To kick off Fall, the guys revisit one of their favorite romances with a deep dive discussion of Under His Protection by LaQuette.
Look for the next episode of Big Gay Fiction Podcast on Monday, October 7.
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Show Notes
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Transcript
This transcript was made possible by our community on Patreon. You can get information on how to join them at patreon.com/biggayfictionpodcast.
Intro
Will: Coming up on this episode, we’ve got a Big Gay Fiction Book Club discussion of “Under His Protection” by LaQuette.
Jeff: Welcome to episode 463 of the Big Gay Fiction Podcast, the show for avid readers and passionate fans of queer romance fiction. I’m Jeff, and here with me, as always, is my co-host and husband, Will.
Will: Hello, Rainbow Romance Reader. It is so great to have you back here for another episode of the show.
Jeff: As always, the podcast is brought to you in part by our remarkable community on Patreon. If you’d like more information about what we offer to patrons, including the opportunity to ask questions to our guests, go to patreon.com/biggayfictionpodcast.
Will: So as we move into fall, we wanted to revisit one of our favorite book club discussions with LaQuette’s “Under His Protection.”
Jeff: I’m excited we’re coming back to this book because it is so very good. So let’s get right into our discussion about this story.
Under His Protection Discussion
Will: “Under His Protection” starts off with Elijah. It’s his first day back at his Brooklyn police precinct. Several months earlier, he was attacked while working a case. His physical injuries may have healed, but secretly Elijah wonders if he still got what it takes to do his job. Captain Heart Searlington gives him back his gun and badge, but it comes with conditions. Before he can start his new position in cybercrimes, he’s being asked by the top brass to take a protection detail. The Brooklyn district attorney’s office is currently prosecuting a case involving a criminal organization that’s been operating as a church. And the night before, they attempted to kill the assistant DA by blowing up his car. Elijah will watch over him as the trial proceeds. The only problem is Elijah already knows him very intimately.
Jeff: I just love how LaQuette, in a very few number of pages, has given you everything that you need to know for this book. The way that she wrote the stress that Elijah feels when he gets his protection assignment, oh, it’s just so good. I mean, it just starts so good, right here from the beginning, when all he wants is to go to his, what should be a safe job over in cybercrimes. Not only did he get this protection detail, but it’s with this person that he already knows way too well.
Will: Camden and Elijah spent one spectacular night together five years ago and haven’t seen each other since. Camden requests someone else, Searlington says it ain’t gonna happen. And neither one of them is particularly happy about the bodyguard / babysitter situation that they found themselves in. Because no matter how good their past involvement may have been, and it was really damn good, Elijah has a job to do and he is going to do it.
Jeff: I love that Elijah is referred to as a real-life walking sex dream. That tells you how good it all was, five years later, that they can still think of each other in those, kinds of terms. Not to mention the fact that they both try to bluster their way through how much five years ago didn’t mean to either one of them.
Will: Cases against The Path of Unity have gone to trial before, and witnesses have turned up dead. This time, the key witness in the new case has been sequestered away until it comes time for her testimony. Camden is the only person who knows her true identity. So, it seems if they can’t kill her, they’re going after Camden. To keep him safe from the men who very much want him dead, Elijah is going to have to hide him away. And the perfect place is Elijah’s house in Westchester. Since nobody knows of the very personal connection that they share, and the only residence on file is Elijah’s Brooklyn apartment, this house is the perfect place to lay low for a while. After they arrive at the house, Elijah checks in with his captain, who has intel from the inside. The cult members are out searching for Camden. They don’t believe he died in the explosion, which is officially, the unofficial story. So, Elijah and Camden need to be very careful and hang tight.
Jeff: One of my favorite lines here is that Camden might be safe from his enemies, but being safe from each other was an entirely other matter. These two are walking on eggshells around each other in the sexiest way possible. They’re trying to be a little antagonistic but also a little nice. It just crackles off the page. You get the desperateness of them both. Camden wants to be safe, Elijah wants to do his job, but yet, how are they gonna hang out together for how many ever days this takes? LaQuette builds so much suspense. I’m just, kind of, in awe of her storytelling, to be quite honest.
