Vengeance

The Protectors, Book 5

By: Sloane Kennedy

Narrated by: Michael Dean

Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

"What if you didn't have to stop kissing him, Memphis? What if you didn't have to choose me over him?" (Brennan)

Memphis

At 34 years old, ex-DEA agent Memphis Wheland has lived, loved, and lost...everything. The ultimate betrayal by the man he gave everything to has left Memphis with no family, no career, and a bone-deep bitterness that refuses to release him from its icy grip. His work with an underground vigilante organization is the only light in his otherwise bleak existence. That and the occasional no-strings hookup with men whose only focus in that moment, and for as long as Memphis wants them, is him and only him. No clingy exes, no unrequited love, no relationship drama. Period. 

Brennan

With his entire life ahead of him, graduate student Brennan Devereaux wasn't expecting it to change in the blink of an eye. But when a case of mistaken identity nearly costs Brennan his life, it isn't just his future that's about to change, but his past too. Because for years he's been in love with a young man who only sees him as a friend and nothing more. And while he was content to love Tristan Barretti from afar, he hadn't expected to be drawn to the mysterious stranger who saved his life and changed it with a simple promise. 

I'm not letting you go.

Tristan

At 19, Tristan Barretti should have had the world at his feet. His musical gifts have garnered him prestige as well as admission to the famed Julliard School in New York and he has a family that most people would kill for. But the protective bubble his fathers have kept him in has burst and he's discovered that life outside his unconditionally loving family isn't as accepting of a kid born with HIV. A poor decision to find answers to questions better left unasked, along with the complications of living with his disease, have Tristan returning to Seattle and the solace of his family. 

Choices

Even though a physical relationship with Brennan was supposed to be just that, Memphis finds himself unable to refuse his young lover's request to help put a stop to the threat against Tristan. Even knowing full well that Brennan's heart lies with the man he claims is nothing more than a friend, Memphis accepts the challenge of ensuring Tristan's safety. 

But when the quiet music student stops being a "job" and starts being something much more, Memphis is torn between his growing feelings for both young men and the fear that he'll be facing an even greater betrayal that he'll never be able to come back from. 

Except none of that matters when the threat that Memphis never saw coming puts Brennan and Tristan in the crosshairs....

Trigger Warning: Sexual assault against an MC

Can be read as a stand-alone story - no cliffhangers.

©2016 Sloane Kennedy (P)2019 Sloane Kennedy

Great story, whiny narrator

Sloane Kennedy delivers Grade A delicious deluxe Suffering Porn so if you like your stories over the top and high drama with a hearty dose of suspened disbelief? It’s very good at being what it is and if you can lean in to the absurdity and understand that women are not going to show up in this in a meaningful way and that there is only a cursory understanding of the traumatic experiences explored? Well then it’s yummy candy. Vengeance is great just like all the other Protectors series.

The problem is the narrator. I honestly don’t know what Michael Pauley is thinking in his delivery of the text. I am so confused by his narrative style buuuut iiiiimaaaaagine iiiif haaaalffff offff theeeee sennnnteences werrre writtteen out liiiike thiiis. Then imagine if the others ended on an question or a general upward tick and then every time he reads a sentence he sounds like he’s been running or is a junior high debate team closer or is just generally trying to get as much out on one breath as possible without breathing. When he’s not falling into those traps, then he sounds like he’s on the verge of tears even when it’s not appropriate for the context. I mean dramatic effect is good but not for everything. It’s so distracting to the point of ruining the experience.

I deeply hope SK asks someone else to record their stories because it’s good candy but the wrapper is impossible for me to get through.

Oh, the angst

The stories in this series are so emotionally intense. You can feel the characters pain in almost every word they speak - or don't. The evil is often horrific to me and deserves everything it gets, and more. I love Sloane Kennedy's anti-heroes and the young men who love them, and Memphis is no exception. It takes 2 men to heal his heart. And what a sweet triad they make. But ohhh does the author make them work for it.

