Twenty-seven year-old Ellie James returns home to find that her beloved grandmother is dead and her sister is on the cusp of death’s doorstep. Ellie doesn’t think to call the police (immediately) because an attractive stranger comes to her rescue and tells her a nonsensical story about his connection to her:

“My father told me about you when I was five and reminded me often how I would someday protect you. There was no imminent danger at the time I came over, and he’d forbidden it, but I needed to see for myself you were real—that the training had purpose. It all seemed mad to me then, as it does for you now. You were seventeen.”

Ellie instantly falls for this “defender” and he spends the entire story shielding her from danger (assassins). Essentially, she’s a special snowflake and his role is akin to guardian of the special snowflakes. Naturally, he fails to keep her safe several times . . .

Overall?
The entire story was unconvincing, felt underdeveloped, and I couldn’t connect to the characters. The dialogue was mostly dramatic and by the end of the story I felt sad that these characters were already forgettable. My expression while reading this story?