Will: Yeah. In reference to what you just said, I wanted to read this short passage. This is what Camden feels when they arrive at the house and how Elijah tries to reassure him. “My job is to keep you hidden and alive until it’s time to get you back to the city for your big day in court. Until then, kick back and relax a few days. His entire body tensed at the idea of relaxing in their current situation. Sensing his discomfort, Elijah gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. I promise nothing will happen out here. It was such a small gesture Elijah holding his hand to comfort him. But in the midst of the shit storm, he was now trying to bluff his way through, he hung onto the smallest sliver of hope Elijah was attempting to give him while simultaneously trying to deny the sizzle of electricity that singed his skin. He took a slow breath as he wondered which was more dangerous, the threat on his life or the attraction he held for the man tasked with protecting him.”
Jeff: You picked a perfect passage right there. And then to add on to all that, what are they doing while this happens? Elijah is cooking for him, which is one of my favorite things that comes back, time and time again, in this book, is food. And we’ll talk more about that later, for sure. But so much connection happened in this book over food, even despite everything that’s going on around them.
Will: So, Camden is still very much drawn to Elijah. He felt that pull five years ago when they agreed to go on a blind date, and he feels it now as he watches Elijah shake his considerably, sexy groove thing as he cooks them some breakfast for dinner. As they eat, they talk about family. Each of them have fathers that, were or are very successful. Camden’s father is a district court judge, who has his son’s life intricately mapped out. And as they’re talking, Cam wants to know what Elijah is doing to catch the members of the Path. He is not doing anything. There’s a team working on the outside for that. Elijah’s job, his sole focus is to keep Camden safe.
Elijah gets a call from his captain. They have worked together and have been friends for a really long time. Searlington now knows about the past he and Camden share, and she gives him an out. She can find someone else to do this job, but Elijah declines. He made a promise to Camden and he wants to follow through on that. Camden is bored after only a few hours of protective custody. He can’t access any social media or any of his online accounts, lest his location or his existence be known. Elijah invites him to join him in the basement for a workout. When Camden sees Elijah in pain while he’s stretching his leg out, which bore the brunt of the injury that he’s still recovering from, Camden offers him a massage, therapeutic only. And it’s while he’s doing this that he reminisces about that amazing night so many years ago. They had crazy sexual chemistry. But Camden is also drawn to the possibilities of what Elijah represents, a different path, a solid relationship. They both know that they shouldn’t do it, but they kiss, anyway.
Jeff: And the kiss isn’t really a surprise here because we’ve seen, through both of their point of view, how, as they settle into the house, into this protective scenario, that each of them are really looking at one another, seeing the possibilities of what maybe they missed already from five years ago.
Will: Now that one kiss ignites a fire that neither of them wants to deny. And they quickly get each other off. And immediately, Elijah doesn’t have regrets necessarily, but he worries that his inability to resist Camden is going to end up putting them both in danger. After they both get cleaned up, there is a creek in the floorboards above. Someone else is in the house. With his gun drawn, Elijah subdues the intruder. It’s his brother, Manny. You see, in the rapid turn of events involving his assignment to Camden’s protection, Elijah forgot that his family was coming for a visit to spend some time before he went back to working full-time.
And instead of telling his family the real reason Camden is there, knowing that the truth could put all of them in danger, Camden is just a friend who is staying for a bit. He then gets introduced to the entire Stephenson family. There’s Manny, of course, he’s Elijah’s brother, Vivienne, his sister-in-law, Evelyn, Elijah’s mom, and Walter or Pops, that’s Elijah’s dad. They all immediately realize that Camden is certainly more than just a friend, and they jump to the conclusion that they are very much a couple. And that Elijah has finally, if not settled down, at least, he has found the one.
