Sizzling paranormal romance…

I’ve read so many books by this author and each one is its own unique treat. Whether contemporary or paranormal, wolves or witches or anything in between I know the story will be well-written and full of characters that will stay with me. While I’m starting Diablo Lake in the middle, that just means I have more to catch up on – aka it worked fine as a standalone.

Aimee and Mac are from very different families. Whether pack or coven, they both want their loved ones to survive and thrive. And they want each other. Whether against clan law, in spite of it, or just because they can’t resist, the chemistry they have will break every rule. And the power they have will mean they can fight for each other and their mutual goal. Survival…

I loved these two – funny, serious, loving and strong - they had their own agendas but they had a common goal and, soon, were working as one…

How they got there was a read full of family, heat, compromise and a whole lot of love. So, so good!

Received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Oh buddy, I knew Mac was going to make things interested in Diablo Lake! When he and Aimee are drawn together while also dealing with all of the drama in this town, it's not all fun and games. They have to deal with his parents (what is up with them?!) and the town's drama, but they have the chemistry and the attraction to keep them together, not to mention a really great way of being together.

While the first book got us understanding the town, this one went a lot further into exploring the magic - we see more of the wolves when they shift and being able to understand Aimee's magic was really great. Dane did a great job of explaining the idea she was getting across.

I will say that it annoyed me that the book ended somewhat unresolved. With no #3 on the horizon that I can tell, I'm left to wonder what was behind all of these negative feelings.

Protected is the second book in the Diablo Lake series by Lauren Dane. Each book in the series features a new main couple but the couple in the first book do make appearances and the story of the town is continuing. In the first book we learned that Diablo Lake, Tennessee is a small town inhabited by witches and werewolves among other things with ongoing turmoil among the packs.

Aimee Benton and Mac Pembry are on opposite sides of the pack war in Diable Lake but find themselves drawn to one another. Mac can’t help but to push Aimee’s buttons to get a rise out of her every chance he gets wanting to just be near her but when that turns into a heated kiss they find that even though on opposites sides they need one another.

Having read both books in this series I can say that while I really found the first quite fun I was hoping for a bit more when getting to the second in the series. The series is an erotic fantasy read and Lauren Dane is certainly good at her erotic side of books but what I found here was I just wanted more with the fantasy side.

Aimee and Mac were a good couple together and the chemistry does happen that you’d expect but the story of Diablo Lake seemed to stall a bit in my opinion. I wanted more of the magic and pack rivalry but this really seemed to just settle at a bunch of arguing and bickering without building a more complex plot than what was already known. Maybe as the series continues the town will grow with it though and if looking for a sexy read Lauren Dane certainly delivers that.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I loved this 2nd book in the Diablo Lake Series, and thought it was much better than the first. Mac and Aimee were great characters, and wonderful together. I hated the way Mac's family treated Aimee, but liked the way he ended up standing up for her. The storyline kept me interested and hoping things would turn out well.

I wanted to live in Diablo Lake and marry one of the wolves!! Aimee is a witch who has nurturing as her magic. Mac has been called home to take over as the Prime then Patron. Only problem is his idiot brother and father are riling up the rival wolf pack and all the other supernatural people who live there. Aimee and Mac have an instant attraction that causes instant problems with everyone. Can Aimee and Mac hold on to each other despite everything that is thrown at them.

Lots of action involved, making things interesting, however, titular characters were very underwhelming and annoying.

Aimee enjoys men. And Mac is one fine looking specimen. But he is a Pembry and her best friend is the Dooley Patrona. Can she keep the peace while sleeping with the enemy?
Protected by Lauren Dane is second in the Diablo Lake series. It is best read in chronological order as it takes off where the previous story ended.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to like Mac. When we first meet him, his actions don’t speak highly of him. However as his relationship with Aimee blossom, Ms. Dane allowed us to see just how difficult he has it. His pack is falling apart and his father, the Patron, is failing not only his wolves but also the town (of which he is the mayor). Mac is trying with Aimee and his is finding out what it means to have someone solidly in your corner.
Aimee is a strong, funny and compassionate character. She helps center Mac even as Mac centers her. With Mac she can be herself. Ms. Dane gives us a story full of quirkiness, laughter and love. She balances it with craziness and angst. Mac in no way has it easy and Aimee comes into her own. But together Mac and Aimee grow both as individuals as well as a couple. I enjoyed seeing the respect and love they had for each other even as tensions flair in Diablo Lake. I can’t wait to see what other secrets Ms. Dane will uncover as we continue to see life in Diablo Lake.

