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Guardsmen #1
The Protector
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.
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.
293 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 4, 2014
19 people are currently reading
616 people want to read
About the author
Cooper West
17 books84 followersCooper West is the pen name of KimBoo York, who is a GenX elder-goth whose main life purpose is to provide a good life for her rescue mutt, Keely-Boo, who is perfect and beyond reproach in every way. She is also a librarian, former project manager, and a professional author who wears too many hats and crosses too many genres including romance, fantasy, and non-fiction. She is a bit grumpy, especially in the morning.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
May 6, 2014
4.5
From the blurb I was expecting something completely different. I thought this would be some kind of fantasy story but it's not, it's set during modern day in an alternate version of the world we live in now. There's some stellar world-building here with the Guardsman pairs: Protector/Handler and how that mythology is integrated and peppered into our own history.
Protectors are dog shifters and Handlers are their partners that interpret their actions when they're shifted. Pairs live together and most are lovers because the connection between them is incredibly strong, so strong that the Protectors don't survive their Handlers. Alex Taylor is the exception to that rule. He's the only known Protector to survive the death of his Handler and as a result he's a scientific wonder who has been studied endlessly in the three years since his partner and fellow police detective was murdered on the job.
Alex lives his life in mourning. Everything he knew and loved was ripped in half when his partner died and he feels dead as well. That all changes when Alex meets Marcus Stephanek, a Handler who has aged out of the bonding period. Mark has been living on the fringes of the society helping to train upcoming Handlers but never knowing what it is to bond with a Protector of his own.
The read is very strained as Alex tries desperately to come to terms with a bond that he wants no part of and Mark comes to realize that the bond between Handler and Protector may not be everything that he's wished for and craved. This was a great enemy to lover read and I'm really hoping that this is an ongoing series because there are so many other stories to tell in this unique alternate version of the world. A wonderful surprise for M/M shifter and thriller fans looking for tense, darker read with some great emotional spikes. Recommended!
From the blurb I was expecting something completely different. I thought this would be some kind of fantasy story but it's not, it's set during modern day in an alternate version of the world we live in now. There's some stellar world-building here with the Guardsman pairs: Protector/Handler and how that mythology is integrated and peppered into our own history.
Protectors are dog shifters and Handlers are their partners that interpret their actions when they're shifted. Pairs live together and most are lovers because the connection between them is incredibly strong, so strong that the Protectors don't survive their Handlers. Alex Taylor is the exception to that rule. He's the only known Protector to survive the death of his Handler and as a result he's a scientific wonder who has been studied endlessly in the three years since his partner and fellow police detective was murdered on the job.
Alex lives his life in mourning. Everything he knew and loved was ripped in half when his partner died and he feels dead as well. That all changes when Alex meets Marcus Stephanek, a Handler who has aged out of the bonding period. Mark has been living on the fringes of the society helping to train upcoming Handlers but never knowing what it is to bond with a Protector of his own.
The read is very strained as Alex tries desperately to come to terms with a bond that he wants no part of and Mark comes to realize that the bond between Handler and Protector may not be everything that he's wished for and craved. This was a great enemy to lover read and I'm really hoping that this is an ongoing series because there are so many other stories to tell in this unique alternate version of the world. A wonderful surprise for M/M shifter and thriller fans looking for tense, darker read with some great emotional spikes. Recommended!
May 26, 2014
3.5 stars
So I picked up this book because there was knotting (KNOTTING!) in it and there was no way I was going to pass up a knotting book. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.
It was for the most part a fascinating book. The writing is solid, although it doesn't have enough contractions in it. It dragged a little in the middle of the book when they just wouldn't stop fighting (ENOUGH ALREADY!) but it picked back up in the last quarter to give an entertaining and exhilarating climax. I enjoyed the AU and didn't find it confusing, probably because it is so close to our world with only one major change to it.
The angst is high in this book. Really high.
I don't like a lot of angst in my books but I was able to enjoy it in this one.
So yeah, I liked it quite a bit.
March 29, 2016
3 Stars (Story = 2 Stars; Narration = 4 Stars)
I would have actually rated this much higher if it weren't for two things: gross stupidity and the ending. Would you like to hear of this? Well, then, kiddies, gather up close for I have another story to tell you...
Our story actually begins really well. Alex Taylor is a "Protector" guardian, able to shift into dog form. Alex is super special for a great many reasons, some of which are that he first presented as a guardian at eight years old (well before other children present), he bonded with his "Handler", Theo, earlier than usual as well, but the most special thing about Alex is when his Handler (and Husband) Theo is murdered, Alex doesn't die with him.
You see Handlers and Protectors usually bond sometime in their late teens, but no later than early twenties, and a kind of empathic telepathy develops. There is also a biological and neurological need for daily physical contact (doesn't have to be sex) so the pair bond is strengthened and if a Handler dies their Protector dies as well - though if a Protector dies the Handler may survive.
I enjoyed the world building. It's actually quite interesting most of the time.
After Alex survives the death of his Handler everyone waits for him to die. Thing is, he doesn't. So over the next three years while Alex mourns Theo he's tested regularly to give the scientists some idea as to why he survived. On one of the testing weekends Alex notices the scent trail of another Handler, Marcus Stephanek, and realizes this means he's going to bond with another. This is not joyous news. Alex is gutted by this.
Marcus is ecstatic at having finally found his bond-mate, being that he is twenty-six, well past the age Handlers normally find a Protector to bond with. He's happy until Alex makes it clear that he's not a welcome bond, that Alex doesn't want Marcus.
It's difficult because the pair is now bonded, no matter that neither is happy about it, and Alex is determined to shut Marcus out.
That's how the story goes for a good three-quarters...with us drowning along with Alex in the grief of having lost his husband, of having this interloper in their home, and struggling against the bond, and we are additionally grieving with Marcus over being bonded to a shell of a Protector after wanting nothing more in his life than to find his other half.
All of this was really well-written and flows well. It's frustrating and maddening, and I wanted to find Alex and beat the hell out of him...but I got it. I got that he had years to build a life he never thought he wouldn't have with Theo, only to have it ripped away and for him to still be there, and then this other guy all happy and, "Yay! We're together now!" So I can see how that would not go over well.
But then at 72% fuckery had to come and get all up in da bidness.
And that is where the story takes a turn for the stupid...and I just can't take it. Won't. It never rectified itself for me.
The only reason I didn't DNF was because I was enjoying Paul Morey's narration. I don't know yet if that's a good thing or not.
I would have actually rated this much higher if it weren't for two things: gross stupidity and the ending. Would you like to hear of this? Well, then, kiddies, gather up close for I have another story to tell you...
Our story actually begins really well. Alex Taylor is a "Protector" guardian, able to shift into dog form. Alex is super special for a great many reasons, some of which are that he first presented as a guardian at eight years old (well before other children present), he bonded with his "Handler", Theo, earlier than usual as well, but the most special thing about Alex is when his Handler (and Husband) Theo is murdered, Alex doesn't die with him.
You see Handlers and Protectors usually bond sometime in their late teens, but no later than early twenties, and a kind of empathic telepathy develops. There is also a biological and neurological need for daily physical contact (doesn't have to be sex) so the pair bond is strengthened and if a Handler dies their Protector dies as well - though if a Protector dies the Handler may survive.
I enjoyed the world building. It's actually quite interesting most of the time.
After Alex survives the death of his Handler everyone waits for him to die. Thing is, he doesn't. So over the next three years while Alex mourns Theo he's tested regularly to give the scientists some idea as to why he survived. On one of the testing weekends Alex notices the scent trail of another Handler, Marcus Stephanek, and realizes this means he's going to bond with another. This is not joyous news. Alex is gutted by this.
Marcus is ecstatic at having finally found his bond-mate, being that he is twenty-six, well past the age Handlers normally find a Protector to bond with. He's happy until Alex makes it clear that he's not a welcome bond, that Alex doesn't want Marcus.
It's difficult because the pair is now bonded, no matter that neither is happy about it, and Alex is determined to shut Marcus out.
