TWO 5 Stars for Purrfect Protector by S.A. Welsh (Guest Post and Giveaway) – #MM #Romance #Shapeshifters #Paranormal |

Title: Purrfect Protector (Shifter Protection Specialist Inc. #1)
Author Name: S.A. Welsh
Publication Date: January 30, 2015

Never play cat and mouse with a saber-tooth tiger.

Kale Andrews is dragged to the Shifter Protection Specialists Inc. office by his brother when he gets disturbing mail from an obsessed fan. He reluctantly agrees to have a bodyguard but when a the tall muscular blond walks in to the office emanating power and a sexy dose of danger Kale’s doubts about needing the man with him twenty four hours a day quickly disappear.

The easy babysitting job Aleksi was promised quickly changes from strange mail to threatening deliveries and Aleksi has to get creative to get his protectee out of the line of fire. Everyone knows models are self-centred and shallow, so why does being with Kale make him feel like he finally has a home? Being a saber-tooth tiger means that most people aren’t strong enough to be with him in a relationship or even as friends, he’s too naturally dominant. Yet Kale seems to calm his beast at the same time as exciting the man in him.

Neither men expected nor wanted a relationship with strings, but as they grow closer Aleksi realizes that Kale might just be his mate. With the obsessed fan escalating to murder, Aleksi isn’t sure even his tiger can keep his mate safe.

Caleb is a hard character to get to know. We only are given a glimpse in to the history of Caleb and Kale. However, right away you know that Caleb is the protector. Kale knows that he is in danger, but is resistant to having a protection duty placed on him. Then, in walks Aleksi… Because of Aleksi’s extra abilities, he can instantly smell the desire that Kale embodies.

I really liked this story. It was full of mystery, twists and turns and kept me on my toes. Kale and Aleksi – Whew! HOT couple alert.

You really were given a look into what makes Kale himself – how he came to be a model. It helped to know his character, his motivation and it also helped to build his relationship with Aleksi.

While you don’t know too much about Aleksi, the fact that he shares so much of himself with Kale – you see the softer side of the Saber Tooth Tiger. Aleksi’s dominant side takes over in order to protect Kale.

The relationship between Kale and Aleksi is a beautiful one – balanced, with just enough intrigue.

There is really not a lot to say about this book, other than it was hot, a great story and I can’t wait to read the next book!

AvidReader

This book had it all, romance, mystery and a lot of action. It was well written with a great plot. I love books that turn into series, that keep you hooked to read more about the characters involved in a business, in this case it’s the Shifter Protection Specialists.
Kale and Aleksi were the main character in this book. Aleksi was a shifter bodyguard who was to protect Kale. Their story was exciting and even had me laughing at times.
My favorite line was “I hope you don’t have a problem with cats.” It was a very moving love story wrapped up with an intense plot.Epilogue indicated who the next book is going to be about. There could be so many good stories coming from this group and I look forward to reading more about the
Shifter Protection Specalists. An excellent read.

Sherry

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“Something stupid?”

Aleksi shrugged. “Some fans become stalkers. Others become criminals and a few have hurt the object of their obsession when they weren’t able to make them do what they imagined.”

As much as he didn’t want to scare his protectee, he understood that Kale needed to know this was serious and not something to be shrugged off because it didn’t fit into his lifestyle.

“I’m not sure I wanted to know that,” Kale commented with a grimace.

“You need to be aware of the danger. If you’re right and this is merely a fan who got carried away and will move on, then I’m sure all this will be cleared up in the next day or two. If I’m right and this is a credible threat, then one way or the other this will end soon.”

A tense silence followed and he started to feel guilty about his honesty. Perhaps his attraction to the model was throwing him off his game.

“That’s okay. I meant what I said at the office. I’ll do what you tell me when it concerns my safety. I keep my word.” Kale stabbed the studio floor button angrily and went quiet.

Aleksi was about to say something when the ding of the elevator doors sounded and, just like that, Kale seemed to shake off the attitude. It was the same way a fighter put on his game face before combat.

“By the way, Mr. McCade insinuated that you were a cat. What kind of cat?”

Grinning, Aleksi ignored Kale’s gaze and kept looking through the decreasing gap as the elevator doors slid closed. “I’m a saber-tooth tiger.”

Characters

The focus for any story is the characters, so most of my time before finishing a manuscript is taken up by fleshing out the characters and making sure they paint a true picture of a believable person. The walls of my office are similar to how I imagine a crime investigation room, with proposed character sketches, their known associates, breakdown of personality including likes and dislikes as well as their full history.

For Kale, I started out with the hair and eyes and the fact that he’d have a weird aversion to sugar and a sarcastic defensive attitude. That later grew into him snubbing grilled cheese sandwiches until he tries them, discovering he actually loves them and having ambition beyond relying on his looks. When thoughts of his history came about, I realized he would need a brother… and so the relationship between Kale and Caleb was born. Their brother Garrick was a more complicated addition since his character is steeped in trauma for the other two brothers. However, this trauma also underpins Kale’s need to give back and make a positive difference alongside Caleb, hence their dogged support of veteran’s charities but also the brothers’ reluctance to trust others.

Aleksi was a harder character to realize but I later put that down to his feline qualities. Cats are difficult and contrary by nature and apart from his demand for a pile of soft and silky cushions, Aleksi was disinclined to divulge much about himself to me. Once Aleksi got bored with being challenging and deigned to share, I fell in love with who he was and his rock solid loyalty and his fierce loving nature he hides under the hard, controlled shell. It soon became clear that Aleksi, like most felines, like comforts and has a weakness for luxuries. This fleshed out the concept of his home in the forest being his sanctuary, decked out with soft, fuzzy towels, a warm atmosphere and cozy furnishes that is untouched by the suffocating cold indifference of the city.

Each character has a pro and con list that keeps track of their idiosyncrasies. I’ll give you a sneak peak. Kale’s pros- sweet, loving, loyal, sacrificing and determined versus Kale’s cons- hard headed, trapped in his own façade, defensive, stubborn with trust issues. Meanwhile Aleksi’s pros- strong, protective, fierce, intelligent, strategic, kind and accepting versus Aleksi’s cons- dominant personality, uncompromising, contrary, sneaky with doubts about the longevity of commitment. These are only the tip of the iceberg but it should give you an insight into my processes.

There really is nothing better than a good book and a big mug of tea on a rainy day, which is often needed when considering the wet weather in Wales. She is rarely found without a book of some description on her person and a notebook, she can always be seen scribbling and doodling while lost in thought about sometimes random nonsense or day dreaming about alternate worlds of fiction. Real life may not be much fun but the imagination allows infinite possibilities to be explored and lots of naughty fun too if you’re up to the challenge. So in the words of a crazy scientist – I reject your reality and submit one of my own. Happy reading.