Protected

Diablo Lake #2

by Lauren Dane

New York Times bestselling author Lauren Dane welcomes you back to Diablo Lake, Tennessee: a town founded by witches, governed by werewolves and full of secrets

Tensions are building in Diablo Lake as the two main rival Packs vie for control, and the town is divided along lines of Pack loyalty. Aimee Benton and Mac Pembry are on opposite sides and he seems to find excuses to spar with her daily. He's infuriating—not to mention charming, gorgeous and oh-so-lickable.

Mac can't resist pushing Aimee's buttons. She's always been incredibly sexy, and the wolf in him craves a female with fire in her belly. When a heated argument ends with a sizzling kiss and Mac gets a taste of her, he craves more—and she can't seem to get enough of him, either. The forbidden nature of their attraction stokes their desires until they're secretly hooking up whenever they can.

But then Mac's clan goes too far, and Aimee shuts him out. She's hurt and angry—but that's nothing compared to the rage Mac is feeling toward his own Pack. A fight is brewing that will plunge the whole town into chaos, and someone will have to cross Pack lines to keep the town's fragile peace from breaking apart for good.

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters, Fantasy, Magic, Audiobook

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 23, 2017

About the author

Lauren Dane has been writing stories since she was able to use a pencil, and before that she used to tell them to people. Of course, she still talks nonstop, and through wonderful fate and good fortune, she’s now able to share what she writes with others. It’s a wonderful life!

The basics: Lauren is a mom, a partner, a best friend and a daughter. Living in the rainy but beautiful Pacific Northwest, she spends her late evenings writing like a fiend when she finally wrestles all of her kids to bed.

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The supernatural town of Diablo Lake is about to explode from the tension building between two rival wolf packs and the town is divided. As if that isn’t bad enough, Mac Pembry is resorting to tormenting the heck out of witch, Aimee Benton, just to get her attention! Cute, aggravating and sooooo third grade, but it just may be working as Aimee finds the rival wolf just a little too desirable. Is this a case of the Sharks versus the Jets with fur? Can these two really hope to find love amidst the brewing storm ahead?

When one pack goes too far, fur will fly and Aimee and Mac may lose their happily ever after unless there is some way to bring peace to Diablo Lake in time. Would Aimee be seen as the witch the Pembry pack needs? Is this why Mac is after her?...Wait, no one could fake the sizzle and steam of their passion, so this must be love, but will it be tainted by others for their own purposes? Where does the Dooley pack stand in this romance? What will both Mac and Aimee have to give up for love? What would they have to gain? Like any small town, Diablo Lake residents have their opinions…

Lauren Dane’s PROTECTED is a great addition to the Diablo Lake series and stands just as tall and proud as book one. Action, heated tempers and passions will hit the boiling point and Lauren Dane takes us into the heart of the supernatural world, so be prepared for anything while receiving the best from this talented author!

I received an ARC edition from Carina Press in exchange for my honest review.

Series: Diablo Lake - Book 2
Publisher: Carina Press (January 1, 2017)
Publication Date: January 23, 2017
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Print Length: 352 pages
Available from: Amazon |  Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....

[Pam Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Protected Stars

We meet most of these characters in book 1 and I enjoyed the story in that book wasn’t a huge fan of the narrator but she didn’t ruin that book by any means.

So when this book was coming out I was all about it and yay! I am so glad I listened to it, not only does Tantiana Sokolov do an amazing job but the story was awesome!

I love the dynamic between the witches and the shifters of this town. How they all work together to keep them all safe, and if one pack/clan is out of line it affects everyone.

Mac comes back after being away to be a better him for his pack he realizes it’s not going to be easy going against his family. But what I loved was that Aimee too, was kind of in limbo after a bad break up but when these two find each other its magic. :)

I love that they become this pair out to make their town what it is supposed to be. I just loved how they connected on all levels even when things were up in the air they knew that they would always be alright. <3

Swoony this is a fabulous addition to this series! Loved it recommend it, especially if you read book one.

*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*

[Lover of Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance 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.

But Aimee's strength was deep, solid and steadfast. Not always something people understood as alpha behavior at first glance. She was a calming, soothing influence even as she knew how to enjoy the little things that made life better.