Jeff: I love his family so much. They’re boisterous and happy, and they just exude this great energy right off the page. Even Manny as he is being subdued by his brother, he’s like, “Dude, what are you doing? Don’t you remember we’re all supposed to be here right now?” It was just such a warm moment. And I’m also very entertained by how this is gonna start to play out because now you still have forced proximity but you’ve introduced, like, four other people to the mix of the forced proximity, which is gonna make a lot of stuff for them so much more difficult as they, of course, want to keep exploring this relationship, but not clue in the family to so much of what’s going on. I could see so much of why you love this book so much because of all this awesomeness that’s just unfolding in the plot.
Will: Yeah. The introduction of his family is certainly an amusing complication for our two heroes. Now, Elijah’s mom takes to Camden immediately, but his dad knows that something is up. A former cop himself, Walter recognizes Camden as the assistant district attorney and wants to know why Elijah is working a case in keeping him here at the house. Elijah explains it all. They can’t tell mama. And he wants to know how Walter recognizes Camden. It seems that after Elijah’s undercover op went bad and he was clinging to life in the hospital, Camden was the first person from the DA’s office by his bedside, something Elijah only vaguely remembers. He assumed it was a wishful hallucination from the medication and pain from his injuries. Meanwhile, Camden is enjoying time with the boisterous and loving Stephenson family. But when bedtime arrives, he realizes that it’s in his supposed boyfriend’s bed that he is going to be sleeping, something that he wants but is also very much overwhelmed by.
When they wake up the next morning in each other’s arms, Camden is certainly willing to go there but Elijah insists on keeping it professional or professional-ish, considering what they’ve already done. Word from the captain is that the bad guys are still on the hunt for Camden so they still need to hang tight. Professional-ish isn’t what Camden was really hoping for. So, he is up early reading the paper and avoiding Elijah when Manny tells him to wake Elijah up. It’s time to play cards. So, he heads back upstairs and he is momentarily stunned by the site of Elijah, bare assed, fresh out of the shower. And he tells him that his family wants to play a game of spades. Elijah explains that spades is a Stephenson family tradition, kind of, a rite of passage. Or another way to look at it, maybe a trial by fire.
Jeff: It’s quite the tradition that has you up and playing cards before breakfast, apparently. I mean, cards are good. Playing games is good, but I might want to have breakfast before I settled into a match of cards of any kind. I love…this is just me I think being, you know, a child of the internet, but does Camden has to get up and read the paper? Not a paper on the tablet, but an actual physical newspaper as if this was something that he had not done, maybe ever, in his life. It’s super cute. Every moment that Camden has with the Stephenson family, especially while Elijah is not around, I just love them because they just embrace him so wonderfully into their clan.
Will: So, as teams Elijah and Cam play against Manny and Vivienne, and over the course of the game, Elijah becomes more and more enamored with Camden’s skill at the game. And it becomes a case of, Lord, how is he ever supposed to resist this man?
Jeff: Yeah. Not only is he super sexy and everything that Elijah wants, he’s also a really good spades partner, which Elijah doesn’t get all that often.
Will: Later, Camden joins Elijah in front of the kitchen sink. And when Elijah makes a comment that Camden is too highfalutin to do chores as mundane as dirty dishes, it gives him a chance to talk about that night several years ago. Camden is the one who left, never giving Elijah the chance to really know him. And he explains that that night meant everything to him. But Cam’s father has very specific plans for life and his career. Well, that includes politics and, eventually, the presidency. And a proper man by his side is included as part of those plans. He left that night before either of them could fall too deep. But let’s be honest. One night was really all that these two needed. He also confirms that he was, in fact, at Elijah’s bedside in the hospital. He had to be there for Elijah. And even if they couldn’t be together, he needed to see him, possibly for the last time because Elijah meant so very much.
Jeff: I could have said it before, but I’ll say it right here. I absolutely, positively hate Camden’s parents. They just sound horrible the way that they essentially pick on their son. Why haven’t you done what we wanted? Why aren’t you doing more? Why aren’t you doing better? Why aren’t you doing this thing? It’s just terrible. I hated it. But, on the other hand, I really like what LaQuette did in giving us such horrible parents, in contrast to Elijah’s amazing family, and set those two really polar opposite to each other. Because not only does now Camden see the man that he will have by the end of this story, but also the warm family that he will get, that he’s never really had before.
