UnguardedRating: 4 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel


After Derick left the military, he opened a security business with his closest friend. Derick’s newest client is rock star Heath MacFayden. Heath has not only been outed, but a sex video was released without his consent. The media is all over Heath and the situation is becoming more dangerous every day and a bodyguard like Derick is exactly what Heath needs. Since the identity of the man with Heath in the video remains a mystery, the media frenzy continues to escalate as all eyes turn to Derick.

Heath is a musician at the top of his game, yet all he wants to do is hide. The sex scandal is completely humiliating and Heath has had a hard time breaking free from the controlling ways of his former manager and lover, Miles, who Heath suspects leaked the video. Heath still longs for someone to take control, but also can’t take the thought of continually being told what to do. Derick is the consummate professional and never mixes business with pleasure, but Heath is exactly his type and the two have a hard time staying away from each other as all the lines gets blurred. For Heath, trusting someone so completely is a difficult prospect, but who better to guard his body as well as his heart than Derick.

Heath is not your typical fictional rock star. While he’s at the top of his career, his former manager turned lover turned ex completely controlled everything. In some ways, Heath liked being taken care of, but Miles manipulated him and emotionally controlled him and Heath was so drawn in he didn’t realize how much control he had given up. Heath is a combination of wild and vulnerable, and when Derick meets him he finds that combination impossible to resist.

When the scandal breaks, Heath has broken up with Miles and fired him, yet he still thinks Miles will step up and clean up the mess. Heath is humiliated as the press dissects video footage and cameras are everywhere. Immediately, Derick’s presence calms him and the attraction is real, but there are several issues. First is that Heath will be Derick’s client and also Heath needs time to heal and while he wants Derick, he also tries to keep him in the friend zone. Derick gets so caught up in Heath that it does affect how he responds while on the job. When Miles shows up, Derick can’t separate his feelings and maybe he should have intervened, but Heath has been a victim for years and it was hard for him to break free from that.

The book is primarily character driven with some action coming from Miles. While the storyline moved along, there was some intensity to it all that was lacking and this may have had to do with Miles being a fairly one dimensional character. Also, Derick was constantly mentioned as being a true professional and the best at what he does, yet he kept underestimating Miles and it didn’t all ring true. At one point it is mentioned that Heath is seeing a therapist, but his recovery from years of emotional abuse comes about easily once Derick is there to catch him.

There were secondary characters to round out the book with an attempt to lighten the mood at times, which added to the story. This is the second book I have read by this author and her style pulls together some areas of intensity mixed with a strong storyline and I will be on the look out for what she has coming next.

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