Lauren Dane is one of those prolific writers that I feel like I can name a trope and she has a series or book that contains exactly what a reader may be looking for. Rock Stars? The Hurley Boys! Motorcycles? Ink & Chrome! Small Town? Petal! Menage? Err…there are a few lol. Super strong heroine – take your pick!

Diablo Lake is a magical town, one that has different packs of werewolves living there and witches as well. The magic makes the town incredibly special, therefore the witches are the heart of the town but can be easily overlooked with the powerful and loud wolves of the town at each other’s throats so often. The Pembry and Dooley packs are still clashing which is causing more and more chaos throughout the town. Mac Pembry is ready to take over his pack but is trying to bide his time to conduct a relatively peaceful takeover…which is pretty much impossible in his family. Meanwhile, Aimee Benton, a quietly powerful witch is getting pushed to the point of no return over all of anger in her town and is ready to do something about but wasn’t prepared for Mac at all.

This follow up to Moonstruck was just as good as the first one was for me! I’ve been so ready for great paranormal books again and I loved the first one so much that I was pretty much stalking to see when this one was coming out. Megan Erickson had a great werewolf book recently as well with Daring Fate and with the addition of these two I’m really hoping to see even more.

I really like the connecting threads from the previous book that I assume is going to pull through to the next as well with all of the drama within the town. That goes beyond just the two wolf packs and includes the witches and the various families in the town. That’s the beauty of small town romances – they can be so much more involved than you even realize at first. On top of that, the romance was kind of quiet and intense at the same time. Because of the drama of the town and families I think if there was too much drama between Aimee and Mac it would have been too much for me, but the way it was done gave me the perfect amount. But they still brought the heat of their chemistry to the page and made me believe their romance immediately.

I really can’t wait for the next installment of this. I feel like it’s Dane at her best, and paranormal right there too.

Rating: 5 stars

Reviewer: Melinda

Title: Diablo Lake: Protected

Author: Lauren Dane

Release Date: January 23, 2017

another awesome story by Ms. Dane. Enjoyed. good plot.

