Product Description

Soren Buchanan no longer wishes to work for his father, crime boss James Buchanan, nor does he want to continue his relationship with the dangerous and sexy Jolina Miciano. But Jolina has connections that would make James Buchanan more powerful than he already is. Unwilling to be a pawn in his father's game, Soren decides to stop seeing Jolina even if it means having to suffer through one of his father's vicious beatings. Beaten and bruised for his defiance, Soren flees to the FBI for help.

Mason Ward, former US Army Ranger and security specialist, lives a quiet life on a house boat docked off the island of Guam. Despite his lack of companionship, Mason believes he is living the life he's always wanted. Then a job comes Mason's way, one that will turn his life upside down: hide Soren Buchanan.

Hiding Soren Buchanan should be easy money, but not for Mason. Soren is young, seductive and lacking the type of discipline that doesn't leave bruises. It doesn't help that Soren's physical presence brings up desires Mason would rather not feel about a mobster's son. Now Mason has to keep his mind on his job while being chased by thugs sent to bring Soren Buchanan home...dead or alive.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #293062 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 191 pages

Review
The Protector delivers engaging characters, a fast-moving plot, and some very steamy love scenes. NL Gassert has crafted an exciting and entertaining romance that builds suspense and erotic tension with every turn of the page. Take it to bed...and plan on staying up.
--Charles Casillo, author of The Fame Game

Literary chef Gassert serves up a delectable nine-course meal of murder, mayhem, money-laundering, terrorism, temptation, brutality, bisexuality, scandal, and sadistical (sic) father-son abuse.
--William Maltese, author of the Stud Draqual mystery series

Sexy, sizzling--and sweet! NL Gassert manages to combine the tenderness of first love with thrilling action in The Protector. The tropical setting on Guam is fresh and beautifully evoked, and the engaging characters of Mason and Soren will keep readers turning the pages, rooting for these lovers against tropical storms and terrorist agents.
--Neil Plakcy, author of Mahu Surfer

About the Author
A native of Germany and nomad by choice, NL Gassert has lived on three continents and two islands, survived a number of typhoons and at least one earthquake, worked as a professionally-trained concierge, a public relations assistant, and a magazine reporter. NL Gassert has a master's degree in Communication and Information Studies from Rutgers University, chronic insomnia, and a voracious need to read. NL currently resides in a tropical paradise.

Customer Reviews

An action packed thriller and a sweet romance
This book is foremost an action packed thriller complete with terrorists, drug dealers, some fierce fight scenes, FBI agents and so on. But it's also a very sweet romance between the two main characters, who seem to be a very unlikely pairing at first. Mason Ward is a security specialist and former US Army Ranger, who lives alone on a house boat docked off the island of Guam. His life is well organized and he doesn't take any unnecessary risks.

That is about to change when Soren Buchanan comes into his life. Soren is the son of an abusive crime boss and after the latest beat up from his father, he seeks shelter with the FBI. Mason is assigned the task of protecting Soren and in order to that, he brings Soren on his house boat. But the presence of Soren in the limited space of his boat not only threatens to disturb his perfecly organized life, but in the close proximity a lot of sexual tension builds up between the two.

Soon protecting Soren will not only be a simple job for Mason, but a very personal affair. But will he be able to keep Soren safe against terrorist and thugs sent to bring Soren home ... dead or alive.

This book is a very enjoyable read and an overall recommendation. I especially liked the tropical setting on Guam, which felt very fresh as a setting for this sweet romance.

The Protector by N.L. Gassert
Mason Ward is not our classical all action-no word hero. A former ranger, now security specialist, he lives in a boat and he is a controlled hygienist: he eats only natural things, he doesn't drink alcohol, makes a moderate use of sugar and exercises everyday to impossible early hours.

So when an FBI friend asks him to protect a spoilt brat like Soren Buchanan, the son of the notorious business man James "The Smile" Buchanan, Mason is not at all happy of the mission: Soren is a younger of ten years man who has never done anything in his life, and with the reputation of moleste drunkness. But he was badly beaten by his father and he asked protection to FBI with the promise to reveal something really interesting to the authority.

