Frenemy Protector by Kate Lovelace

I’m so glad that I decided to pick up Frenemy Protector by Kate Lovelace. What was lacking from Fireman’s Secret Baby was made up for here. We first encounter Liam and Lauren there. Liam is the youngest brother of Michael, the fireman. In that story, he had a huge crush on Bree, who ends up with Michael. Lauren is Bree’s best friend and had a thing for Liam, but her feelings were not returned.

The story opens with Liam narrating. Yes! I’m glad this started from a guy’s POV. It is a welcome change and immediately lets us, the readers, find out what happened to Liam after he left.

In the first book, Kate Lovelace already established that Liam had a lot of issues to get through. This book tells us how much he has grown into the mature 24-year-old he is who is more than just “Michael and Ethan’s little brother”.

The premise for Liam’s return is to handle the problems their family is facing with an entity that wants to buy their family property by hook or by crook.  Recent events have shown that they are not shy of being crooks.  And yet, the story is really about the budding relationship between Liam and Lauren and how Liam desperately tries to resist the pull. This is despite interference from his family who are eager to bring them together and Lauren herself who is irresistible without even trying.

From the get-go, this story is written well.  It is engaging and described so well that I felt like I was part of the story, not just a spectator. In the first book, I wasn’t a fan of Liam because he was being a dick about Michael and Bree. Frenemy Protector is his redemption story and Lauren’s HEA.

If I had any issues with this book it would probably be two things. I’m not keen on the title as it doesn’t seem to be a right fit, even as I get further along in the story. The second is the cover art. Liam looks grumpy, and why is he naked? Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with naked men but in context with the story, I think he should be wearing a button-down shirt to match the scenes.  Just my two cents.

That aside, this was quite enjoyable to read. The book isn’t available for mass distribution yet, but hopefully, it will be released on popular platforms such as Amazon soon.