Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Protecting What's His: Line of Duty Series, Book 1

Top positive review

terrible mother, she doesn't hesitate

Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2018

When Ginger finds a bag of cash left behind by her drug addict, terrible mother, she doesn't hesitate. Grabbing the money, her teenage sister Willa, and their statue of Dolly Parton, Ginger leaves Tennessee behind hoping Chicago will lead to a better life for her and her sister.

But, while moving in Ginger is flummoxed by the immediate attraction she has to Lt. Derek Tyler, Chicago PD and her neighbor. Their immediate chemistry is apparent, but Ginger has no desire to be involved with the law, even in bed.

When their apartment ceiling collapses one night, Ginger and Willa take up Derek's offer to move in to his apartment. His payment? Ginger must accompany him as his date to a police charity ball.

For Derek, he's afraid his dark desires and control issues will scare Ginger away. He wants her everything and is set to convince Ginger she's the one for him.

When Ginger's past theft comes back to haunt her, can Derek really protect her?

Super hot. Wow. Light spanking, dirty talk, and a virgin heroine. Loving Tessa Bailey's work right now

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Sheila M

Okay One Time Read

Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2020

FINAL DECISION: Only average for me. There are some highlights including the bantering between the characters, but at times the story really dragged for me. Things are hot between Derek and Ginger but just too much other stuff.

THE STORY: Ginger Peet takes an opportunity to help herself and her younger sister escape from their family and get a new start. It only took taking $50,000 from her mother without permission. In her new apartment, Ginger's next door neighbor happens to be a really hot cop. Derek Tyler finds his new neighbor hot and very bothersome. Intense attraction between the two worries Ginger who has to worry about what brought her to Chicago in the first place.

OPINION: This book was uneven. I liked the characters and their sexual energy and attraction to one another. They are sexy and funny together. But there are a lot of threads brought up in this book that seem to be important but are dropped or are brought up only to advance the plot. There is a whole section in the middle of this book that I got bored during. The book was okay as a one time read, but I wouldn't pick it up again.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book is self-contained but there is a novella that involves the same couple that follows the events of this book.

CONNECTED BOOKS: PROTECTING WHAT'S HIS is the first book in the Line of Duty series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3 stars.

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SpeedRacer

Fantastic

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2017

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So I'm a littele backwards in reading the Line of Duty and Crossing the line series. After reading Risking it All and Up In Smoke, I had to read about Ginger and Derek, Lol...I cannot say enough about how Ms. Bailey writes. Her words are thought provoking and written in such great detail that you have no choice but to see and feel every word as if you are physically there. These alpha males are OTT with such a tender and sweet side that it makes your heart melt for them each and every time. I also love the fact that the women, the heroines, in these stories are NOT TSTL and can hold out on their own. This book was filled with hilarious moments, along with the tug at your heartstrings. I loved learning about Derek and Ginger and will continue on with both series until I am all caught up. Loved it!
5 stars!!!

3 people found this helpful

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Derek Tyler, my new book-boyfriend

Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2015

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Ginger and her sister Willa, run away from Nashville and their useless mother. They arrive in Chicago and meet Derek Tyler, a yummy, dirty-talking police lieutenant. And then, lovely, smutty romance happens.

The Good, The Bad and Everything In Between
-The three firsts are hotter than Hades: The first meet, the first kiss and the first sexual encounter. Those are must be sizzling with chemistry for it to work for me. I needn’t have worried because Ms. Bailey brought the heat and fairly burned the house down. Derek and Ginger’s chemistry fairly leaped off the page. Their banter is excellent throughout the story and really showcased their chemistry. Ms. Bailey did a fine job in really painting the physical connection between them in such luscious strokes that I was captivated by them. But I’m not gonna lie, Derek was the star for me….

-Derek is a hot, dirty talkin’ man: Jeezus, Derek is an alpha hero just shy of caveman, but oh so appealing. His protectiveness, his possessiveness definitely tripped my switch and he was the star of this story, without a doubt. His slightly kinky side (mostly dominance, no real whips and chains here), was a huge turnon for me...I mean Ginger. Yeah, Ginger, and I completely understood why. The way he could crowd her in, and make her sweat. Lordy.
He is incredibly possessive in a way that would get my hackles up in real life. But in my romance novel? He turns me into Oliver Twist, begging for more.

-Felt badly for Ginger and Willa: Ginger’s a sassy, sexy heroine and I loved that she gave it right back to Derek. Her backstory with her mother was sad and tragic. There's angst here, mostly from Ginger, and I could understand her concern about opening herself up to a relationship...up to a point. Which brings me to...

-Ginger’s TSTL moment - oy vey: The final obstacle, the big climax, just about made me roll my eyes out of my head. It was...not bright and took this down from just shy of a five star read. For someone who was trying to make a fresh start, her decision was just ill-planned and didn’t make any kind of sense.

The Bottom Line (4.75 stars)
I really liked this and that is definitely due to Derek, that sweet, dirty talkin’ man. I’m glad I read this and I’m eager to read the rest of this series if there’s any more heroes like this.

