Salvation (The Protectors, #2) by Sloane Kennedy, Joel Leslie (Narrator) #Review #Series #Dark

Melissa reviews Salvation (The Protectors, #2) by Sloane Kennedy Audiobook, Published May 1st 2017 by Sloane Kennedy. 7hrs 56min

Trauma surgeon Ronan Grisham lost everything the day the man he loved was stolen from him in a brutal attack. Driven by a thirst for vengeance, he turns his hatred into building an underground group that can do what he couldn’t that fateful day…take the lives of the guilty to save the lives of the innocent. But years later, he’s forced to confront the one link to his past that he can’t sever.

Seven years after the loss of his parents in a violent home invasion that left him permanently scarred both inside and out, 21-year-old Seth Nichols is trying to put his life back together so he can take over the reins of his father’s global shipping empire. But the last person he expects to come back into his life is the man he drove away with one innocent, stolen kiss.

With one brush of his lips, Seth managed to do to Ronan what no other had since the day Ronan watched the light in his fiancé’s eyes go out forever. He made him need again. But Ronan can’t need anyone, least of all his dead fiancé’s younger brother. Because even one touch from Seth could shatter Ronan’s carefully constructed world and Ronan knows there’s no coming back from that a second time.

But when a series of escalating attacks against Seth forces Ronan back into his life, Seth knows it’s his last chance to show Ronan he can be the man the broken surgeon needs. Only the Ronan who returns isn’t the Ronan Seth fell in love with so long ago…

Can Seth be Ronan’s salvation or will he end up destroying them both?

A complimentary copy of the audiobook was provided by the narrator in exchange for an honest review.

Why I read this book: This series has been on my TBR pile for a while now, and I purchased Absolution, Salvation and Retribution maybe a year ago while they were on sale, and yet they stayed on that darn TBR pile collecting dust. When Joel Leslie offered an audio copy in exchange for a review, I jumped at the chance because I knew this would jump start me into reading this series.

First let me start by saying this is not a light romance. There is a lot of death and grief and trauma and violence in this story. If that’s not your cuppa, you should probably skip this one as there are no unicorns frolicking in the fields here. 😀

Wow, where to start. I have not read book 1 yet, and I believe these are meant to be standalone novels, but I do feel reading book 1 would have helped because I think certain elements are tied together. Regardless, I was fully able to immerse myself into this traumatic tale and feel connected to Ronan and Seth. The truth behind what happened to Seth’s brother (and Ronan’s fiancé) is truly tragic and mark’s a turning point in Ronan’s life – from trauma surgeon to avenger. With the help of another, Ronan is able to exact revenge on those responsible for his fiancé’s death, and thru the years, Ronan drafts others like him who have suffered tragedy with no legal justice. This new life has changed Ronan in so many ways that he hardly recognizes the man he used to be.

Seth, who is young and innocent (by deeds if not by experience), has been in love with Ronan for years, never once believing Ronan could return those feelings. And Ronan does his best to stay away from Seth because he doesn’t want to taint Seth with the blood on his hands (vigilante justice). Ronan is there to protect Seth from a new threat, and Seth is using this chance to try and make Ronan see that they can be together. This was a true roller coaster of emotions and the action is non-stop. I am excited to go back and read book 1 to see what I have missed and then I will continue with this series.

Joel Leslie did a great job with the narration. I personally think this book would have benefited from dual narration, allowing Seth’s character to have a younger voice (not as deep or gravelly and Joel’s is) and give better separation between Ronan and Seth. But all in all, wonderful job – the emotions and tensions were all there and I knew what the characters were feeling because it came across in Leslie’s voice.