Sunday, January 8, 2012

Review: Unlikely Protector by Nicole Sheldon

Unlikely Protector by Nicole Sheldon
Publisher: Raven Mad Publishing
Genre: Paranormal Romance Unlikely Protector Cover
Blue Ribbon Rating: 5 out of 5
Original Review Link
Book Purchase Link

Nobody ever expects the world as they know it to end. But in the year two thousand and twelve, that’s exactly what happens. The veil between the human and supernatural world falls and what’s left of humanity is solely focused on survival.

For Moria, the end of the world hasn’t simply taken her from all she’s known; it’s given her a new purpose. Moria puts her knack for problem-solving to use at the underground survivor camp she lives in, but even her capabilities can’t prevent the need for the camp to move topside. The road to safety is fraught with supernatural peril. If Moria wants to make it to the new camp alive, she’ll have to rely not just on herself, but on Luke, a fellow survivor. The only problem is, while Luke may keep her body safe, Moria finds he’s a greater danger to her heart.

Debut author Nicole Sheldon brings originality and sensuality to the end of the world in the fantastic UNLIKELY PROTECTOR! Generally, I’m not a fan of post-apocalyptic romances, but Ms. Sheldon has changed my stance. UNLIKELY PROTECTOR is an imaginative, exciting, romantic story unlike any post-apocalyptic tale I’ve read before. There’s so much LIFE to Moria and Luke’s story that I was captivated from the first page to the last.

Moria is an ordinary woman who lands in extraordinary circumstances. What I love about Moria is that Ms. Sheldon makes her relatable; she’s smart, funny and hard-working, but she’s not superhuman. There’s natural vulnerability in her that matches her strength and the combination of the two makes Moria an exceptional heroine. And while UNLIKELY PROTECTOR is told from Moria’s point of view, Luke matches her in every way as a hero. At first, he appeared to be the strong, silent type, but Ms. Sheldon proves that still waters run deep. Deep and deliciously sexy. Luke’s a hero that’ll make you jealous of Moria – and yes, that’s even taking into account the supernatural dangers Moria has to deal with.

After the world had essentially crashed down around humanity’s ears, my first thought would be that love would be the last thing on anyone’s mind, even months after the apocalypse. But Ms. Sheldon made me re-think my assumptions. Love, lust, caring – any of those emotions really – is a large part of what makes us human. Moria and Luke’s burgeoning relationship didn’t just satisfy me as a romance reader; the quintessentially human aspects of their love story served as a contrast between humanity and the supernatural creatures that hunt them. Those same emotions also ultimately provided the catalyst – though I won’t spoil how – to the most unlikely of connections being made.

UNLIKELY PROTECTOR was a joy to read, pure and simple. It has everything you could want in a story; a clever and brave heroine, a sensual and strong hero, romance, danger, excitement and unusual creatures. I loved UNLIKELY PROTECTOR, and I can’t wait to see what Ms. Sheldon writes next!


Note: My review was written for Romance Junkies and is cross-posted here with permission from Romance Junkies.

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