I don't think I read the same book as everyone else did because I really hated this book. As a matter of fact, I hated this book more than I hate basketball and that's saying a LOT!! I apparently saw an entirely different book than everyone else which is probably true.

What’s it About? Dr. Angel Treherne is suspected of helping a dangerous man in a deadly plot to hurt innocent people so Special Agent Will Berwick is ordered to find out what she knows by sleeping with her. As attracted as they are to one another they also don’t trust each other and with someone out to kill Angel, they don’t have a lot of time to work things out.




Overall reaction to the story? Hard to Protect was one of those books that when I looked at other readers’ reviews start thinking Did I read the same book? Because I didn’t have the same reaction to it as the majority of people. For a romantic suspense it was much too slow with a lot of nothing going on for long periods of time. I found myself skipping parts of the book just so I could get to the part where the plot started moving forward again. The parts that focused on the suspense and action were really well written but they were mixed in with scenes that could have been edited out and the book would have been better for it. Those scenes made the story as a whole seem longer than it actually was and not in a good way.


Another big hang up for me was the lack of consistency when it came to the connection/relationship between Will and Angel. There was a little heat here and there but a huge lack of emotional connection. Sometimes they came off as nothing more than co-workers and sometimes they were hot and heavy with each other but I never really felt that there was more between them than that. Will’s hot and cold act towards Angel got old pretty quick and I kept wishing I could reach into the book and smack him for not getting his act together. He was like that towards her through most of the book, he didn’t change until like the last second and by then I couldn’t find it in me to believe he had changed. I think that’s what also kept a tangible connection from forming between these two.


With two such noticeable issues with Hard to Protect, I found myself not enjoying the story as much as I should have based on the blurb. Like I said, the action and suspense parts were well done and I was kept on my toes waiting to see if the bad guy would get caught but even that wasn’t enough to keep me from getting bored with the other stuff going on.


Click It or Skip It? Skip It. I will try this author again though because Incy Black can write one heck of a suspense/action plot. I didn’t see some of the twists and turns coming so that was good but the unconvincing romance needed work and the unnecessary scenes in between need to go.

4 stars! Incy Black knocked if out of the park. Such a page turner.

This is the first opportunity I've had to read Incy Black, or any author from the UK which has not been edited for an American audience. It was refreshing as much as the differences were distracting.

The premise is unusual and I hoped to find another go to author of which I would purchase their books no matter what, but this is not the case. Although there is tension between Dr. Angel Treherne and Special Agent Will Berwick, the heat and connection wasn't quite there for me. The Author did something I'd never have done which is to put a former cutter (Dr. Treherne) and made her a therapist. Goes back to takes one to know one. Great idea.

However, there are other things which just didn't play well in my head. I couldn't envision the underground tunnels wherein Angel and Will followed her brother, although the description of the lair gave me chills. For these inconsistencies, including lack of connection between leading characters, I find I have to rate Hard To Protect 3 feathers.

Good suspenseful read. I enjoyed the characters & the plot twists.

This is book 3 in the Black Ops Heroes series and it features special agent Will Berwick and Dr. Angel Treherne. After reading the first two books in the series, the wait for Will's story was worth it. Their attraction was not instantaneous and they both fought it but when it burned, it was red HOT! It wasn't until he was FORCED to see her as a person instead of just a therapist who controlled his career, that he started to feel a draw towards her. The story line regarding Angel and her brother Rhys, was painful, heart wrenching and full of twists and turns.

All in all it's a great story that kept me guessing as to who the bad guys were. Full of family loyalty, deceptions, betrayal, tons of shoulder-sagging guilt and finally love.

A dark, danger filler, gritty tale filled with unexpected plot twists and intriguing characters in the darkest shadows of the British intelligence. With the authors unique and original voice the story takes noir tendencies while telling the tale of the ultimate betrayal in the world filled with deceit and lies, where finding love and living fulfilling life meant finding another profession and learning to live with the number of kills on your name.
This story took me for an unforgettable ride, with the darkness of the souls of the characters as well as the streets and underground tunnels, it pulled me in and mesmerized my mind. It is very different from the romantic suspense that I normally read, yet it was vastly entertaining, and the author's creative mind while building the plot and the characters is admirable.
Are characters likable and relatable - no, can't say that. They are crude, grim and sinister. Tender feelings don't come easily to them. They have faults, weaknesses, and roughness around the edges that is needed in their jobs, but that made them even more entertaining, enthralling, and hard to let go.
It seemed everyone had issues that were earth shattering. The things they had seen, things they had experienced, the things they had done themselves just to survive in the ominous world they lived in were unimaginable. Blood ties, soulmates, and best friends had a little meaning and weighing to them. The tension is high or escalating through the story, no moment of a lull from the fatal action or the constant threats.
If you love the deep, dark noir suspense stories filled with uncontrollable passion and very little sweetness, that will entice your mind and might seep into your dreams, you are going to love this author's voice and Hard To Protect.
~ Four Spoons

I have chosen not to review this title. I was not able to engage with the writing style of the author and as a result I could not really relate to the characters. I chose to DNF the title. We are still participating with the Sassy Book Tours Virtual Tour, but just as a promo.