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!!
Click To Buy On Amazon
[foogallery id="25512"]

[Sandra "Jeanz" · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

Wow another fantastic book n the Diablo Lake Series!

[D.G.]

DNF at 17%
If there's one thing I HATE is when the description completely misrepresents the premise of a book. According to this book's description The forbidden nature of their attraction stokes their desires until they're secretly hooking up whenever they can. I love books with secret hookups so I decided to give this one a try even though I hated the first book in the series.

Well, after the first kiss, you know what Mac and Aimee do? They go out on a DATE!!! How the hell is that a secret hookup???

Needless to say, this wasn't what I signed up for so I'm letting it go (and the book is going as boring as the first one.)

[Simply Love Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Java Girl's review:

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.

Review copy given for a voluntary review.

[SmartBitches · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

I wrote in my review of Diablo Lake: Moonstruck that the first book in this series read like a pilot episode of a series: there was a lot of story to set up, a whole lot of plot and world building to accomplish, plus a romance.

Diablo Lake: Protected, book two in the series, picks up a little bit after book one ended, and boy howdy gosh darn golly, all that building and setup in book one paid off. I so enjoyed reading this book. It was exactly what I needed at exactly the right time. So many tiny moments in the story were soothing and comforting, and the larger moments were incredibly inspiring.

o, should you read book one? Yeah, it’s probably best, since what’s happening now started in book one, and some of the conflict hinges on secrets that are hinted at in the first book and slowly unraveling in the second. But the good news is, reading both shouldn’t be arduous or difficult, as the characters are fun to read about and the world is weirdly entertaining (as in, they’re really weird and it’s really entertaining).

And the writing is fun, too. It’s told in a sort of verbal style, as if someone is telling you this story, and the sentence structure is very informal – more like the way people speak instead of the way people write. It took me about two pages to get used to it, and then I really enjoyed – like I was being told a story by the story. And I highlighted so many paragraphs and passages in this book, writing this review was dangerous as I found myself re-reading instead of writing.

Summary: my least favorite part! But it’s important! So here goes! Diablo Lake, Tennesse, is a hidden town populated by shifters, witches, and other magical creatures, all situated on land that itself holds magic. That magic is fed by the creatures who live there, who in turn feed magic to the earth, and that cycle keeps them safe and hidden from the rest of the world – except the cycle is breaking down because of abuse of power on the part of one of two rival werewolf families in town.

Like Diablo Lake: Moonstruck, this story also wraps up very quickly. There is enough resolution for the major plot contained in the story that the ending is mostly satisfying, but the larger issues of pack politics and pack rivalry, and restoring balance to the magic of the town and the creatures within it, will have to be resolved in a different book. Mac and Aimee have their happy, but there isn’t a full ending. The larger issues of the world still loom over them all, and I want to know what will happen next.

I don’t think I can communicate how much I found this story inspiring and comforting, not without spoiling some major plot points and ruining the joy of discovering the intricate connections between the characters. I wish there had been a little bit more, but like I said after I reviewed Moonstruck, I am still 2000% here for the sequel.

- SB Sarah

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review written: January 16, 2017
Star Rating: ★★★½☆
Heat Rating: ☀☀☀☀☼

An Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book was received free via Netgalley 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 and that definitely plays a role in my choice of [Goodreads] star rating. 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.

So, Jace's dad and his exile are an unspoken secret. The Pembrys know why and hold it over Jace's and his brothers' heads in Moonstruck. Mac's aunt and uncle know but refuse to say except to disprove that Scarlett had an affair with him. That Jace as Patron doesn't know seems to me to be unfair. How is he supposed to effectively lead the Dooleys if he has one arm tied behind his back. But even worse, that Scarlett's name keeps coming up in regard to the exile and given the discussion about her acting like someone with a secret they are terrified to have revealed makes me think that in fact, he did't deserve the punishment he was given and that she either lied to make it happen or that she engineered a situation to make it happen. Frankly, if she did, I'd like to see her literally ripped limb from limb. Who knows, maybe she wanted him and he refused so she got him tossed. I'm hoping not because that shit is so not ok with me. But we'll see.