Aimee went over to Katie Faith’s house , Katie was Aimee’s best friend. Roses in December meant a witch lived in Diablo lake and gave the earth her power. There were men building things near Katie’s house and Katie’s husband Jace was one of them. The men were also werewolves and hot. Aimee thought they should be on a calendar and thought it would be a fantastic idea for a fund raiser for the organization Aimee worked for. Jace smiled in surprise at Aimee’s new short haircut and Damon who was one of Jace’s brothers said he liked it. Katie wanted to know why the haircut and Aimee said she needed alcohol and then proceeded to tell Katie that Bob had called over six months after they stopped seeing each other,three years ago Aimee had met Bob through her job as a rural social worker. Bob worked at one of the agencies the grant that funded her job came from. Bob and Aimee saw each other off and on for three years finally completely ending everything a little over six months ago. Aimee hadn’t spoken to or seen Bob in this time and didn’t miss him. It had been fun but never was permanent, even if they had wanted to get serious Bob was human. Bringing a human to a Diablo Lake was a big deal; marrying into the community took dedication and a real match and that wasn’t what Aimee had with Bob. When Bob called Aimee she told him she had already moved on but he asked her to come and talk to him for just a couple of minutes. Aimee had as many shots of alcohol already as when Darrell had run off with another woman and left Aimee at the altar and Aimee had to tell Katie. But then Aimee told Katie how Bob had told her he was married and had been for fifteen years and had five kids he was a porn addict and this was one of his steps to recovery he came to Aimee to make amends. Aimee didn’t feel guilty about her time with Bob she had no idea he had been married with kids but he had used Aimee and made her tje other woman and Aimee felt dirty and bad. Katie had returned to Diablo Lake as her dad had suffered a heart attack that almost took his life. Katie came back to run the Soda factory and to support her family. But Katie also found love in the form of Jace But now the town was in an uproar and the wolves back and forth had brought the witches into the mess. The town of Diablo Lake was a magical place but the more drama and anger that happened the harder the land had to work to connect the witch's magic. Aimee was a green witch or a nurturing witch, she wanted to make things better for humans and animals and bring life wherever she went. Macre/Mac Pambry left London to come back home to Diablo Lake when his dad called and said his family needed him. Mac had just spent a long day trying to get Pambry wolves back on track as a business. His mom Scarlet seemed ready to have a nervous breakdown and his dad Dwayne and his brother Darrell were on the outs with the witches. Mac had been home two months . Mac had spent years in the Army then went back to college preparing himself to come back and lead his pack.Mac literally bumped into Aimee at the bar. Aimee went back to her friends after her and Mac spoke for a couple of minutes. Mac was attracted to Aimee but her best friend was married to Mac’s archrival who his mom seemed to have a never ending hate for as well as Aimee’s best friend Katie.but the alienation between the wolves and witches was starting to feel normal and that had to be stopped. One night on her way home Aimee had stopped at the market as she had no food at home and she was hungry she almost got ran over by two werewolves but at the last minute Mac appeared and plucked her out of the way then Mac went to yell at the wolves. Later that evening Mac showed up at Aimee’s door t5o apologize . he kissed Aimee a soul scorching kiss and asked her to go to dinner with him the next night. Aimee agreed and Katie and Jace would join them to show the wolves members of both packs could be friends and also get along with the witches. Aimee starts sleeping with Mac and soon they are a couple But Mac’s mom Scarlet and dad Dwayne and brother Darrell are still causing havoc everywhere. Also Scarlet was saying and starting rotten hurtful rumors about Katie. Finally Aimee is talked into running for mayor against Dwayne who is the present mayor and hasn’t been doing his job. Scarlet seems to accept Aimee this way the Pembry pack can also have its own powerful witch but Aimee also senses something is really eating at Scarlet. Mac is very protective of Aimee and she even gets to see him shift and they play in the snow together. Soon Aimee and Mac discuss a future together even though things are happening super fast . mac becomes Prime of his pack and most of the pack is behind Mac he can feel it. But not his father and Darrell or Darrell’s friends. Darrell is spoiled and nothing but a troublemaker. Mac knows his father won’t step down and he will have to fight him to take over the pack and start to fix things. Then Dwayne announces how Aimee had been with a married man and calls her a whore and that she was unfit to be mayor or part of his pack.
I loved this story. A new favorite for me. It had a fast pace and a great plot. I loved how Mac knew he would be going against his family to start something with Aimee. Also how Mac defended Aimee to anyone who tried to hurt her in anyway even his dad and brother. I loved Katie’s and Aimee friendship it was beautiful to see. I also like how Mac just uprooted the life he had to come back home. I also liked the fact Jace and Mac respected and liked each other even with the problems going on. The only thing I would have added is what was wrong with Scarlett and eating at her. Otherwise a perfect book as far as I am concerned i loved the characters and the ins and outs and I highly recommend.

Diablo lake Protected by Lauren Dane is next installment of this wonderful shirfter witch series. Mac has come home to take his rightful place in the PAC. Aimee has just come out of a relationship that was a disaster. They fall for each other and it's up to them to get things settled in this town. But there is many obstacles to overcome. Wonderful addition to the series. Highly recommend action adventure and romance. Can't wait for more by this author!!

I have been waiting for this book since the first one ended. I loved the characters and the connection between Aimee and Mac. Aimee has a great life until she got betrayed by somebody she had cared for. She is a strong female and deals with the betrayal in a classy manner. Mac is the strong alpha that has been away serving his country until he is called home to solve the family problems. For once, it is the guy with the screwed up family. And it is that family dynamic that brings Aimee and Mac closer.

