The Protector by Susan Stoker | Audiobook Review • Ana's Attic Book Blog

The Protector: Game of Chance, Book 1 by Susan Stoker

Narrated by Ava Erickson and Ryan West

1st in a related series. Stands alone perfectly.

I asked the authors in the Readers on the River group to suggest one book of theirs to recommend, and Susan Stoker’s answer was The Protector. It’s been years since I read one of her books, so I picked it up. Bonus was that the audiobook was free in Kindle Unlimited! 8.5 hours later I finished. Seriously, I NEVER listen to a book in one sitting, but I did with The Protector by Susan Stoker.

It was predictable and sometimes cheesy, but it was such an easy listen that I gobbled it up like candy. I always think I’m not really into military romance but I must be lying to myself because I love romantic suspense with protective alphas and The Protector was the perfect example of this.

The series is about 4 best friends who used to be prisoners of war together, then moved back to the States to open a lumberjack service in Maine, and each gets their own story. Riggs, aka “Chappy” is the hero of the first book. He is hunkering down in his remote cabin during a snowstorm when a dog outside captures his attention and leads him to Carlisle (female) trudging through the snow in the middle of nowhere because her car hit a snowbank.

As soon as they get back to his cabin he falls very ill with a fever and she ends up having to take care of this stranger who saved her, and the stray dog too. Carlisle has a stalker. She thinks it’s her ex but she isn’t sure so she left town to get away from the situation and just kept driving, ending up in Maine. But the stalker is still after her, and Riggs is a trained protector.

“You haven’t had a good example of what a relationship should look like, but I’ve got you, Carlise. If you’re hungry, I’ll feed you. If you’re cold, I’ll bring you some blankets. If you’re scared, I’ll keep you safe, and if you’re happy, I’ll do whatever I can to keep you that way.”

Likes:

Fast-paced and written to be addicting.
Likable characters.
Some funny moments, emotional moments, and moments that keep you on the edge of your seat.
Though The Protector is like the old Harlequin books or a Hallmark movie…formulaic and predictable, I COULD NOT STOP LISTENING.
Good setup for the next book, The Royal, which I have already downloaded.

Dislikes:

3rd person.
Cheesy to the point of cringiness sometimes.

The Narration:

Ryan West is very slow, so I had to speed this one up more than usual which helped a lot and I enjoyed his narration. I always love Ava Erickson. Having the two narrators really helped the third person not feel as noticeable. I think you would be OK with either format of this book.

The Down & Dirty:

The Protector was easy to get sucked right into. It’s cheesy and formulaic but that didn’t stop me from gobbling it up like addictive candy. Despite insta-love, 3rd person, corny lines and predictability, I still could not stop listening and loving it, almost like a guilty pleasure. I have already downloaded the next in the series, The Royal, and I can tell you I will be grabbing the rest of the series as they release. I’m hooked.