Mary's Musings about THE PROTECTOR by Marliss Melton

The Reading Reviewer

Mary’s Musings...about  

Marliss Melton’s amazing new series that starts with 

The Protector (review below).  I have never met Marliss but she is one of the kindest people I know and plan to meet personally someday we just keep missing each other.  When I lost my job last year she sent me so many encouraging emails and positive ideas to find a new job that I knew we were going to be friends.  I owe her so much for the support and she loves my reviews so I always say thank you for that.

Being a hero is what this book is all about and heroes come in every variety and it can be from an email friend or someone who helps you out of a burning building.  Everyone has the ability to be a hero and everyone should have one to look up to.  Finish reading all of this to find out who Marliss's hero is and you will be wiping away a tear for sure.

MARLISS MELTON

The bio on Marliss is an informational read that fascinates me as much as her books.  I knew she was the author of the bestselling Team Twelve Navy SEALs series but, I did not know that Marliss is also the wife of a retired Navy veteran.  She relies on her experience as a military spouse and on her many contacts in the Spec Ops and Intelligence communities to pen realistic and heartfelt stories about America's most elite warrior, the U.S. Navy SEAL.

As the daughter of a US intelligence officer, Melton grew up in various countries overseas and has taught Spanish, ESL, and Linguistics at the College of William and Mary, her alma mater. In addition to her writing, Melton busies herself raising a young daughter, keeping tabs on three college students (good luck with that), and walking her miniature Australian Sheepdog.

Then I read about who her real life hero is and found out it is her husband Alan and the reason why blew me away.  If this doesn’t melt your heart nothing will.

From Marliss’s own words the question of “What makes a man a hero”?  It helps that he’s easy on the eyes (believe me, ladies, bald is better), but his generous spirit sets him apart.  Alan is always the first to extend a helping hand.  He can do anything, fix anything, take on any challenge, and come out on top.  He’s the kind of man who walks on the curb so you can have the safety of the sidewalk. He can back up a boat trailer without getting flustered (for anyone who owns a boat you know what a nightmare that is).  He never forgets a birthday or an anniversary, can fix anyone’s computer—remotely (keeper).  But most heroic of all, he took in my two sons who’d lost their father to an accident, and he does his best for them, not to mention the other four kids we have.  You’d never guess his own tragic history by what Alan has made of himself.  He’s the love of my life, which is why you’ll find a little of him sprinkled into all my heroes.  He’s the magic ingredient that makes readers fall in love!  

Now I received a copy of this book from the author who asked me for a review but she is such a doll she autographed it so, I am going to keep this one.  But because I appreciate my followers and I want to support Marliss's success, on my own dime I am going to provide one lucky winner a copy of this book in their choice of either eBook or paperback.  What I am asking today should be an easy question but it stumped me completely when I asked it of myself “who is your hero”?  Come back on Sunday July 31^st to see if you have won.  Please remember if you do not come back, you won't know if you won because I am going to need your address.  

REVIEW from Mary Gramlich "The Reading Reviewer"

THE PROTECTOR by Marliss Melton

07/11 – Published by CreateSpace - Paperback, 240 pages

Is it the person or the act that makes one a hero?

Eryn McClellan has traveled the world as her family gladly followed her father’s military career.  She admires her father, respects him and the choices he has made for the military, even though those choices have resulted in her becoming a target for a terrorist group that wants her head literally on a silver platter.  The only person her father trusts to keep her safe is Isaac “Ike” Calhoun, a retired Navy SEAL who knows all the best places to hide because that is what he has been doing since he left the military.  Ike blames himself for a choice that cost several soldiers’ lives, even though he felt his decision was the right one.  Guilt drove him to where he is now, but obligation to the man he served for many years compel him to protect Eryn.

Ike does not want the job, but he would never say no to the man who filled the family gap Ike desperately needed.  So he snatches Eryn and her dog from FBI custody and conveys her to his remote mountain hideaway.  The problem is the FBI wants to keep her safe, too, despite their loose definition of “safe,” since they mean to use her as bait.  Ike is having none of this idea.  His cabin is safe and the security strong.  No one is getting in without Ike knowing.  The problem is not perimeter-safety, however; it is his unwanted attraction to Eryn that threatens the wall around his heart.

 Ike keeps everything in check, even his rising desire for Eryn.  In the military, self-discipline is how you stay alive.  But faced with Eryn’s gentle ways and trusting nature, Ike’s hard-line stance begins soften.  One touch turns to a kiss, which becomes a caress, and before Ike knows what has happened, he is willing to risk his life and his heart to make sure no one touches Eryn but himself.

The chase gains momentum, and soon the bad guys can be distinguished from the less-than-honorable.  By then, Eryn has chosen her hero. She has learned that Ike may not have much to say, but the few words he expresses are genuine and true.

This is a great adventure book mixed with the perfect ratio of suspense to romance, keeping readers on pins and needles wondering what will happen next.  I would have liked more detail about Ike’s family angst, but everything else is exceptional.