eBook Her Private Bodyguard (Harlequin Intrigue #561) ePub

Cover did not do it justice.

3 more men were introduced [in name only] in THE STRANGER SHE KNEW - And I am happy to meet these men.

Strange attraction? try pheromones! They work.

Ex-CIA operative Grey Sellers is prevailed upon to take up the lowly job [lowly because of his specialized training] of bodyguard of the reluctant heiress Valerie Beaufort.

Because of her injury when she was 13, now 20 years later she has a number of self-image hang-ups.

She has spent the last 10 years as a horse breeder in virtual isolation. Why would she need a bodyguard?

Her father was the founder and co-owner of Av-Tech - you know, hush, hush contracts.

With his death we are introduced to his partners and friends of Val.

Porter Johnson - Billy Clemens - Harp Springfield and Emory Hunter and the head of Av-Tech Security, Autry Carmichael.

Why would she need a bodyguard when she had the help of these men? Well the death of a bodyguard shook up her reasoning.

Grey was lucky he was not the one in the bunkhouse.

Val is prideful and distrusting.

Grey is still emotionally torn up at his failure to save a fellow agent and still looking into the bottom of a bottle.

The mystery of who wants to hurt Val and her romance with Grey slowly unravel into an intrigue worth reading.

And again we are introduced to the idea of the Phoenix Brotherhood that Griff is slowly gathering. Fascinating!

Definitely Recommended --m as we add another name to the charm of MEN OF MYSTERY [wouldn't it be interesting to have a charm bracelet with each man's first name on a charm?] Sterling Silver of course.

I've read several of Gayle Wilson's books over the past couple of years, both her Intrigues and her Harlequin Historicals, and I've yet to be disappointed. Her writing style is nearly flawless; her attention to detail unsurpassed; and while she writes some of the steamiest love scenes in the genre, the physical aspects of her characters' attraction to each other never take a back seat to the compelling emotional tension that makes for a far more satisfying read, as far as this reader is concerned.
HER PRIVATE BODYGUARD does have a far simpler plotline than many other of her Intrigues, the suspense element carrying less weight than the romance. Since I'm not a huge romantic suspense fan, anyway -- in fact, Ms. Wilson is one of the few RS authors I read -- that didn't bother me. I was far more "intrigued" by the slowly unfolding relationship between the reluctant heiress, Valerie Beaufort, and her even more reluctant bodyguard, Grey Sellers. Neither of these were "people" people, which made their learning to trust all the more interesting to watch. A different kind of book for Ms. Wilson, I think, but no less enjoyable than her more plot-heavy stories.

Gayle Wilson's team of former CIA operatives are back in "Her Private Bodyguard," a different kind of story from the first books in the "Men of Mystery" series. Valerie Beaufort doesn't want a bodyguard. Grey Sellers doesn't care. She's probably not in any danger, but Grey's been hired to make sure nothing happens to her anyway. Isolated on her ranch, Grey discovers that the greatest danger to a man with secrets isn't a bullet, but a woman like Valerie.

Although all of Wilson's present-set romances have been published under the Intrigue banner, they really fall into two different categories: romantic suspense (the "Home to Texas" trilogy, the first three "Men of Mystery" books) and more standard long contemporary romance ("Each Precious Hour," "Never Let Her Go," etc.). In the first, the suspense and the romance unfold at the same time, as the characters fall in love while struggling to stay alive or solve a mystery. In the second, the characters fall in love in the middle of relatively uneventful surroundings. The danger, only alluded to before, appears in the final half or third to test the relationship or force them to confront their feelings, more a plot element than a full part of the story. "Her Private Bodyguard" falls firmly in the second category, a tale heavy on the romance and light on the action.

In the first respect, Wilson gives readers a romance to cherish. Grey and Valerie are her usual hard-edged hero and fiercely independent heroine, two people with no intention of falling in love and no idea how to deal with it when they find they are. Their interactions sizzle, and both are well-drawn three-dimensional characters. Unlike in Wilson's last book, "Each Precious Hour," we get to see them grow and change and their love story clearly develops over the course of the book. They also have a ton of angst to work through and by the time the book closes with a triumphant and poignant scene, we get to bask with them in the glory of overcoming their pasts and fears.

At the same time, two very unhappy people bickering and mistrusting each other with little plot movement to break it up can make for slow going after a while, even for those (like me) who like some angst. Of course, no one expects comedy or even lighthearted moments in a Wilson book, but in some of her others the suspense element has served to balance the angst. Here, not only do the characters each have a dozen chips on their shoulders (Men, her money, painkillers, her disability...why isn't Valerie in therapy?), but there is nothing to break up the anguish for most of the book. It got to be pretty depressing after a while. For the first 150 pages (out of 251) there is only one sort-of suspenseful moment; the conflict is all internal and most of the events are along the lines of "Should Valerie take an aspirin?"/"Should she take him a dinner tray?" There are almost no secondary characters to speak of, as they are given the most perfunctory characterization; the four main suspects blur together. Beautifully written though it is, even readers engrossed early on may find the book a bit of a slog by the midway point. The final third is pretty action packed, though the change is so radical from the earlier sections it is almost jarring. The CIA also feels like an afterthought and not as compelling as before.

Readers just finding the series may want to start with the first three books (the RITA nominated "The Bride's Protector," the even better "The Stranger She Knew," and "Her Baby, His Secret") while they're still available, since the references to characters from those books in this one may be meaningless or confusing. Those who like the emphasis on the love story, the angst high, and don't like other elements interfering may find this to be their favorite. I'm sure some will love it. In any case, readers may want to know this is a very different kind of story than the other "Men of Mystery" books, and for me at least, not as fulfilling.

I'm so glad someone else said it! I need characters I like and identify with for a story to work. I didn't like these people. They didn't like themselves. I don't know why they liked each other. I never knew meeting someone who is down on themselves all the time was attractive.
Don't get me wrong. I like characters who feel pain and emotion. I might not have been in the mood to indulge these two. Right before this I read a new Superromance where the hero was in a wheelchair and the heroine was an Olympic runner who might never run again. They had REAL problems and fears and did about ten times less moping than these two. I rolled my eyes when Gray's past was revealed. I thought he must have killed a million people for all his bellyaching. And Valerie? A man done you wrong ten years ago and not even that bad? Move on already!
Maybe it caught me in the wrong mood. I will think twice before buying this writer's work again.