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.

This review is ©January 2017 by Monique N. and has been posted to Netgalley.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lauren Dane is a master of female friendships and nuanced small-town romances. When she merges the rural, Southern charm of a small-town with fiery witches and the werewolves who love them in Protected she hits all the right notes to captivate both paranormal and small-town romance fans.

Also, it’s hot.

Full review coming at Heroes & Heartbreakers.

[Shari · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Beyond the Pages with Eva K · Rating 4 out of 5]

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




Source: NetGalley

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic caretaking-alpha that is all softness for the heroine

The magic of a supernatural town is decaying because of strife between factions of wolves, cats & witches. New leaders emerge but not everyone is ready to accept change. Great mutually caretaking Empath/warrior pair. Great female friendship

[ReadKnitHoard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story: Shifters, witches, shenanigans, small-town politics, competent heroine, confident hero, hot smexytimes, fun, friendships, and snark. Feel-good read. What's not to love? 5 stars

Narration: Great basic narrative, good to great voices and accents. (I personally had no problem with her southern accents, but YMMV if it's closer to home?) 4 stars

[Zena Wynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different witch, different shifter, and an escalation of the town's shifter conflict. Again, the romance has no conflicts. The author gives plenty of it with what's going on in the town as lines are drawn. I liked the ending.

[Mish · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't like the writing style. the characters and romance just annoy me, but I love the portrayal of female relationships and I really want to know what happened with Scarlett and Jace's dad so I'll keep buying and reading!

[Kel (Faerie-bookworm) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Protected
Author: Lauren Dane
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance
Format: Ebook - NetGalley
Pages: 352
Rating: 5
Heat: 5

Thoughts: I am so in love with this little town of paranormals. Can I move there? And the characters are just as easy to love. I am really enjoying this series, and it’s definitely one that you have to read in order just so you don’t miss anything. And I do not want to miss one! Mac and Aimee are so attracted to each other yet because of the issues between the two wolf packs it wouldn’t seem prudent to follow those attractions. Thankfully neither are prudent and sparks fly, along with some fists but that’s a different story. Seriously, can I move to Diablo Lake? It seems to have everything but vampires lol. Guess I’ll just have to wait for the next book since I can’t move there, sigh.

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work and chose to write a review.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allie has lived in Diablo Lake, Tennessee, her entire life. Her hometown is no ordinary town. It is home to witches and shape shifters, and shielded by magic. Allie has spent her life healing and helping others. Her best friend just married into one of the town's two werewolf packs, the Dooleys, and she has been unofficially adopted as their family.

Mac is a werewolf of the competing Pembrey pack, and has lived outside of Diablo Lake for a number of years. He is summoned home from London with the task of cleaning up some messy pack business. Mac has enough to deal with in his family and pack issues, and falling in love is not on the agenda. He can't seem to help it, though. He is drawn to Allie and can't stay away, no matter who tries to keep them apart.

I loved the banter between the characters. Smart, witty humor always gets me. For example:

"Sometimes I have no idea where the conversations with you go. I mean, don't get me wrong, it is usually worth the journey. But yeah, you're like D&D sometimes. Lots of wandering around."

Lauren Dane is one of my favorite authors, so when I had the chance to get this book for free in exchange for an honest review, I grabbed it. I would give this book 4.5 stars. This book is second in the Diablo Lake Series. I've read other books by this author, but have not read the first book of this series. It took a chapter or two to catch up on what had already happened, but the backstory was incorporated into this story pretty well. I'd like to read the first story, but more for finding out the story of Jace and Katie Faith than having to catch up on anything. There definitely is a bigger story arc here, and I hope to read story #3 soon!

[Atinuke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series did not improve as I had hoped.

[Edit · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

I was very excited about this book, because I liked Mac and Aimee's dynamic from the first book.

But I am kind of disappointed. I found the plot boring somehow. So much drama (for nothing tbh); for me it seemed like they just talk, talk and talk (so much) and there was barely any actions. I like how the book started but after a few chapters it just lost its magic.