"Hard To Protect" was an exhilarating ride of mystery, romance and suspense! Both Special Agent Will Berwick and Dr. Angel Treherne are searching for her brother, but for very different reasons. The level of mistrust between them is impossible to overcome until a truce is made, but will it save she and her brother, who now have "kill orders" on their backs?
This was an awesome read, impossible to put down, and the end will leave you stunned!
I was gifted a copy of this book by Net Galley and am volunteering my honest opinion.

In Hard to Protect, Special Agent Will Berwick is tasked with getting his job mandated therapist to give up sensitive information that's a matter of national security. Will isn't thrilled his playboy reputation has landed him with an assignment to warm up the arctic Dr. A. Treherne, but he's determined to get the information he needs from her--without bedding her.

Angel Treherne finds herself the subject of an investigation and is unsure who she can trust. She absolutely doesn't trust the change in her most difficult patient from hostile and irritable to hot and irresistible. With so much at stake personally and professionally, Angel has to figure out what Will Berwick is hiding, without surrendering her secrets, or her heart, to him in the process.

Hard to Protect is the type of story you read when you want to get entangled in a high octane romantic suspense with a scorching heat level. Incy Black crafted a tale that had me hooked until the end. Will and Angel were realistic characters I found myself invested in. The dialogue between them was one of the best parts of the story. The suspense element was as well done as the characters. The tension was palpable and the scares were more than plot points or "just the wind" misdirection.

While I enjoyed this story, there were a couple things I didn't like. I found Black overused profanity, particularly the four letter word for sex. It came off as overdone and crude in places and didn't feel real. I also had a hard time believing someone working in the government like Angel Treherne could hide her past so well. I was willing to suspend my disbelief and go along with the story, but some readers may get hung up on it.

Overall, this was a fun, fast read with lots of action and tension--romantic and otherwise. The characters were fresh and relatable, the plot was believable enough, and Incy Black balanced the romance and suspense with skill and heart. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys plenty of romantic sizzle with their suspense.

**I received a copy of Hard to Protect via Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review**

Hard to Protect by Incy Black is the third book in the Hard to... series. I've never read the author or the previous two books before and I have to say that when you're not sure what the back story I was clueless. Plus you add in British English and I just felt like I was missing something. So I'd give the book a sold three stars.

Special Agent Will Berwick who is with British Intelligence Black Ops has just returned to work after months of being off recovering from a bullet wound. He is tasked by his boss Commander Fisk to do what ever is necessary to find a missing scientist's, Rhys, sister, Dr. Angel Treherne. But Butters states if he has to seduce her then DO IT. But when Will finds out what exactly Rhys was working on it will take both of them to stop BT-11 serum from ever harming another person again.

Dr. Angel Treherne knows that British Intelligence wants her brother because of his serum has not only taken lives but has him on the run. But what she doesn't want is Will Berwick shadowing because his boss knows something he's not telling either of them about. Can they find him in time or will they realize that there is something more important like their sexual attraction to each other and what exactly the BT-11 serum was being used on and for

"Hard to Protect" by Incy Black. So, being perfectly honest, this one threw me for a bit of a loop and I struggled to write this review. While both main characters - Will and Angel - really annoyed the heck out of me, the story itself is gripping with a bit of the edge of your seat feel. It kept me captivated and turning each page, eager to see what would happen. Will and Angel are two very similar people, although they wouldn't agree. They are both stubborn, have some tragedies in their pasts that still haunt then, and do not trust easily. When either showed a bit of vulnerability, I loved them. I just wish I had seen a bit more. It was fun to witness their banter and the struggle of fighting their attraction to each other. This is my first tale written by Ms. Black and, I have to say, she succeeded in gaining a new fan. Despite the fact, or maybe because of the fact, that I struggled with the characters personalities, I could not put this one down. (received copy for honest review)

This book never really grabbed me. It moved along, but seemed to jump around. I found myself skimming sections to get through it.

I enjoyed the roots of the story, but in the end was happy to finally finish it. Will and Angel seemed like a mis-match to me all through the story.

I really enjoy this author so when another one of her novels crossed my path had to plunge in. I also was quite curious on how a agent and doctor would do because of both being stubborn and opinionated with a bit of humor also would be at play while reading I am sure. I soon got my answers with a whole lot more fueled with delight as I read. Will and Angel gave me quite the entertainment while reading about them and their quest in here. I also thought about several sayings about enemies with chuckles as I read. I also got my fix on suspense and action from this author as this is brimming with some of that also. Not knowing what to expect half the time gave me more than a few tingles with me inching at times in my seat. At times the heat could burn your fingers also but the danger could take the pain away. This one is a great addition by this author with it leaving a bit of a coma when finished.