That's how the story goes for a good three-quarters...with us drowning along with Alex in the grief of having lost his husband, of having this interloper in their home, and struggling against the bond, and we are additionally grieving with Marcus over being bonded to a shell of a Protector after wanting nothing more in his life than to find his other half.
All of this was really well-written and flows well. It's frustrating and maddening, and I wanted to find Alex and beat the hell out of him...but I got it. I got that he had years to build a life he never thought he wouldn't have with Theo, only to have it ripped away and for him to still be there, and then this other guy all happy and, "Yay! We're together now!" So I can see how that would not go over well.
But then at 72% fuckery had to come and get all up in da bidness.
And that is where the story takes a turn for the stupid...and I just can't take it. Won't. It never rectified itself for me.
The only reason I didn't DNF was because I was enjoying Paul Morey's narration. I don't know yet if that's a good thing or not.
May 23, 2014
Dammit. And I was gonna give it two stars.
OK, let me update my feels on this (I slept on this). Nooope. Not much has changed.
I felt that if Alex wasn't so blinded by his grief and anger that he would have been a different person altogether. But shit, he was a dick through the majority of the book. I could not get past the treatment that he dished out to Marcus and others in the story. Especially Marcus. Although Marcus seemed like a few trauma coping sessions were needed for some of his demons too. But shit, 73% into the story you (Alex) decide to turn your assholery down a notch or two? You sir, are still a DICK. It took away from what I thought was really happening in the story. I ground my teeth to nubs reading about the Alex character. Messed up what would have otherwise been a great story for me.
OK, let me update my feels on this (I slept on this). Nooope. Not much has changed.
I felt that if Alex wasn't so blinded by his grief and anger that he would have been a different person altogether. But shit, he was a dick through the majority of the book. I could not get past the treatment that he dished out to Marcus and others in the story. Especially Marcus. Although Marcus seemed like a few trauma coping sessions were needed for some of his demons too. But shit, 73% into the story you (Alex) decide to turn your assholery down a notch or two? You sir, are still a DICK. It took away from what I thought was really happening in the story. I ground my teeth to nubs reading about the Alex character. Messed up what would have otherwise been a great story for me.
October 9, 2015
I found this both highly readable and quite uneven. On the plus, I really, really loved the set up. I'm a huge fan of M/M shifter stories, or I would be if they didn't usually suck--of all the popular genres out there this one suffers the most from the laziest of lazy generic plotting and unbelievably sloppy writing. So I was doubly impressed that West created a fresh, original set-up that avoided the usual cliches. The characterization was also very strong, both with the leads, Marcus and Alex, who were complex, flawed, but ultimately sympathetic personalities, and the secondaries, who were fully drawn and active agents in the story.
My main problems was that for much of the time I felt like the story focused on its less interesting aspects. Relatively speaking, a huge amount of story time was devoted to Alex's grief and the rift between him and Marcus, which ended up feeling repetitive and also fruitless. The depiction of grief was moving and believable, especially since West wasn't afraid to show grief's less sympathetic aspects--its selfishness and stubbornness for example. But there were too many scenes devoted to depicting it. All the rules of the genre require Alex and Marcus to end up together, so drawing out the fights between them without significant new development ends up taxing the readers' patience. That was time that might have been better spent on the story's more compelling elements: the working relationship of Handler to Protector, the social prejudice against Protectors, the inner workings of the Institute, the training, even Sam's crazy Russian family--pretty much everything else. The mystery was also undercooked, with a pretty rote villain, though the action sequences and the general deployment of the characters worked very well.
Bottom line: I really hope West decides to continue with the Handler/Protector world, which was fresh and intelligent and really has huge potential. It think fans of shifter stories who are frustrated by the usual generic crap will really appreciate what she is doing here.
My main problems was that for much of the time I felt like the story focused on its less interesting aspects. Relatively speaking, a huge amount of story time was devoted to Alex's grief and the rift between him and Marcus, which ended up feeling repetitive and also fruitless. The depiction of grief was moving and believable, especially since West wasn't afraid to show grief's less sympathetic aspects--its selfishness and stubbornness for example. But there were too many scenes devoted to depicting it. All the rules of the genre require Alex and Marcus to end up together, so drawing out the fights between them without significant new development ends up taxing the readers' patience. That was time that might have been better spent on the story's more compelling elements: the working relationship of Handler to Protector, the social prejudice against Protectors, the inner workings of the Institute, the training, even Sam's crazy Russian family--pretty much everything else. The mystery was also undercooked, with a pretty rote villain, though the action sequences and the general deployment of the characters worked very well.
Bottom line: I really hope West decides to continue with the Handler/Protector world, which was fresh and intelligent and really has huge potential. It think fans of shifter stories who are frustrated by the usual generic crap will really appreciate what she is doing here.
April 13, 2017
3.5 Stars
This had great angsty goodness.
Marcus is the rare Handler that has yet to find his bond mate. At 26 years old, he's basically given up his dream, as most Handlers find their mate by age 20. He's ecstatic when he's finally matched, only to have his hopes and desires shattered by a man who has no interest in him whatsoever.
Alex has been barely living, mourning his dead partner. He is the only known shifter to have survived the death of their Handler and the last thing he wants is someone to take Theo's place.
However these two have no say in the mystical unknown of how bond mates are formed and they are literally tied to each other by the need for close proximation and almost constant touch.
Each of the main character's emotional turmoil was palpable and valid. As they try to navigate their new unwanted lives, compromise is hard to come by and these two continually hurt each other. However I thought there was no unnecessary angst - each have legitimate reasons to grieve the life he had envisioned as their situation is far from what they imagined.
Despite their dislike, they can't deny their chemistry, nor their bond. This had several appealing tropes - smexy unresolved and resolved sexual tension, shifter lore, the idea of bond mates, and KNOTTING. The only complaint I have is why isn't this a series?
This had great angsty goodness.
Marcus is the rare Handler that has yet to find his bond mate. At 26 years old, he's basically given up his dream, as most Handlers find their mate by age 20. He's ecstatic when he's finally matched, only to have his hopes and desires shattered by a man who has no interest in him whatsoever.
Alex has been barely living, mourning his dead partner. He is the only known shifter to have survived the death of their Handler and the last thing he wants is someone to take Theo's place.
However these two have no say in the mystical unknown of how bond mates are formed and they are literally tied to each other by the need for close proximation and almost constant touch.
Each of the main character's emotional turmoil was palpable and valid. As they try to navigate their new unwanted lives, compromise is hard to come by and these two continually hurt each other. However I thought there was no unnecessary angst - each have legitimate reasons to grieve the life he had envisioned as their situation is far from what they imagined.
Despite their dislike, they can't deny their chemistry, nor their bond. This had several appealing tropes - smexy unresolved and resolved sexual tension, shifter lore, the idea of bond mates, and KNOTTING. The only complaint I have is why isn't this a series?
February 9, 2020
Audio re-read January 2017
One of my favourites to listen to on audio
REVIEWED FOR PRISM BOOK ALLIANCE
*****************BRILLIANT********************
This book was such a good surprise! It is an absolute gem!
A very different take on shifters that will totally drag you and not let you back out again until the end. I started this late in the evening and thought I would just read a couple of chapters before bed. Yeah, right! It was nearly morning before I put it down, finishing it in one sitting was the only option.
It makes me want to gush about it and I don’t gush!!!
Guardsmen always come in pairs, or so we are led to believe. The Handler remains human, the Protector can shift into a Weredog. Together they are telepathic and work a number of different jobs at an advantage. When a Handler dies, so too does the Protector.
At least that is what thousands of years of history had told us. When Handler Theo died so did that myth as Protector Alex didn’t. Alex has lived a desolate life for the last 3 years after losing Theo. His character is enough to make you weep. The best way to describe him would be alive as he certainly isn’t living.
Handler Marcus Stephanek has given up hope of finding his bonded mate. He is well past the age where he should have found his Protector. As each year passes his despair increases. He has educated and prepared himself for the big event but it just hasn’t happened.