[ReadKnitHoard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shifters, witches, shenanigans, small-town politics, competent heroine, confident hero, hot smexytimes, fun, friendships, and snark. Feel-good read. What's not to love?

[K. Lincoln · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, actually.

So this second book continues with Aimee and the rival Pembry pack alpha-in-training Mac Pembry. Almost all of the same features (see my review of book #1 Moonstruck) of it being cozy, little violence (this time Mac does beat up some people but its all off screen), most of the problems and uproar over gossip and skank-calling, and a main couple who basically just love eachother to bits all the time and are perfect for each other.

Some of the differences here are that there's much, much more time spent with Aimee and Mac talking (and sometimes outright lecturing) about eachother's magic, how it calls to them, how it accepts each other, etc. etc.

Also, Aimee puts herself in a position to directly challenge Mac's father, and while I appreciate Mac supporting his sweetie, it caused like....NO conflict at all. (I love me emotional conflict and I felt the potential of this was entirely unexplored).

The big question, why are Mac's father and mother acting so crazy, and what is the secret of why Josiah Dooley (father of alpha male in first book) was repudiated is not revealed. Urrrgggh. I hates it when soooooooooo much trouble could be explained away by simply finding out the answer ot a question. It's a small town. Surely someone not covered under the werewolf silence ban could have told them what the secret was.

But for Diablo Lake fans..there was some really fun fan-service content featuring Jace and Katie Faith from the first book including a double date! And lots of Jace and Mac sharing commiserating glances and Katie Faith and Aimee exchanging remarks about werewolf boyfriends. We even got to see a little bit of Mac in wolf form.

So this sequel gets another half star for having less clumsy sentence construction, some fun fan-service, but still doesn't quite reach 4 for me because the conflict is so tame and the lecturing about magic and insta love is a bit much at times (I admit, I skimmed a bit here and there). At the time of writing, the third book (which presumably might reveal the secret) isn't due out until 2021...I am not sure I'll seek it out unless its on sale.

[DelAnne Frazee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Protected - Diablo Lake Book 2
Author: Lauren Dane
Publisher: Carina Press
Published: 1-1-2017
Pages: 352
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Sub-Genre: Sci Fi & Fantasy; Shifters; Werewolves; Witches; Contemporary
ISBN: 9781459290471
ASIN: B017RK444S
Reviewed For NetGalley and Carina Press
Reviewer: DelAnne
Rating: 4.5 Stars


I came to Diablo Lake a little behind, but I am slowly catching up. I think that although there are plenty of explanations to past events that it would be best to red the series in order to ensure you haven't missed any of the nuances and relationships that explains personal connections and attitudes. Even without reading book 1 you can still enjoy book 2, Protected. There are very good characters that are well developed and are multidimensional. The writing brings the town to life in vivid detail.


My rating of "Protected - Lake Diablo Book 2" is 4.5 out of 5 stars.


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[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Thoughts - 5 out of 5 Unicorns - I loved it!!!
***I choose what I read and review based on what intrigues me!! Yes, I got a review copy of this book, but no one tells me what to think, feel, or write about any book!

This is the 2nd book in the series, but I didn’t realize that when I started reading it. I own the first book, so I’ll be reading it soon. This book is for adults only due to the steamy content.

This book had me from the start. There is tons of action, drama, jerks, and romance to keep you engaged in the book. Mac is awesome, and I loved him from the start. His parents and one brother…not so much! Aimee is amazing, caring, and strong. I love how she is always thinking of others. It is a trait you don’t see a lot in the real world, and I wish we did see it more.

Lauren Dane has made it to my list of authors that I know I will enjoy. Shifter stories are my favorite kind of romance, and she does it well. I can’t wait to read more of her stories.

