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#Review of Falling for Her Bodyguard (Grace Note Records #4) by Amy Vastine w/a rafflecopter giveaway! @vastine7 @HarlequinBooks @PrismBookTours @#FFHBTour


On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Falling for Her Bodyguard
(Grace Note Records #4)
By Amy Vastine
Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 384 Pages
August 1st 2019 by Harlequin Heartwarming

She needs his protection…

But can he protect his heart?

Radio personality Kelly Bonner isn’t convinced she needs a bodyguard, especially one as intensely good-looking as Detective Donovan Walsh. Yet beneath Donovan’s tough-guy facade is a man struggling to raise his sister’s children. A man Kelly could care about…if he’d let her. Now she’ll have to find a way to convince her big, bad bodyguard that his family—and his heart—are safe in her hands.

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EXCERPT

 

“I want to know how you feel. Even though you think feelings are stupid, I want to know what yours are.”

This was where Donovan always failed. He wasn’t good at sharing his feelings. Kelly might have thought he was good at everything, but this was his Achilles’ heel.

“I don’t know what I feel. I’m not thinking about my feelings. I’m thinking about catching this guy who wants to hurt you. I’m thinking about how Graham needs to do well on his finals so he can pass his classes this semester. I’m thinking about how I have to take Avery to the dentist next week. Worrying about how I feel is a luxury I can’t afford right now.”

“Ignoring how you feel doesn’t make it go away. How you feel about me and how you feel about what I just said impacts everything you do. You can’t hide from it. Just tell me.”

Donovan didn’t know what she wanted to hear him say. He didn’t have a laundry list of feelings like she did. Was she important to him? Sure. It was his job to serve and protect. If someone was in danger, it was important to protect them. Did he like being around her? Sure. She was a nice person. Nice people were pleasant to be around. Did he think about kissing her? He didn’t try to think about it. Had he ever thought about it? He had and it caused this strange sensation in his chest. It started in the center and emanated outward. It made him uncomfortable. Uncomfortable wasn’t how he wanted to feel.

“I want to help you,” he offered.

“I know you want to help me, but how do you feel about me?”

She was relentless.

Donovan turned onto his street and pulled into his driveway. There was only one way to prove that these feelings didn’t matter. He got out of the truck and walked around to her side. He opened her door and helped her out. He had her somewhat trapped between his body and the truck. He would move if she asked him, but she was silent.

“I’m going to kiss you to prove there’s nothing going on,” he warned her, waiting for her to protest. She didn’t. Her lips slightly parted and she stared deep into his eyes, making it hard to breathe.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Softly, gently. Convincing himself that this made him feel nothing was hard to do when it made him feel so much. His whole body felt like it was on fire and she was both the flame and the balm that would take away all the pain. His hand cupped her cheek and he tilted her face upward so he could deepen the kiss just a bit. Her arms snaked around his neck and held him in place.

The whole world dropped away and there was nothing but Kelly and this feeling—this feeling he couldn’t begin to label. All he knew was he loved it and hated it at the same time. He wanted to push her away and pull her closer. Nothing made sense. Instead of giving him clarity, he felt more confused than ever.

 

Let me count the ways that I loved this book.  First off, I love that it was a bodyguard story.  I’m such a sucker for those.  I love the reluctant cop that has desk duty and has to “babysit” someone when he would rather be doing ANYTHING else.  Donovan pulls off the “I’d rather do anything than this” better than any other hero with this going on.  Plus the fact, that he doesn’t have a clue when it comes to his nephew and niece.  The thing is about him, he owns it.  It admits it and doesn’t really apologize for his shortcomings.  He knows that he has a lot to figure out and it doesn’t help that he can’t really call someone for help.

Kelly is the type of heroine that I love in a sweet story.  She doesn’t hold back in her “I do not need a bodyguard” attitude.  I can’t even imagine being the daughter of two cops and being “watched” all the time.  I felt like that added to her naivety at times.  She admitted it to Donovan and he didn’t judge her for it.  He could somehow understand why she didn’t really want him around.  I also loved how she interacted with Avery and Graham, Donovan’s niece and nephew.  She treated them as people and throughout the story, they really added depth to the reluctant romance between Donovan and Kelly.  Oh yes, these two never saw the romance building between them so when it actually happened, I actually sighed out loud.

The suspense element in the book is very subtle but well written.  Ms. Vastine only drops breadcrumbs along the way and I never figured it out.  In fact, when the stalker is revealed I was shocked.  I figured it someone else.  Wrong again…not the first time.  The romance was something else that was subtle.  I really enjoy how Ms. Vastine never rushes her characters to fall in love.  Plus, she doesn’t use the big misunderstanding to break them up and then put them back together.  She treats the romance with the nod that they are grownups and have real issues for them to overcome as individuals before they can fall in love and admit it.

Did I mention that Boone is in the book?  *sigh*  That man…there is a scene at the beginning with him that’s hilarious.  Trust me…it is funny.  Graham is a character that really had the most growth in the story.  He is very important to the relationship between Donovan and Kelly.  I won’t spoil it for you but I just fell in love with that teenager.  Ms. Vastine, again, writes her secondary characters that enhance the book and then somehow sneak up on you and you just want to hug them.

Buy the book.  Read the book.  Fall in love with Donovan and Kelly like I did.  I dare you and come back to tell how much I was right.  I can wait.  Ms. Vastine has written another wonderful story about learning to trust, fall in love and believe in yourself.

Other Books in the Series

Catch a Fallen Star

About the Author

Amy Vastine has been plotting stories in her head for as long as she can remember. An eternal optimist, she studied social work, hoping to teach others how to find their silver lining. Now, she enjoys creating happily ever afters for all to read. Amy lives outside Chicago with her high school sweetheart husband, three teenagers who keep her on her toes, and their two sweet but mischievous pups.

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Tour Giveaway

1 winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card, a Reading is my Superpower custom-made sign, an autographed copy of The Girl He Used to Love and a bookmark (if winner is outside US then they would receive an ebook and egift card only)

Ends August 21, 2019

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