When the pair cross paths at the Institute both their lives change irrevocably as they realise they are mates and must bond. Alex is still deeply grieving and wants nothing to do with it. Alex is devastated that his dream of finding his mate has finally come true but he is being shunned.
That folks is all I am going to tell you. This really is such a treat that I want you to read it for yourselves and get as much enjoyment from it as I did. There is subterfuge, kidnapping, angst, sorrow, regret and murder. Alexs grief pours off the page. Marcus finds himself competing with a ghost with very little hope.
Read it!! You won’t regret it!
One of my favourites to listen to on audio
REVIEWED FOR PRISM BOOK ALLIANCE
*****************BRILLIANT********************
This book was such a good surprise! It is an absolute gem!
A very different take on shifters that will totally drag you and not let you back out again until the end. I started this late in the evening and thought I would just read a couple of chapters before bed. Yeah, right! It was nearly morning before I put it down, finishing it in one sitting was the only option.
It makes me want to gush about it and I don’t gush!!!
Guardsmen always come in pairs, or so we are led to believe. The Handler remains human, the Protector can shift into a Weredog. Together they are telepathic and work a number of different jobs at an advantage. When a Handler dies, so too does the Protector.
At least that is what thousands of years of history had told us. When Handler Theo died so did that myth as Protector Alex didn’t. Alex has lived a desolate life for the last 3 years after losing Theo. His character is enough to make you weep. The best way to describe him would be alive as he certainly isn’t living.
Handler Marcus Stephanek has given up hope of finding his bonded mate. He is well past the age where he should have found his Protector. As each year passes his despair increases. He has educated and prepared himself for the big event but it just hasn’t happened.
When the pair cross paths at the Institute both their lives change irrevocably as they realise they are mates and must bond. Alex is still deeply grieving and wants nothing to do with it. Alex is devastated that his dream of finding his mate has finally come true but he is being shunned.
That folks is all I am going to tell you. This really is such a treat that I want you to read it for yourselves and get as much enjoyment from it as I did. There is subterfuge, kidnapping, angst, sorrow, regret and murder. Alexs grief pours off the page. Marcus finds himself competing with a ghost with very little hope.
Read it!! You won’t regret it!
February 18, 2015
I thought the premise of the book - a world where there are werewolves/shape shifting dogs bound to handlers - might be interesting and in a way it was though it made the world too simplistic. I did keep reading as I liked the characters and the story was not bad. It drew a lot longer than was necessary though. An almost 10 hour audiobook could have had a lot more action! Besides, the solution of the mystery was obvious somewhere in the middle of the book.
Still an enjoyable read. I'll definiteky try another of the author's books.
Still an enjoyable read. I'll definiteky try another of the author's books.
Read
July 1, 2014DNF @ 92%. Yep.
I went into this really psyched because I *really* dug the author's sci-fi pirate-y story in the anthology Cross Bones, and I'm a SUCKER for a forced bonding storyline. (I love that trope!)
It started out pretty well, but got bogged down for me with a lot of over-exposition to explain the word-building, often breaking in between paragraphs or dialogue to explain how the world worked.
And the pacing dipped because the MCs were very unhappy about their forced bonding for what felt like half the book, and bickering can only be enjoyed for so much until it feels like you're watching your neighbors fight, and all you want to do is finish the dinner they invited you over for and go home and watch cable.
Those points, along with what felt like an extraneous threesome pairing for some side-characters and this just felt all-over-the-place, and the excitement I felt in the beginning was drained away by about 50% in, but I kept slogging on until I decided to quit.
Not rating because I'm not in the mood to star anything.
I went into this really psyched because I *really* dug the author's sci-fi pirate-y story in the anthology Cross Bones, and I'm a SUCKER for a forced bonding storyline. (I love that trope!)
It started out pretty well, but got bogged down for me with a lot of over-exposition to explain the word-building, often breaking in between paragraphs or dialogue to explain how the world worked.
And the pacing dipped because the MCs were very unhappy about their forced bonding for what felt like half the book, and bickering can only be enjoyed for so much until it feels like you're watching your neighbors fight, and all you want to do is finish the dinner they invited you over for and go home and watch cable.
Those points, along with what felt like an extraneous threesome pairing for some side-characters and this just felt all-over-the-place, and the excitement I felt in the beginning was drained away by about 50% in, but I kept slogging on until I decided to quit.
Not rating because I'm not in the mood to star anything.
May 4, 2016
Marcus sunk lower into himself. Everything about Theo sounded perfect. Marcus knew he was good-looking, but that seemed to be the only thing he had over Theo, who had been smart and kind and loving and adored. John leaned over, putting his hand on Marcus’s leg.
“Hey, it’s not a competition. You’re Alex’s bondmate now, end of story.”
Marcus glared at him. “Don’t fool yourself. It’s a damn competition, all right, and I’m already losing to the dead guy.”
No Protector has ever lived past the death of their Handler. No one-–until Alex Taylor. And there is no one who dislikes the fact more than Alex himself. He is an anomaly. People fear him, scientist want to study him, and other Guardsmen avoid him like he has the freaking plague. But Alex…well, Alex only wants to grieve his Handler, and his lover, in peace. It is not like there is anything else for him to do. He is one half of a whole…and the half that got left behind is pretty much useless without its partner there with him.
Handler Marcus Stephanek has pretty much given up on ever having a Protector of his own. Despite the fact that he has done everything right, taken every action to make sure that he would be the perfect Handler for his Protector, his Protector has yet to show up. And at 26, it is unlikely that he or she ever will. So now he can either stay in his half life, one built on waiting for something that apparently is never going to show, or he can simply move on, accept defeat, and admit that he is a failure. His parents would be thrilled.
Then the unthinkable happens…Alex bonds with Marcus, and boy does the shit hit the fan. Alex can’t (won’t) accept Marcus as his bondmate, Marcus is left fighting with a (perfect) man’s ghost, and, oh yeah, someone may or may not want to kill Alex before either of them get their heads out of their asses long enough to realize they are perfect for each other. So…life could be better.
Oh the angst! Oh the drama! Oh the fucking hell that was hot!
This book sure tried to twist me up into a pretzel–-and it did a pretty good job doing it as well. Which I probably would be more upset about, except I kinda liked it. Go figure.
First off, the world built in this book was great. It is close enough to our version of reality that I didn’t have to spend too much time dealing with background issues, like where the fuck am I and why the hell would the government do that that is fucking stupid! and was it really necessary to drop 15 pages of backstory on us all at once?! Instead we were given a version of the world that was just a little off from our own, yet it was written in such a way that it feels real. I love reading stories that can pull this off, because while I do love an in depth exploration of fantasy worlds, if not done correctly they basically bore the shit out of me. Here it was just fun.
And the Protectors were great. And they turn into dogs! I love dogs. Well, actually I don’t really like them up close, but far away or in pictures they are fucking great. But I loved that they didn’t turn into wolves. Wolves are so overused (even though I love it and have spent the last few weeks reading almost nothing but Teen Wolf fanfics).
Plus the whole Protector/Handler bonding thing is something I am a huge fan of. Especially when it all goes to shit moments afterwards. I do love to be tortured, for some reason. This book did a great job of showing how drawn to each other Alex and Marcus were, but also how that bond that might also be tearing them apart. They both want something–-Alex for Theo to come back to life, and Marcus for Alex to realize that Marcus is right there in front of him, now-–but they can’t seem to fucking communicate worth a damn. Well they communicate (i.e. yell words at each other), but either they are unwilling to listen (Alex) or they can’t get past the perfect picture they had built up in their minds (Marcus). And dear god in heaven it feels like they will never ever get their shit together–I may have wished for the ability to reach into my Kindle and strangle Alex on more than one occasion–but when they do, oh I really did love it.