And so Mason takes Soren in, and since the first time he meets the guy, he is taken: Soren is a red-head with a porcelan complex, right the type he likes, even in women than in men. Since Mason has finally admit that he prefers men over women, and this guy is exactly the type of man he can fall in love with.

Soren is not at all happy to be confined in a small boat with a man like Mason: they are at totally opposite for character, but Soren has to admit that he is intrigued by Mason, above all in a physical way. Soren has never had before homosexual experience, but he would be very glad to start with Mason.

The story is original in the way that both characters are not as the usual suspence-thriller characters you find in this type of romance. Mason is not a tought man that seems to be unaffected by bullets and with no apparent feelings. Soren is not the usual weak boy who needs a protector of his own. Soren is the son of an abusive father, and he searches escape out of his nightmare in alcohol and drugs. But even when faced with reality, he still loves his father and can't bring himself to betray him.

Plus the story is more a romance than an erotic novel. Sex is not the main event of the story, and even if we have our two or three sex scenes, they are well intertwined in the story and don't steal the scene to the main story.

An enjoyable story, I read it in a session... maybe I'd like it to be a little longer, but still is a good discovery.

The Protector - A Wonderful Thrill Ride
The Protector has one of the most unlikely pairings as protagonists. Hero #1 is Soren Buchanan: a spoiled, rich young man who has had everything given to him, hasn't worked a day in his life, dropped out of school, lives with his abusive father who has his fingers in most major criminal activities in Guam, and his sometime-girlfriend is a criminal. Hero #2 is Mason Ward, who is 10 years older than Soren: Mason is a more traditional protag, divorced, ex US Army Ranger, security specialist, lives on a boat and thinks that his life is heaven on earth but he has a weakness for redheads and Soren is definitely a redhead. Then everything changes in an instant when Mason is asked to take on the job of hiding Soren who has become an FBI informant and is on the run from both his father and his girlfriend.

When the two meet it's not exactly love at first sight or even second sight because they are total opposites and the first few days living in the close quarters of the boat don't exactly endear them to each other as Soren does his best to live up to low expectations. But something happens when the protection game goes awry and Mason's boat, "The Sprite", is boarded by thugs out to capture Soren and return him to his father, even at the cost of Mason's life. Soren realizes that Mason is not so bad after all and he fights to save him rather than return to the life mapped out by his father.

Before I opened this book I thought it would be the usual escapist fare with a couple of adventures that would allow our heroes to show their mettle and then live happily ever after in the Guam sunshine. It was all that and more! Great characterizations really make me sit up and take notice, even when the plot of a book does not live up to the hype. In this case I got both terrific characters I could root for and a very credible plot. The supporting characters were all wonderfully drawn - from crime boss James "The Smile" Buchanan, the very dangerous Jolina Miciano who wants Soren but on her terms, Ben Marques, Mason's very suspicious and skeptical business partner, and a host of other great characters which, for a reader like me, is manna from heaven.

The romance between Soren and Mason is as delicious as the rest of the book. You will note that I said "romance" not sex, because that's what it was. The thrills were almost non stop and the author only gave us a break when Mason and Soren explored their attraction to each other which neither of them really wanted but they were drawn as a moth to a flame.

The Protector is N.L. Gassert's first published book and she is a very talented writer. Not only does she understand that aficionados of this genre need a lot of conflict and edge of your seat action and adventure, but that they also want characters who are flawed and genuine who act totally irrationally but still manage to tug at their heartstrings. Is this the best action adventure book that I have ever read? Of course not! But The Protector is a darn good book which gives value for money and is a thrill ride from start to finish. The story is equal parts terrorists, action/ adventure and suspense and as a fan of the genre I was engaged from start to finish. I wish that the book was longer because in my opinion Mason's and Soren's romantic relationship needed more alone time, but I understand that the author is writing a sequel and I am waiting with great anticipation for The Stalker which is scheduled to be released later next year.

I really enjoyed this story and I think you will too. Buy this book!