Will: There have only ever been two times that Elijah has been caught off-guard, the night the undercover gun deal went bad, and the night that he met Camden. Circumstances have brought them back together again, and Elijah is glad to know that what he felt that night with Camden was real. And since these two never do anything halfway, they have the most intense, earth-shattering, toe-curling sex you can imagine.
Jeff: So, I wanna give an example of just the way that LaQuette writes these emotions in the book. So, this is from Camden’s point of view. “Something broke inside him at the end of Elijah’s declaration. The dam he’d used to suppress this tangible thing that grew inside him for Elijah, rearranging the inner workings of his heart, was also breaking. He’d spent a majority of the last five years living in denial too. He told himself Elijah was nothing more than a one-night stand, a meaningless fling that had no place in his life. But lying beneath this man, having the chance to be pulled into the craziness that was the Stephenson family, revealed to him just how much he’d lost by walking away from Elijah.” It’s like, oh.
Will: Afterwards, relaxed and satiated, Elijah asked about Camden’s father. And as Jeff explained earlier, in the two days that Camden has spent with the Stephenson family, it is obvious that he and Elijah, have had very different experiences growing up. And later, when they are cuddling on the couch and watching a movie with the rest of the family, Camden realizes that he doesn’t mind that difference at all. When Cam falls asleep in his arms, Elijah pulls him even closer. He is Camden’s protector in every way, and he desperately wants a future with him. But he has no clue how to make that work.
Jeff: The entire moment on the couch is just one of those moments that’s everything. It’s so tender, it’s so warm. They both let themselves do it, although Camden is a little nervous about it initially. There is so many ‘aww’ moments in this book, and that was certainly one of them for me.
Will: You know what’s interesting about these two characters is that traditionally in this kind of romantic scenario, it’s about the walls coming down and being open to love. But for Elijah and Camden, those walls were never really up to begin with. And it’s through these small moments, like cuddling on the couch and having amazing, mind-blowing sex, that for these two characters, it’s more about uncovering who each other are and opening their hearts to the possibilities of what they want.
Jeff: Yeah. I absolutely agree with that. And you talk about walls. I think the walls that they put up over the years were to essentially, protect their hearts from the fact that they didn’t get the opportunity to go forward, you know, five years ago. Those walls are definitely coming down now, and they’re truly finding out about each other. And so, the world of possibility now sits there, and they’ve got to figure out how to get it with all the external crap that is going on.
Will: So, I just said there weren’t any walls, and you just said that there were.
Jeff: Well, there aren’t any walls that you were talking about. I think they put up more walls of protection more than anything else. It wasn’t walls around the fact that they didn’t wanna do the relationship, but they had to protect themselves from those years where they were separated.
Will: I actually don’t agree. I think when we’re talking about walls, we’re talking about lies that we tell ourselves in order to protect our emotions. Five years ago after their night together and then Camden left, he wasn’t putting up walls or lying to himself about how amazing that night was, he left because he knew Elijah wouldn’t fit into his father’s very specific plan for Camden’s future. And he didn’t wanna put Elijah in what he assumed would eventually be heartbreak. So, I really don’t think it’s about him telling himself a lie or putting up a wall. He’s putting physical distance between them and actually making a sacrifice, which is a theme that we’ll get to later in the story.
Jeff: That totally makes sense. I like your take on it much better than I liked mine. I think we’re essentially saying the same thing, but I like how you put it much better than I did.
Will: So, in the morning, Camden has a heart-to-heart with Elijah’s mom. He talks of his and Elijah’s issues in the vaguest way possible so as not to give away their fake relationship. But he can’t fool Evelyn. She can see what they have is real. And any problems that they have will work themselves out if they want it bad enough. And she sets up teaching him how to make biscuits and salmon cakes.
