THE PROTECTOR by Jodi Ellen Malpas (September 6, 2016; Forever Trade Paperback and Forever eBook; stand alone novel)
THE NEW NOVEL FROM THE #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE THIS MAN TRILOGY AND ONE NIGHT TRILOGY!
People think they have Camille Logan nailed: daddy's girl; beautiful, spoiled young woman with her father's bank balance to fund her lifestyle. But Camille is determined to have a life free from his strings. Out on her own, she's made mistakes, including one that found her clawing her way back after a stint in rehab and plenty of bad press. Now, after fighting so hard to be independent and happy, she finds her life threatened as a result of her father's ruthless business dealings. Caught between resentment and fear, Camille prepares herself for the measures her father will take to protect her. But nothing could prepare her for the ex-SAS sniper who crashes into her life.
Jake Sharp resides in his own personal hell. He was distracted from duty once before, and the consequences were devastating--both personally and professionally. He vowed never to let that happen again. Accepting the job of bodyguard to Camille Logan isn't the kind of distraction from his demons he should take. Women and Jake don't mix well, yet protecting the heiress seems the lesser of two evils. But Jake soon discovers that she isn't the woman she's perceived to be. She's warm, compassionate, her presence settling, and his duty to protect her soon goes deeper than a well-paid job, no matter how hard he fights it. He needs absolution. He comes to need Camille. But he knows he can't have both.
4 Stars
Jodi Ellen Malpas writes the alpha male quite well, and Jake Sharp is no exception. He's broody, domineering and bossy, but tender when it's needed. Camille is a strong character, too. Despite her wealthy upbringing, she refuses to float on her father's money and success; she's adamant that she'll make her own way, which endears her to Jake and to me, as a reader.
Jake is hired as Camille's body guard when her father receives a threatening message directed towards his daughter. Jake is certain that her father is telling the entire story, therefore making Jake's job harder than it needed to be. Camille is also dealing with the recent return of her abusive, drug-addicted boyfriend; she has no interest is seeing him at all, but he keeps popping up when you don't expect it.
Jake has some darkness in his past, which we get a sense of from the first chapter. We don't know the full details, and really don't until nearly the end of the book, but that doesn't stop him from being a character I really enjoyed. He didn't fight what was inevitable (at least not for long), and he didn't shy away from what he wanted once he realized the profound change it made in him. His secrets were a bit of a surprise to me, as they weren't what I was thinking they would be.
Although we didn't see a lot of them, they side characters were engaging, too. Camille's mother, the high-society lady, who still has sensibility when it comes to her daughter's happiness; Camille's best friend, Heather, who is supportive and gives her a push when she needs it; Camille's brother TJ, who obviously cares a great deal for her; and Jake's co-worker, Lucinda....she's a little fireball and I wish we had gotten more of her.
I enjoyed that Camille and Jake never really doubted each other; they were always willing to see things through, even when it was difficult. There is no epilogue to the book, which I always hope for, so I'll just imagine all those good things I think will happen for them.
Copy received from publisher Forever via NetGalley for my honest review.
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About the Author:
Jodi was born and raised in the Midlands town of Northampton, England, where she lives with her two boys and a beagle. She is a self-professed daydreamer, a Converse & mojito addict, and has a terrible weak spot for Alpha Males.
Writing powerful love stories and creating addictive characters has become her passion – a passion she now shares with her devoted readers.
She’s now a proud #1 New York Times bestselling author – all six of her published novels having hit the New York Times bestsellers list – as well as a Sunday Times bestseller and international bestseller. Her work is published in over 20 languages across the world.
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