The Hazard and the Hitman

The Protectors, Book 1

By: Cambria Hebert

Narrated by: Avery Wilde, Thomas C. Wylde

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and being in the hospital with stitches in my head and no way out makes me pretty desperate. So I log in to a dating app, searching for a guy willing to pretend to be my boyfriend so I can bust out of this overpriced nightmare.

But what do I get?

Accused of being a prostitute. Talk about a waste of phone minutes.

With plan A a no-go, I move on to plan B. Escape. Except, on my way to freedom, I’m nearly pummeled by a man wearing all black and with the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen.

When he pretends to be my boyfriend, I’m shook. And even more shook when I discover this is the rude guy from the app.

Turns out he’s not only rude but bossy, irritable, and he keeps calling me a walking hazard. I go along with the lie anyway, thinking I can ditch him as soon as I’m free.

Except that doesn’t happen.

I end up back at his place, eating soup and trying hard not to catch feelings.

Then my apartment is broken into, and I’m running for my life, confused, injured, and with nowhere else to go. Kieran vows to keep me safe, something he seems more than capable of… Which is kinda odd for a real estate agent, right?

As the threat to my life intensifies, I start to wonder if I’ll make it to my next birthday and, more importantly, if trusting Kieran is the deadliest hazard of all.

Tropes:

Broody, possessive MMC

Clumsy, anxious MMC

Touch him and die

Hitman falls first (and harder)

Size difference

Dude in distress

Suspense

Hidden identity

Hospital meet cute (or not)

Mafia

Micro-Tropes:

Heterochromia

“Baby doll”

Plant daddy

Fish daddy

©2026 Cambria Hebert Books, LLC (P)2026 Pink Flamingo Productions

This is what “I’ll take care of of you” means!

There is nothing hotter in my opinion that a possessive man with a voice like velvet in the dark.Who puts ALL of your needs above their own and not just “having you” so nobles can’t not doing what’s necessary to keep it that way.Those people that don’t do EVERYTHING are just looking for a trophy to show off when they see fit but nothing to make sure said trophy is actually happy.Their scrappy waif partners aren’t half bad either.

Love it

Ahhhh another amazing book from Cambria. When she has a new book coming out, I am all ready for it.

Haz lives paycheck to paycheck and surviving. He winds up in the hospital wanting to leave , hello costs of being treated, and wants to leave. He seeks alternative means to get discharged and here he meets Haz.

Haz comes to the rescue and off their insta love story begins.

They had amazing chemistry, they get a little wild, and this book is such fun.

This is the first book of the Protectors series and I can’t wait for more.
The narrators really knew how to bring the characters to life.

Entertaining, fun, and passionate!

This is the first book in The Protectors series, a MM romance. Haz and Kieran's story is entertaining, fun, and passionate, filled with intrigue, suspense and twists and turns. The chemistry is off the charts. Avery Wilde and Thomas C Wylde did a great job bringing this story to life. #PFPAudio

The Hazard forces the Hitman to lighten up

The Hazard and the Hitman is book one in the new Protectors series and follows innocent Hazier, Hazard, and Kieran, the Hitman, as they fall for each other while facing multiple challenges.

Hazier, also known as Haz to his acquaintances, grew up in the foster care system. His mother left him at the hospital just after he was born. She thought she was protecting him, but it is not an easy way to grow up. He has never really had any friends, just acquaintances. He does not have time to have friends since he works four jobs in order to pay his bills.

Kieran has a colorful past. He spent time in the military on a special team. When a mission went south, he left the military. Now he finds himself working as a hitman. He is methodical and stringent. He preps for each job. No surprises.

But boy is Kieran in for the surprise of his life.

When Kieran receives a message on the dating app he prefers, he goes to view the person sending it. He decides to engage in conversation, until it takes an unlikely turn. Then the other person just stops messaging. Now his curiosity is piqued.

Haz has had quite the night. He just finished his job of delivering food and is on his way home. But it is pouring like a monsoon. He is being cautious, but it does not prevent the events to come.

After a comedy of errors, including a absent without leave patient, Haz and Kieran finally meet face to face. Kieran is a big guy and Haz is a very small guy. But when they meet, all bets are off on who will win the battle of the escape artist.

Haz is a walking accident waiting to happen. Kieran has nicknamed him Hazard because of it. He is a hazard to himself and to anyone around him. But Haz is also a fighter, and he is wily. So when things turn daring, he goes with his instinct to evade what is coming at him.

When Kieran finds out what happened and by who, he is livid. So much so, we see his associate, Ghost, enter the picture. But what is yet to come has nothing on the fireworks we watch on the Fourth of July.

But when the truth comes out, will Haz and Kieran survive the fallout? Will Ghost be the one to take the hit for them? And will a blast from the past land in someone's lap unexpectedly?

When I started this story, I kept thinking how is this story going to work out. But man did I enjoy the ride I was taken on. This book was hard to put down. I needed to know what was going to happen next. I needed to know the background history that we get throughout this story.

Haz is such an innocent. I loved listening to him. He is a character beyond any I have ever enjoyed before. He trips over everything. At first I wondered how he could be so innocent. Given how he spent his childhood it is so hard to believe. But he really is. And it really shows with his love for plants and the plecos at the fish store.

Kieran may be a hitman, but someone has finally found his soft spot. I had to laugh so hard when Ghost entered the picture. The banter between Kieran, Haz and Ghost is comical. And Ghost really knows how to goad Kieran.

Now I need to know more about Pip. I need details. And how do he and Ghost know each other?

Avery Wilde and Thomas C Wylde are both new to me narrators. I feel like they nailed the characters of Hazard and Kieran, as well as the auxiliary characters of Ghost and Pip. The higher pitched, younger sounding, naive Hazard plus the more experienced, tired, and older Kieran with the deeper voice was a good blend. I am hoping that if we get Ghost and Pip's story, they will be the narrators for that as well.

Funny and enjoyable

Broody, possessive MMC
Clumsy, anxious MMC
Touch him and die
Hitman falls first (and harder)
Size difference
Dude in distress
Suspense
Hidden identity
Hospital meet cute (or not)
Mafia
Dual POV - 1st person

Dual narration - Avery Wilde & Thomas C. Wylde
These two did a wonderful job bringing this book to audio.

What an interesting MM romance. This is full of funny moments, Haz is a walking accident. He gets himself into so many situations. Kieran becomes obsessed with Haz, he falls first and so hard. These two characters where a joy to read. Found this to be an enjoyable listen. I would read more by Cambria Hebert and would recommend this to a friend.