Bodyguard

I adored Bombshell, I could identify with aspects of that story more than any other from CD Reiss, so I was really looking forward to this one. Bodyguard is set in that same world and I loved it. Don't worry if you didn't read/ listen to Bombshell they're complete standalones, just set in the same world. Trust me, I don't use the ‘standalone' word lightly, I didn't gain anything from listening to Bombshell first, just a big smile when a couple of characters got a mention in passing. The story itself is sweet, with an edge. I loved that although this was a romantic story about Carter and Emily, it was also the story of friendship between Darlene and Emily. It was sweet and beautiful. I know I can't be the only person that finished this book and said to themselves, ‘I want Darlene's story' and if I was, then, I think I need to start a movement or something because I loved that girl!

CD Reiss always writes the best characters, as stated above, however, Emily and Carter are something special. I loved Emily, she had been through a lot, but she was still fighting. She didn't shy away and close herself off. Her friendship with Darlene was lovely, so often the ‘friend' is backstabby but that is not the case here, it was beautiful. As the book progressed you see Emily becoming more and more at ease and she changes, and that was beautiful to witness. Carter is so incredibly swoon-worthy, it's not even funny. I loved him. He was strong and sweet. Commanding, and gentle. His understanding of what Emily had been through and what she needed gave him such an edge of perfection, sure he made a few mistakes, but he had the best intentions and they made him real.
I really enjoyed the progression of the relationship between Carter and Emily. It was like a rollercoaster with so many ups and downs. But those ups and downs made sense, it wasn't conflict for conflict's sake. It made sense to the story and to these characters because they had other things that they had to consider, not just how they felt. Carter had a lot on his plate with his commitment to his job, to his family and to Emily, it was a constant ache that he took seriously, he was stretched so thin, but he made it work. He was still able to be a nice person and give his all to everyone he cared about. The sexy times between Emily and Carter were melt your headphones hot, they were placed well in the story and made perfect sense to the storyline and the characters.
Phin, oh my word, this child stole my heart early on. I just wanted to love him and make him happy. Fist-pump the size of my heart. Sigh, one of the sweetest moments ever.


Another fantastic dual narration. I loved the combination of CJ Bloom and Joe Arden, their voices complemented each other really well. I thought CJ Bloom was wonderful as Emily and conveyed her frustrations with her situation incredibly well. She was smart and sassy and that was performed brilliantly. My only issue was that Phin sounded younger than he was. Joe Arden was the perfect choice for Carter, he performed the sweet but commanding man so beautifully, especially the scenes with Phin. The emotion was conveyed beautifully. My heart may have melted a little. I can't even think about those sexy times, Joe was on fire. The production was done well, I really enjoyed the music at the beginning and end of the book, it set the theme and mood of the story. I only noticed one tiny issue in chapter 47, a word is missing. It should be ‘long time' but the long trails off and leads into the next sentence. It's nothing major and doesn't take away from the story but it's enough to make you pause and think you missed something.

You may be thinking this story is all about falling for the Bodyguard which is an alluring storyline by itself and to an extent that would be a correct assumption. But if you've ever read a book written by C.D. Reiss before then you already know that she is going to create a story that is soooooo much more than what you're expecting in the best way possible, and if you're a new reader then be prepared for a layered story that goes deeper than what you see on the surface.
The story within the pages of Bodyguard puts you in Emily's shoes and what it feels like to need protecting, to never feeling safe, to being stalked and threatened, living behind a wall of security to only feel more and more vulnerable, and just needing to break free. It also puts you in Carter's shoes, as not only aka the Bodyguard but also as a man that has built his own wall of protection around his life from a tragic past that threatens to destroy everything/everyone he loves. Protection and safety are crucial to Emily and to Carter, if the walls of their protection are breached it could ruin them or it may just be what is needed to break them free!!