The Cascadia Wolves series was when I first became acquainted with Ms. Dane's writing.  I've followed her career and enjoyed some of the other genre's that she writes in but I'm happy to see her going back to the paranormal world with it's interesting mix of humans, shifters and witches.

For readers who read the earlier book in the series it was clear that Mac and Aimee would follow a very interesting path.  Even so this story managed to surprise me a few times in how it all turned out.  Aimee is a talented witch content to use her nurturing magic to support herself professionally whiling doing good for a whole lot of people.   There's a lot of politicking going on in their small town thanks to the rivalry between the two dominant wolf packs in the town. Aimee's naturally sympathetic to the Dooley's because her best friend is married to the alpha besides which the Pembry's our douchebags even through Mac Pembry seems to stand out and apart from the rest of his pack.
Mac is a natural leader having traveled outside of his small corner of the woods to see the world and shed his blood for his country.  He bites his tongue holding back for his father's approval that seems to be set on his clearly incompetent younger brother.
All the fighting is not good for the town or a natural empath like Aimee. I like how she stands up and takes no prisoners as she lays down the law.  Her relationship with Mac is a treasure. Clearly he's an alpha male and they tend to make a few mistakes along the way but he owns up to them, apologizes nicely and makes my  heart pitter patter as he shows his love and appreciation for his woman.
I hate the fact that the author never gives us he back story on why Mac's father favors one son over the other or why his mother is so psychotic.  Also the readers are aware of the mystery surrounding Jake's father and while one can speculate nothing is clearly disclosed.  I felt all these mysteries that persist left things hanging a bit without a clean end.

Summary

Aimee and Mac are on opposite sides of a rivalry between the witches and the shape shifters. But there is trouble brewing in Diablo lake. Mac has spent years fighting in the army and learning as much as he can to eventually become the right leader for his pack. But then his family requests that he returns home and gets things back in order. Mac knows he will have to tread very carefully as he slowly takes over the pack. His father is lazy when it comes to being a leader and his brother is a troublemaker who with his pack of friends are causing all sorts of problems for the town and most especially the witch clan. Aimee, is strong and responsbile and she knows that certain members of the pack are causing problems and finds herself in a battle with herself. Her passion for Mac and her responsiblity to see that the leadership over the town becomes changed. But as Mac and Aimee work together to make the town more unified, Mac’s family is causing unnecessary problems and Mac will be forced to make a difficult choice and only his love for Aimee will give him the strength to do what is best for all…
Plot and Story Line

What a lovely story this turned out to be. Even though it starts out a bit slow at first, it quickly picks up pace and I very quickly had a hard time putting this one down. I did feel a bit confused at times with the romance itself. I felt like there was a background story with Mac and Aimee that wasn’t really revealed very much, so I would have liked a bit more information included in the story. However that is my only real complaint about this story. In Protected we have a story that deals with complex pack politics but the author handled this variation so well. I did like seeing two strong characters become so unified and connected with each other. Both Aimee and Mac have alpha like personalities. But what characters they turned out to be. Mac is a wonderful leader, and even though he is torn between family and duty he knows how to act when its the right thing to do. He handles the situation very delicately and I enjoyed seeing the way he goes about it. Now Aimee, I truly liked seeing so much. She is a natural born leader but very caring and empathetic.

I love the way she treats others and makes an effort to help others even at a cost to herself. She is compassion but firm and we see what a great balance that brings out. I am eager to read book one now and see how this author builds this series, I definitely want more.
The Cover

Interesting cover, I really like the shade of blue used here with the moon’s brightness.
Overall View

Protected is a stimulating and sexually charged romance that gives the reader pause in appreciation and delight!!

An excellent book, again, from Dane. My only complaint is she spent a lot of time crafting the tension and discord within the Pembry Pack, specifically with Mac, Dwayne, Darrell, etc. It was clear there would be a showdown for Patron and one with Darrell and Mac. I'm disappointed that the confrontations basically happened off-page. Then, we get just bare minimum for the after-math once Mac goes to Aimee's afterward. If the battles were to happen off-page, and given the relationship that had developed with Mac and Aimee, he should have opened up more to Aimee, told her what happened (in more detail), let him be more vulnerable and open.

I am dying to know Scarlett's secret and why the hell she's such a bitch lol! I hope we get more of Aimee and Mac because I feel their story isn't quite over.

I liked this book. really liking the series

Aimee and Mac are one of the funniest couples I've read lately. So entertained. There are deeper and more serious plots and dramas that unfold during the telling of the story, rounding it out and making it engrossing and interesting, but its that comedy that makes the story really come to life. Crazy characters, quirky dialogue and a core of strength and community underneath. Great book. I'm looking for more - the mystery of what's going down with the Pemberlys still needs to be solved - but I can't figure out who's next for this author?

Quick Summary: I've got three words...hot, fast and feisty. That is what this story was. The protagonists had hot chemistry. The pace of the story was fast. And the characters were feisty, as well as funny. I liked most of them.

The conflict in this book was really well written. Although I still don't know the "secret," or why Mac's mom and dad were such unethical, evil, immature wolves, I was completely engaged. In truth, Mac's family dysfunction was ridiculous.

Final Thoughts: I was left with question after question, upon finishing this book. I also thought the ending was rather abrupt. It was an ok read. That is all.

Rating: 3.25-3.5/5
Recommend: +/-
Status: M
Chemistry/Intensity: Yes
Conflict/Drama: Yes
Family Dysfunction: Yes
Humor/Wit: Yes
Stand Alone: Yes (I recommend reading book one first.)
Series: Yes (book2)
HEA: Yes
Re-read: No

Admist of some inner community chaos, two people find their mates unexpectedly and fall in love. The chemistry between these two is strong and makes for some good sexy times. They are quite cute together. Each brings something to the relationship that makes it work. She is quite quirky, with a weird sense of humor, and hilarious at times when she babbles. There are a lot of tensions and issues in their community and families, which not only cause some trouble for them, but also to the story. They're cute together, despite everything else going on in their lives. The community story is going to continue to the next book because there were too many questions left unanswered.This was just an okay read for me. The story ended with what felt like a happy for now, instead of a happily ever after.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.