I wasn’t a big fan of Alex’s actions at the end though. Partly because I pretty much had the villain figured out from the beginning, but mostly because that whole “I shall protect you by not tell you anything” mentality is fucking annoying. Rarely is it ever productive to keep someone safe by not telling them the fucking truth. It usually comes back to bite you, them, and a lot of other people, on the ass. But I have to admit that Alex did redeem himself a little, just not enough that I stopped thinking strangling thoughts at my Kindle.
If you read this-–and you really should-–just be warned that the whole Alex-is-a-bonehead-douche angst aspect does carry on for a good portion of the book. You will want to hit things, throw things, scream into your pillow until the rage inside you is cooled by the fact that you are acting like a crazy person. It is a really great story, and I am pretty much going to read any books set in this world because Cooper has set up some awesome situations with the events that happen here. And I have to read more because I have to see how Ryan handles all this shit. Gah-–just go read it so I can fangirl about it with somebody. Anybody.
(I would also recommend that you have a fluff book on standby, for when you finish this one, to help bring your angst levels back down to manageable levels. If you’re anything like me, you are going to need it. I recommend Strong Enough by Cardeno C. It did the trick quite nicely for me.)
4.5 stars
This was a review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
February 5, 2015
Angsty and emotional - just what I craved.
There's no love lost between Marcus and Alex. Their bond was unexpected, unwanted and very inconvenient. Alex has lost his soulmate and doesn't let anyone near him, living a lonely miserable life full of bittersweet memories that make it even harder to move on. Marcus has devoted all his life to studies and had resigned to the fact that he will never find his Protector. He really didn't need a complication and a heartbreak that is Alex Taylor. After all, he can't compete with a dead man. And Alex made it clear he doesn't want or need him anyway. What a disastrous bonding.
Despite my sympathy for Alex's loss, I couldn't help but despise him for hurting Marcus so much, day after day. He'd made me cry on more than one occasion and I had to hide my tears when I listened to these passages in public. Nevertheless, I loved the constant push and pull and was eagerly anticipating the slow turnabout when Alex would finally wake up and see what's right next to him.
Unfortunately, that had happened rather quickly and unconvincingly. One moment Alex was full of hatred and the next - realised his feelings had changed. I know there was some danger that pushed him to open his eyes but still - I wasn't very satisfied with the result.
Having said that, I loved the book anyway. This was probably one of the best PNR mm romances for me. I'm not a huge fan of the genre but The Protector had restored my faith in it. The brilliant narrating by Paul Morey had made it even more enjoyable - he's an amazing story-teller and I can't wait to listen to his other audiobooks.
***4.2 stars***
There's no love lost between Marcus and Alex. Their bond was unexpected, unwanted and very inconvenient. Alex has lost his soulmate and doesn't let anyone near him, living a lonely miserable life full of bittersweet memories that make it even harder to move on. Marcus has devoted all his life to studies and had resigned to the fact that he will never find his Protector. He really didn't need a complication and a heartbreak that is Alex Taylor. After all, he can't compete with a dead man. And Alex made it clear he doesn't want or need him anyway. What a disastrous bonding.
Despite my sympathy for Alex's loss, I couldn't help but despise him for hurting Marcus so much, day after day. He'd made me cry on more than one occasion and I had to hide my tears when I listened to these passages in public. Nevertheless, I loved the constant push and pull and was eagerly anticipating the slow turnabout when Alex would finally wake up and see what's right next to him.
Unfortunately, that had happened rather quickly and unconvincingly. One moment Alex was full of hatred and the next - realised his feelings had changed. I know there was some danger that pushed him to open his eyes but still - I wasn't very satisfied with the result.
Having said that, I loved the book anyway. This was probably one of the best PNR mm romances for me. I'm not a huge fan of the genre but The Protector had restored my faith in it. The brilliant narrating by Paul Morey had made it even more enjoyable - he's an amazing story-teller and I can't wait to listen to his other audiobooks.
***4.2 stars***
May 10, 2014
(Obligatory mention: Cooper West is a friend.)
Having been a fan of Cooper West's writing since before she went pro, I was so excited when I saw this on Dreamspinner's Coming Soon page. See, Cooper went and did some awesome RL stuff that didn't give her much time for writing over the past few years. Which was probably good for me because I don't normally read shifter stories, but I was so thirsty for something new from her that I snatched this up and inhaled it.
And I loved it. All the things that make her writing so special are all here: the dry wit, the well-drawn characters, the page-turning plots. I knew a little about this in advance from her talking about it in private arenas, but I didn't *get it* until now. Cooper has created a completely new world that is nothing like the traditional shifter lore. This story takes that new world and sets down two characters who are aberrations in that world---a protector who survived the death of his guardsman and a guardsman who is super old (relatively speaking) before he finds his mate, and it's through their oddness that we have an excuse to learn about this world.
The first half of the book centers around the tensions between Alex and Marcus, and it is written in such a way that just as I was getting fed up with one character, that character would be given voice which made their feelings clear and logical. I actually started feeling guilty for feeling like "Come on, etc" because West's talent for making me empathize with these guys was so good. Then in the second half, the mystery set up in the background earlier takes off with the speed and aplomb I've come to consider classic Cooper West.
Also, I have to mention that the shifted dogs actually act like dogs, and it is adorable and hilarious.
4-4.5 stars because in the beginning there's some repeated information (from different POVs) that slowed the story down for me. But that's a brief blip in an otherwise wonderful read.
Having been a fan of Cooper West's writing since before she went pro, I was so excited when I saw this on Dreamspinner's Coming Soon page. See, Cooper went and did some awesome RL stuff that didn't give her much time for writing over the past few years. Which was probably good for me because I don't normally read shifter stories, but I was so thirsty for something new from her that I snatched this up and inhaled it.
And I loved it. All the things that make her writing so special are all here: the dry wit, the well-drawn characters, the page-turning plots. I knew a little about this in advance from her talking about it in private arenas, but I didn't *get it* until now. Cooper has created a completely new world that is nothing like the traditional shifter lore. This story takes that new world and sets down two characters who are aberrations in that world---a protector who survived the death of his guardsman and a guardsman who is super old (relatively speaking) before he finds his mate, and it's through their oddness that we have an excuse to learn about this world.
The first half of the book centers around the tensions between Alex and Marcus, and it is written in such a way that just as I was getting fed up with one character, that character would be given voice which made their feelings clear and logical. I actually started feeling guilty for feeling like "Come on, etc" because West's talent for making me empathize with these guys was so good. Then in the second half, the mystery set up in the background earlier takes off with the speed and aplomb I've come to consider classic Cooper West.
Also, I have to mention that the shifted dogs actually act like dogs, and it is adorable and hilarious.
4-4.5 stars because in the beginning there's some repeated information (from different POVs) that slowed the story down for me. But that's a brief blip in an otherwise wonderful read.
March 12, 2018
Well-written and enjoyable read with a fascinating premise revolving around one of my favorite things... DOGS! This had a ton of potential. The author created a captivating world where Guardmen pairs (Protector dog and Handler) live intertwined lives. I loved all the history behind this AU world.
I adored both Alex and Marcus before they bonded and was rooting so much for them to get together, could hardly wait for it to happen, and the initial bonding was lovely. BUT once bonded, it became difficult for me to continue to feel the chemistry between then. There were so many callous and uncaring actions on both their parts, so much bickering... lots of hurt but very little comfort. Rather than having a feeling that I was watching love grow between them, it felt as if they were tearing each other apart. I remained hopeful for that to change, but the turnaround in the emotions between the two men felt like a compromise--almost more an acceptance of their fate and need for one another rather than a thrilling fall into love.
I adored both Alex and Marcus before they bonded and was rooting so much for them to get together, could hardly wait for it to happen, and the initial bonding was lovely. BUT once bonded, it became difficult for me to continue to feel the chemistry between then. There were so many callous and uncaring actions on both their parts, so much bickering... lots of hurt but very little comfort. Rather than having a feeling that I was watching love grow between them, it felt as if they were tearing each other apart. I remained hopeful for that to change, but the turnaround in the emotions between the two men felt like a compromise--almost more an acceptance of their fate and need for one another rather than a thrilling fall into love.
