From the author of BlackwoodFrom the moment I saw her through the window of her flower shop, something other than darkness took root inside me. Charlie shone like a beacon in a world that had long since lost any light. But she was never meant for me, a man that killed without remorse and collected bounties drenched in blood.I thought staying away would keep her safe, would shield her from me. I … her from me. I was wrong. Danger followed in my wake like death at a slaughter house. I protected her from the threats that circled like black buzzards, kept her safe with kill after kill.
But everything comes with a price, especially second chances for a man like me.
Killing for her was easy. It was living for her that turned out to be the hard part.
Author’s Note: This is a full-length romance novel. It’s not a super-dark read, no trigger warning. Explicit violence and hot sex included. HEA, no cheating.
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This one is a bit dark, and dark isn’t my favorite genre to read, but I really enjoyed this one. Celia Aaron did it just right. The hero is over the top, but I loved him and was rooting for him the entire story!
Loved it!
There is nothing that I disliked about this story! NOTHING!!! Except it could have a bit more killing, Lol. A FANTABULOUS ride of action, non-stop killing, murder, betrayal, and most importantly hot sex. Conrad is a hitman and falls in love with Charlie, a florist. There is a back story to Charlie, but you have to read it to find out what it is. Suffice to say, she’s a bit of a badass in her own right. My favorite secondary character is Nate! I love that man so much! LOL! So freaking good, please run, not walk, to get this read, you will not be disappointed!!!! 4.5 stars!!!!
This is another book I’ve had sitting idly on my Kindle as throngs of readers have cheered it on and recommended it. Now that I’ve read it, I definitely see what all the cheering was about.
I loved Con, despite (maybe because of) what he did. He’s a great anti-hero, designed to check all my boxes yet never crossing my lines. Once he saw Charlie, that was it for him. He stalked her and desired her but never made a move to enter into her life. Once she does get thrust into his world, he is super protective, possessive and all out perfect. Well, except that he’s a killer. But hey, no one’s perfect.
Charlie was quite a surprise to me. The more I got to know her, the more I loved her. She might not be your typical kick tail heroine, but she was more than capable of taking care of herself when needed…and Con as well.
This had a fast start and continued to move quickly. While there isn’t a mystery here, there is a lot of action and it serves to highlight even more about this couple, individually and together. Add in one of Con’s co-workers and we not only had the addition of humor, but so much more awesomeness that I’ve got to check and make sure he has a book as well.
Conrad can be my dark protector! 5 stars
Celia Aaron’s words pulled me into this book & didn’t let me go! Loved the world she created, the storyline, the characters of Conrad & Charlie (plus Nate!) & the emotions she made me feel. Like I said, the bottom line is I loved this book!
Dark Protector
By: Celia Aaron
Narrated by: Erin Mallon, Lance Greenfield
Series: Dark Protector, Book 1
Dark and a little gritty, Celia Aaron starts this series with a bang! Conrad, a trained hit man finds himself enamored with Charlie, the owner of a flower shop. Yes, opposites attract, yet he does not act on it. Sitting outside her flower shop every day though, draws attention to her, and his enemies use this, kidnapping her to get his attention. And it works. Little did this couple know the real feelings that would develop! Aaron has woven a story with some dark qualities, heated passion, steamy scenes and in the midst of it all, humor. Conrad is so alpha, it’s impossible not to love him, and we find Charlie to be much more than she appears. It’s fast paced and an amazing listen. Nate who has his book next has some great scenes mixed in, sure to make you smile, giving us a glimpse of what is to come. Love the epilogue giving us a look to the future. Great start to this series!
Narration is key with this kind of darkish, romantic suspense, and Lance Greenfield and Erin Mallon nail it. Greenfield has a rough, raspiness to his voice that fits Conrad to a T. It’s deep, full of malice when needed, and the extremely enrapturing. Mallon gives Charlie an innocence in the beginning, with an inner strength that shines through. It’s the perfect team for this book.
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Con and Charlie….
Con and Charlie were hot! I love the dark story lines of Celia Aaron as a change of pace. The hero is always dark and severely messed up in some way but always finds his soft spot for the heroine. Con and Charlie were no different, the hard killing machine falling for the soft florist with a sketchy past. They were a perfect match especially once you learned of Charlie’s past. I can’t wait to read about Nate!
