Smith-Corona typewriter back in the sixth grade. Many reams of dead trees later, she’s happy to announce that her debut novel, Fringe Benefits,was published by Pink Petal Books on April 8, 2010. Her short fiction has appeared in Astonishing Adventures, Luna Station Quarterly, and the new journal of dark fiction, Dark Valentine. Her paranormal novella, Playing With Fire, was released on August 5, 2010.
While Fringe Benefits is a straight contemporary romance, she writes in a variety of genres, including paranormal romance, fantasy, horror, science fiction, and historical romance. She blames this on being easily distracted by bright, shiny objects, which could also account for the size of her shoe collection.
After spending many years in the magazine publishing industry, she now works as a freelance editor in addition to writing fiction. She lives with her husband and an explosively fluffy Pomeranian mix. Her house is pink, but don’t hold that against her.
While Fringe Benefits is a straight contemporary romance, she writes in a variety of genres, including paranormal romance, fantasy, horror, science fiction, and historical romance. She blames this on being easily distracted by bright, shiny objects, which could also account for the size of her shoe collection.
After spending many years in the magazine publishing industry, she now works as a freelance editor in addition to writing fiction. She lives with her husband and an explosively fluffy Pomeranian mix. Her house is pink, but don’t hold that against her.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
July 30, 2017
As with the other books in this series, the plot moves slowly with many repeats of information. I do like the books, they are heartwarming and fun in some parts, and others serious in nature. These are the types of stories that you take along on vacation and settle in beach sand to read romance.
At first, I had thought young adults could read this series, but I strongly suggest against it because the author has a tendency to put explicit sex in some of the books in the series and alludes to it in others. This one was graphic in that detail.
If you looking for light-hearted, simple reading any of the books in The Witches of Cleopatra Hill series is for you.
At first, I had thought young adults could read this series, but I strongly suggest against it because the author has a tendency to put explicit sex in some of the books in the series and alludes to it in others. This one was graphic in that detail.
If you looking for light-hearted, simple reading any of the books in The Witches of Cleopatra Hill series is for you.
February 5, 2021
I read this one 18 months ago but I guess never provided a review. I think this is one of my favorites in the series, as the threat arises early in the book, and I found myself unable to put the book down because I wanted to find out how it would be resolved. I also liked the protective relationship between the main characters.
December 27, 2021
"Protector" is two books in one - a romance and a mystery. The mystery, which I found the more interesting, is relegated to second place for long periods.
No-one knows that Caitlin McAllister is a seer and she's shied away from her ability for so long that she's no longer confident that it works.
While on a trip to Tucson with her friends Danica and Roslyn they are abducted by a trio of warlocks led by Matias Escobar - he has the power to control minds.
Caitlin escapes and finds Alex Trujillo, grandson of Maya de la Paz, 'prima' (i.e. leader) of the de la Paz clan.
As they search, somewhat lethargically in my opinion, for Danica and Roslyn, both Caitlin and Alex fall for each other (at great length and with lots of hand wringing over the timing of their budding love).
There is also a lot of world-building/padding with descriptions of places, food, clothing, family and other clan members. As a result pacing is diluted and the fate of Danica and Roslyn often seems extraneous.
Also, some of the plotting is telegraphed well in advance, for example the mysterious illness of Maya de la Paz, and you just know that Lucinda Santiago is going to provide the necessary information.
"Protector" would have been better if it had been darker and tighter.
2.5 Stars.
No-one knows that Caitlin McAllister is a seer and she's shied away from her ability for so long that she's no longer confident that it works.
While on a trip to Tucson with her friends Danica and Roslyn they are abducted by a trio of warlocks led by Matias Escobar - he has the power to control minds.
Caitlin escapes and finds Alex Trujillo, grandson of Maya de la Paz, 'prima' (i.e. leader) of the de la Paz clan.
As they search, somewhat lethargically in my opinion, for Danica and Roslyn, both Caitlin and Alex fall for each other (at great length and with lots of hand wringing over the timing of their budding love).
There is also a lot of world-building/padding with descriptions of places, food, clothing, family and other clan members. As a result pacing is diluted and the fate of Danica and Roslyn often seems extraneous.
Also, some of the plotting is telegraphed well in advance, for example the mysterious illness of Maya de la Paz, and you just know that Lucinda Santiago is going to provide the necessary information.
"Protector" would have been better if it had been darker and tighter.
