REVIEW: Guarded by Nicole Dykes (Kensley Panthers #2)

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GUARDED

Kensley Panthers - Book Two

by Nicole Dykes

Release Date: January 9, 2023

Review

Sometimes in a book, all the angst comes from anticipating and worrying about the angst that might happen! Oooph. Pleasantly the angst doesn’t really come, but it doesn’t mean it’s not emotional and intense.


Kensley isn’t the most progressive town. Made up of farmers and blue-collar workers who’ve lived in a bubble with little exposure to ‘other’ people. So it’s no surprise realizing you aren’t straight is worrisome. Believing you have two choices.  Hide or leave.


So when your lifelong enemy discovers your secret….well, that’s another reason to be guarded. Until you discover they may have a similar secret. 


Jameson is prickly on a good day, which is a fun mix for Garrison who’s a bit of a golden retriever. They are vinegar and oil. And Jameson soon learns that Garrison is hard to deny. And worst, he doesn’t want to.  Together they make each other a little stronger, and a little braver.


Another great story by Nicole. I enjoyed how these two found their happy ending.


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Synopsis

Jameson Bates


I have a secret. We all have secrets. I’m nothing special.

It just so happens, however, that my sworn enemy also knows my secret.

He’s the absolute worst person to know this, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

What he does with this information is totally out of my hands and completely in his.

This is why I’ve never let anyone in. I don’t trust easily. I keep to myself.

I’m closed off. Angry.

Guarded.


Garrison Dixon


I shouldn’t have seen what I did.

I shouldn’t know what I do.

But how Bates can think I would ever say anything is beyond me.

Everyone thinks I’m just a big, dumb football player with nothing more to him.

The truth is I’ll never say a word about what I witnessed. I don’t care about it the way he thinks I do. I wouldn’t hurt him.

And I’d let him know that—all of it—if he wasn’t so damn . . .

Guarded. 


About Nicole Dykes

Nicole Dykes is a wife and a professional assistant/mom to two gorgeous girls. Currently residing in Kansas, she's a lover of coffee, Kansas City Chiefs, and all things romance. She currently has over 20 published books with her Monroe and Adamson series being the most popular. She enjoys cranking up the angst level, making her readers cry, and turning those tears into the coffee that fuels her writing.


Where to find them:


Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Instagram | BookBub | Facebook Group | Newsletter | TikTok

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