It was definitely hard for me to decide on a rating. Usually it’s fairly easy for me to choose but not this time. I think the base for this story is what threw me off so much. We have Conrad who is a hired gun for this mafia. (This is also my first mafia romance by the way.) He is constantly having to take out people and it takes a bit of his soul/humanity every time he does it. Conrad stumbles upon Charlie at her flower shop. Conrad never goes inside because he doesn’t want to mix their worlds. He sees himself as nonredeemable and doesn’t want to ruin Charlie’s innocence. The problem is, Conrad falls in love with Charlie just by watching her from the windows of her shop…..*Crickets*. One day, trouble follows Conrad to his sitting place and Charlie gets thrown into his world. This story had some SERIOUS instalove going on. It’s like all common sense was thrown out the window. They kept mentioning “gut feelings and vibes” for knowing they were meant to be with the other. That she “just knew” she was safe with this man she just met who put her in insane amounts of danger…. I think if they had met before, it would’ve been easier to accept. Let’s say he goes into her shop and makes small talk from time to time. Let them actually meet face to face before just diving head first into all this that it would’ve been easier to accept.
With all that being said, this book was definitely action packed. It was never a dull moment and I could appreciate that. I loved the characters for the most part. I think Nate (the trusty sidekick) was my favorite. I loved the premise of the story but once again, struggled with the instalove.
The book was hard to put down so it did have that going for it. It was definitely entertaining as well. I just really wanted a different foundation to this story to have enjoyed it more. I just couldn’t get over them falling for each other so quickly and the 100% trust being there on day one….
I loved this dark, dangerous story from Celia Aaron! Con and Charlie were EVERYTHING! The story was fast and action packed and so sexy! The characters were all so engaging. I wanted to know them. I can’t wait to read Nate’s book! He was a fun character. I will definitely be recommending this book to everyone!
I love Celia Aaron. I found her last year and loved the dark romances she writes. Though with this book, wasn’t up to my feel. It went by faster than I thought it would. I wasn’t fully impressed with Conrad. He was a bit lacking for me. Though he is the perfect hit man I just wasn’t feeling him.
Charlie was a flip flop character. She has a past that at times she shows the fear that was there but at the same time she doesn’t show the natural reaction. I know that doesn’t make much sense but that’s what she does. I don’t think I would be as stockholm as soon as she was.
I’m not explaining this right but I am also tired and in dire need of coffee. I will read Nate’s story but not any time soon. I know there’s also a third book in the series. If Nate’s story goes better I will decided then to continue on.
Peace out girl scout.
I put this at a solid 4.5 stars. How can I find a book with a REALLY dark hero, and some graphic violence, funny? The answer was mainly the supporting ‘hero’ called Nate. Oh my word every word out his mouth had me smiling and giggling. Quote from Nate “I lost my suicide mission check list, so I’ll just go off the top of my head here.”
If you’re considering purchasing this, you’ve probably read some dark mafia books and some very lightweight books that claim to be mafia but just don’t work. This isn’t either of those, it is an amazing, complex, not too dark but not to lightweight adventure of love and survival.
Conrad is a paid killer, he makes no excuses and no regrets about this. Charlie seems quite a reserved and quite woman and to be honest I did wonder how any ‘normal’ woman would feel safe with a mafia hitman. Yes romance books are a little bit fantasy but crikey if they stretch the bounds of belief too much I for one don’t enjoy them. Well clearly I enjoyed this and that it TOTALLY because of the amazing plot and also Charlie’s ‘back story’.
Charlie is a MUCH more complex character than first appearances suggest and there is just something special about Conrad, making them both extremely likable characters. I felt the connection between them and the burgeoning romance was absolutely believable. And who wouldn’t love a man who tells her “You’re it for me, The first, the last, the only person I want to touch or taste. The only one I want to kill for. The one I’d die for.” (swoon).
The plot twists, turns and loops around leaving you with no idea what will happen next. And it does so at just the right pace so that you are turning pages and gripped by the story, without having to re-read passages to understand what is happening. I found the epilogue just a little bit strange and slightly confusing but not enough to spoil the book for me, Have I said yet that I loved this book? Well I do. I REALLY recommend that you read it.
Wicked good, love this book! Once I started reading it was hard to put down, Con and Charlie story was great.
I loved this story! Celia Aaron is fast becoming a new favorite of mine. This story was brimming with kidnapping, murder, betrayal, and retribution. Everything needed to enrapture the reader. Blend in an intense, enigmatic leading man, a flippant witty sidekick, and a flower with thorns and you have the elements of a gritty, charming, humorous extraordinary read!!
A definite 5* status for me!
Dark Protector is a thrilling and exciting read.
Charlie is a florist, and well Conrad just kills people for a living. For whatever reason Conrad has it bad for Charlie. And well the evilest people realize this and take her against her will.
There are things I loved about this story and other things I felt were meh. The thing I like the most was the skill of Conrad. He was this Dark, menacing man. Who won’t let anyone stop him from saving the one person that he feels connected to. There was plenty of action throughout the story, which I loved. I didn’t feel the undying connection from Conrad and Charlie. Which, I desperately wanted to explore. I thought there would be more of a profound reasoning, to why Conrad was so taken by Charlie. But it was just because he saw her through her shop window. And I loved that Charlie wasn’t this weak woman. She was strong, and she was a Survivor.
Overall, I have to give this a Four, I did enjoy it, and I felt the thrill of it. I just didn’t feel that deep connection between the two characters.
So so good! Fast paced, lots of action and suspense (of the bloody and the steamy kind;)
This book wasn’t as dark as some of her others but it was still fantastic. Especially for a mafia romance. I was a little iffy about how the story was going to go when I met Conrad, but definitely didn’t expect what happened. Charlie was my favorite in this one. I loved her attitude and her reaction to Conrad. I actually loved him and Charlie together. Their relationship in the end was amazing and they both were good for each other. Another great book by Celia.
It seems that I have a thing for Dark Protector. Nothing like a cold blooded killer to warm up your insides. No, you don’t think so?!? Clearly you haven’t met Con!
Con was wooed by the quiet flower. The beautiful woman hiding among the roses of her shop. He watched her. It was his own form of Heaven.
But someone tried to take his Heaven and that isn’t something Conrad takes lightly. No- he’d do anything to keep his Heaven safe.
She had no idea who he was. She didn’t know what he did. She only knows that he’s the reason she is in this mess. She also knows that she’s definitely in trouble. Charlie (Conrad’s personal Heaven) never met the man and only saw him once. What an impression he made too!
Trust and faith. He wants her trust. She has to decide if he’s worth it because he is her only shot at getting out alive.
reviewed for the Sweet Spot Sisterhood
Another sexy and twisted read by an author that is quickly becoming a favorite.
Although Dark Protector is not as dark and intense as I thought, it was still quite the page turner and worth the read.
The writing was good, the story flowed easily and Conrad was the perfect anti hero!
Charlie is the owner of a flower shop. She closely guards her secrets and demons by immersing her life into making beautiful flower arrangements. Her only spark of happiness is knowing that there’s a stranger in the shadows who’s watching her 2-3 times a week from across the street and strangely making her feel protected and cared for. In fact, she’s grown accustomed to his stalking, and misses him when he doesn’t show up!
When a shootout occurs outside her flower shop, she finally sees him but what she witnessed makes her believe, that this may be the last time she ever sees him.
Little did she know that this was just the beginning of her new reality!
Kidnapped, and assaulted by the Mafia, she learns that her fate is due to her stranger stalker!
Conrad fights his way to find and rescue her and they set off on a strange getaway. He’s been obsessed with her, but he’s conflicted with a tug of war between protecting her and letting her go.
Revealing their truths of their sad and tragic pasts turned into an insta-lust, insta love story.
Many questions about these 2 were left unanswered for me.
A sexy mafia read that is full of suspense, drama and of course, passion. I can’t get enough of this author and her books! Finished in one sitting because I didn’t want to put it down!
When it comes to dark and twisty romantic suspense, Celia Aaron will always be one of my go to authors.
Conrad and Charlie are meant to be, but even though they get the ending that everyone who reads romance hopes for, how they arrive there has more twists and turns than Lombard Street. Charlie is a survivor, smart and strong and it doesn’t take Conrad long to realize he’s underestimated the beauty he’s been “stalking” through the window.
These characters are magnetic and believable and you can’t help but root for them. The story is well written and full of non-stop action. The brutality of Conrad’s world grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go beginning with the very first chapter, but with some very interesting side characters, the author manages to release the pressure valve from time to time.
Thank you Celia, you never fail to entertain me !
I enjoyed the way the man changed his life around because of love. Good book.