A review by dinohakari
Defender by Nicole Dykes

5.0

This is, so far, my favorite book in the series. I did love the two previous ones, but this one has an extra I don't know what that got to me more deeply.

Maybe because the MCs are something more than what they appear to be? I mean, they both have more depth than meets the eye, and it was a delight to discover it.

Oscar. Sweet, happy Oscar. He was a pleasure to read. He seemed to be the typical jock that we all underestimate from time to time. Either because we only saw that he was someone attractive who was into sports, or because of his easy-going nature, his care-free attitude and the laugh that always seemed to resonate loudly around him. The typical life of the party. But he was much, much more. He was also loyal and supportive, he was self-assured and he knew what he wanted and went after it. He believed in the beauty of simple things. He didn't have a drop of selfishness within him and loved to make those around him happy, even if he had to sacrifice himself. He was a hard worker and had a creative side that with the help of Travis he was able to explore more and more, working his dream job.

Travis. Our grump on duty. He spent his entire adolescence planning his future, dreaming of a great life, studying at the university of his dreams and living a free life with the boy of his dreams in a place where no one judges him, far from the most closed-minded people. from a small town. He was full of dreams, as you can see. Until life passes and those dreams crumble, leaving him frustrated and bitter. He started working in the same place as Garrison and Jameson and, of course, Oakley, someone he found annoyingly unbearable. He couldn't stand his boisterous and carefree attitude, but as time went by, and having to work together, he began to notice the Oakley under that attitude, and a kind of friendship began between them. Something that changed when Oakley realized that he was attracted to another man for the first time and proposed a kind of friendship with benefits, but that turned out to be much more. Oakley taught him that life could be lived simply, but it was no less beautiful for that. He taught him that dreams could change and that reaching them could be easier than they seemed and more rewarding. He taught him to appreciate the little things that surround them, and that a whole adventure could be lived out of those little things. Oakley gave him that freedom of choice that Travis felt he had been missing his entire life.

Both so different and yet together they made a whole, complementing each other so well that it could not result in anything other than a sincere, strong and lasting love.

I was given an advanced copy and wrote a voluntarily review.