ARC Review: Protecting Rebel (Red Stone Security #21)

Protecting Rebel (Red Stone Security #21)

By Katie Reus

Blurb:

They’ve been friends since they were kids…

Musical superstar Rebel doesn’t have many people in her life she trusts. The majority have always wanted something from her; fame, money, influence. She’s learned to keep her protective walls high, but it’s made having a real life impossible. Then a funeral sends her home and into the arms of her childhood friend who protected her from danger when they were young—the only man she’s ever truly wanted.

But he’s always wanted more than friendship…

Weston is stunned when Rebel shows up to his aunt’s funeral. They’ve stayed in touch over the years but he always thought she was with someone and out of his league. When he discovers she’s single, the billionaire knows it’s time to make his move. But danger strikes before he can, and keeping her safe is the only thing that matters. The threat is closer than anyone imagined, and Weston will do whatever it takes to protect the woman who stole his heart so many years ago.

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating:  4.25 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

Nothing is sweeter than first love, except maybe finding out that first love is true love never forgotten. Often when we think of first loves we know it’s the kind of love was either never meant to last, or we were too young to truly understand the trials and tribulations required for love to last. But in tis newest story by Katie Reus she shows us that sometimes that love is the kind of passion and love that only continues to linger in our hearts and truly lasts forever.  I loved every moment of this story and knew that Rebel and Weston were going to be an intriguing and entertaining couple as they came to terms with their feelings and the truth of their pasts and future.  The story gives us loves of flashbacks to when Rebel and Weston were teenagers, in the first bloom or life and love, when they were forced to separate in order to find their places in life and their careers, but they never forgot one another.  This story is just another example of how Katie manages to bring characters together despite everything being against them and us thinking there is no way she can do it.  I am dying to find out which of the Red Stone folks find their mate next and seeing more of the previous couples.

Rebel left her hometown a long time ago, leaving behind a terrible childhood, but she never forgot the loving neighbor that helped her to find her way to stardom and always supported her. When her “adopted Aunt” passes away she knows she can’t miss the funeral and attends in disguise so her stardom doesn’t cause a circus, but she also doesn’t want to make waves for Weston, the boy she never stopped loving who will definitely be at his Aunt’s funeral. Weston knows the moment Rebel walks into the funeral and there’s no way he is going to let her distance herself. He’s always loved the wild spirited girl he knew was too good for him, but now that the woman is back, not to mention single and in danger, he’s not letting her get away.  Determined to protect and care for her, but the more danger they discover in her life, the more Weston knows he can no longer hide what he truly wants from her.  When they finally admit to one another just how deep their feeling are, there is no longer any denying the passion and need between them, but can they build a lasting relationship with lifestyle Rebel leads, the danger’s swirling around them and a stalker out to kill Rebel? Or have they run out of time just when they finally found the courage to share their love?

Rebel was a great characters, the kind of woman we all want as our friends.  She’s sweet, fun, sassy, but when it comes to her friends, work, or the man she loves she does whatever is necessary to protect and provide.  Very seldom do we get to see the backstory in real time like we did with Rebel and Weston, but I enjoyed getting to see the story of how Rebel got her start.  It showed us how she’s developed and how far she’s come as a woman and a professional. She’s supportive of Weston as he begins his career in the military and then as he transitions into his tech startup, even if she can’t be with him in person, she always provides him the emotional connection he craves. Once they are back together she continues to show him the sweet and loving girl underneath the star that everyone else sees, reminding him that though they have both grown and changed, their love and connection remains and always will. Weston is the man that has done a lot and see entirely too much, like many military guys, but finally getting his chance to be with the woman he loves brings out all his protective and possessive instincts.  He was the sweetest and strongest alpha, taking over her protection, but still letting her make her own choices after they discussed things, instead  of simply overtaking her life.  He made sure she always understood how much she meant to him even in the smallest of ways and with the smallest of gestures.  They were obviously meant to be from the first moment their lives intertwined.

I truly relished every moment of this story, seeing Rebel and Weston both come to understood they have loved one another from the beginning.  Katie Reus has such a way with her characters, bringing them to life and showing us that even the richest billionaires, the brightest music stars, are just people, looking for love and hoping to connect.  Rebel has overcome her upbringing in order to dazzle music fans the world over, but she’s never gotten over the boy that touched her heart in her teens.  Returning home she knows she’ll be confronted with seeing him, possibly on another woman’s arm, but she can’t resist seeing him again.  Weston hopes to see Rebel again, but he has no hope of making her his, until he discovers the truth of her freedom and then he pulls out all the stops in order to make her his.  Together they will work to protect Rebel from a vicious stalker dedicated to stopping Rebel’s career no matter what it takes, including murder.  So they understand their love is deeper than either ever imagined and there is nothing they won’t do to have a bright future together.  The passion between these two once they opened the door to the emotions was red-hot and I loved experiencing it with them.  I am dying for the next story but nothing new there as I always beg for more from Katie at the end of every story.

Keep the magic coming Katie!

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.