Review: Protecting His Assets
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 8, 2014
"Protecting His Assets" is the first in the "Deuces Wild" series and it follows former big leaguer Chase Dixon, 33 and aspiring singer Summer Maitland, 24. Chase and Summer knew each other as kids and had a crush on her best friend's big brother. But with such a large age gap, Chase never saw her anything more than his sister's annoying little friend. Even as she grew up Chase never saw her as anything more since he had known her since she was 11. But several months before the main events they had a drunken make out session that awoke all sorts of feelings.I was a little fuzzy on Chase. He's sporting an injury, but refuses to get operated on for fear it's going to further ruin his life. But it seems he was dropped from his team and is an open agent. I don't know much about baseball and what the average age for a player is, but he seems to be old for the sport. I read a book about a European soccer player who I think was about 33 and he was playing for a minor American team since he was pretty much done in Europe since he was considered old. I thought maybe had he been 28/29 it would be been more believable. But with Chase, it seems he has further issues. He's estranged from his parents and doesn't have a strong relationship with his sister. Because of his injury, refusal to get it fixed and general surliness he's forced to get a job as a bouncer at a club. How far he's fallen! I find it a little odd that for someone who played for the Daggers (I presume a take on the Dodgers) he's willing to go so low as to be a bouncer. I get it's the story, he decides to open up a security firm. Ok fine, but I mean from a pitcher to a bodyguard? Not a coach to a team? Or some kind of charity? I thought that was weird, but it's the story so ok.So when he's at the club he's working at he spots Summer and she's being harassed by some jerks while she's performing her set. His protective instincts set in and he decides if she's going to be touring locally she needs some sort of protection from potential harassers. She begrudgingly accepts his proposal as her bodyguard she does her shows.I was a bit thrown off with Summer at the beginning. She led a very sheltered and structured life since her mom was very into religion (or was she? was this after Summer's father died?), but since her mother decided to go find herself the door has been blown wide open for Summer to get into shenanigans. The impression I got was that she was very much the good girl, the dutiful daughter, she probably got straight As while juggling volunteering at an animal shelter while visiting the elderly and delivering kittens (all at the same time I might add). She's very much into going to Church on Sundays and seems to be semi religious - maybe more spiritual or maybe just into the choir. I think the whole I need to go to church scene really threw me, especially because she was so adamant they attend. But she has the mouth and thoughts of a sailor. I thought those two facets were kind of odd. To me she seems to have this very good girl wears her Sunday best persona on the outside and on the inside she's all aspiring singer having dirty thoughts and not afraid of her sexuality. And she's also sexually aggressive towards Chase. I'm not saying that's a bad thing at all. But there were times where I thought Summer was like two different characters, too extreme and not quite blended enough for me to believe she could be this sexually aggressive vixen while maintaining this naive virginal quality that Chase saw. It was that church scene, it threw me off.In a way I feel like when someone has known a person since they were a kid, it's easy to pin down that person as one way and I think it's hard for said person to show their true colors. And with Summer she's showing her true colors and being herself to Chase and he's having a hard time (both physically and mentally) coming to terms with her "new self."So Chase feels since he needs surgery, rehab, and goes to AA meetings he's somewhat not good enough for her. When he sees her upset after a set he basically comforts her with sex. And whoa, that scene was pretty hot. In fact, I think all the scenes were pretty steamy and hello upside down oral! She tells him she wants him and he sort of backs away. There aren't many misunderstandings, the one I can think of with the blonde was cleared up very quickly. Instead, it's two characters wanting to think ahead for the futures, but realizing what they could be missing by sacrificing each other for their end goal. I liked that the events took place over several weeks and not days. I'm really over books that declarations come after several days.It seems pretty clear that the next book will be about Jax and Cass, Chase's sister. I'm really curious as what's going on between them.