Everything was supposed to go back to normal when I was rescued. It hasn’t. And I’m starting to think it never will because I don’t even know what normal is anymore…It’s been two years since Aleks Silva was rescued by his older brother from the dark underworld of sex trafficking and every day since then has been a battle. Leaving the house, interacting with people, even doing something as … something as boring as deciding what clothes to wear or what to eat for breakfast are tasks that most people take for granted. But for Aleks, they’re torture. Because freedom and choice are things that once came at a steep price and survival meant submitting to the whims of those who only saw him as a possession and plaything.
Until there was one man who saw him as something more…
I knew from the moment I saw him that I was going to get him out. But I also knew once I did, I’d need to let him go…
He’s known as Vaughn and nothing more. His job is to make sure secrets don’t get out and the possessions he’s been tasked with guarding never escape and tell their story. After eight years in a world where innocent kids are used to feed the darkest of depravities, Vaughn has seen things that would break even the strongest man. But he’s played it smart and built up a wall between himself and the darkness that threatens to consume him.
It wasn’t until he met a young man who had to be a thousand times stronger to survive the life he was forced into as a child that the first crack appeared in his carefully constructed wall.
Vaughn’s only job was to make sure young Aleks Silva remained the ugly little secret of one of the most powerful men in Chicago. It was one job he was more than happy to fail at, and when he eliminated the threat against Aleks and set him free, he was sure their paths would never cross again.
But fate has other plans…
Vaughn is the only man from my other life who never had a starring role in my nightmares… but he’s been in every one of my dreams. And I don’t know why…
When Aleks is suddenly abducted after leaving work one quiet spring evening, he’s certain he’ll never see his brother and family again. But terror quickly turns to relief when a familiar face once again comes to his rescue, along with all the feelings he’s always had but never quite understood around the dangerous, older Vaughn. Certain that Vaughn will make everything okay again like he did once before, Aleks knows he doesn’t even need to ask Vaughn to take him home. But when he does anyway, nothing he’s ever experienced prepares him for Vaughn’s answer… or the brutal betrayal that comes along with it.
I’m sorry, Aleks, I can’t do that.
Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault Against a Minor
*Can be read as a standalone novel but if you have not read any books in this series, you may want to at least read Book 6, Atonement, first. Atonement is the story of Aleks’s brother, Dante, and both brothers appear in each other’s books so it is helpful to know their backstories.
The Protectors series crosses over with some of my other series, so for the most enjoyment, they should be read in order, but it is not required. You can find the correct reading order at the beginning of each book. I’ve also bundled all my series in the correct reading order under the title of A Family Chosen: The Protectors and Barrettis.
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**********Contains Spoilers**********
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Man, does Aleks go through the ringer in this book but I think he needed to get away from his safety net of his brother Dante and Magnus as Vaughn makes it okay for him to be able to make his own decisions by telling him that even if it takes him 5 minutes or an 5 hours of sitting in a restaurant for him to know what he’d like to eat then that’s what they’ll do and that’s totally okay and it was wonderful to see him grow but not stronger as he’s already extremely strong especially with everything he’s been through. Yes, Aleks’s mind is fighting back with the changes the longer he’s with Vaughn but that’s part of him growing stronger he has to fracture a bit before getting put back together. I really didn’t know what to make of Vaughn’s brother Luca to start with as he was a complete a*sehole but when you find out the reason why is that they’ve been looking for his son Gio who was taken by human traffi*kers 8 years ago and the closets they’ve gotten to him was when Marcus was meeting the guy who either had Gio or knew where he was placed two years ago but the meeting was cancelled because of Dante and Magnus showing up to rescue Aleks and Vaughn intervened so they lost their possibly lead on Gio which is completely heartbreaking but I loved seeing him also grow as he let his walls down and the major one being after they all heard the story about when Marcus Parks b*at Aleks with a fire poker after he touched him when he first arrived after he was sold to Marcus which was against one of his rules so after Con had given Aleks a chain necklace to wear when they go to the auction and Aleks had started freaking out, poor Con had no idea that it was a tigger for Aleks and that Marcus welded a chained dog collar around his neck and Aleks went to grab the box with the chain in and Luca stopped him but Aleks made up his own mind and decided to at least open the box to look at it but put it on but Vaughn had to do up the clasp because he couldn’t himself. Even with the dark themes in this book there were still some moments that made me laugh and no matter how many times I hear Dante called MawMaw it makes me giggle. I’m looking forward to reading Luca’s book next which is going to be an emotional read. I’d definitely recommend this book, series, universe and author to everyone.
I would give this book more than 5 stars if I could.
Absolute perfection! I can’t get enough of Sloane Kennedy’ books. This is is full of angst, deep sadness, hurt, some possible triggers, some twisted topics, love, loyalty, family. As much as this books revolves around difficult topics, the love and devotion by family overshadows all the darkness. The tender moments between James and Aleks are sweet and hot too. I can’t get enough, I wish there was more…oh wait there is! Unto the next book in the series!!!!!
Aleks broke my heart a million times during this book. You knew his story was going to be horrific but hearing it from first person was heart wrenching. I loved even though Vaughn was part of the problem that he was able to show and help Aleks becomes stronger and see himself as this perfect human. I laughed, I sobbed and I loved everything about this book.
From the moment I started reading this book, I saw that Aleks has not even begun dealing with what happened to him. It felt like something big was holding him back, and his family could not help him. When he was brought back into the world of horror and monsters, I thought he would not recover but he finally started to fight back. With Vaughn by his side he was finally able to heal. It was painful and at times slow process. Romance between two men was endearing. Vaughn was so gentle and patient. I loved the sweet moments they shared, innocent innuendos that nobody understood. Aleks finally came into his own, and I couldn’t have been more proud when he bickered with Dante! Yay!
While what Vaughn was doing was hard and admirable, in the end showed just how out of their depth all of the men were. When Dante showed up, it was proven just how little resources Vaughn had at his disposal. But his heart was in the right place, and he decided to keep the fight going but with the right tools and by sharing his hands on experience that he gathered from all the years he spent with the worst of the worst.
I enjoyed the moment when those nasty freaks got caught, how small and pathetic they became when somebody bigger and more threatening came along! You go guys, give them hell! The situation with Vaughn’s brother Luca was tense. The next book in the series is proving to be even more emotional and angsty, and I cant wait to read it!
This whole series is fantastic, but this book ties everything and everyone together. A beautiful connection between two people, brought together by tragic events. Can’t wait for the installments.