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Blurb
From New York Times bestselling author, Rebecca Zanetti, comes a new Dark Protectors—Reese Family Novella.
Now that her mask has finally slipped…
Ginny O’Toole has spent a lifetime repaying her family’s debt, and she’s finally at the end of her servitude with one last job. Of course, it couldn’t be easy. After stealing the computer files that will free her once and for all, she finds herself on the run from a pissed off vampire who has never fallen for her helpless act. A deadly predator too sexy for his own good. If he doesn’t knock it off, he’s going to see just how powerful she can really be.
He won’t be satisfied until she’s completely bare.
Theo Reese had been more than irritated at the beautiful yet helpless witch he’d known a century ago, thinking she was just useless fluff who enjoyed messing with men’s heads. The second he discovers she’s a ruthless thief determined to bring down his family, his blood burns and his interest peaks, sending his true nature into hunting mode. When he finds her, and he will, she’ll understand the real meaning of helpless.
Review
4 stars!
This novella is set in the Dark Protectors world, but sits somewhat separately from the overarching storyline, the third book about the Reese brothers – friends of the Realm and all-round badass alphas that you can’t help but love. Theo and Ginny’s story was hinted at in the last book and I knew it was going to be a wild ride, and I really enjoyed their enemies-to-lovers romance.
Ginny O’Toole is a witch and a thief. It was a career of choice until a decade ago when it became a necessity to save her family and her life. Now, she is on the final job that will free her from the clutches of a vicious blackmailer, however she has been told to steal a file that belongs to the Reese brothers, putting her on a collision course with her past.
Theo Reese is one determined vampire, and he’s after the one woman from his past he has never been able to forget. He’s known Ginny for centuries, and he knows that she puts on a front of being defenceless and innocent, but that she is capable of so much more. And now she holds a secret which could destroy his family, making her his target.
But when Theo catches up with Ginny he learns that all is not as it seems. She has been keeping secrets that put her very life in danger, and being the protective alpha that he is, he wants to step in and save her – if only she would let him. It’s a delicious battle leading to an explosive passion that has the potential to change everything for them both.
Theo crossed his arms, his gaze implacable. “Oh, lady. Your entire life just changed. Accept that now.”
Her head snapped up, and she stood. In her bare feet, looking up at least a foot to his hard gaze, she barely held back a telltale shiver. “Excuse me?”
“You’ve been tagged like an animal to get to me and my family.” His arms uncrossed. “You stole a file that could ruin us.” He moved toward her and took both arms in his, lifting her up on her toes. “You just became my responsibility, whether you like it or not. Get on board and now.”
I really enjoyed this Theo and Ginny together. They are both strong characters and their dynamic is snarky, combative and lots of fun. The love story is fast moving of course (as it needs to be), but there’s great chemistry between them, and I could feel the sexual tension and the growing emotion as they rekindled long-buried feelings and truly opened up to each other.
“I love you … I’ve loved you for centuries.”
As always, I really enjoyed the action scenes in the story, which made this an exciting read as Theo and his brothers search for the man behind Ginny’s torment and fight to bring him down before time runs out. I loved that we got to see both Chalton and Jared (and a cameo from Dage), and the introduction of Benny hints at things to come in the series and I’m really excited to see where it’s all going to go from here.
I loved this novella. Fun, romantic and steamy with great action, it’s a great addition to the series, and the growing Dark Protectors world.
4 stars.
And Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
See our Dark Protectors/Realm Enforcers series page for more info on the series
Excerpt
“No more lying,” he said softly. Way too softly.
A tremble shook her that had nothing to do with fear. Her nerves flashed to fully alive, and her skin sensitized. What the hell was happening to her? Her clothes were suddenly too restrictive. She licked her lips.
His gaze tracked her tongue. Tension exploded around them, rolling through the room.
She wanted to retreat a step, but her legs wouldn’t cooperate. “Theo—”
Pressing his thumb and forefinger beneath where her jaw met her neck, he drew her toward him. “You don’t speak unless it’s the truth. Got it?”
Fury speared through her. “Think you can stop me?” She lost any hint of helplessness.
“Yes.” His gaze dropped to her mouth. “Try me.”
God. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Her mind fuzzed. No. This couldn’t happen. She knew. She just knew that being kissed by Theo Reese would change her world. Considering her world was full of intrigue, pain, and lies right now…that might not be so bad. But getting involved with him would be a disaster. Especially right now. “Release me because this is a very bad idea,” she whispered.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “That wasn’t a lie.”
“No.” It wasn’t.
“Where’s the Benjamin file?” His gaze traveled up from her lips to her eyes.
All Saints, she could get lost in those midnight black eyes. This close, she could see different shades. Were there different shades of black? She hadn’t thought so before. Now, she could see them. Ah. Vampire eyes. Wait a minute. The vamps had tertiary eye colors that came out in times of stress or great emotion or supposedly during sex. Jared’s were just a darker black, which she’d seen once when he’d been in a fight as a kid. Chalton, the middle brother, had a deep blue that was almost black and didn’t look much different from his normal color. She only knew that because of a background file she’d read on him. There was no such background file on Theo. Unfortunately.
Theo leaned closer. “Ginny?”
“What other color are your eyes?” she blurted.
He blinked. Once and then twice. “The only way you’ll ever know that is if you’re naked.”
Naked. He said naked. She gulped down a swallow. Images of Theo sans clothing, over her, slid through her mind, down her body, and landed hard between her legs. Was it possible to faint from desire? Oh, she was a master at pretending to faint. But now, her knees actually wobbled. “How improper,” she said, fighting her hardest to keep her voice mild.
“The last thing in the world you need is proper.” His voice was even milder.
About Rebecca Zanetti
New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Rebecca Zanetti is the author of over twenty-five dark paranormals, romantic suspense, and contemporary romances. She lives in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with her own Alpha hero, two kids, a couple of dogs, a crazy cat…and a huge extended family. She believes strongly in luck, karma, and working her butt off…and she thinks one of the best things about being an author, unlike the lawyer she used to be, is that she can let the crazy out. Her current series are: The Dark Protectors, The Maverick Montana Cowboys, and the Sin Brothers series. Upcoming series are: The Realm Enforcers and The Scorpius Syndrome.
Check out our Rebecca Zanetti Author Spotlight for more of Rebecca’s work
Thank you so much! ~Jessica, InkSlinger PR