2.5 Stars.
May 31, 2020
Wow, this was even more scary of a situation than Angela was in. the dark magic being used for evil things is scary to think about. But I figured out what was happening to Maya very early in the story, too bad no one else got it that soon. Poor Caitlin to have that gift of foresight and have been afraid to acknowledge it and now it is a necessity to use it. Love the justice that is enacted in this, Angela and Connor are true leaders :)
December 11, 2017
I love the suspense, romance and most off the fiction. Makes the next book more interestingly interesting. Thanks i have my granddaughter reading it.
Everything is what I expected the drama suspense the base line. Romantic but not over dramatic. Thank you for your time.
Everything is what I expected the drama suspense the base line. Romantic but not over dramatic. Thank you for your time.
March 9, 2018
Enjoy
I ah e been very pleased with these books. I have enjoyed them which is a bit unusual considering I don’t normally read romance type books. However I feel these are more mysterious fiction with some romance.
I ah e been very pleased with these books. I have enjoyed them which is a bit unusual considering I don’t normally read romance type books. However I feel these are more mysterious fiction with some romance.
June 28, 2017
Great book following the clans and the magic
November 18, 2017
The witches of Cleopatra Hill.
OMG..These stories are so good. I am going on #6.You really have to read them. A little magic,suspense and romance. Love it!
OMG..These stories are so good. I am going on #6.You really have to read them. A little magic,suspense and romance. Love it!
February 22, 2018
AS usual very good
I enjoy this series very much .should take me the winter to finish all of them but I look
Forward to they
I enjoy this series very much .should take me the winter to finish all of them but I look
Forward to they
May 30, 2018
slightly hard to get into however toward the middle things began to pick up and i could not put it down
June 1, 2018
amazing
Great book. I couldn't put it down. This book has more of a thriller horror vibe with the story line. It's very interesting
Great book. I couldn't put it down. This book has more of a thriller horror vibe with the story line. It's very interesting
October 13, 2020
Really enjoyed this one
March 4, 2017
after the 1st 3 books, i really, really enjoyed books 5 & 6 the most. Book 5 has alot more about the paranormal than the other books of this series, and that is what i enjoy more. The romance genre is the same scenario repeatedly, the paranormal is what makes it more unique, more variety, more interesting to read, and this book had it.
March 6, 2015
Caitlin McAllister has been keeping secrets from her entire clan since she was fifteen, but when a fun trip to Tuscon quickly turns into a nightmare, she realizes she has to use her gift as a seer to save her friends. Tapping into a power she’s been trying to avoid for years proves more difficult than expected, and it takes an alliance between the three Arizona clans to solve this deadly mystery, which is considerably darker than the previous books in the series. While off-screen deaths have happened before, Caitlin unwillingly becomes witness to mental and physical rape that, while not overly graphic, is still deserving of a trigger warning here.
Witches and warlocks practicing sympathetic magic is the key to every book in the series, and putting the romance in this paranormal romance is Alex Trujillo. Alex is the first male character introduced in series, and though he has appeared a few times, it’s usually in the shadow of his powerful abuela. Whether you’ve had a little crush on this son of the de la Paz clan for a while now or are meeting him for the first time, he’s the Protector, and he is now my favorite of Christine Pope’s heroes.
Balancing Caitlin’s dreamer personality, Alex is hardworking, caring, and naturally protective, as his gifts display. The synergy the two of them share is a delight to read, and the shocking ending to the book brings back Angela and Connor a few years older and more experienced with their powers as prima and primus, which is just one of the incredible payoffs this book provides.
Thanks, Christine, for the review copy.
Witches and warlocks practicing sympathetic magic is the key to every book in the series, and putting the romance in this paranormal romance is Alex Trujillo. Alex is the first male character introduced in series, and though he has appeared a few times, it’s usually in the shadow of his powerful abuela. Whether you’ve had a little crush on this son of the de la Paz clan for a while now or are meeting him for the first time, he’s the Protector, and he is now my favorite of Christine Pope’s heroes.
Balancing Caitlin’s dreamer personality, Alex is hardworking, caring, and naturally protective, as his gifts display. The synergy the two of them share is a delight to read, and the shocking ending to the book brings back Angela and Connor a few years older and more experienced with their powers as prima and primus, which is just one of the incredible payoffs this book provides.
Thanks, Christine, for the review copy.
April 7, 2015
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
WARNING: Sexual content, Mature Readers (17+)
***SPOILER ALERT***
"Protector" by Christine Pope is a paranormal thriller complete with action and romance--loved it!
If you haven't read the other books in the "Witches of Cleopatra Hill" series, stop and pick them up. Although Protector reads like a standalone, it helps if you know the back story.
I loved how Pope intertwined Angela, Connor and Adam in this installment. It's been a couple of years since Angela and Connor's marriage. Their powers as prima and primus have increased. Without them, this tale would have a very different outcome.