Although it is the third in the series, this the first book I've read in it. It was really enjoyable. I appreciated how the author respected the reader, utilizing some difficult vocabulary and a complicated plot. It was a pleasant surprise how long the main characters abstained from sex. I was shocked they didn't while they were locked up together for over a week. It was a bit of a twist at the end what led to Diana's death.

Loved this book! Will is a special agent just returning to work after an injury when he is tasked with seducing a psychotherapist, Angel, to get info on her brother. Her brother is a scientist on the run from Will's agency for creating something dangerous and then knowing too much information that he has become a danger to those in power.

Angel is a ice queen that Will dislikes, but will use to get the information the agency needs. As he tries to chip away at her icy facade, he starts to like the woman revealed....just in time to appreciate just how precarious her situation is.

This is a very sexy story with many twists and turns that kept me guessing. I loved the push-pull chemistry between Will and Angel. Fans of the genre will love this book. I've added the author to my must read authors' list.

This book took me by total surprise. Not fully knowing what to expect, if I had an expectation, it blew it out of the water. This is one insanely good book. My first book by this author, won't be the last.

This series takes place in England.
Will is a Black Operative who is still on recoup leave having failed his psych eval, his own doing because he refuses to co operate.
Angel Treherne is the Dr who is in charge of the Pysch Eval's among other things and also works for the government in this specialized group.
Will is called in to the acting Chiefs office given an assignment but the very dirty and underhanded chief. Seduce Dr Treherne and find out where her brother is. Her brother is a scientist (chemist) who has been working for the government developing a new drug, which was first said to be a flu vaccine, which morphed into another description... you get the picture. Even the guys in Black Ops don't know what he was working on. Rhys her brother ghosted a couple months ago with a thumb drive that the gov't wants their hands on. Badly.
Angel and Will already know each other as Dr and patient. Neither give an inch. And especially now since he's flipped his demeanor and trying to seduce her. Even he thinks she's protecting him.
This is one hell of a book and I did not put it down. There are so many twists and turns, there's some steam going on here, but suspense and mystery override that. Trust me, you won't miss the sex. The characters are more than enough to keep you glued to the pages. This book help my attention, captively. Some books just don't. You can read, but kind of skim along because it's the same sort of trope and you're not going to miss much. Not so with this gem. You have to stay in the game here and Incy keeps you engaged, totally. There were moments here that were honest to goodness breath holders. You couldn't tell what was going to happen at all. So many questions, oddities and plain old what the hell was that?
I can't recommend this book highly enough. It was a great read and one I'd read again. I liked the relationship between Will and Angel. Even when I didn't like him. :) She's so snarky to his dickishness that it's perfection. I loved it. Can't say it enough.
I'd love to see more from Ms Black!!! This book was aces.
Read this book!!

***arc from NetGalley and published in exchange for a fair review***

I was really excited to start reading Hard To Protect. I've read the others in this series and I know this author has a way of writing that makes you remember. You remember the characters and the excitement you get when you read her books. This was very much still true with this installment of the series. I am most definitely going to remember this one for a VERY long time.

Hard To Protect focuses on Special Agent Will Berwick and Dr Angel Treherne.

Will is given an assignment from his asshole of a boss to basically 'sex' his way to gathering information from the very icy Dr about the whereabouts of her fugitive brother Rhys.

Dr Angel Treherne knows that Berwick wants something from her and she knows it somehow involves her brother. Little does the agent know that she made a vow to NEVER betray her brother. Not even for the hot agent!

Both aren't willing to give anything of themselves until they literally have to.

Not only was this book filled with enough sexual tension to fire a jumbo jet and 'big exhales of breath' moments but its also filled with laugh out loud moments, intrigue, danger and mystery. What intrigued me the most though was the way the author makes you believe in her characters and her story and that's what I enjoyed most.

There was something about the way Will sought after Angel that made me swoon. Their love/hate relationship, their banter, the insults thrown back and forth. Their whole chemistry was literally on fire. Will is your typical bloke with his words but that behaviour is something you wouldn't mind directed at you.

"Now, about what occurred earlier. I liked it and I know you loved it. Spending time together, day and night, lots of stress, lots of tension, I can't rule out the possibility we won't go for a full fuck."

(I mean, can you even.....who'd say no to that? - certainly not I!)

As to the storyline, there wasn't a moment in which I thought of skipping and I do have a tendency to do that if the story is too long winded. It was fast paced and kept me glued. I mean the first night I started it I had read 13% before going to sleep. The very next day I devoured the rest. I could not and did not WANT to put it down. It was that good.

Don't just take my word for it though, preorder and read it! You will not be disappointed.

Definitely worth 5 stars!!!!

I have read all three books in this series and have loved all of them. I was hoping Will would get his own story since I really liked him in the first story. Will and Angel hold their feelings and have a hard time letting the other in. Their journey to love is a great story. There are a lot of twists and turns that I frankly did not see coming. There are some creepy parts…rats…but could not help keeping my eyes glued to the page. Fantastic characters and a fabulous story.