Protector by Anna Hackett Book 4 Galactic Gladiators – 4*

Madeline Cochran had a successful career as a Civilian commander of a space station until the Thraxian aliens destroyed the station and kidnapped her and a number of other humans.  She suffered during her captivity but it isn’t anything compared to finding out she can never go home to her teenage son.  She has to navigate the strange world of Carthago and try to ignore Gladiator Lore and find her place on this strange world.

Lore Uma-Xilene is drawn to the hard-shelled but soft hearted Madeline.  He knows what she is going through being ripped away from you family and having everything changed in a heartbeat.  The two have to work together in an underground gambling den to try and track down kidnapped humans.

I loved learning more about what made Madeline tick.  The more that was revealed it explained her character and why she acted the way she did.  Lore was the perfect match for her.  He is a charming easy going man who compliments her need for control in all things.
This book was a little slow going for me.  But overall the itself was good.  I liked the romance between Lore and Madeline.  I liked learning more about both of them and seeing them come together.