The Defender is one of three superheroes who protect Earth. They are literal super-beings that no one knows much about. Where did they come from? Why do they help us? One day The Defender is dropped on Gracie's front yard, in agony and barely able to move. So begins the story. It's official... Mariana Zapata can write anything and make it epic! This book was so different than most of her other reads, but it was all MZ at the same time. I loved this slow burn paranormalish romance!

I absolutely loved the growth between them and the best friend number 20 thing my heart ached for them both.i just adored alex’s grumpy personality and utter distain towards everyone he didn’t consider family, including gracie when they first met

I liked the book, I enjoyed reading it and as always, MZ’s writing style worked for me. But it wasn’t only the plot that was new, I found the slowburn relationship started too late and by the time they reach the end it wasn’t burning as it always happens with her books, and I felt the world she created wasn’t complete and the plot, apart from the romance wasn’t fully developed. The consequences of this were so badly explored. The trauma was really a way to show how close they are but she's the one that got tortured and waterboarded - I wish zapata didn't skip the process to recover emotionally or make light of it by associating it with Alexander (and obviously he can care and it's nice that he does but it wasn't about her. It was about the romance and thus it felt flat). If I had to describe Gracie and ML’s (his name is a secret for a while so i’m not about to spoil) dynamic in a few sentences, it would be: he did not just call her a butthole during this scene 😭 ik it was their ‘thing’, but WHY NOW?! this had the same vibe as rhodes calling aurora ‘buddy’ in all rhodes lead here🧍‍♀️since i think it’s very interesting, some of alex’s abilities include: super strength/hearing/smell/vision, flying, speed, invulnerability, being sexy, being adorable, being a cheetos fanatic and fast healing. But Gracie was okay. She got a lot better as the book went on because she stopped crying so damn much. yes bitch, we know he’s hot…he’s henry cavill for pete’s sake but tell us more about how you think he’s sweet and caring 🙃