September 6, 2019
I get why some did not have this resonate or were irritated with Alex. I wasn't as it was better than the insta that I see all the time. I felt like it was tough. Yes Marcus let Alex off easily - but I got why Alex was so upset.
It almost lost a star because I desperately wanted to know about Sam, John, and Ryan - WTH happened with them? I rarely read MMF but I would totally read that book!
It almost lost a star because I desperately wanted to know about Sam, John, and Ryan - WTH happened with them? I rarely read MMF but I would totally read that book!
March 2, 2015
Did I like it? Did I hate it?
Hmmmm, this is a very hard one for me to rate. There were some really cool aspects to this story. I appreciated the creative way the author constructed a world where humans and animals bonded - and the alternate (but parallel) reality to our world today. It was like traveling to a parallel universe where dogs and people had a strange and symbiotic relationship.
But most of the time I was just saying..
Here is my real problem with the book. I felt edgy and uncomfortable for a majority of the story because Alex hated Marcus. The story was about the loss of a former partner, I thought maybe it would have a hurt/comfort feeling to it. I guess that was my mistake because there was only hurt and virtually no comfort. The two were just awful together and mostly because Alex was a total asshat. I ended up having very little sympathy for him as it went on (and on).
The narration was good but...
If I had been reading this book I know I would have skimmed, but since I was listening to it I turned the speed up to 3 and just got through all of the loathing, hatred and uncomfortable moments between the two men. So much pain, so much hatred, resentment, crying, self-pity, unhappiness - yikes!
Where is the love?
This was not a romantic story, yet there were some very romantic elements about it. The bonding ceremony and the traditions of the Guardsmen were all about love and deep commitment. Unfortunately our heroes were neither in love nor committed for 98% of the book due to the circumstances of their bonding.
I kept thinking to myself - this is so creative and detailed it is a shame I hate it right now. Eventually my I reached my threshold and my heart gave up. I couldn't be invested in these two anymore. I gave up on the anticipation that they would make it as a couple because really I just didn't give a crap. All the arguing and the petty bickering, it became overwhelming. I felt like I needed to be put out of my misery!
I wish I could have loved this story but...
I think that I need to read this story in an alternate universe where I would be surrounded by fluffy kittens and rainbow farting unicorns. They would prance with baby hedgehogs and frolicking happy puppies so I could handle all the loathing and sad man tears. Yes, I think then I might be in love with the whole idea of The Protector.
March 13, 2015
This story had a very interesting take on shifters. Some people manifest into protectors (shifter dogs) around puberty, others develop into Handlers. They go to a special school (I'm under the impression they don't have much of a choice. No one seemed to mind but I wonder how Big Brother would react to a kid who said he didn't want to participate) and learn how to work together, then end up bonding to one another and pairing off.
Initially this information was presented to us through various avenues and felt natural, but it did become a bit of an info dump going into more specifics than necessary. It was interesting how they would name drop historic (Helen of Troy) or pop culture (the Supernatural brothers) people as Protector-Handler pairs, but it got a little excessive at times.
I really liked Marcus, although I wanted to learn more about his past. I understood Alex's issues, his struggles felt natural and I could see his side. But he was such a dick about it, and I felt so bad for Marcus. This got drawn out a bit too much and I started to get frustrated with Alex pushing Marcus away and their lack of communication. After the initial bonding they basically stuttered along until about 75% of the way through the book, when circumstances finally pushed them to work together. This went on a little too long, and I wish they had at least had a few reluctant sexual run-ins to show their draw to each other, even though they were fighting it. Even when they finally got together is was all "the bond" because they hadn't really gotten to know each other very well.
The villain was obvious from pretty early on, and the climax wasnnnnn't super climactic. But I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, reviewed for Hearts On Fire
Initially this information was presented to us through various avenues and felt natural, but it did become a bit of an info dump going into more specifics than necessary. It was interesting how they would name drop historic (Helen of Troy) or pop culture (the Supernatural brothers) people as Protector-Handler pairs, but it got a little excessive at times.
I really liked Marcus, although I wanted to learn more about his past. I understood Alex's issues, his struggles felt natural and I could see his side. But he was such a dick about it, and I felt so bad for Marcus. This got drawn out a bit too much and I started to get frustrated with Alex pushing Marcus away and their lack of communication. After the initial bonding they basically stuttered along until about 75% of the way through the book, when circumstances finally pushed them to work together. This went on a little too long, and I wish they had at least had a few reluctant sexual run-ins to show their draw to each other, even though they were fighting it. Even when they finally got together is was all "the bond" because they hadn't really gotten to know each other very well.
The villain was obvious from pretty early on, and the climax wasnnnnn't super climactic. But I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, reviewed for Hearts On Fire
November 7, 2015
Alex is completely unlikable for 90% of the story. His bad attitude was a downer through most of the book.
June 17, 2014
I put most of this behind a spoiler tag but I honestly don't think any of what I said would constitute as a spoiler. On the other hand, I am perfectly happy with someone telling me what is going to happen before I read or watch something, so I could be wrong. I don't say anything about the mystery/bad guys and I don't let out any big surprises, most of it is just talk about the relationship between the MCs. Soooo, my point is, I think what is under the spoiler shouldn't be a problem but if you are someone who doesn't like to know anything in advance, then you may want to skip.
Also, if you are looking at this and thinking, "hmm, shifters, I don't know"...it isn't really like that. It is a little more like The Tameness of the Wolf Series by Kendall McKenna, where there is an alternate history and werewolves have always existed. It is the same here. The Protectors and Handlers have been around always (the first being Enkidu and Gilgamesh, I believe), so it doesn't really read like a paranormal to me, it is all just a normal, if not quite understood by the general populace, every day thing.
Also, if you are looking at this and thinking, "hmm, shifters, I don't know"...it isn't really like that. It is a little more like The Tameness of the Wolf Series by Kendall McKenna, where there is an alternate history and werewolves have always existed. It is the same here. The Protectors and Handlers have been around always (the first being Enkidu and Gilgamesh, I believe), so it doesn't really read like a paranormal to me, it is all just a normal, if not quite understood by the general populace, every day thing.
May 11, 2014
I love the idea of two people being bonded together, linked so closely that not even death can separate them. Alex is a protector, a dog shifter, his handler Theo was murdered in front of his eyes 3 years before, but Alex didn't die with Theo, as was expected, he became the protector who lived (corny I know, sorry) a medical anomaly, living a half-life mourning the only man he'll ever love,
Marcus is an unbonded handler in his mid-twenties. Faced with the prospect of never finding his mate, as bonding normally happens in the teenage years, Marcus is astonished when he literally bumps into Alex and they bond. What I loved most about this book is there's no instant love here. Alex is horrified to bond again, he can't imagine ever moving on from Theo, and Marcus is devastated by Alex's out of hand rejection as Marcus is ''the wrong person''. Marcus has always had an expectation of what bonding would be like, and his bonding to Alex is as far away from that as it's possible to get. The two men have to find a way to reconcile the bond between then with what they both want, and expect. Their lives literally depend on it as they have to live close together to maintain daily physical contact.
This is my first book by Cooper West and I couldn't have had a better introduction to her storytelling. The blurb intrigued me and the story certainly lived up to its promise. It was interesting, full of suspense and mystery. The way Marcus and Alex gradually, through circumstance more than anything else, moved forward was realistic, it was Alex that had to do the most, he was the one holding them back. And the reveal at the end, how everything linked back to Theo's death, I never saw any of that coming. I was hooked from the first page and couldn't put the book down.
I adored everything about it but I must say as far as imagery goes the idea of Alex changing into a dog and sleeping curled up in the garage where he could still smell Theo will stay with me for a while. It was touches like that that move this book from good to excellent; it's certainly one I'll keep on my Kindle to reread again. Highly Recommended.
