My Defender - Book Review

By Alanea Alder

Synopsis

When a mysterious illness begins to sweep through Noctem Falls affecting the children, Eleanor Kimball is called to the city to see if she can determine what is wrong. As a pediatrician Eleanor loves children and desires many of her own, however, after several dating disasters she has not only sworn off men, but has given up her dream of a family, and the promise of a destined mate.

After discovering Grant in Noctem Falls she is faced with her own insecurities and finds it hard to believe in his love.

Grant Douglas is a man of few words and doesn’t do well surrounded by others. He is scared to death of finding a mate. He believes the harshness of his past, where he struggled to survive, didn’t cultivate a gentle heart. After a series of terrifying nightmares where his mate is at risk, Grant has decided he doesn’t want a mate at all.

When he meets Ellie, he realizes there are some things worth fighting for. Even if it means putting himself out there by becoming the Alpha he was born to be and facing the power he desperately tries to hide.

As Ellie starts to believe in Grant’s love it will take every ounce their combined strength to discover why the shifter children are suddenly falling ill before it’s too late.

Review

MY DEFENDER is the eighth book in the Bewitched and Bewildered series and was another enjoyable read. The story continues on from MY CHAMPION and follows the mating of Grant (wolf shifter) and Ellie (elephant shifter), and we’re still in Noctem Falls.

As I’ve said in my reviews of the last couple of books, the romance and relationship side of the story is lacking, but that doesn’t really bother me anymore. Instead, I choose to focus on everything else that is going on in this paranormal world that connects these books together.

I don’t remember much about Ellie, other than she’s a really sweet, caring and loving woman. I don’t even remember Grant from the previous two books, even though he’s one of the top Unit Warriors at Noctem Falls, and I assume readers have met before. But while I might not have remembered him at the start, I don’t think I’ll be forgetting about him any time soon. From how he comforts children, to hearing about everything he went through between the ages of twenty and fifty, you can’t help but admire his strength, his compassion and his ability to adapt and survive.

MY DEFENDER is told in dual POVs, with the epilogue being told in Etain’s POV as he’ll get the next book. While each book is about a different couple, the books in this series cannot be read as a stand-alone and must be read in order.