Title: Guarding My Heart
Author: S.C. Wynne
Publisher: Self-Published (2nd Edition)
Length: Short Novel
Category: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
At a Glance: All in all, this was another enjoyable read for me from this author, perfect when I was in the mood for a quick shot of romance with a side of danger, something SC Wynne delivers with a capable and reliable hand.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Blurb: Liam Carlington is a spoiled rich kid. He’s been acting out since his childhood love, Paul devastated him by marrying a woman. Liam drops out of college and is drinking and partying way too much. When his current bodyguard is injured in a bar fight, a new bodyguard replaces him.
His new protector, Scott Jackson is gorgeous, and tough. He’s back after a break from the job after losing a client. He’s attracted to his new charge, and Liam is aggressive about how much he would love to get Scott in bed. But Scott is worried Liam is just a using him for a sexual fling.
As the two men grow closer, it becomes obvious the threats against Liam’s life are horribly real. Both men can’t help but wonder if they’ll even live long enough to figure out their feelings toward each other.
Review: Someone wants Liam Carlington dead. The who and the why is the mystery around which author SC Wynne has constructed the romance in Guarding My Heart, which then went on to tick a few of my romance-loving boxes.
The forced proximity trope will never not be one of my faves. Add a bodyguard to the mix, and I’m there for it. Wynne uses the scenario to plausible affect here when the only son and heir to the Carlington family fortune requires round-the-clock protection, thanks to a death threat that was clearly made by someone not of sound mind but also cannot be brushed off due to the nature of its credible and imminent danger to Liam. When Liam’s guard, Nick, gets taken out in a bar fight, the security company sends in a replacement, Scott Jackson, to take over the duties of protecting Liam. Scott has some pre-conceived notions about his new client. How could Liam be anything other than the spoiled little rich kid who seems to invite trouble? He’s a party boy who, thoughtlessly and selfishly, put himself and, as a result, Nick into a compromising situation, after all, so Scott knows what he’s in for. Until Liam proves some of Scott’s assumptions wrong. Yes, Liam’s a party boy, and yes, he’s wealthy and spoiled and a college dropout who doesn’t want to inherit the family business, but for his faults, he’s also kind and sexy and has a certain charm about him that Scott soon begins to find irresistible.
Guarding My Heart relies a good bit on flirtation and physical attraction rather than deep conversation to build the relationship between Liam and Scott. While that wouldn’t work for me in a longer novel, it sufficed here thanks to the obvious chemistry between them as well as the fact they’re both charming and likable guys, individually. Scott gives all due respect to his duty to protect Liam, a job Liam doesn’t always make easy, while attempting to resist his client’s charms. I also liked the meaning of the title as it applies to both men; they each are guarding their own hearts throughout much of the book, Liam because the love of his life left him to marry a woman, and Scott because getting involved with a client would potentially be a career ending move.
While the mystery aspect of the novel isn’t handled as a deep investigative procedural, there were a few characters I felt had the potential to be Liam’s stalker, which added some nice suspense to the reading, a couple of them being remote possibilities, granted, but it was still fun to suspect them while the real threat became more emboldened in his mission to see Liam dead. It was the motive and the means and the lengths the killer went to, to carry out the plan to murder Liam and make off with a substantial amount of money that provided for some nice surprises and kept the murderous tension in harmony with the romantic plotline. As a side note, I also liked the way Wynne handled Liam’s father, not as an antagonist to his son but as a parent who is allowed to be frustrated with Liam while still loving him.
Guarding My Heart was originally published by Loose Id in 2014. Not having read it in its initial release, I’m not sure what, if anything, was changed or revised in this current publication, but all in all, this was another enjoyable read for me from this author, perfect when I was in the mood for a quick shot of romance with a side of danger, something SC Wynne delivers with a capable and reliable hand.
You can buy Guarding My Heart here:
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