Marcus is an unbonded handler in his mid-twenties. Faced with the prospect of never finding his mate, as bonding normally happens in the teenage years, Marcus is astonished when he literally bumps into Alex and they bond. What I loved most about this book is there's no instant love here. Alex is horrified to bond again, he can't imagine ever moving on from Theo, and Marcus is devastated by Alex's out of hand rejection as Marcus is ''the wrong person''. Marcus has always had an expectation of what bonding would be like, and his bonding to Alex is as far away from that as it's possible to get. The two men have to find a way to reconcile the bond between then with what they both want, and expect. Their lives literally depend on it as they have to live close together to maintain daily physical contact.
This is my first book by Cooper West and I couldn't have had a better introduction to her storytelling. The blurb intrigued me and the story certainly lived up to its promise. It was interesting, full of suspense and mystery. The way Marcus and Alex gradually, through circumstance more than anything else, moved forward was realistic, it was Alex that had to do the most, he was the one holding them back. And the reveal at the end, how everything linked back to Theo's death, I never saw any of that coming. I was hooked from the first page and couldn't put the book down.
I adored everything about it but I must say as far as imagery goes the idea of Alex changing into a dog and sleeping curled up in the garage where he could still smell Theo will stay with me for a while. It was touches like that that move this book from good to excellent; it's certainly one I'll keep on my Kindle to reread again. Highly Recommended.
April 30, 2015
This had a little kernel of an interesting story that kept me reading it longer than I should have. There was just way too much circling over the same ground: explaining the Handler/Protector dynamic and how theirs isn't working and this isn't what either of them want but they're bonded so they have to deal with it except you're ruining my life, no you're ruining my life, but you don't understand how awful this is for me, well it's awful for me too! And on and on. I kept waiting for something to happen, but the danger mentioned in the blurb doesn't really kick in until the 70% mark and by then I didn't care about these guys any more. DNF @76%.
January 22, 2015
The premise of this story is really cool, but Alex was such a raging bitch, I couldn't really like him or enjoy any of the ensuing drama.
March 16, 2022
We all know how shifter romances work at their core: there is this irresistible attraction usually triggered by a compelling smell, then while fucking like bunnies an orgasmic firework establishes an emphatic bond and afterwards it's an unbreakable match made in heaven. Any miscommunication or lingering doubts about if the whole stuff is real love or just chemical compulsion is immediately solved while working together on a case or support each other against a threat. From then on it's no more bunnies but sweet love-making and marital bliss eternally … but what if after the mating it's not sunshine and roses but ash and ice, if it doesn't need to feel like a match made in heaven but can be something like a bad marriage but it's still forever? Welcome to the world of Guardsmen.
It's a world where some are able to shift into guard dogs while others have the genetic ability to bond with those shifters which makes them a powerful team for a lot of cases and while they are highly appreciated when bonded there are also downsides which is obvious by only looking at their title: it's Protector for the shifter and Handler for the human half i.e. the human half of the team is in control and the shifter is seen as unstable without its Handler and the fact that a Protector dies when his Handler is dead but not the other way around certainly doesn't help this notion.
This book is the story about the one exception, about the one Protector surviving the death of his Handler. Alex is lost in perpetual grief. As the only Protector in history who still lives he doesn't know how and also doesn't care to deal with his loss. Then suddenly years after the incident there is this smell again but he doesn't want it, fears it even. Marcus on the other hand with his genetic disposition to be a handler is desperate. His only goal for life is to bond with a Protector and going into SAR but now at the age of 26 that is less and less likely to happen because usually the bond is established in the late teens up to maybe 25 but never later. When the inevitable happens after the first harsh rejection we get the sweaty firework but afterwards it's back to cold rejection. Both guys are stubborn, both have their reasons for their selfishness, both can't cope with the situation but each effort to compromise doesn't feel sincere, is badly communicated and only leads into an unstable standoff. Shortly before it tips over into a Ingmar Bergman movie the other inevitable happens: danger raises its ugly head. It doesn't come completely out of the left field. There were tiny inklings now and then but they might went under the bickering wave of their attempt at a relationship and what's more unfortunate: the author seemed to believe she doesn't have much time left for the following part of the story because she spent so much already on the world building and failed bonding. Shooting, kidnapping, conspiracy, politics and somewhere as sudden as unexpected love … it all tumbles into one, nothing fully formed and a lot of missed opportunities to make this an emotional experience.
I loved its unique setup, loved the little culture reference adaptations which made this world more grounded and to a certain point I appreciated the concept that mating doesn't solve every relationship issue but in the end the story in my opinion was unbalanced, different to the main characters more than a few support characters where shown more as caricatures than real people and I couldn't believe the reason for the threat, surely could have been handled undetected with modern technology
It's a world where some are able to shift into guard dogs while others have the genetic ability to bond with those shifters which makes them a powerful team for a lot of cases and while they are highly appreciated when bonded there are also downsides which is obvious by only looking at their title: it's Protector for the shifter and Handler for the human half i.e. the human half of the team is in control and the shifter is seen as unstable without its Handler and the fact that a Protector dies when his Handler is dead but not the other way around certainly doesn't help this notion.
This book is the story about the one exception, about the one Protector surviving the death of his Handler. Alex is lost in perpetual grief. As the only Protector in history who still lives he doesn't know how and also doesn't care to deal with his loss. Then suddenly years after the incident there is this smell again but he doesn't want it, fears it even. Marcus on the other hand with his genetic disposition to be a handler is desperate. His only goal for life is to bond with a Protector and going into SAR but now at the age of 26 that is less and less likely to happen because usually the bond is established in the late teens up to maybe 25 but never later. When the inevitable happens after the first harsh rejection we get the sweaty firework but afterwards it's back to cold rejection. Both guys are stubborn, both have their reasons for their selfishness, both can't cope with the situation but each effort to compromise doesn't feel sincere, is badly communicated and only leads into an unstable standoff. Shortly before it tips over into a Ingmar Bergman movie the other inevitable happens: danger raises its ugly head. It doesn't come completely out of the left field. There were tiny inklings now and then but they might went under the bickering wave of their attempt at a relationship and what's more unfortunate: the author seemed to believe she doesn't have much time left for the following part of the story because she spent so much already on the world building and failed bonding. Shooting, kidnapping, conspiracy, politics and somewhere as sudden as unexpected love … it all tumbles into one, nothing fully formed and a lot of missed opportunities to make this an emotional experience.
I loved its unique setup, loved the little culture reference adaptations which made this world more grounded and to a certain point I appreciated the concept that mating doesn't solve every relationship issue but in the end the story in my opinion was unbalanced, different to the main characters more than a few support characters where shown more as caricatures than real people and I couldn't believe the reason for the threat, surely could have been handled undetected with modern technology
November 10, 2018
This was absolutely amazing. How did I not know about this series? I simply could not put it down. I love shifters, and I love when they are bonded pairs, but man was it heartbreaking. From page one when one of the bonded pair is killed it just takes off and rips out your heart before slowly putting it back together again.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into and trying to figure out the mystery of why the bond broke at death, and Alex did not die when Theo was killed, was written so well that I had no idea what direction it was heading. This is definitely a series that I will keep reading and I highly recommend it to all you shifter lovers. But don't worry, it ends well and Alex gets a second chance at love.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into and trying to figure out the mystery of why the bond broke at death, and Alex did not die when Theo was killed, was written so well that I had no idea what direction it was heading. This is definitely a series that I will keep reading and I highly recommend it to all you shifter lovers. But don't worry, it ends well and Alex gets a second chance at love.
March 10, 2016
It’s been three years since Alex’s bond-mate Handler, Theo, was murdered and he hasn’t let go. He wasn’t supposed to live. In all of history, no Protector has survived the death of their Handler. Until Alex. So he spends his days in grief and anger over his situation. When he accidentally and surprisingly bonds with Marcus, he lashes out, refusing to acknowledge or accept Marcus or their bond. Their friends try to convince Alex to give Marcus a chance, but he doesn’t listen.
