Review: Deceiving the Protector by Dee Tenorio

Title: Deceiving the Protector Series: Resurrection #2 Author: Dee Tenorio Publisher: Carina Press Published: August 15, 2011 My Copy: NetGalley The mate he never wanted may be the woman he can never have…. After a series of murders is discovered along the trail of the Shifter Underground, wolf soldier Jensen Tate is assigned to find and protect a missing stray. But Lia Crawford doesn’t seem to want his protection. When she eludes his watch and returns with mysterious injuries, Tate knows she’s hiding something. To discover her secrets, he’ll have to win her trust….and get closer to the woman he thinks may be his mate. Lia has reasons to keep her distance. The killer is haunting her steps, determined to claim her. He will come after them both if he sees how drawn she is to Tate, though it becomes increasingly difficult to deny her attraction to him. Protecting Tate is vital – but will her deception cost her his love?

This is the second time this month that I’ve started a new series without having read the books that came before it. I hope I’m not developing a bad habit all of a sudden! Fortunately, I didn’t feel lost while reading Deceiving the Protector; quite the contrary actually, I loved this book and am curious to know how this tale begins. I don’t usually enjoy dystopia type scenarios but in this instance it works. The plotline of this novel offers an incredibly unique take on werewolves. There’s also a lot of twists and turns that kept me guessing and made for a very gripping read.

I liked Tate and Lia’s first meeting and the subsequent bond that formed between them. Lia is abrasive, secretive and one of the strongest willed characters that I’ve ever encountered. The crap that she’s been through and survived is staggering. It’d be one thing if she was just being bombarded from one side but it’s her very existence that’s messed up. Lia’s family was murdered, her sister was stolen from her, she was experimented on, forced into a mate bonding with a monster, and the list goes on! Running away isn’t even an option because the bad guys can always find her. Talk about hopeless! I was rooting for the tables to turn for Lia through this entire book. This poor girl hit rock bottom a long time ago, it’s about time for her luck to change!

Enter Tate, the ray of light in Lia’s dark universe. He has no idea what he’s getting himself into. At first it looks like a regular mission but as the story progresses he learns that there’s a lot more to his “assignment” than meets the eye. Tate plays the role of a knight in shinning armor to a T. Stereotypical? Yes, but what girl doesn’t love a good dose of masculine heroism every once in a while? Tate’s also incredibly persistent and slowly manages to break through Lia’s tough exterior. He’s not forceful about it either; he uses his charm to weaken her defenses and his suavely manner is near impossible to resist. He starts by making her smile and goes from there. Aaww.

It’s the storyline that truly did it for me in Deceiving the Protector. There’s a palpable sense of fear that lingers in the air throughout this tale. You never know when the other shoe is about to drop. Lia’s sad tale will have you rooting for something good to happen to her in no time. However, like most things, nothing is ever that easy. The pace of this novel won’t leave you reeling but it does maintain a nice momentum that’ll have you anxious to find out how it all ends. The wolfish life mate element also plays an important role in the development of this story. Dee Tenorio does a fantastic job of incorporating it by staying true to its foundations but without making things too predictable or mushy. I consider myself to be a pretty knowledgeable werewolf critic and I wasn’t able to find any faults is the furrier aspects of this tale. Kudos for that!

The main characters from Tempting the Enemy do make appearances towards the end of this read but this book stands well enough on its own. Mind you, my curiosity is peaked after finishing this second installment and I feel the need to backtrack to the beginning of the Resurrection series. Deceiving the Protector is a madly enjoyable read with a good action to romance ratio; your heart will go from racing to jello many times over. Thanks for the great ride Dee Tenorio! I’ll be making another trip into your Resurrection universe again sometime very soon.

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Read Excerpt

Buy From:
Amazon / Carina Press

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