Being the Vice President’s daughter may come with many privileges, but for Blake Hewitt, living in the public eye has lead to disappointments and the feeling of inadequacy. Blake knew all too well how her father felt about her and he made no bones about letting her know what he thought every day. The frustration of never being good enough yet always seeking his approval and love has made it extremely difficult for her to be herself. Constantly pushed aside and made to feel unimportant by everyone around her, Blake develops a fear of letting anyone get too close. Her situation is made worse when a series of events made for great tabloid fodder, has her father reevaluating her presence on his reelection campaign trail. Bitterness quickly follows her banishment to the family cabin, but it’s the unrequited lust she has for the Secret Service agent assigned to her that becomes the focus. She is resolved to crack the hard exterior he presents if only to prove his attraction to her, but can she accept what he has to offer when she does.

Duty quickly turns into overwhelming desire when Mason’s assignment turns into a secluded getaway with his charge. With nothing but time on his hands, Mason quickly learns that Blake is a mass of interesting contradictions. When Blake makes it perfectly clear that she would like to move their relationship beyond the professional, Mason is conflicted over the risks of giving in. Vigilance is the key to his job of protecting her and her defiance is not only problematic, but a turn-on. Especially when Blake decides his watchfulness deserves a tempting peep-show reward. A battle of desirous wills ensues, but when the unexpected happens, Mason needs to decide if Blake has become more to him than ‘just the job’.

With loads of sexual tension, a dash of suspense, and plenty of spice the story has all the makings of an unstoppable read. The contemporary setting and characters are made for TV quality with clear descriptions and a perfect pacing that ensures never a dull moment. Mason is that wonderful balance of take-charge alpha with an underlying tender side and Blake complements him wonderfully with her vixen looks and innocent outlook. They are in vulnerable positions of control and desire, susceptible only to each other and the emotional destruction that can follow. Although Mason made his intentions clear before the relationship physically develops, I admittedly was a bit frustrated with Mason since he was fully aware of Blake’s emotional state thanks to her father. However, sex for sex’s sake helped to relieve the tension and stress and opened the door for them to emotionally advance. Not to mention those intimate scenes are melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Heat and heart are the two elements I have come to expect and enjoy from this author’s work and the first in her new Protect and Defend series most definitely delivers. Romance readers looking for a hero ready to protect and defend his woman should check this story out! ( )

There can be a fine line between a manly hero and an overbearing one. Karen Erikson manages to create our hero, Mason, who is both super-protective (he's a secret service agent!), yet also is incredibly thoughtful and sweet. That thrown in with just a slight bit of vulnerability and I was hooked. Even though he literally has to watch over Blake, the vice president's daughter, 24/7, it never once seems like he misuses that power. In fact, he does everything he can to remain a gentleman and keep his distance. Until that moment when the tension builds to a level too high to ignore. And boy, is it worth it when they are finally able to let loose.

I thought I was going to find Blake a bit annoying after the book opens with her being called a "party girl" But, once she and Mason get exiled far away from Washington, her true nature is seen, and she becomes very likable.

Although the book is categorized as "romantic suspense", it's really about 90% romance and 10% suspense. But, I didn't miss the extra action. The story did just fine focusing on the relationship between Mason and Blake. The ending was nice, but sort of felt like an epilogue wrapped up a bit too neatly. I think I instead would have liked to see a bit more of the private struggles for each of them in that time between the climax and the ending. As it is, they are only mentioned in passing.

Overall, a very good romantic "suspense" novel. I read it in a day.

3.5/5 stars. ( )