Bodyguard is part of CD Reiss’s Hollywood A-List series… but honestly, I didn’t quite think that Emily, the heroine, quite qualified as A-List. She’s the choreographer for an A-Lister, her pop diva best friend, and she’s got an ex-boyfriend stalker who makes her life dangerous enough that Pop Diva bestie assigns one of her own bodyguards to watch over Emily. Carter Kincaid is said bodyguard, and he promptly breaks the cardinal rule of bodyguarding, which is Don’t Get Involved With Your Principal.
Carter’s got his own issues, with a son he has to protect from the public eye. He and Emily made a great couple, both with very real hang-ups and problems that have to be dealt with before they can move forward. There were a couple of really hot sex scenes and a suspenseful climax where Emily’s stalker ex almost won the day, but was thwarted at the last moment by Carter’s determination combined with Emily’s resourcefulness, a good way to avoid the damsel in distress trope which had been built up quite a bit over the course of the book.
I enjoyed this a lot, but I was slightly dissatisfied with the ending, in that everything felt a little too pat, wrapped up a little too neatly. The future for Carter and Emily seemed rather nebulous and still to be worked out; the book could probably have done with a solid epilogue chapter. Four stars for an enjoyable read which tapered off a bit at the ending.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.