Protecting Piper: A Hot Romantic Suspense

PROTECTING PIPER is the first instalment in Cynthia Eden’s contemporary, adult, romantic suspense series focusing on the men and women who work for Wilde Securities. This is owner and security specialist Eric Wilde, and artist/gallery owner Piper Lane’s story line. Told from several third person perspectives including Eric and Piper PROTECTING PIPER follows the enemies to lovers relationship between owner and security specialist Eric Wilde, and artist/gallery owner Piper Lane. Most of her life Piper Lane believed her best friend’s brother hated her guts. From the age of seventeen, Eric Wilde kept his distance from Piper Lane, a distance meant to quell the need and desire for his brother’s best friend. When Piper becomes the target of a psychopathic mind, Eric and his team at Wilde Securities, make it their responsibility to protect the woman Eric has loved most of his life. What ensues is the rebuilding friendship and growing romance between Eric and Piper, as Eric struggles to stay one step ahead of the person trying to destroy our heroine’s life. Eric Wilde has been in love with his brother’s best friend Piper for as long as he can remember. Hoping to keep his distance, Eric continues to push Piper out of his life but in doing slowly builds a wall between everyone concerned. Piper has no idea why Eric has such a hate on towards her but that hasn’t stopped her attraction to her best friend’s brother. The deaths of several people connected to our heroine, and attacks against both her personal and business properties will send Piper into the arms of Eric Wilde, where the palpable sexual attraction finds our couple together, for good. The $ex scenes are seductive and impassioned, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. We are introduced to Eric’s brother and Piper’s best friend, divorce attorney Ben Wilde; Wilde Securities VP and ex-SEAL Simon Forrest; security specialists Julia Slate and Rick Williams; Eric’s assistant Dennis; and tattoo artist Mark Rogue. Simon’s story line is next in Guarding Gwen. PROTECTING PIPER is a story of family, friendship, obsession and love. The premise is intriguing and suspenseful; the romance is spirited and passionate; the characters are energetic and strong. My one regret is that the identity of the guilty party is easily deduced.

This was a little bit of everything, a best friend’s brother, teenage crush, second chance, and enemies to lovers trope that included a hero who had actually loved the heroine for years but stayed to the side because of his brother. But when the opportunity and the right time finally arrived, Eric made his move and he wasn’t stepping back again. I absolutely loved Eric and the way he protected Piper. It’s no surprise that I love a jealous, possessive hero and this story had plenty of opportunities to highlight those characteristics in Eric. When trouble is stalking Piper he rushes in to help and takes every advantage of the situation that he can. Of course, Piper isn’t really complaining too much. She had a thing for him when she was young but throughout the years their relationship became strained to the point of him being a real a-hole to her and her responding negatively to his presence. Yes, there is some push and pull here (shout out to my Goodreads friend!) but it didn’t really bother me this time around as it usually would. They both had their reasons and I felt that they were valid. I was also in a place where I needed a great read and I always get that from this author. She did not disappoint. This is a fast paced story with a mystery that actually left me unsure as to who the villain was up until almost the very end. The chemistry between Eric and Piper was authentic and despite the years they had each individually fought against it, once they opened the door to a physical relationship the steam level shot into the nuclear stage. I enjoyed the heck out of this book and can’t wait for the next one!

Great book.. definitely worth the read. The story line and suspense kept me engaged. The only critical comment is there was a lot repetitive "thoughts" from Eric and Piper describing feelings that had already been established. I felt it was filler. Either way, great book.