Helpful

Jennifer Lane

I Fell For this Heroine, Her Foul-Mouthed Sister, and Her Yummy Lieutenant Neighbor

Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2014

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I believe my buddy Roche recommended this romantic suspense story to me, and I thank her for the wonderful recommendation! This is my first Tessa Bailey read but I want to come back for more.

Great first line: "To steal or not to steal, that was the question."

Ginger Peet is in her young twenties but has to function as an older adult in terms of caring for her teenage sister Willa. Why is she saddled with this responsibility? Her mother is a drug addict involved with some scary dudes in Tennessee. When Ginger's mother passes out drunk next to her purse full of $50,000, Ginger pauses. Should she take the money and run, to try to give her sister a better life?

Derek Tyler is a 30-year-old police lieutenant in Chicago. He takes his job quite seriously but still has room in his life for humor, as evidenced by his amused curiosity for the two young women moving in across the hall from his apartment. Their life-size Dolly Parton mannequin piques his interest the most. But Ginger's soft Southern drawl, sass, long legs, and cowboy boots are what hold his attention. He can sense these girls have something to hide.

Ginger is equally intrigued.

"Well, dang. They'd gone and moved in right across the hall from a cop. A hot cop, if you liked the whole uptight, sexually repressed vibe he had going on. Personally, she didn't care for the belligerence on his freshly shaven face or the way he stripped her bare in one sweep of his dark green eyes."

Yeah, right, Ginger.

Ginger's sad backstory and her strong will in fighting against heavy odds really got to me, and I had a lump in my throat for much of her story. It made her relationships all the more meaningful and poignant.

I have a thing for men in uniform and Derek fits the bill as a swoon-worthy hero. He's an Alpha that doesn't turn me off with his boorish ways, maybe because Ginger clearly loves and needs what he gives to her. The brief spanking scene is actually hot in this.

Ginger's relationship with her sister Willa is endearing. Willa couldn't ask for a better mother figure.

"Ginger glanced over her shoulder, smiling at Willa's black Misfits T-shirt and ripped stockings. Somehow Willa managed to pull off the look. "How'd the first day of school go? Did you refrain from setting the place on fire?"
"Just barely. I'm choosing my moment."
"Well. Don't forget your lighter fluid or it won't take."
"Noted."

Of course the sisters won't get away with stealing that amount of money. When the past comes a-calling, can Derek help save them?

Recommended for lovers of contemporary romance and romantic suspense.

Helpful

xjessirae

Sensual, hot and downright amazing!

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2013

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Two questions: Who turned up the temperature and where is the ice water?!  

Because Protecting What's His by Tessa Bailey was mouthwateringly-spellbindingly-one hundred and ten percent burningly hot hot hot. I craved this book when I was away from it and I couldn't get enough while I was reading it. It's an understatement to say that this book was capital A-mazing! 

Ginger was one feisty girl! She was willing to do whatever it was needed of her to survive the life given to her. She was sassy as hell, tough and independent to the core. She was a sweet person who was cute and completely likable. Ginger was a very strong and capable woman despite her mistakes and fleeting doubts about herself. Some of the decisions she made were not necessarily bad, but a lapse in judgment, but yet her heart and good intentions were always there. Ginger was a wonderful sister, always taking care of and thinking of Willa first. Thoughtful, heart-warming and with a lovely sense of humor, Ginger was a great heroine that wasn't entirely perfect, but impressive nonetheless.  

Honorable protector by day and dangerous dirty-talker in bed at night, Derek Tyler was an addictively, irresistible sex god. The man made me weak in the knees and had my heart flying. Derek was arrogant and oozed confidence, but he was loyal, strong, and a real charmer in every way. I loved how he could be rough and gentle all at once. He was a great leader and loved being a Lieutenant and it showed when he was on the job. I loved how he could really push Ginger's buttons. He was totally demanding and infuriating at times, but possessive and protective of Ginger in a very endearing way. He really dug deep and gave his all for Ginger and stepped up when he needed to. He was very understanding and never too quick to judge Ginger's character or her actions. Derek did his best to break down Ginger's walls and not once did he waver. He was in it all the way and I completely swooned with all his persistence and bone chilling lines. Derek Tyler is sex on a stick and if I could, I'd take a bite.

There are some books where you want to savor it page by page and some books you must devour and speed through it like a starving man who went without food for ages. This book was not one or the other, but both. Tessa Bailey created this sizzling sexy masterpiece with the best amount of passion, lust, love and one liners to last me a lifetime. I absolutely loved the storyline with all the drama, sister dynamics, crazy criminals, and intense and flirty encounters. Her writing just blew my mind because this book had an amazing build up and perfect development from the plot to the characters and beyond. The hot and bothered scenes in this book won't just make you flail or swoon, but will have you desperately wishing you were Ginger. I won't be surprised if readers lose their underwear for this one! It's too steamy sexy for our own good!   

Overall, Protecting What's His has two well written and developed characters, a sensual plot-line and was not just clever and satisfying, but damn straight arousing!