I highly recommend this book to any lover of paranormal because you have shifters, witches, magic, and romance to make your toes curl!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read in the Diablo Lake series from Lauren Dane. What I really love about her novels is that she writes strong heroines and great female relationships. Reading the interactions between the women in her stories is almost as fun as reading the romantic relationships. Aimee is a witch in Diablo Lake working to help maintain the magic that helps the town thrive. With tensions between the wolf packs coming to a head, Aimee works closely with Mac to find resolutions. Mac always knew he'd come back home to Diablo Lake and take over the pack one day but he never expected that the behavior of the wolfs in his pack would have gotten this bad. Or that his father, mother, and brother were leading the problems instead of leading the pack. He does find comfort, humor, and love with Aimee while trying to resolve the issues within his pack. I enjoyed that they found their relationship easy and that the magic between them helped it grow almost organically. They trusted each other and the story conflict didn't come from misunderstandings between them. A really great, fun, funny, smexy story with great characters. Can't wait to return to the Lake!

[PepperP0t · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witch Aimee Benton wanted what her friend and fellow witch, Katie Faith Grady Dooley had. Not that she was jealous she just wanted the same happiness for herself. Katie Faith's return to Diablo Lake added fuel to an already always burning Dooley-Pembry wolf feud until a Pembry uncle showed the good sense to send for his older nephew Mac.

Though Mac was always better suited to run the pack and the family business than his idiot brother Darrell convincing their father's over-inflated ego was a challenge. Between his parents and their favorite son, Darrell annoying the witches, particularly Katie Faith, one of the most powerful witches ever seen in Diablo Lake driving her to mate the Dooley patron, Jake, making Dooley wolves more powerful.

While the leads had very good chemistry and did great rising from secondary to star turn but for my taste they needed a different story. I was more interested in (hopefully) learning about the female residents of town. Though a very good outing, this reader was disappointed in the inescapable deja vu and telegraphed scenes that definitely dampened my enjoyment.
Rating: 3.75 stars

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aimee Benton: witch... her magic is empathetic, she senses emotions, she helps settle emotions; she is the social worker for Diablo Lake, seeing those in need, and helping them connect to the resources they need - often just her healing touch (example - elderly were, fearful of losing his independence - she sees him a couple of days a week, easing his emotions, rubbing ointment into his arthritic hands, bringing food - and doing it tactfully, in a way that doesn't make him feel dependent);

Mac Pembry: oldest son of pack alpha/town mayor Pembry, who served in the military at dad's request (demand?), and is called home to fix things; mom is out of control, causing trouble with the other pack's alpha's wife with mean spirited rumors, brother is an entitled bully, and dad has stopped taking responsibility for the town;


via their growing friendship and love, he is able to face the challenges of taking over the Pembry pack - disciplining those who need it, fighting his father for alpha-ship, and bringing the Pembry pack together... as Aimee challenges dad Pembry for mayor-ship;

[Sabine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointing second book and no mentions of a third one - am I the only one wondering whatever happened with Jace's father??? It was like.. reading - turning the page - and.. nothing! The book ended and so many questions went unanswered. It seems like Lauren Dane couldn't wait to finish this book and series. Nope, sorry. That didn't impress me much. I was so delighted by the first book, I encouraged my bestie to start the series. I told her how great the story is and how much I like the mixture of witches and shifters and she was a delighted as I was after the second book and then I kind of apologized to her for recommending the series at all. We were both deeply disappointed how this ended and even the fantastic writing couldn't help that.

I'd say: Read the first book but be prepared that secrets will never be revealed in the end. Just enjoy the great story but keep in mind there won't be more. 5 stars for the first book but only 2 for this second part. Sorry, Lauren but you can do better!

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

*I happily reviewed this story
**Thank you to NetGalley

[Jasmine Runckel · Rating 4 out of 5]

honestly i loved this one more than moonstruck. it felt like it was a more cohesive read, the flow easier to follow and the problems facing the main character's easier to understand. that's not to say that there is still much missing, the story left two main issues still not explained just like the first. one being why Mac's mama, Scarlet is constantly attacking or going after Katie Faith (which doesn't make much since with everything going on in the story) and second what scarlets big secret in the for or the law of silence. if your reading the book like I was for answers you wont get them. now my other issue is the witches, they are probably the most bad a** characters but even in this book when the mayor is a problem and the issues with the pack are effecting the magic it almost seemed like they were not quiet passive but not as in your face demanding as I'd expect when on multiple occasions they explain just how dangerous and problematic such a thing is. after all the magic of diablo lake is what protect them all.