This book is a stand alone, but it ties in so beautifully with the first. Katie Faith and Jace are wonderful supporting characters along with Katie and Aimee's parents. This book is family.

While this book is complete, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. I want to know what happened with Jace's father and Mac's mother. Scarlett is a nasty woman. I hope the next book gives more answers.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you!!!!

4.5 stars

Werewolves, witches, and a few cat shifters lurking in the background, all living and working together in a small, magical town in the Tennessee mountains…well, no one is more shocked than I am by how much I am enjoying this series. I loved the first book, Moonstruck: Diablo Lake, but Protected: Diablo Lake is even better. Ms. Dane did an excellent job of world-building in the first book, as well as setting up the continuing thread of one wolfpack disrupting and endangering the entire community. I felt a strong sense of purpose in Protected. The actions and animosity of the Pembrey wolves toward the Dooley wolves, has impacted the witches and is affecting the health of the environment. The community needs healing, and the Pembrey wolves need leadership. Aimee Benton, an empathic witch is a healer. I already knew and loved Aimee from Moonstruck. Getting to know her in depth just made me love her all the more. She’s funny and smart. She truly cares about all the residents of Diablo Lake. Her approach to her job as a social worker is loving and respectful of maintaining the dignity of her clients, be they witch, wolf, or cat. When she and her BFF, Katie Faith, get together, it’s laugh out loud funny. I really got a kick out of both their moms—they may be witches, but they’re still Southern mamas, and they are fierce and hilarious.

Mac Pembrey has been called home by his father, Dwayne, the Patron, and thrust into chaos. The Pembreys are a splintered pack, out of control—from the Patrons on down. Honestly, I wasn’t sure about Mac at first. I don’t like the Pembrey wolves—there’s not much to admire—so he had my dislike of his family working against him. Ms. Dane convinced me Mac was worthy of my affection and good enough for Aimee. I felt for Mac, his parents put him in a horrible, thankless position, but he’s the right man/wolf for the unenviable task of bringing order and discipline to the Pembrey wolves. I loved the family history and the alliances of the pack—a political thriller with wolves and witches! Aimee and Mac together are what the community needs to heal and thrive. Easier said than done. Mac’s family stands in the way. While I don’t like Dwayne, Scarlett, and Darrell Pembrey, I am fascinated by them. These three are at the heart of the conflict. Scarlett has a secret. A big one. One I mistakenly believed would be revealed in this book. (That scream you heard late one night a couple weeks ago…that was me.) Scarlett Pembrey is one complex villain, and I am on pins and needles waiting to find out what she’s hiding. Ms. Dane has done a masterful job of building the suspense, giving us a tiny clue here and there…just enough to keep us on edge, but not enough for us to figure it out (or not me, anyway). There’s an election that figures prominently in this book. I couldn’t help but draw parallels with our recent presidential election here in the U.S. The election, the battle for control of the Pembrey wolves, was exciting and intense, while Aimee and Mac’s relationship was easy, fun, and sexy—a perfect balance.

I was riveted by this story, staying up way too late to see how it would all play out. I was in a panic since I couldn’t find evidence of more books in this series, but a quick email exchange with Ms. Dane fixed that. She’s assured me there will be more Diablo Lake books to come. I, for one, am delighted by this news.

I was super excited to return back to the supernatural hotspot Diablo Lake, Tennessee as I could not get enough of book one! Now the town is divided by two packs and the rift of dissension is getting bigger. But what isn't helping is Mack Pembry, powerful wolf of the Pembry pack aggravating and tormenting witch, Aimee Benton. Tensions fly and an illicit relationship develops. But what do they want from each other? Is it love? Is it lust? How will this affect the two warring packs? Read it and find out! Welcome back to Diablo Lake where anything can happen!!