Alex is an utter ass to Marcus for more than 75% of the story. It got so infuriating, I wanted to jump in and smack Alex upside the head. Because of his unusual situation (surviving his Handler’s death), everyone treats Alex differently, letting him get away with far too much. It was completely unfair. There were so many times I felt like I couldn’t go any further because I was so mad at Alex and at times everyone else for the way they treated Marcus as well. I’m so glad I listened to this in the car by myself, because I was definitely yelling and cursing at the characters.
Unfortunately, Alex doesn’t “get his”. He didn’t get that “smack you in the face moment” when he realizes what an ass he’s been. Instead it’s a gradual awakening. When their friends get in trouble and some nut job is after Alex for research, instinct makes Alex work with Marcus to help their friends and take down the psycho. Their bond strengthens and Alex finally realizes he hasn’t been fair to Marcus or given him a chance.
Eventually it all works out of course, but I really think Alex’s attitude should have started resolving itself far earlier in the story than three-quarters in. If I wasn’t such a fan of shifter stories and bond-mates, I might have given up on this before the end.
But I love shifter stories and the variation depicted in this story (Protector/Handler bond mates) is so different from anything else I’ve read, I was sucked in and just couldn’t turn it off. I’m glad I stuck with it.
The narration was performed by Paul Morey. And while his voice is sometimes too deep for some of the characters, he does any amazing job giving the characters their own voice. This isn’t the first of his narrations I’ve listened to and I know it won’t be the last.
Cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews
Alex is an utter ass to Marcus for more than 75% of the story. It got so infuriating, I wanted to jump in and smack Alex upside the head. Because of his unusual situation (surviving his Handler’s death), everyone treats Alex differently, letting him get away with far too much. It was completely unfair. There were so many times I felt like I couldn’t go any further because I was so mad at Alex and at times everyone else for the way they treated Marcus as well. I’m so glad I listened to this in the car by myself, because I was definitely yelling and cursing at the characters.
Unfortunately, Alex doesn’t “get his”. He didn’t get that “smack you in the face moment” when he realizes what an ass he’s been. Instead it’s a gradual awakening. When their friends get in trouble and some nut job is after Alex for research, instinct makes Alex work with Marcus to help their friends and take down the psycho. Their bond strengthens and Alex finally realizes he hasn’t been fair to Marcus or given him a chance.
Eventually it all works out of course, but I really think Alex’s attitude should have started resolving itself far earlier in the story than three-quarters in. If I wasn’t such a fan of shifter stories and bond-mates, I might have given up on this before the end.
But I love shifter stories and the variation depicted in this story (Protector/Handler bond mates) is so different from anything else I’ve read, I was sucked in and just couldn’t turn it off. I’m glad I stuck with it.
The narration was performed by Paul Morey. And while his voice is sometimes too deep for some of the characters, he does any amazing job giving the characters their own voice. This isn’t the first of his narrations I’ve listened to and I know it won’t be the last.
Cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews
October 1, 2020
4.5 Stars ~ 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."
Please find my full review at Rainbow Book Reviews
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."
Please find my full review at Rainbow Book Reviews
February 8, 2015
4.5 STARS
This is a really different kind of shifter storyline, I loved it and found the plot quite novel and very refreshing in itself. It's a bit like The THIRDS series in that respect but still VERY different and funny while sad at the same time.
It's well written, with no sloppy mess here but it lost half a stars for the, sappy speak towards the end.
The MC and then MC's are quite numerous in number and well written characters.
I don't want to give anything away but if you like that, then you might love this. I will admit I have gone off a lot of shifter novels because of the same, same but different plots, well this is very original.
Hopefully some more people will read this, it great to read a stand alone book too but if there ever was a need for a series this could quite possibly pull it off. I don't know if there's a mention of it or not but I'd read it.
This is a really different kind of shifter storyline, I loved it and found the plot quite novel and very refreshing in itself. It's a bit like The THIRDS series in that respect but still VERY different and funny while sad at the same time.
It's well written, with no sloppy mess here but it lost half a stars for the, sappy speak towards the end.
The MC and then MC's are quite numerous in number and well written characters.
I don't want to give anything away but if you like that, then you might love this. I will admit I have gone off a lot of shifter novels because of the same, same but different plots, well this is very original.
Hopefully some more people will read this, it great to read a stand alone book too but if there ever was a need for a series this could quite possibly pull it off. I don't know if there's a mention of it or not but I'd read it.
June 8, 2014
Wow, just wow.
This wasn't without flaws, really, some of the ( really fantastic) worldbuilding went away unusued., as if the universe had taken on a role as yet another character... And there was a relly big loose thread still dangling at the end, but all in all rhis was a very satisfying, captivating read. Definitely recommended even if you don't like shifter storys, perhaps just then, as i'm no shifter fan myself but caught up totally in this book.
This wasn't without flaws, really, some of the ( really fantastic) worldbuilding went away unusued., as if the universe had taken on a role as yet another character... And there was a relly big loose thread still dangling at the end, but all in all rhis was a very satisfying, captivating read. Definitely recommended even if you don't like shifter storys, perhaps just then, as i'm no shifter fan myself but caught up totally in this book.
May 26, 2014
I liked the idea of it, but the middle third of the book with all the repetitive squabbling? That could go.
If there are more books in this Protector/Handler world though, I am so there.
If there are more books in this Protector/Handler world though, I am so there.
gave-up
May 15, 2014...I don't think I quite understand the universe. There are these people and they do stuff, and clearly there are more of them if there's an Institute, but they can't use them and have to rely on Alex? ...is this like they're really rare so they get assigned to special jurisdictions and apparently there's no way to request the services of these special people from a local jurisdiction or something? Or was this not considered high enough priority for that to be possible? It just sounds like it's not possible at all. Do these people become tied to a certain location, then?
It's still early so who knows. It just seems weird, though.
^that was so incredibly vague
Okay: why is Alex the only one capable of taking on this case? Clearly there are other warrior pairs; they're government-sanctioned and there's an Institute and everything. Is each pair assigned to a jurisdiction and that's it? They're not allowed to borrow personnel from neighboring departments? Or maybe these pairs are tied to a specific land place and after they become tied to it, they're ineffective elsewhere? Why do I even need to speculate so wildly about such a pivotal plot point?
And gah the concept is interesting-ish but the presentation is kind of bland. A lot of it is very exposition-y. Ryan is the typical ditzy sidekick archetype, although the author did slightly subvert it with the throwaway line about checking to see if he's got some sort of inner ear problem.
...Do you get ditzy idiot-types on police forces? How did they pass training and whatnot?
I like that the author expanded the universe so it really was a universe thing, with different countries having different takes on this one phenomenon. Makes it seem actually AU-ish. Again, though, it was presented blandly and exposition-y-ly.
What's with these characters and having asshole parents? Why couldn't they have been from well-adjusted families? They don't have to have tragic family backstories to be relatable, you know.
Marcus is a wangsty teenager. Woe is he, woe is he.
The Webbers are a single unit, I get it. They do not come in separate pieces. There is no John Webber and Samantha Webber. It's John-and-Samantha-Webber. Thank you.
"Marcus had to fend off the flirtations of several girls and two boys, and he did it by being the hardest badass Handler they ever met."
^Congratulations. You just made your LI into a Mary Sue.
Something something bullshit about this minor character.
Congratulations. You just, in a few short words, made Samantha into a coordinating Mary Sue.
Wow, young humans when shifter into dogs act like young dogs (puppies). That is revolutionary.
"John and Samantha were expert Guardsmen and fantastic instructors who had won many international awards in their field."
^I get it. They're supporting, they're bland, they're possibly author self-inserts.
Eh. Who gives a fuck. (someone probably does, but that person ain't me)
What I'm more interested in is the cultural semantics of "Protector"/"Handler." There's something inherently repressive about the language of it, especially when juxtaposed with the "warrior pair" term apparently used elsewhere. I think that, above anything that happens, is probs the most interesting feature of this story/the 'verse right now.
Dear lord everyone is fucking legendary this or amazingly masterful that.