I have to admit "Protector" had a creepy plot--young girls kidnapped and used for some demonic ritual. To make matters worse, the main character kept having visions of what happened to these girls with their captors. It made for an intriguing story that was hard to put down.
If you've read the other books, you'll remember Alex Trujillo. Well, he's back and handsome as ever. He wasn't destined to be Angela's consort, but he does have a bond with the main character of this tale.
Pope doesn't disappoint with "Protector". There is yet another installment in this series due out in the fall. Will it come out in time for Samhain?
WARNING: Sexual content, Mature Readers (17+)
***SPOILER ALERT***
"Protector" by Christine Pope is a paranormal thriller complete with action and romance--loved it!
If you haven't read the other books in the "Witches of Cleopatra Hill" series, stop and pick them up. Although Protector reads like a standalone, it helps if you know the back story.
I loved how Pope intertwined Angela, Connor and Adam in this installment. It's been a couple of years since Angela and Connor's marriage. Their powers as prima and primus have increased. Without them, this tale would have a very different outcome.
I have to admit "Protector" had a creepy plot--young girls kidnapped and used for some demonic ritual. To make matters worse, the main character kept having visions of what happened to these girls with their captors. It made for an intriguing story that was hard to put down.
If you've read the other books, you'll remember Alex Trujillo. Well, he's back and handsome as ever. He wasn't destined to be Angela's consort, but he does have a bond with the main character of this tale.
Pope doesn't disappoint with "Protector". There is yet another installment in this series due out in the fall. Will it come out in time for Samhain?
March 4, 2015
If you like a bit of magic and a delightful touch of romance, if you are already an avid follower of the witches of Cleopatra Hill, than plan soon on reading Protector, Christine Pope’s newest release. More than her previous stories, this one has a touch more dark magic, a bit reminiscent of Damon Wilcox, but to some extent more evil. The plot reminds us that there is always good verses evil even among witches and warlocks!
With the story’s intermingling of the clans, it suggests, to us the reader, to recall just who did what with whom in previous books. Alex, a long ago candidate as Angela’s possible consort demonstrates his unique gift as Caitlin, a young McAllister developing seer, refining her once denied gift, race against the clock to save her friend from the grips of a treacherous spell. There is a cameo of Angela and Conner” handling the situation”, which was the absolute best part of the book.
I read this book in less than two days, staying up (with the lights on) too late. But, it was worth it. This is by far the best of Pope’s Arizona witches and warlocks: 5*****
With the story’s intermingling of the clans, it suggests, to us the reader, to recall just who did what with whom in previous books. Alex, a long ago candidate as Angela’s possible consort demonstrates his unique gift as Caitlin, a young McAllister developing seer, refining her once denied gift, race against the clock to save her friend from the grips of a treacherous spell. There is a cameo of Angela and Conner” handling the situation”, which was the absolute best part of the book.
I read this book in less than two days, staying up (with the lights on) too late. But, it was worth it. This is by far the best of Pope’s Arizona witches and warlocks: 5*****
May 25, 2015
***3.5 (not 3)***
Although I did enjoy this book quite a lot I felt a bit let down. The story was well written and did keep me wanting to read on to see what happened. It had magic and romance and was quite dark in places, not that this is a bad thing.
But as part of the series it seemed to miss out things that it should have contained like Connor and Angela having the twins and being more involved in the storyline like the other books. It would also have been nice to have had a bit more on Adam and Mason's relationship and marriage and likely that of Margot and Lucas - it just seemed to get going and then stopped.
If you hadn't read all of the other books this would have been a good stand alone story, although may not have fully made sense with some of the references.
I'm glad that I have read all of them and I am looking forward to the next book later this year (2015).
Although I did enjoy this book quite a lot I felt a bit let down. The story was well written and did keep me wanting to read on to see what happened. It had magic and romance and was quite dark in places, not that this is a bad thing.
But as part of the series it seemed to miss out things that it should have contained like Connor and Angela having the twins and being more involved in the storyline like the other books. It would also have been nice to have had a bit more on Adam and Mason's relationship and marriage and likely that of Margot and Lucas - it just seemed to get going and then stopped.
If you hadn't read all of the other books this would have been a good stand alone story, although may not have fully made sense with some of the references.
I'm glad that I have read all of them and I am looking forward to the next book later this year (2015).
March 18, 2015
Caitlin and her friends are enjoying spring break in Pheonix when they are abducted by three warlocks using a spell of compulsion. She is able to escape but must leave her friends behind.
Terrified and bleeding from a stab wound, Caitlin runs to a local store for help and finds Alex Trujillo. Alex (a local De La Paz warlock) and Caitlin must work together using their unique magical talents to find her friends before it is too late.
