#shatterproof #hawthornenterprises #forcedproximity #bodyguardromance #romanticsuspense
From USA TODAY Bestselling author Xavier Neal comes an all-new, best friends to lovers, forced proximity, bodyguard romance…
The assignment is simple.
Don’t let the client get kidnapped.
Don’t let someone kill her.
Don’t confess that I’ve secretly been in love with her since we first met.
It’s the last part that complicates what would otherwise be a fairly routine operation.
Well, that along with having to move said client aka my best friend into my penthouse because pretending to be a couple is now part of our cover.
All of these things make my mission significantly harder.
As does her ex boyfriend who just so happens to be our boss.
As does my partner who gets a kick out of making things uncomfortable for me.
As does my best friend herself when she has us crossing a line we can’t uncross.
To the company I work for, my main objective is to stop an unidentified threat from eliminating one of their most valuable assets.
But to me?
My only job is to protect the love of my life – or die trying.
(This is book 1 of a duet. The story will conclude in book 2, Shockproof)
Buy the Book:
My Thoughts
I usually wait until a full duet is released before diving in because cliffhangers always have me on the edge of my seat and completely disappointed that I have to wait for the remainder of the story. But Xavier Neal has become one of the few authors who gives us a fulfilling first half that I can tough it out and wait for the second.
Arley has a unique condition – synesthesia – and I love how well Xavier Neal portrays it for the reader. Slater has overcome several situations that should have kept him from even being alive — but he’s a warrior. These two have become best friends and hidden that their feelings have developed into more. Neither believes that they are worthy of the other.
The constant growth of danger and adventure in this book, mixed with romance, is such a breath of fresh air with how well it all mixes. The relationships between Arley and Slater and their friends/coworkers make you care about them as a full unit. From ribbing on one another to fighting to save each other, it gives a heart such pleasure! There are times I wish a few more scenes had been expanded into the story (rather than simply told to us that certain things happened), but overall, I could easily see the entire book played out like a movie right before my eyes. Highly engaging!
I received a complimentary ARC to review. All opinions are my own.
About the Author:
Xavier Neal is a best-selling romance author who enjoys hopping from sub genre to sub-genre like a game of Hopscotch she can’t resist.
In between writing, she loves to read (everything from romance to self improvement books), watch movies (old and new), eat too much Tex-Mex (her Chuy’s t-shirt collection is out of control), and watch AHL hockey games LIVE (preferably against the glass whenever possible).
She currently resides happily in Texas with her bearded husband “Lumberjack”.
Website link: https://www.xavierneal.com/
Newsletter link: https://bit.ly/XNNLSUB