Things happen, but there's this sort of...emptiness about it. Things happen, but not necessarily for a reason, and everyone is kind of just going through the motions. The shell of the 'verse and characters are there, but the soul is not. It's not even that the soul is surpressed as a defense mechanism, or whatever. It's just...not there. The story is devoid of life.
Makes it especially difficult because a pivotal part is supposed to be Alex's feelings in relation to Marcus(?)'s death and how he deals with that, and then getting bonded again though he resent that.
I have no sympathy for LI. The author actually took the time to take an aside about him and still did not establish any sort of soul. And I get it. It's difficult to instill a soul into writing if you don't feel it. It just feels like the author is in over xyr head, and xe makes a valiant effort, but it's still not enough.
"Goldstein smiled as she talked about her wife, who was as Irish as Goldstein was Israeli."
I fail to see the relevance of race except maybe a bad attempt at making some sort of social commentary based humor. It fell flat, at least for me, and came off as possibly offensive, but definitely out of place and patently odd, instead.
I don't understand Alex's resistance to the possibility of a new partner. He says all the right lines, but it doesn't feel like the author knew how to make it feel like he really means it.
D: it tries so hard, but it's still not good enough. It tries so hard that you can feel it trying very hard and it's not quite completely strained, but it's empty.
Who the fuck is Taylor?
...Oh. Alex Taylor? I didn't know that was his name.
Why are they blowing up at each other? What sense does that make? None at all. Or rather, slight sense for Alex, none for Marcus. (Oh, wait. Marcus isn't the dead one. Who's the dead guy, then?) It just makes him a bigger insufferable brat.
"The mature part of him felt sorry for Taylor..."
^What mature part of Marcus?
It's weird because Alex's side does have some emotion in it, but Marcus' is about as passionate as a Nolan romance.
The problem is it tries for free indirect discourse, but then lapses back into third limited. A lot of the narration is also described pretty dispassionately. It's weird; it fucks with your head to have it be all in-the-head descriptive and then dispassionate and enumerative.
Oookay the placement of the sex is weird and creepy and you just went from dog to human and that's just odd. My comfort level is probably about the same as it was when I was watching Up and Doug is all "You are my master. I love you master." aka I was - and am - very, very uncomfortable.
And also, the author hasn't made Marcus likeable yet.
Aaaand he's still in asshole. *sigh
Yech, geez, I can't do this. The foundation wasn't set well, at least not for me, and the rest of it can only go downhill from here. Plus, the main plot point introduced in the blurb already happened and the foundation to the emotions was whacked, and the emotions for that part were whacked, and it can only be painful and stupid and definitely dub-con, if not non-con. It would take a yaoi-esque miracle for these two to be together "happily" from this point.
DNF: 18.9%
47p
It's still early so who knows. It just seems weird, though.
^that was so incredibly vague
Okay: why is Alex the only one capable of taking on this case? Clearly there are other warrior pairs; they're government-sanctioned and there's an Institute and everything. Is each pair assigned to a jurisdiction and that's it? They're not allowed to borrow personnel from neighboring departments? Or maybe these pairs are tied to a specific land place and after they become tied to it, they're ineffective elsewhere? Why do I even need to speculate so wildly about such a pivotal plot point?
And gah the concept is interesting-ish but the presentation is kind of bland. A lot of it is very exposition-y. Ryan is the typical ditzy sidekick archetype, although the author did slightly subvert it with the throwaway line about checking to see if he's got some sort of inner ear problem.
...Do you get ditzy idiot-types on police forces? How did they pass training and whatnot?
I like that the author expanded the universe so it really was a universe thing, with different countries having different takes on this one phenomenon. Makes it seem actually AU-ish. Again, though, it was presented blandly and exposition-y-ly.
What's with these characters and having asshole parents? Why couldn't they have been from well-adjusted families? They don't have to have tragic family backstories to be relatable, you know.
Marcus is a wangsty teenager. Woe is he, woe is he.
The Webbers are a single unit, I get it. They do not come in separate pieces. There is no John Webber and Samantha Webber. It's John-and-Samantha-Webber. Thank you.
"Marcus had to fend off the flirtations of several girls and two boys, and he did it by being the hardest badass Handler they ever met."
^Congratulations. You just made your LI into a Mary Sue.
Something something bullshit about this minor character.
Congratulations. You just, in a few short words, made Samantha into a coordinating Mary Sue.
Wow, young humans when shifter into dogs act like young dogs (puppies). That is revolutionary.
"John and Samantha were expert Guardsmen and fantastic instructors who had won many international awards in their field."
^I get it. They're supporting, they're bland, they're possibly author self-inserts.
Eh. Who gives a fuck. (someone probably does, but that person ain't me)
What I'm more interested in is the cultural semantics of "Protector"/"Handler." There's something inherently repressive about the language of it, especially when juxtaposed with the "warrior pair" term apparently used elsewhere. I think that, above anything that happens, is probs the most interesting feature of this story/the 'verse right now.
Dear lord everyone is fucking legendary this or amazingly masterful that.
Things happen, but there's this sort of...emptiness about it. Things happen, but not necessarily for a reason, and everyone is kind of just going through the motions. The shell of the 'verse and characters are there, but the soul is not. It's not even that the soul is surpressed as a defense mechanism, or whatever. It's just...not there. The story is devoid of life.
Makes it especially difficult because a pivotal part is supposed to be Alex's feelings in relation to Marcus(?)'s death and how he deals with that, and then getting bonded again though he resent that.
I have no sympathy for LI. The author actually took the time to take an aside about him and still did not establish any sort of soul. And I get it. It's difficult to instill a soul into writing if you don't feel it. It just feels like the author is in over xyr head, and xe makes a valiant effort, but it's still not enough.
"Goldstein smiled as she talked about her wife, who was as Irish as Goldstein was Israeli."
I fail to see the relevance of race except maybe a bad attempt at making some sort of social commentary based humor. It fell flat, at least for me, and came off as possibly offensive, but definitely out of place and patently odd, instead.
I don't understand Alex's resistance to the possibility of a new partner. He says all the right lines, but it doesn't feel like the author knew how to make it feel like he really means it.
D: it tries so hard, but it's still not good enough. It tries so hard that you can feel it trying very hard and it's not quite completely strained, but it's empty.
Who the fuck is Taylor?
...Oh. Alex Taylor? I didn't know that was his name.
Why are they blowing up at each other? What sense does that make? None at all. Or rather, slight sense for Alex, none for Marcus. (Oh, wait. Marcus isn't the dead one. Who's the dead guy, then?) It just makes him a bigger insufferable brat.
"The mature part of him felt sorry for Taylor..."
^What mature part of Marcus?
It's weird because Alex's side does have some emotion in it, but Marcus' is about as passionate as a Nolan romance.
The problem is it tries for free indirect discourse, but then lapses back into third limited. A lot of the narration is also described pretty dispassionately. It's weird; it fucks with your head to have it be all in-the-head descriptive and then dispassionate and enumerative.
Oookay the placement of the sex is weird and creepy and you just went from dog to human and that's just odd. My comfort level is probably about the same as it was when I was watching Up and Doug is all "You are my master. I love you master." aka I was - and am - very, very uncomfortable.
And also, the author hasn't made Marcus likeable yet.
Aaaand he's still in asshole. *sigh
Yech, geez, I can't do this. The foundation wasn't set well, at least not for me, and the rest of it can only go downhill from here. Plus, the main plot point introduced in the blurb already happened and the foundation to the emotions was whacked, and the emotions for that part were whacked, and it can only be painful and stupid and definitely dub-con, if not non-con. It would take a yaoi-esque miracle for these two to be together "happily" from this point.
DNF: 18.9%
47p
March 19, 2022
I enjoyed the angst a lot during my read, but having the same issue dragged out for most of the book eventually got stale.
I think I would've minded less if this was an ongoing series with the same couple as POV characters, as in this book they barely got any time in together where they actually got along.
I think I would've minded less if this was an ongoing series with the same couple as POV characters, as in this book they barely got any time in together where they actually got along.
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