Jeff: This is probably my favorite scene in the whole book, which might be a little weird since it doesn’t involve the actual romantic pair being together. But this is the seed you want to have…you know, all of your romantic partners to have with parents. She had such a wonderful thing to say, well, it’s like, “In essence, you’re not cooking for him, you’re cooking with him. This isn’t about serving your man or preparing his food for him. It’s about working together, being able to cook with him, alongside him in the kitchen, to have that together time.” Oh, my God, it’s just one of my favorite scenes ever.
Will: It makes Elijah’s heart very happy that Camden would take the time to learn and make his favorite meal the right way.
Jeff: Yeah. Because there is a discussion about the right way to do it, and that his mama doesn’t usually teach people that way.
Will: Evelyn steps out to go to the store to give the guys some privacy. When all this is done and the dust is settled, after all, there is the fact that there is still a threat against Cam’s life, they want to sit down and have the talk for real and figure things out. They both want it. They just have to figure out how to do it. After breakfast, they decide to make a meal of each other. And while sexing up Elijah in every conceivable way, Camden realizes that this is everything that he has ever wanted, that this is love. And that there is no way that he can ever give this man up.
Jeff: Yeah. As he says, he’d felt more cared for, more cherished than he’d ever experienced in his life.
Will: So, I wanna preface this next section of our discussion with a bit of a warning. There are spoilers ahead for some of the action story beats as we get closer to the end. If you’ve enjoyed our description of Cam and Elijah’s love story so far, and want to be surprised by some of the emotional and action-packed story points that are about to come, I suggest you maybe hit pause, read the book for yourself, and then come back.
Jeff: Because there is some major stuff ahead. My love for romantic suspense kicked right in as we finally got into the last act of this book. It’s like, “Oh, my God, what’s about to happen? How is this gonna work out?” Because you know Elijah and Camden are all gonna be good on the other side. Somehow they will get to the other side of this. But, boy, does LaQuette take it on the ride first.
Will: So, with all that being said, let’s dive into the finale. Captain Searlington lets Elijah know that her guy on the inside has turned up dead. He needs to keep Camden close because the Path is clearly onto them. And when they all realize that mom hasn’t come back from the store yet, Elijah’s dad calls her, and she uses code to let them all know that she is in trouble. The Path has got her. And what they want is simple, a trade, Elijah’s mom for Camden.
Jeff: And I love that the code related to food. Camden was like, “How do you know she’s in danger?” And it’s because she would never ever go looking for that food. Raisins and potato salad, no, thank you. Carrots, maybe, but raisins, hell no.
Will: Seeing the anguish of the Stephenson family as Elijah and the captain try to come up with a plan, it is just too much for Camden to bear. Time is running out. So, he sneaks out the back and heads to the drop-off point, all by himself.
Jeff: Silly boy. Justifiable, but silly.
Will: Elijah and Captain Searlington race to the scene and get there just as the trade is happening. A shootout ensues. Evelyn is shaken but unharmed. But Camden is unconscious, barely hanging on. Blood is everywhere. At the hospital, while Elijah waits by Camden’s bedside, Searlington delivers the news that the mole in the department has been uncovered and that the various leaders of the Path have been rounded up. The case is essentially closed. She also has eyes and can see what is going on with her friend. Is he in love? Undoubtedly. She hopes that it’s all worth it because if this goes south, it’s going to be Elijah who pays the price.
Jeff: I like this captain a lot. When we first meet her, she’s very much the stern commander, even though she’s also Elijah’s friend. And then, as all this keeps rolling out and she really understands the position that he’s been put in, protecting Cam, and the relationship that’s clearly on display in the hospital as they wait for Camden to wake up, she’s a great ally here through this part of the story, trying to keep them safe and together.
Will: When Camden finally wakes up, they vow never to be a part. Their celebratory, brush with death kisses are interrupted by the arrival of Cam’s stern and controlling father, Judge Warren. Without even asking how Camden is doing, he lays down the decree that Elijah isn’t good enough for Camden’s future political ambitions. But Cam holds his ground, stands up for himself. He isn’t giving up Elijah for anything.
