Purchased Amazon April 29, 2022

Needed a better twist at the end, but not a bad romantic suspense. ( )

great read - a bit like the prequel "Hot Secrets" in the way the plot develops. I liked the way Royce was described, strong alpha male with great looks and slightly long hair.I also liked that Lauren was not a needy, weak female,she stood firm by her convictions. I like the developing back story with the three brothers (i'm sure the next book will be Luke and Julie's story)their interaction, and devotion to the security firm, looking forward to learning more about them. The villain in this book took me by surprise, I had it pegged as one or two other characters.

Good lead & supporting characters, fully developed plot, just enough suspense and mystery to keep you interested, but does not overshadow the romance, and great steamy sex scenes. ( )

The format of this (free) ebook is so lousy I gave up reading it. What a shame, I was looking forward to this one. Maybe I'll find another version one day. ( )

“I love you, Lauren. I have since the moment I met you. I can’t be mad at your father for bringing us together.” - Royce Walker

Well, it's been a while since I've last posted a review, so be gentle with me, hmm?

OK, first book that got finished this year - and I have to say, I hope the rest of my year as a reader goes that smoothly. In fact, if it can be as smooth as Royce himself, I wouldn't object much.

Royce Walker has been given a special kind of job: keep Lauren Reynolds safe and sound, without her noticing it. So he approaches her under false pretenses - that are very much real, to him anyway - and tries his best to avoid being found out by this woman who makes his world turn upside down day and night. But the closer the two become, the tougher it is for him to live with the guilt of lying to her for her own safety. And her stalker is nowhere to be found yet everywhere to hurt her...

I'm a sucker for love stories like this one. It's not only the suspense of someone being in danger. It's also the mystery of what will happen when the woman who's under protection notices something is off and starts questioning every single move the male lead makes. As much as they make me angry as hell - because, hellooooo, the guy is busting his left nut to keep you out of harm's way, lady, thank you very much - I still can't resist them.

This story was no different. Lauren and Royce hit it off rather nicely. With lots of sexual tension and hotness and sparks flying around. But I guess I was expecting something more from Lauren than the usual behavior of the female lead in such a situation, so this was what took the 5th star out of the rating.

What really surprised me was the identity of the stalker. I had a lot of suspects and reasons for each one of them, but the way things played out, I'd say it was far better than what I had imagined and far more complicated and yet so simple. A wonderful ending to a wonderful story.

Now I can't wait to read about the rest of the brothers!

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.*** ( )