I absolutely loved this book! The chemistry and intensity of their relationship. Their Love-Hate beginning!! Absolute perfection! What I adored also was Mack's possessive feelings towards Aimee and his equal loyalty towards both his pack as well as Aimee. I was consumed by their relationship! 4 Fiery stars!!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Carina Press for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review!

I really liked Moonstruck, the first book in this series and waited eagerly (and impatiently) for Protected. Now that I've read the book, the wait was mostly worth it.

At the end of my review of Moonstruck, I mentioned a few things that I needed more of in the later books in this series. Unfortunately, I got none of them in this book. The shifter cats are barely mentioned. The concepts behind the magic are barely touched on, despite Aimee using her magic a lot. And most importantly - to me, anyway - the mystery behind the seemingly irrational hatred Scarlett Pembry has for the Dooleys and specifically Jace and his Dad (exiled and not spoken of) is still just whispers on the breeze.

What I really liked were Aimee because she is such a bad-ass nurturer and Macrae (because seriously, with a name like that how can I not like him?) the wounded wolf who has to do his best to fix the Pembry wolves despite his parents. I definitely liked Mac more than Aimee and that can be summed up in one word: pain. Mac is hurting. His family treat him like crap; he has to fix what his own brother and parents keep messing up; he's in love with a witch who is best friends with a nominal enemy. Nothing about this is easy for Mac and darned if I didn't just want to hug the daylights out of him.

Aimee was not so easy. And again, pain is the reason why. She doesn't have any. She's got a good life. She's happy. Her family is doing well. There's no personal drama surrounding her in the same way there is with Mac and there was with Katie Faith in Moonstruck. The worst she has to deal with is a two-timing louse she was over before she found out his dirty little secret. It leaves little space for her to have a character arc. I needed to feel more connected to her and failed. In fairness, her connections failed too. While in Moonstruck I praised the strong female relationships that are a hallmark of Dane's writing, in Protected that was dialed way down. Katie Faith wasn't always around. Aimee didn't spend every Sunday with her parents. The Consort wasn't having weekly meetings. Mac and Aimee felt more isolated within Diablo Lake. It bothered me.

Secondary characters really bothered me. Scarlett Pembry is a nasty bitch of a woman. And while one theory for her Dooley hatred was shot down in this book (one I hadn't thought a credible idea given what was said in Moonstruck), hints suggest at something else, something so disgusting and despicable I hope I'm wrong. But Dwayne's entitled nonsense was almost worse. That he believes Pembry wolves to be better than all others and that they are there to do his bidding and serve him? Yeah, he can shove that up his ass. Sadly, Scarlett seems to have the same ideas. And don't get me started on Darrell Pembry who really needs to just lose his balls. He doesn't have any anyway so it wouldn't be much of a loss.

I'll be on the look out for the next book, but I really need to see some more worldbuilding and I need to see some progress on this mystery and blind hatred.

Family dynamics is something that is very hard to portray in a manner that does not upset people but Author Lauren Dane does a superb job with Mac and his relationship to his immediate family and his pack. The reader will also be thrilled at how Mac deals with his feelings for Aimee in regards to his responsibilities and his desires. In the beginning I liked Mac but I wasn't sure if he would be able to take over and be a believable pack leader, though I had no doubt that in the corporate world he would be great leader. What I liked about him is that he was real and the reader got to see his doubts and how he grew stronger as a leader through time.

Further more I love strong woman and Aimee comes across as a strong no nonsense woman which was very appealing to me. It was enjoyable watching her take a stand against Mac as well as for Mac. Her character was robust with lots of hidden aspects and the further you go into the story the more you will fall in love with her. Her relationship to Katie Faith is priceless and the reader gets glimpses of it throughout the story.

Secondary characters are fully developed with Aimee's best friend Katie Faith being hysterical in all her antics. I can only image what Katie Faith and Jace's story was like in Moonstruck (Diablo Lake #1) of the series and plan to go back and read it. Jace is the other pack leader who is at odds with Mac's pack so watching how these two deal with each other adds another layer of interest.

As always there are bad guys or should we say werewolves that added spice to this story to keep the reader is suspense as the author weaves us through the story to the dramatic ending.