Helpful

Melissa Limoges

Gotta have more of this series

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2013

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So I totally grabbed this book because one of my review buddies (Nina over at Nina's Literary Escape) recommended this one. And I'll admit I learned something new about myself (I'll get to that later.) But I have to say, the first few chapters really grabbed me and had me laughing out loud. Especially when the heroine, Ginger, and her little sister, Willa, enlightened our hero, Derek, about the identity of the statue they carried everywhere.

Now for a little self-discovery time.. Who knew dirty talk could be oh so hot? The first instance of it in the book had my eyebrows raising, then I reread the passage again and thought, "Oh.. well..yep, that'll do it!" After that, I fell in fictional love with Derek and his dirty-mouthed ways. And now we have another possessive, growly, alpha male to add to the "list". I even liked the dominance thing he had going on in the bedroom, and I don't mean whips, chains and ticklers either.

Ginger was actually a sassy heroine I could easily sympathize with, and I really loved her character. She and Derek were perfect together. Each interaction between the pair is scorching.

All in all, I thought this was a short, hot read that I have already reread twice. I've even gone so far as to buy a copy for a friend, who called an hour later to tell me that I should have given her a warning before she started reading it at work. Ha! Yep, I know. I'm an awesome friend.

One person found this helpful

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mrsgoatman

Derek's inner cop catches on pretty quickly that Ginger is hiding something and does his ...

Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2013

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Although this is book #1 of the "Line of Duty" trilogy, it can be read as a stand-alone. Oh ladies, this was smokin' hot! Twenty-three year old Ginger Peet flees with her 17-year old sister, Willa, and their life-sized statue of Dolly Parton (yep, you read that right) from their drugged-out mother's home in Nashville. Except, they sorta took the tempting $50 grand their mother obviously stole. From day one of their move to Chicago, the super-sarcastic, sexually charged banter starts between new neighbors Ginger and police lieutenant Derek Tyler (described as a man who could eat a woman up and leave her begging for more - MEOW!) Derek makes it perfectly clear from the start what his intentions are with Ginger. Oh fan me now! Of course, Derek's inner cop catches on pretty quickly that Ginger is hiding something and does his digging, not only finding her mother's lengthy rap sheet but pieces together the missing money. Derek exudes alpha-male, but not in a completely domineering way, but more of a "protecting what's his" way (hey, that would make a GREAT book title!) As you can guess, I absolutely adored this book. It's hot, it's witty and it keeps moving. Add to the list, ladies!

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Lovingbooks1

My favourite couple

Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2016

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This was my first Tessa Bailey book and I instantly fell in love with Derek and Ginger and also the author;-) I've since read every one of Tessa's books and like them all, some more then others. This book will forever be one of my favourites, and this is the third time I read it, I also bought the audiobook so I could listen to it and I liked the voice very much.

Derek is so sweet, protective and jealous and this is instantly love between two people. Ginger is so tough on the outside but she need what Derek can give her; safety and love.

The storyline is good and the characters are well described with lots of feelings. All the filthy talk is Tessa's signature, she is the queen of filthy talk in my opinion. Maybe that's one of the reasons I like her books so much.

Derek and Ginger are on my repeat read list forever!

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Kindle Customer

What an incredible book.

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2017

Verified Purchase

Tessa had me from the beginning. With Ginger and her younger sister , Willa coming from a completely broken home, and reading about their home life just made me want to cry. When they got away and started a new life in Chicago I was so happy for them. Especially when they met their new neighbor police officer Lieutenant Derek. Derek is annoyed with the sisters from the beginning. They are loud and one of them talks like a sailor.

Then Derek starts to notice Ginger and for some reason he can't stop thinking about her. What ensues is a love for the ages. Great sex scenes and quite a few points that will just bring a smile to your face. Thanks Tessa for the great story. Ready for your Book 2.

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Rhonda Howard

Tessa Bailey "Every. Time."

Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2015

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Ginger Peet is the perfect heroine—tough but vulnerable and oh so unique! Escaping Nashville to save her sister Willa and herself was easy…staying safe isn’t, but it helps if a cop lives next door. Lieutenant Derek Tyler to the rescue! Only he’s not just fighting bad guys, but fighting his possessive attraction to Ginger. From the moment of their first meeting, the laughs are on and the pages fly by as you can’t wait to see what they will do to annoy each other next. My favorite scenes: stealing the phone numbers from Ginger’s back pocket, sending in the police force to check up on Ginger at the bar, Ginger’s names for Derek ( Officer Needs-a-Nap or Lieutenant Cranky Pants). All in al,l I love that Ginger makes Derek “work for it a little,” and that no matter what happens to her, Derek will “come after her. Every. Time.”

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Kindle Customer

This book was wonderful

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2020

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I really enjoyed this book. This is my third book that I have read by Tessa Bailey, and I adored it. The characters were unique, funny and I loved every bit of it. Someone mentioned the A line of duty series in another comment section so I had to check it out, and I was not disappointed. The story had funny moments as well as tender and sexy ones. I love this author and that dirty talk is hot hot hot.

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4 star		28%
3 star		15%
2 star		3%
1 star		2%

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