Pride & Protection

Southern Boys

De: K.C. Wells

Narrado por: John Solo

What happens when an out-and-proud bear moves to a small Tennessee town, and takes a shine to the closeted cop? Fireworks, that’s what.

When Del Walters agrees to go into business with his brother, he has one condition. Since he’s putting up the lion’s share, they’ll run the bike shop his way - and that means he gets to choose the name. And in a small Tennessee town, a business called Rainbow Racers, complete with a not-so-subtle sign, was always going to attract attention. Unfortunately, it’s the wrong kind of attention, and after a few incidents, Del is forced to call on the local police to deal with the culprits.

When Officer Taylor Cox walks into his shop, Del thinks Christmas has come early. An earlier encounter with the younger man left Del with a growing desire to know more about him. There’s only one problem - Taylor is in the closet, and there’s no way Del is going back into his.

When Taylor lays eyes on the sexy bear who owns the bike shop, he knows he’s walking into trouble. Not that he’s about to let Del know he’s interested: His view from the closet is just fine, thank you very much, and besides, that ship has already sailed, thanks to their first meeting. Now all he wants to do is forget Del even exists. But as time goes by, Taylor realizes how badly he is torn between protecting the persona he’s created, and giving in to his desires. And Del making it obvious that he wants Taylor isn’t helping matters.

Between an out-and-proud bear and a firmly closeted cop, something has to give. Problem is, it might be their hearts.

©2019 K.C. Wells (P)2019 K.C. Wells

Love it so much!!

I love this book when I was reading and now listening to it I fell in love even more. Del and Taylor's story is just something I love so much. They made me happy with how they are with each other. Then John Solo just brings everything to life. I just couldn't stop listening and I fell in love with this story all over again.

Cute coming out story

It was a cute/sweet coming out story. If you done like a lot of drama, but just want fluff, this book is for you. No angst, minimal to no drama.

Loved it!

KC Wells brings us back to the Southern Boys with this beautifully written story about Del and Taylor! I had previously read this as an ebook and really enjoyed it but John Solo takes it to a whole new level! Wonderful book!!

As great as the ebook!!

The story is always full stars, because if I wouldn't like the story as ebook, I wouldn't listen to the audiobook.

The performance from the narrator is also very important for me. I can't listen to a lot, because my English as a non-native-speaker isn't so perfect to follow a whole story over hours, when the narrator speaks too fast or too sloppy. Normally I have to SEE the person, who is talking to me in English.

PLEASE READ MY RATING SYSTEM!!!

To my ratings:


5* - very very good
it's like an A+

4* - very good and will be often re-listening
it's like an A

3* - it's more then a one-time-listening, but not more then twice a year.
it's like a B

Pride & Protection

When Del agrees to help his brother open a new business he never imagines that he would find someone like Taylor, especially in such a small town. It almost seems like fate has something in store for the two as they continue to be at the same place and times. Del begins to wonder if there is more to officer Taylor than what he shows the world. The two are more than surprised to see each other in Atlanta. Secrets cannot be denied and the two begin a tentative friendship but soon emotions begin to erupt and misunderstandings may end something that has just begun. Can Taylor step out of the closet and find the strength to go after what he truly wants?

This is a sweet and sexy story that gives readers a wonderful rollercoaster ride of emotions. Del is a good man and will not back down for anyone but he is willing to give Taylor what he needs without drawing attention to them. Taylor is a young man struggling to deal with so much hate and bigotry but with Del's help he can find safety and love for the first time in his adult life. As the two spend more time together feelings come to the forefront and Taylor must face his fears or forever live in fear. The two make a great couple. They are good together in and out of the bedroom. It was nice to see their relationship build as well as the few others that Taylor finds to have his back and love him no matter what he chooses. Their story moves along at a good pace. It is full of emotions and strong characters. Narrator John Solo does a good job of bringing life to these characters. I quickly found myself lost in the story right from the beginning.

Absolutely amazing love story!!!

It's not often that I am so blown away by a narrator's performance as I was here, but this was absolutely amazing!! I loved listening to John Solo, he did such a wonderful job with Del and Taylor, not to mention all the secondary characters. I just about melted each time"Taylor" spoke. Mr. Solo really got these characters and brought them to life with his narration.

I’ve been waiting for Taylor to get his chance at a HEA ever since Truth & Betrayal (love!) came out and this story was all I had hoped for and more. He has found such a caring and loving partner in Del Walters. They are equally sweet and hot together. The push and pull between Taylor and Del was a delight to read.

There’s some beautifully written angst and worry because Taylor is not out, and doesn’t intend on being out anytime soon. I also absolutely loved the storyline between Taylor and one of the other cops, with regards to his decision to come out, as well as his friendship with Denise.
Even though it’s a May/December romance, the difference in their ages is never a thing between them and that was actually really lovely. Del is just such a wonderful character, a strong, cuddly bear in the best of ways.

This book is a perfect example of why I love reading K.C. Wells’ stories so much. She has such a knack for making you fall in love with her characters and drawing you into their world. I’m in awe of the sensitivity and care with which this book was written, the wonderful growth arc its characters, especially Taylor, go through, the love and research that obviously went into creating the world and inhabitants of LaFollette… and last but definitely not least, the incredible love between between Del and Taylor.

Spot on Depiction

Outstanding story with a realistic performance! Small town cop living his life in a deep closet meets a “bear” of a business owner.

Recommended!

Excellent Writing and Narration

The author did her research on the area for this book. I live 2 hours from where this book is set in Tennessee. I have to tell you that she nailed it. So did the narrator with his Southern accents. Sometimes this accent can be so overdone that it can come across as cartoonish. That is not the case here. I have been listening to MM stories for a year now so I thought I was pretty well versed in most of the LGBTQ terminologies. I however was ignorant of the term bear. When I read the description I thought this might be a shifter novel. Silly me. This is not a shifter novel but a May/December romance and one of the characters has really no experience and the other guy is a big, burly guy who has a heart to match his exterior. It was interesting listening to Taylor come into his own (no pun intended). I found this story to be sweet and sexy and a little heartbreaking all at the same time. The author clearly shows the prejudices that gay people in this area would be subjected to. She also does a good job of showing that there are people who see these prejudices to be just as vile as they are. Love is Love. More people are coming to see this. This was a great story and I would recommend it--especially to anyone who likes a little Southern flavor :)

4.5-4.75 stars

I thought John Solo did a MUCH better job on this book than he did on T&B. Everything seemed to flow very well!

**Book review as posted on Amazon & Goodreads**

Events in this book take place during the same time as Truth & Betrayal but you do NOT have to have read T&B to enjoy Taylor & Del’s story.

Beautifully written story about a small town in-the-closet cop who goes to Atlanta to ‘unwind’ and runs into fellow LaFollette resident Del while at a gay club.

The men try to navigate a relationship while Del has issues with some of his fellow residents who aren’t very welcoming and Taylor tries to keep his orientation secret from his fellow officers.

*****
POV... third person

Standalone or series... book 2 in series but CAN be read as standalone

Hangover... yes

Recommend... yes

Reread... yes

Really good!

This was a nice, well thought out story. I really enjoyed Taylor's journey to leaving the closet and falling in love. I hope this small town has more stories!!