I give this 4 STARS for how the author dealt with family dynamics.

REVIEW
After reading Moonstruck and falling in love with Diablo Lake, its magic and secret supernatural population I was really eager to read more as soon as I could. I adored the characters, their interactions with their families and each other in Moonstruck. I read the blurb for this book and I was really raring to go with reading, to learn more about the Pembry wolves. I was also curious to see how a possible relationship between witch, Aimee Benton and dominant wolf Macrae Pembry would work out. My thoughts were along the lines of would the wolf men, Jace Dooley and Macrae Pembry and their differences come between the true deep friendship between Aimee Benton and Katie Faith Dooley?
I became totally immersed in the Diablo Lake magic before I'd finished reading the first page of Protected. The book picks up three weeks after the wedding of witch, Katie Faith Grady and prime wolf Jace Dooley. The alterations to the Dooley home of Jace and Katie are well underway and it seems both patrons, Jace & Katie have slipped into their new roles quite seamlessly and are coping with the added workload fairly easily too. The garden of the property has flourished since Katie moved in and it has abundant display of beautiful smelling roses.

Aimee is all worked up, she has discovered something about an ex-boyfriend and the only person she feels she can turn to with the revelation is best friend Katie Faith. Katie is naturally shocked but reassures her friend that she is not the person with the problem, it is her ex-boyfriend of three years Bob that has the issues and needs to deal with them. Katie advises Aimee to just forget about it all.
The two girls soon turn their attention to the fit looking werewolves working on the house. Aimee can certainly understand her friends attraction to werewolves.

The cover of Moonstruck had a purple hue to it, this book has a blue hue. The scene on Protected's cover could be straight from a certain section of the book when a certain couple are kissing under the moonlight. I would say the couple is Aimee and Macrae the two most central characters within Protected. Katie actually teases Aimee, saying that Macrae is "eyeing her up", though Aimee laughs and brushes off the comment she has to admit to herself and then later to best friend Katie that she finds Macrae rather swoon worthy herself!

The genre of Protected is classified as Romance, Sci-Fi Fantasy by Netgalley and I totally agree with this. I will add that yes there are some steamy scenes with quite explicit language but to me it works well as it is part of a larger plot/storyline not just for the sake of a steamy scene.

So after being "rescued" by Macrae from being skittled over by two fighting werewolves (Dooley vs Pembry) and then "bumping" into Macrae a few other times they end up organising a date. Naturally gossips that they are Aimee and Katie come up with the idea of meeting up making it, Aimee, Macrae, Katie and Jace going out for the meal! These girls are as close as sisters really, and throughout the book Katie Faith proves to be a real support and defender of Aimee. Jace also views Aimee as family and is always on hand to "sort out" anyone bothering her, but Aimee is a strong witch, who both can and prefers to defend herself. There's rumours, malicious gossip, rival pack tensions as well as internal Pembry wolf pack tensions galore in this book. If you thought Moonstruck was packed full of action . . ..well Protected has all that and even more.
Katie Faith & Jace Dooley still feature quite highly in my list of favourite characters in this series. We also learn just how stern Miz Rose can be when a couple of werewolves that should know better break the code, one of the simplest but most important rules for all those that live in Diablo Lake. I'm trying to hint and skirt around revealing anything as I of course do not want to spoil your own reading experience of this brilliant book.
I cannot say I like Scarlett Pembry but at one or two points in Protected you do feel empathy towards her, as Aimee does too. The way Scarlett keeps on going at Katie Faith and her reputation is weird. . . and is becoming stranger and more mystifying as the Diablo Lake Series progresses. Scarlett really seems to have a vendetta against Katie . . . .and she continually rakes over old Diablo Lake history bringing up Josiah Dooley . . . and hinting at "bad things" as well as snarking and being nasty towards Jace Dooley too. Hopefully we will learn exactly what Scarlett's problem is somewhere in the future of the Diablo Lake series.
The odd thing about Scarlett is that when she finds out about a possible union between Katie Faith's best friend Aimee and her son Macrae she is all for it. The immediate reason for her favourable attitude towards Aimee seems to be that it would mean the "Pembry pack" would then have their own witch like she see's Katie Faith being to the Dooley pack.
I'm looking forward to learning what her actual problem is and why she is so anxious to do as much damage to Jace and Katie Dooley as possible.
Macrae is the opposite of his parents, in fact he ends up having to make some difficult choices in how to deal with certain members of his family. I personally think Macrae is similar in character, personality and ways to Jace Dooley. I reckon if Jace and Macrae were in charge of their respective packs there would be much less drama and upset in Diablo Lake. The "cats" in Diablo Lake have a brief part to play in a "clean up" operation that has Miz Rose taking charge. I'm hoping we get to discover more about the cat shifters later in this series. Though what we do know is that they aren't as close, and in and out of each others homes like the werewolf packs are.
The "shining star" of Protected has to be Aimee Benton, who is a nurturing green witch. Aimee is the person who goes around Diablo Lake calling in on the older generation offering herbal and magic infused tinctures and balms to soothe their ailments. Aimee does this without anything in return really, she does it because she can and wishes too. I thought the way she wormed her way into Jeph Pembry's home and heart was particularly amusing, she kind of managed to turn around her good deeds, giving the impression Jeph was doing her a favour eating the extra bun, or the extra broth or pie she left for him. Even the matriarchal Rebecca Pembry is won over by the caring Aimee. Rebecca gives both the permission and strength to Macrae to pursue Aimee no matter what as well as being the wise voice he needs to hear when the time comes he has to become patron. Rebecca informs her grandson Macrae that Aimee Benton will make a worthy patron and be a great asset to the Pembry pack.

