Gun Brooke has done it again with only her second novel; Protector of the Realm hooked me at once with the riveting opening scenes of an intergalactic space fight where Commodore Rae Jacelon takes Kellen O’Dal prisoner. The action never ceases until the last pages are read. When Rae captures Kellen and holds her on her space station, she learns that Kellen is wanted on kidnapping charges. She has abducted Armeo M’Aido, a young boy, and future heir to the kingdom, supposedly in her care. Kellen’s accuser Ambassador M’Ekar claims that Armeo is a relative through his deceased wife, and has been pursuing Kellen. The story doesn’t ring true to Rae after she discovers that Kellen was seriously injured trying to escape from M’Ekar. With conflicting accounts from both parties, Rae Jacelon, with the help of her father, Admiral Jacelon, tries to get to the bottom of the truth, but there are forces working against her. To protect Kellen and Armeo from further injury or possible death, Rae is forced to marry her and remain that way for five years so she can become a Supreme Constellation citizen with rights. Neither woman is happy with that choice, but the young Armeo must be shielded from any potential harm. Gun Brooke has fashioned an enticing love story filled with electrifying conflicts to get this reader’s heart racing. The action progresses from the rapid-fire battles, to a possible romance beginning with a forced marriage. While the author sets it up as a marriage of conven