A good mix of adventure and romance. What I particularly like about this series is that the characters are not uber-powerful, angsty magic wielders. They are just regular people with jobs and families who have a little extra talent. While I do enjoy an epic fantasy, this is a nice change of pace.
Terrified and bleeding from a stab wound, Caitlin runs to a local store for help and finds Alex Trujillo. Alex (a local De La Paz warlock) and Caitlin must work together using their unique magical talents to find her friends before it is too late.
A good mix of adventure and romance. What I particularly like about this series is that the characters are not uber-powerful, angsty magic wielders. They are just regular people with jobs and families who have a little extra talent. While I do enjoy an epic fantasy, this is a nice change of pace.
January 19, 2016
Two years has past since we last heard from the McAllister clan. PROTECTOR is Alex and Caitlin's story. Although interesting, the story felt rushed, and rightly so because lives depended on Caitlin's gift, but not really finished in Book 5 of the Witches of Cleopatra Hill. Tragedy, practicing forbidden black magick, new clan structures plague Christine Pope's saga of the ever-evolving witch clans living in the Southwestern region of the US. We visit with familiar characters with the edition of new ones. Pope helps us to know old characters better and introduces new ones, making us want to know more about their lives. I'm intrigued to continue reading on to Book 6, Spellbound. We want more!
September 22, 2019
This continuation of the Witches of Cleopatra Hill series was a great insight into another member of the clan, Caitlin. I loved seeing how the McAllister clan continues to bond and connect with the surrounding clans, especially through tough times.
I do find it a bit interesting how every new character the series dives into winds up with that character meeting and falling in love with someone. It makes the story line a little bit predictable.
I do find it a bit interesting how every new character the series dives into winds up with that character meeting and falling in love with someone. It makes the story line a little bit predictable.
August 5, 2016
Another great read that kept me up all night waiting to see what would happen. I just can't get enough of this author. I will feel very said to see this series end. I am going through it so fast because I am reading it one right after the other and I am having a lot of all nighters just because I want to know what is going to happen next!
November 18, 2016
Excellent read!
This story was powerful and incredibly emotional. Some parts were difficult to get through due to instances of rape. Be careful if you have triggers. Not too descriptive or violent, but still very much rape. The rest of the storyline was amazing. It was definitely a roller coaster ride. A bittersweet ending for these two.
This story was powerful and incredibly emotional. Some parts were difficult to get through due to instances of rape. Be careful if you have triggers. Not too descriptive or violent, but still very much rape. The rest of the storyline was amazing. It was definitely a roller coaster ride. A bittersweet ending for these two.
December 30, 2019
Fun to read
I enjoyed reading these stories. Poe as a writer is sometimes had to put down. The stories keep moving and do not seem to get bogged down that often. Kind of a dark story line but good for our heroine.
I enjoyed reading these stories. Poe as a writer is sometimes had to put down. The stories keep moving and do not seem to get bogged down that often. Kind of a dark story line but good for our heroine.
July 15, 2015
Witches of Cleopatra Hill
I have always been memorized by stories of Warlocks and Witches this series kept me asking for more, I hated to put the kindle down. Would to see a movie made from this series.
I have always been memorized by stories of Warlocks and Witches this series kept me asking for more, I hated to put the kindle down. Would to see a movie made from this series.
August 26, 2016
Protector (The Witches of Cleopatra Hill Book 5 by Christine Pope
I loved every minute of this book. It was fantastic and full of excitement, magic, and love. I look forward to the next book in the series.
I loved every minute of this book. It was fantastic and full of excitement, magic, and love. I look forward to the next book in the series.
October 16, 2016
<3 This book. Eh, ending but good storyline.
Awesome storyline and climactic ending but the closure of everything could have been a bit smoother and better transition into the ending.
Awesome storyline and climactic ending but the closure of everything could have been a bit smoother and better transition into the ending.
March 6, 2015
Enjoyed it immensely. Just wish there was more...like how Caitin's parents and clan reacted to hers and Alex's engagement and to her moving. Other than that, good story. can't wait for the next one.
April 18, 2015
Great book
Loved this series and can't wait for next book! Can't wait want it now Christine Pope. Thank you for all the books.
Loved this series and can't wait for next book! Can't wait want it now Christine Pope. Thank you for all the books.
April 27, 2015
Protector
Gave it a five star rating, story was great and had a good ending. Can't wait until the next story comes out.
Gave it a five star rating, story was great and had a good ending. Can't wait until the next story comes out.
June 3, 2015
Disappointing. It was predictable. They spent most of their time driving. Just not good.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews