She was off-limits.Eric Wilde has always known that Piper Lane isn’t for him. She is his younger brother’s best friend…and probably more. But that hasn’t stopped Eric from wanting her, from longing for the one woman that he can’t have. Sure, he’s rich, successful—he’s built a security empire, and he’s got the world at his feet. Only he doesn’t have her. He is the one man she needs the most.… man she needs the most.
Free-spirited Piper Lane has always considered Eric to be the enemy. He’s seemed to resent her, and the guy just flat-out makes her nervous. Every time she’s around him, she winds up doing something horribly embarrassing. But, this time…everything has changed. This time, he’s the one man she needs the most.
Something is stalking Piper.
A stranger has broken into Piper’s home twice, and she feels like someone is following her. Watching her every move. She needs a professional to help her—so enter Eric Wilde. He promises her protection, he promises to put his best investigators on her case, and he even moves her into his house. Suddenly, the guy who has always been the villain in her life…he’s now playing the role of hero.
Everything will change as the danger mounts.
And maybe Eric isn’t so bad, after all. The more time that Piper spends with him, the more she realizes that her feelings for Eric are far more complicated that she ever imagined. Desire explodes between them even as the danger deepens around her. Someone in the dark is targeting Piper, and he is determined that if he can’t possess her…then he will destroy her.
PROTECTING PIPER…a sizzling new romance from New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Cynthia Eden.
more
Regardless of what happens the rest of the series, I already know Eric is going to be my favorite character from these books.
He’s commanding, no-nonsense, and an all around Alpha male. I LOVE HIM!
It’s been awhile since I’ve read a CE book, and man did I miss her. This book is the perfect start to this series. You get hint at some of the players and the suspense is in your face, ready to play.
Piper is funny and awkward and lovable. She doesn’t let her insecurities get the best of her and has a hidden strength I don’t think even she knew she had.
The story keeps your guessing until maybe the last 2 or 3 chapters, when you start to really see what’s going on (at least for me). On to book 2.
A fun read, even though it’s another primo alpha and oblivious woman combined with a mystery (what else do you do with a primo alpha?). He’s somewhat a caricature/archetype pissing around oblivious woman, who has issues. Still enjoyable, but know that’s what you’re getting.
Love Cynthia Eden’s books.
I loved pretty much everything about this book. It has mature, emotionally fluent characters who communicate well, and suspense that kept me reading longer at night than I should have.
Quick easy read with a couple of twists
Absolutely LOVED this book!! First book by this author but have just downloaded three others and cannot wait to read them.
Great read that I loved the bond between family.
I really enjoyed the book, and the characters.
Struggled to finish
Eric Wilde owner of a security empire has everything a man would want in life except for Piper Lane. He has always known that wanting Piper is wrong and that it would be crossing the line. She is his younger brother’s best friend and will probably end up with his ring on her finger. But that doesn’t stop Eric from wanting her for himself. He longs for what he can’t have.
Piper Lane has always considered Eric to be the enemy. He broke her heart at 15 and with time it seems like he truly hates her. The guy has always made her nervous, especially when he’s nice to her. But every time she’s around him, she winds up doing something embarrassing. But everything has changed and this is one time that she needs him more than her BF.
A stranger has broken into Piper’s home twice, besides being watched and followed, she is now being stalked. Piper knows that she needs a professional to help her but is reluctant to have Eric Wilde be that person. He promises to put his best investigators on the case and to protect her at all costs. That includes moving her in with him. Suddenly, Eric goes from being the enemy to her white knight.
The more time that Piper spends with him, the more she realizes that he ain’t so bad. Her feelings for Eric are complicated and soon everything changes between them. Desire erupts between them as the danger explodes around her. Someone is targeting Piper, something dark and scary and he’s determined that if he can’t have her then he will destroy everyone close to her and maybe her too.
A MASTERFULLY WOVEN WEB OF SUSPENSE & INTRIGUE!!!
Title: Protecting Piper
Series: Wilde Ways
Author: Cynthia Eden
Designation: BOok 1 of Series, Full-Length Novel, Standalone, No Cliffhanger #contemporary #romanticsuspense #bestfriendsbrother
My Rating: Five Sexy, Suspenseful Stars*****
Wow! I LOVED Protecting Piper! I adore romantic suspense and one of my top five authors in the genre is Cynthia Eden. I own almost every book she’s ever published, and she still manages to lead me on a merry chase – every single time! I’ve been a fan for 10 years, and I may have correctly guessed the identity of the killer twice – maybe. Apparently, I’m just not criminal mastermind material! Thank heavens! lol… However, I do enjoy reading about them and no one weaves a wicked web of suspense, intrigue, and romance quite like Cynthia Eden, and Protecting Piper, the first release in her exciting new Wilde Ways Series, is certainly an example of Eden at her best. There’s so much I enjoyed about this book. It’s well crafted, as always, with a perfectly paced and beautifully written third person narrative. The dialogue is smart, snappy, and flows effortlessly. The entire story arc is masterfully executed with a compellingly intricate conflict that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and a plethora of unexpected plot twists you’ll never see coming. But without a doubt, my favorite component of every Eden story is her large cast of complex and engaging characters. I was immediately smitten with the two protagonists, Eric Wilde and Piper Lane. Eric was handsome, gruff, growly, sometimes charming, and all alpha male. He was also wicked smart and the owner and founder of Wilde Securities, a high-tech and very successful security firm in Atlanta providing protection for the rich and famous. He could afford anything he wanted and could have any woman he desired, except one – his younger brother’s best friend, artist and Atlanta gallery owner Piper Lane. He’d fantasized about her for years, but he was older and Piper belonged to his brother Ben. Or so he thought… Piper was beautiful, talented, determined to succeed, and sadly all alone in the world, except for her best friend Ben Wilde. She and Ben had been besties since childhood but as much as she loved Ben, she wasn’t in love with him. Nope, she’d had an ongoing crush on his older brother, Eric Wilde, for most of her life. Unfortunately, Eric didn’t seem to reciprocate her feelings and apparently hated her guts… Or so she thought. But someone was stalking Piper, frightening her, threatening her, and that changed everything for Eric Wilde. He’d given his brother plenty of time to put up or shut up with Piper, but now it was time for Ben to move out of his way. Brother or not, Piper’s life was at risk, and she was his to protect, and his to love. When it came to the woman he loved, Eric Wilde couldn’t afford to fail. After all, Wilde Securities was the very best in protection services. And once he eliminated the threat and saved Piper, she’d be his – forever. Now, he only needed to clear up this little misunderstanding about him not liking her, because he didn’t just like her – he loved her. Poor Eric… he was so clueless, which most men are in matters of the heart, but he and Piper were absolutely perfect together and complemented each other brilliantly, and their chemistry was smokin’ hot. It was so much fun watching the two of them dance around each other. Absolutely captivating!
So, did I like this book? No, I loved it! Would I recommend it? You bet, and I am but only for adult readers. It does contain graphic violence, profanity, and explicit sex. If you enjoy dark, intense, edge-of-your-seat romantic suspense, then this is the book for you. Will I read this author again? Absolutely! Just as soon as she releases her next book. I can hardly wait to dive into the second book of the Wilde Ways Series, Guarding Gwen, which is currently waiting on my e-reader now! And finally, was I entertained? Completely! I was glued to my seat, white-knuckling my e-reader, my heart beating wildly in my chest, the pages flying as I made a mad dash for the end to discover the identity of the villain – or villains! Nuh-uh, no spoilers from me! Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read!
I really enjoyed this romantic suspense by Ms. Eden. This is Piper and Eric’s story. Piper is being hounded by a murderous stalker and Eric who has loved her for many years, kept his distance because he believed that she belonged to someone close to both of them. This was a different take for me because I found it fascinating that Piper was afraid to let her male BFF know of her feelings for Eric. The suspense just about killed me and in true Eden fashion I was befuddled as to who the villain was almost up to the end. I did figure it out though, Lol. Great read!! 4 stars****
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book provided by NetGalley*****
The double-layered intensity of the story had me all twisted and on pins and needles as I binge-read Eric and Piper’s story. I absolutely adored this tale and the fact that the author was able to change my opinion of the hero as the story progressed.
Eric is an alpha man to the point of being stubborn, boorish at times, could seem like a bully if not looking a bit more deeply into the tale. In the beginning, I had my eyebrows lifted and ready to pounce on him for real until he started to truly communicate with Piper – and with his brother Ben – when he was able to form sentences and have conversations instead of just claiming Piper as ‘his’. He turned out to be an adorable, loving, sexy beast, that completely won me over, the last tipping point towards the end of the book, a conversation he has with Ben.
Piper is no shrinking violet either. She is a strong, capable, successful woman who has built her own prosperity. She might have had less when growing up, yet that had not held her back when pursuing her dreams. She is capable to defend herself, she is able to hold her own, yet with this secret stalker, she is going to need all the help she can get, cause the culprit is out for blood.
The connection between Piper and Eric has been developing in the shadow of his brother, Ben’s friendship with her. Yet there is a unique history, a tight bond between Piper and Eric, that is revealed as the story unfolds.