Michael Pauley makes my heart ache with the pain he injects into these characters and his passion makes me believe in their love.

Great story

This narrator is one of my favorites and brings such liveliness to the story. word of warning though, this book in audio will rip you apart emotionally because of several horrible situations the characters are put through. Still a great listen!

Amazing heartbreaking series!!!

This is a seriously addicting series that's highly stressful and full of angst but very rewarding at the end. I do have to take breathers between books because of the angst but I always go back for more!!!!
Each book's story is so memorable because I'm so moved by the characters past and struggles through-out, what an AMAZING series this is!! 💓 Michael Pauley does a great job with the narration 😀

Hard story to listen to

This was rough one. Multiple trigger warnings. A graphic, detailed scene that gutted me. But beautiful men with tortured pasts whose love story is worth reading.

One of my favorites in the series

Vengeance packs an explosive ton into one great book. Memphis, Brennan, and Tristan are three very different personalities, each with their own colorful and differing degrees of tragic backgrounds. There are, of course, cameos from other stories written into this story (Brennan and Tristan are both from the Barretti family). There is so much going on in this book! Kennedy introduces three men into a relationship in an organic, not forced, way that is believable. Each character has their very different challenges and growth going on. It’s a long, hard road to the HEA that is promised in the end, but SO worth it! Obviously the book isn’t vanilla- so if you shy away from spicier scenes or ‘thruples’ you might want to avoid this book. Important- read the trigger warnings because this book has a few things in it that happen to main characters in a present tense situation after you get to know and love the characters (not a flashback like in a lot of books). Michael Dean goes beyond reading words on a page and creates a world in your head as he acts out the scenes. Although the character voices aren’t always 100% distinct from each other, you can feel which character they are by the excellent writing and Michael’s use of inflection, tone, and personality.

Hunter being hunted mentally.

The anguish that i felt reading this story made me purchase like 35 of book series. started with lost and found co written by lucy Lennox and Sloane Kennedy than i proceeds to get the marians series which lead to wilde series and protector series to finding series.
amazing world you made. So thank you.

Heartbreaking!

This story pulled me in right from the very start! It ripped my heart out, tore me to pieces, and then put me back together again right along with the characters. Memphis, Brennan, and Tristan are truly perfect together and complete one another, I couldn't imagine them any other way. They go through so much together and incredibly find a way to find their way back to each other. So many obstacles, so many emotions, and so many horrible events that it's a miracle they didn't all just give up. This entire series just gets better and better as I go through it, I love seeing characters from the other stories and I can't wait for the next one to come out in audio. The narrator is absolutely incredible. He perfectly captures the characters, the story and all of the emotions all the way through. I really hope he continues to narrate the rest of this series.

Good story

Overall i loved the story. Always loved the narrator. Book was a little heavy on the sex scenes... But still loved it

Wow!

So this book in the series was quite intense for me.
SPOILERS-

My angst ratcheted up when Tristan moved in on Memphis, and Memphis caved into his desire even when he was the one that made the rule “no one else”. Even though he put it stop to it initially, it did not sit with me well that Memphis zeroed in more on Tristan for many chapters, even though Brennan was okay with it, Memphis did to Brennan that which Drake did to Memphis. Yes, it works out, but it really pissed me off. I feel Brennan got fk’d over by Memphis, because Memphis appeared to show much more interest in Tristan, always grabbing or running to Tristan first and opening up easily to Tristan vs. never giving the same to Brennan. After everything Brennan went though, Memphis should have gone to Brennan first at the end. AND, after the friendship/love interest between Brennan and Tristan, Brennan should have been the one to take Tristan’s v card. So, overall it this book made me very edgy!

Brilliant

The book was brilliant, and it was brought to life in audio.
Loved the characters and the way they were portrayed..
Memphis, Brennan and Tristan come from very different backgrounds but seem to compliment each other perfectly
highly recommend

Loved it

I love each and every protector book and the audible version makes me love them even more.