A few days later, the captain calls Camden into her office. She has received an official complaint against Elijah, filed by Camden’s father. None of the charges against Elijah would hold up in court. But this could cause a lot of problems for him. Cam calls his dad to try and get him to do the right thing, but the judge is a dirty, manipulative power player. If Cam doesn’t do what he wants, he will not only ruin Elijah’s life but the lives and reputations of his family as well. Cam can’t see any way to stop his father, so to keep him from ruining Elijah’s life, he agrees to his demands.
Jeff: Terrible, terrible people. I’ve read a lot of books lately with terrible parents, and I get the effect that it has on the trope. And frankly, sometimes parents truly are terrible, but have been on a little tear of these lately. And this judge is the worst of the worst. Aargh, he’s just terrible. But kudos to LaQuette for making him so terrible because every time he opened his mouth, it’s just worse. And you can just see his smug self thinking that he’s won this battle.
Will: So, Camden calls things off, seemingly, for no reason. So, Elijah knows something is up. A few days later, Camden is present at the reading of the charges against the leader of the Path. Once that is over, Elijah confronts Camden in the courthouse restroom. He’s not pissed. He just needs to know what is wrong so that he can fix it. One look at Cam, he is a broken and miserable man. And he eventually explains the situation with his father. So, after some definitive declarations of their undying love, Elijah knows that they are stronger together than they are apart and that they will figure this out. Elijah’s protective qualities, especially concerning those he loves, have been on display, in big and small ways, throughout the entire story. I think here in this particular scene, where Camden is so obviously hurting, that Elijah’s instinctual need to protect his man really come on strong because he is not giving up until they find a way out of this.
Jeff: This is not gonna be a replay of five years ago.
Will: Exactly. Camden figures out that the only way to deal with an emotionally manipulative asshole is to speak your truth. After all, how can a blackmailer hold power over you when you take the power back? Camden and the captain go on the 6:00 news for an interview detailing the story of the takedown of the Path. The story, however, has one small change. As Camden tells it, he refused to be put under the recommended protective custody. He did, however, agree to go into hiding with the man he’s been in a relationship for the past five years. This romantic version of the story, protection and devotion and love, essentially makes his father’s complaint of impropriety null. If he now publicly tries to come between the devoted heroic couple, he’ll be seen as the asshole he truly is.
Jeff: I would have liked a bonus scene of his father watching that play out, and just the emotions that he would have gone through in that moment.
Will: So, after the interview airs, Camden shows up on Elijah’s Brooklyn doorstep. He wants to know if he is ready for a lifetime together. Elijah is like, “Yeah,” he’d be down with that. And Camden agrees that forever and a day sounds pretty damn good.
Jeff: There is a line that Camden gives as he’s kind of sorting through everything that he just did that really caps the story really well. He says, “I thought about what kind of man did I want to be. Am I always gonna let others who claim to know better bully me into things I don’t want to do? Or am I going to live my life on my own terms? The latter sounded much more fun. So, here I am.” Go, Camden.
So, how was this for you getting to reread it after a couple of years?
Will: Well, I fell head over heels for this story when it was first released in 2019. It was one of my favorite books that year. And I vowed that if this book ever got a re-release, it was going to be a pick for book club. So, first, I’m really glad that I had a chance to share this book with you, and all of you that are listening. And revisiting Camden and Elijah’s love story just reaffirms everything that I felt about at the first time around. This story is full of heart and a lot of heat, and it manages to take a lot of different tropes. And then, in the telling of the story, it doesn’t come out as, like, a confusing mishmash. The emotional throughline for these two characters is very clear and really strong. There’s no doubt, in the reader’s mind, how devoted these two are to one another, and how there is no possible way that they are going to screw this up a second time.
Jeff: The second chance thread is strong throughout, and that all these other tropes come to play in the middle of it. I’m particularly intrigued how this worked as romantic suspense. Because it sets itself up as romantic suspense right at the beginning because Camden is almost blown up, and then you’ve got the protection thing. But it’s done in a way that the characters don’t have to constantly find themselves in peril, and move that around how they get to have romantic moments. Because you’ve got this whole middle part of essentially forced proximity, somewhat removed from the threat because it’s not sitting on top of them all the time.
