Jessica Bailey, known to most of the world as pop star Jade, has just completed a grueling two-year international concert tour and is looking forward to a much-needed break. Unfortunately, she arrives at her home in Eastport Bay to find the police investigating a possible burglary. They find no evidence of an intruder and assume that the alarm system simply malfunctioned, until the next night when the intruder returns. She escapes unharmed, but all signs point to a stalker. Jessica's older brother Hap insists on hiring the security firm founded by his best friend, ex-Navy SEAL Wilder Lowe, to keep her safe. Wilder initially plans to assign his top employee to act as Jessica's bodyguard, but when Hap presses the issue, he's forced to take the assignment himself. The problem is that Wilder has secretly been attracted to Jessica for years, but Hap has always been clear that his little sister is off limits. Wilder knows that being in such close proximity to Jessica will make it difficult to keep his hands off her - something that only grows more difficult when they travel to a private tropical island to hide out while detectives continue the search for her stalker.
Jessica and Wilder had a complicated history because of Wilder's long-standing friendship with her older brother as well as the mutual, but mostly unacknowledged, crush they shared back in high school. They even kissed once, but Wilder pushed Jessica away afterwards and pretended it never happened because he was so afraid to lose Hap as a friend. The chemistry between them was as strong as ever when they met again as adults, but Wilder's fears were equally strong. He was also concerned about living a life in the spotlight because of a scandal in his past and the possible impact it might have on Jessica's reputation if they got involved. However, Jessica knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to fight for it, and in the end Wilder's fears were no match for her.
While I enjoyed the romance between Jessica and Wilder, there were a few details about the plot that IMO could have been tightened up. For example, Wilder refused to tell anyone, including Jessica, where they were going before they left for the island. When they landed, she didn't even know what continent they were on. How did she know to pack so many bikinis and skimpy sundresses? Also, how did Wilder earn enough money to buy his own private island? I'm sure the private security business can be lucrative, especially when dealing with high-profile clients, but islands don't come cheap. Was he out of the military long enough to amass that kind of fortune?
Despite those few nagging questions, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it for all fans of contemporary romance. I look forward to the next book in the series.
*Review copy provided by the author/publisher via Give Me Books Promotions. All opinions expressed are my own.
About "The Bombshell and the Bodyguard"
Meet the Bombshell…
I’ve kissed a lot of frogs. Not proud of it, and it’s earned me some unflattering tabloid headlines… Jade Leaves Another One Jaded. But hey, at least I’ve gotten a string of hit songs out of the experience. And I’ve learned a lot from my highly public and lightning-fast relationships—namely what I don’t want in a man.
So when my older brother’s bad-boy best friend Wilder Lowe strolls back into my life, looking even more handsome, more dangerous, and less interested than ever, I don’t give him a second glance.
Problem is, this time I can’t just walk away—my billion-dollar pop-career has attracted its share of stalkers—the latest is the scariest one yet—and Wilder is my new bodyguard.
Meet the Bodyguard…
I’m not in the habit of turning down billionaires as potential clients. I didn’t build my own immensely successful security business by being stupid.
But when my best friend asks me to act as a bodyguard for his much younger and very-much-forbidden little sister—you better believe I plan to turn down the detail. As a former Navy combat diver, a Frogman, I know a nuclear depth bomb when I see one.
But then there’s a call in the middle of the night, and when I hear that frightened, all-too-familiar voice, the plea from the one girl I could never say no to, I’m lost. I’ll do anything and everything it takes to keep her safe.
Even if that means whisking her away to my own private island.
The Bombshell and the Bodyguard is a hot small-town rom com take on The Frog Prince fairytale. It’s a standalone secret crush/best friend’s little sister/celebrity/bodyguard forbidden love story filled with heart, heat, and billionaire romance fun!
Read an Excerpt from "The Bombshell and the Bodyguard"
Jessica, Hap and I sat in Hap’s office, discussing home security.
It seemed surreal to be here like this, talking with her the way I’d talk with any other potential client, while inside, my heart and mind were participating in a riot—complete with looting, arson, and graffiti.
Stop Staring At Her was spray-painted in bright red across my brain, but my optic nerve couldn’t seem to relay the message with all the noise.
“... so you can see why she needs a different security firm,” Hap was saying.
I hoped I hadn’t missed too much of the conversation.
“Right.” I cleared my throat and attempted to do the same with my mind. “I did notice several deficiencies in the perimeter defense system. If you’d like, I’ll put my home security expert on it. His qualifications are unmatched. We’ll come by first thing Tuesday morning to do a thorough assessment.”
Hap nodded, looking pleased and relaxing a bit in his leather club chair. “What about personal security? A bodyguard?”
“We can take care of that, too,” I assured him. “No one understands wanting privacy better than I do. And as far as safety, everyone in my firm is a former SEAL. We’re prepared for anything.”
In the matching chair next to Hap, Jessica sat listening quietly. Her posture was relaxed and confident, but there was tension around her eyes and lips.
It felt a little strange to be discussing her home security needs with her brother instead of with her, but she hadn’t said much at all since our initial exchange of polite greetings. Maybe she was too rattled from the alarm last night.
I forced myself to meet the unusual green eyes that had always drawn me in when I should have been looking the other way. “What do you think, Jessica? Sound good to you?”
A spark lit the jade-green irises. When she answered, an unexpected hint of disdain flavored her tone. “I’m still not sure it’s necessary. It was a false alarm—there was no break-in. And do you even have time to take this on? I remember from when we spoke at the Reece wedding how busy you are.”
Ah. So she wasn’t rattled. She was pissed.
The moment I’d turned down her invitation to get a drink after the reception or to have breakfast the next morning and catch up, I’d known I’d hurt Jessica’s feelings.
She saw me as her brother’s best friend. She didn’t understand my reluctance to spend any time with her.
She had no idea how I’d always felt about her—and that’s how it would stay.
It hadn’t been good for me to see her last year at the wedding. I’d worked very hard over the years to forget about Jessica Bailey’s effect on me.
I’d been (mostly) successful at putting her out of my mind, though it had been impossible to do completely with her alluring voice all over radio and her face on TV.
But seeing her at Sullivan Reece’s wedding—in that silver evening gown—had snapped her right back to the forefront of my mind, and no matter how hard I tried to distract myself, she’d taken up residence there since that night.
And now she was sitting right in front of me, somehow looking even more appealing in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, without a drop of makeup on.
Those incredible green eyes narrowed, awaiting my response. I had to give her one that wouldn’t pique Hap’s interest or alert him to the unspoken and long-running issue between his little sister and me.
Laughing lightly, I pretended to miss her surly tone. “Always. Good help is hard to find when you’re dealing with the privacy and security of exclusive clientele, and as I said, we have exacting standards. I end up doing way too much of it myself. But you’ll like Gray. And all my guys are the ultimate professionals. I have zero qualms about putting you in the hands of any one of my bodyguards.”
And out of mine.
Hap straightened and sat forward. “Wait—no. I don’t want one of your employees to do it. I want you to handle it.”
Caught off guard, I recoiled. “You want me to be her bodyguard?”
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