And the chemistry between Eric and Piper – oh wow. I knew Cynthia Eden can write some steaming love scenes, yet Piper and Eric – they set the bar up high on the smoking hot loving.
But Protecting Piper is not just a hot love story, there is an element of creepy stalker who is out to get Piper and everyone close to her. When part of a story is told from the culprit’s point of view, I often get that dreadfully morbid, completely freaked out feeling, like only great suspense brings to you. And this stalker is escalating quickly while making people in Piper’s life look quilty. Talking about intense, gory scenes…
An ardent love story, combustible and filled with feels, in the middle of a frantic search of a prowler escalating into a savage killer.
Steamy, danger-filled romantic suspense just the way I love it…
~ Five Spoons
Eric has wanted Piper forever, but she’s his younger brother’s BFF, so he kept his distance. The story opens with an already intense scene where Piper’s place is broken into. I really liked the suspense factor of this book, but the relationship between Eric and Piper wasn’t as connected and intense as I had thought it would be. I think Piper was a little bit shortsighted and oblivious, and I didn’t like her character as much as I did Eric and Ben’s characters. But the pace was good, and I always like to sink my teeth into a good stalker story.
Loved it! This is a quick read with great characters and an interesting plot. I really enjoyed watching the relationship grow between Eric and Piper. Eric is so broody that he is really lovable, especially given how much he loves Piper. While I felt the ending was a little predictable I really enjoyed how it twisted and turned.
I think this is my favorite book by Cynthia Eden! Right from the first page I was captivated. Piper and Eric were feisty together with their mixed feelings. When they finally got together, it was explosive.
As usual the suspense part of the story was amazing, and keeps you guessing until the end.
I really hope we get to see these characters again.
A book that has little bit of everything in it, it was interesting to read this one.
I haven’t read anything from this author until now and I will try to find and read her other earlier works and the new ones.
I received a free complimentary book and voluntarily reviewed it.
This is a romantic suspense that involves two people who have lived their lives hiding their true feelings from each other. Eric Wilde and Piper Lane first kissed each other when Eric was 17 and Piper was 15. However, since Eric’s younger brother and Piper had been close friend for years, Eric has always assumed they were lovers.
When Eric discovers that his brother and Piper are not romantically involved, he decides it is time to show her his true feelings. Unfortunately, this happens to be at the same time that Piper discovers she has a violent stalker. Since Eric owns a security company, he decides it is his job to be Piper’s bodyguard. He also intends to find out who the stalker is before he hurts Piper any further.
Even though, it is fun to watch Eric attempt to win over Piper, the major part of this novel is the suspense of who is attempting to kill her. As Piper’s stalker is quickly stepping up the violence, the suspense in the book becomes palpable. No one who has ever been close to Piper is immune from the violence. Either they are being accused of being the stalker, or they are being injured by the stalker.
This is a novella that is a quick read. In spite of that, the suspense is non-stop. The author creates many obstacles and lots twists and turns before we find out who is actually the stalker.
Protecting Piper is an on the edge of your seat suspense, with a truckload of romance and emotion – the perfect combination! Cynthia Eden continues to impress me with her ability to successfully weave together both romantic and suspenseful elements, while developing characters that you truly like, which only heightens the suspense because you become invested in the outcome.
I’ve read a truckload of romantic suspense novels, but I can rarely pick the ‘bad guy,’ unless it’s made obvious, I can never tell a red herring from a legitimate lead. I’d never make a detective! In Protecting Piper, I did actually pick the stalker, but then changed my mind when given another option and leads that seemed to …. lead elsewhere. Those damn red herrings! Picking the perp was a bit trickier, because like in many stalker cases (fictional and real life) the stalker doesn’t necessarily have to play a large role in the victim’s life. This widens the suspect pool considerably, and in the end, everyone is a suspect, and I do mean everyone. I even had an eye on two of the main characters at one stage (I was hoping and praying that it wasn’t either of them) but when the bad guy can be anyone, everyone looks shifty at some stage!
This is my third book by this author, but my first non-paranormal. I enjoyed Protecting Piper so much it has cemented Cynthia Eden as one of my ‘go to’ authors. Cynthia Eden has shown she can weave an excellent story, with captivating storylines and characters with whom it’s too easy to fall in love, regardless of genre.
Loved it.
February 3, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
Once again this author has written another character driven, romantic suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Piper and Eric are both strong, endearing characters. The seamless storyline keeps your attention from the beginning until the end. The only question is, whats next? I can’t wait to read what this talented author writes next.