Will: Well, the safe house is safe.
Jeff: Yeah.
Will: So, they have the opportunity to explore other things other than the danger that they’re in.
Jeff: Yeah. You don’t get those awkward moments of, well, we’re being shot at, but we’re gonna have a moment over here where we’re gonna have some sex right now because…
Will: Right.
Jeff: …we need to have some sex over here. So, it’s a really intriguing way to do romantic suspense and keep the suspense up because we do check in on the case from time to time, but it doesn’t keep all the other stuff from happening. I really liked how it played out. Another nice bonus would be to see their wedding sometime because I would like to see the Stephenson clan at the wedding.
Will: You hear that, LaQuette? We need a bonus follow-up scene for the story. So, yeah, we both really enjoyed “Under His Protection.” We hope that you have enjoyed our detailed discussion of this amazing story. And if you haven’t yet had the opportunity to read this book, we hope that you’ll give it a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Jeff: Absolutely not. This is just amazing.
Wrap-Up
Will: This episode’s transcript has been brought to you by our community on Patreon. If you’d like to read the conversation for yourself, simply head on over to the show notes page for this episode at biggayfictionpodcast.com.
Jeff: Hey, ChatGPT, what did you think of the book club discussion of “Under His Protection?”
ChatGPT: Here are the takeaways I had from the conversation about “Under His Protection.”
There are strong character dynamics. Elijah and Camden have a complicated past and are brought back together under intense circumstances. Their relationship is central to the story, and both of you appreciated how LaQuette portrayed their emotional and romantic tension.
Next, the novel effectively blends romance with suspense, creating a narrative that keeps readers on edge while allowing the relationship between Camden and Elijah to develop in a meaningful way. The threat from the criminal organization and the protective detail adds layers of intrigue and danger, which are balanced well with the romantic elements.
There are also themes of duty, sacrifice, and familial expectations explored through both characters. Camden’s struggle with his father’s controlling nature and Elijah’s commitment to his job and Camden’s safety add depth to the story. You and Will highlighted the contrast between Camden’s oppressive family and Elijah’s warm, supportive one, which enriches the narrative.
The book is praised for its ability to evoke strong emotions, particularly through intimate moments and the character’s internal conflicts. Both of you appreciated how LaQuette handled these scenes, making them both tender and impactful.
And you both admired LaQuette’s vivid writing style, particularly her ability to create tension and chemistry between the characters. Her descriptions and the way she conveys the characters’ feelings were particularly noted as strengths of the book.
Overall, the conversation reflects a deep appreciation for the book’s ability to blend suspense with romance, creating a compelling story that resonates emotionally with readers. Both of you seem to hold the book in high regard, especially for its character-driven narrative and the emotional depth LaQuette brings to the story.
Jeff: I couldn’t agree more with what Chat said. We do hold “Under His Protection” in very high regard. That’s certainly true for all of LaQuette’s books that I’ve read. She is a master storyteller. Now, if you’d like to hear more about “Under His Protection” directly from LaQuette, you could check out our interview with her from episode 184. And we’ve also got another excellent chat with her in episode 440 about her recent holiday romance, “Secret Heir for Christmas.”
Will: All right. I think that’ll do it for now. Coming up next on Monday, October 7th, we’ve got another book club discussion, and this time we’ve got something to help you get ready for the spooky Halloween season.
Jeff: That’s coming right up and we’re gonna be talking about the book “This Is Not a Horror Movie” by Sara Dobie Bauer. Now, even though this story takes place in the summer, it has some excellent horror vibes and a super cute romance too.
Will: On behalf of Jeff and myself, we wanna thank you so much for listening, and we hope that you’ll join us again soon for more discussions about the kinds of stories we all love, the big gay fiction kind. Until then, keep turning those pages and keep reading.
Big Gay Fiction Podcast is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find more shows you’ll love at frolic.media/podcasts. Original theme music by Daryl Banner.