Protected is more centred on the Pembry wolves, though we have already met Macrae's immediate family of parents Dwayne and Scarlett, and obnoxious spolit brother Darrell. We also read about Mac Pembry's true family support network from grandmother Rebecca, to his Uncle Bern and his wife and the cousins that always have his back Huston and Everett. We also learn a little more about Mac's other brothers Billy and youngest Samuel. It was an important moment in the book when Samuel chose to speak up and warn Macrae and Aimee about a plan that current Mayor Dwayne has to discredit opponent Aimee in the run up to the Mayoral elections. I'm looking forward to seeing and reading about the aftermath of the incidents at the end of Protected. How will Scarlett react now she is no longer the patron? Will the Pembry pack finally settle under the watchful eye and fair hand of Mac Pembry.

I have to add just a few more things....Firstly, I truly adored the part in the book where it is revealed Macrae got his name from. Secondly, I could seriously visualise the incident in the supermarket where Nadine Grady hears Pembry Wolves slandering her daughters name ans she picks up a can of peaches and hits the wolf. . . . well you'll find out when you read the book yourselves. Finally, I was also immensely entertained by what I call the Katie/Aimee "isms" such as "Softy Softerson", "maggot eating shit lord"and "Cheaty McCheaterson". The other nick names I found really appropriate during Protected, were for the opposing packs in town were the "Droolworthy Dooleys" and the "Poison Pembrys". Though after the ending of Protected maybe it should be "Droolworthy Dooleys" and "Pulseracing Pembry's".

I could really go on and on about this book, in fact this series so far! The books fit together well, especially as there is only a three week time frame gap between the end of Moonstruck and the beginning of Protected.

The initial words floating around my head as I finished reading Protected but also fit well for Moonstruck were, Enthralling, Captivating, Emotional, and Heart Warming. The Diablo Lake series has family and community at the very heart of the plots and has some relate-able situations even though it is classified as fantasy. All I can really sum up with is Wow! another fantastic book n the Diablo Lake Series! and that I am so eagerly awaiting the next book in the series I hope it's not long until its available to read.

Despite being on opposite sides of the conflict in Diablo Lake, both Mac and Aimee are able to form a passionate relationship. I especially liked watching Aimee grow as a strong woman and watching Mac begin to take over his pack and lead them in the right direction.