This Rec League was a tough one that stumped most of us, so we’re counting on the Bitchery to pull through with recommendations. This one comes from Jo. Thanks, Jo!
There are plenty of books with special forces guys coming to the rescue and acting as bodyguards but can the Bitchery recommend any books where the woman is the one doing the protecting?
Elyse: I think I read one by Jackie Ashenden, Make You Mine ( A | BN | K | G | AB ).
Carrie:Â I think there’s a female bodyguard in The Hidden Blade by Sherry Thomas ( A | BN | K | AB ).
Sarah: My brain is an embarrassing blank on this one.
Amanda: I haven’t read The Bodyguard by Ruchi Singh ( A ), but it was tweeted about by Sil from The Book Voyagers and I trust her excitement.
All right, Bitchery! What have you got?
It’s been a while since I read it, but I remember enjoying Sexy/Dangerous by SBTB favorite Beverly Jenkins. The heroine was really a badass, not some poseur (unlike all the other examples of bodyguard heroines that came to mind).
“Wearing her shades, a black Stetson, and snakeskin cowboy boots, security agent Maxine “Max” Blake is the baddest thing walking. Ex-marine, ex-cop, and a whole lotta ‘tude, Max doesn’t have time for anything but her job. Her latest assignment: to protect Dr. Adam Gary. Her problem: he doesn’t want her there.
Adam wants to focus on his work, not to be distracted by this tall, sexy woman. A foiled kidnapping attempt may have forced him to take an undercover agent into his household, but no one said anything about the agent being a woman, or that she’d be beautiful, or that she came with two monster rottweilers. How is he supposed to concentrate on his top-secret project that could revolutionize the world when all he can think about is her smooth, coffee-colored skin and those long, lean legs?
But as danger nips at their heels, love may be a distraction neither of them will live to enjoy…”
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000UODXLO/
Remembered a few more:
– Not one of my favorites, but DYING TO PLEASE by Linda Howard has a bodyguard heroine and I know a lot of people enjoyed it.
– That reminded me of an old Harlequin Intrigue, MURDER MOST STRANGE by Christine Smith, also with a bodyguard heroine accused of murder when her charge is killed. I liked that it was set in Canada, which was nicely different. It’s on the Open Library:
https://openlibrary.org/works/OL8002338W/Murder_Most_Strange
– This may not be what you had in mind if you’re looking for bodyguard heroines protecting the heroine, but I recently enjoyed HIS MAJESTY’S TEMPORARY BRIDE by Annie West. The heroine is a professional bodyguard hire to masquerade as a princess to maintain her double’s engagement to a king.
THE MYSTIC MARRIAGE by Heather Rose Jones! A f/f romance in a second world historical fantasy, this is very good. It’s a slow burn, in a Jane Austen sort of way.
One more: GUARDIAN OF THE NIGHT by Debra Webb. Has a bit of a gothic feel (mysterious hero in the shadows, heroine summoned to remote island to protect him). It’s also on the Open Library, or available digitally.
“Former military intelligence officer Noah Drake exiled himself to a small island off the coast of Georgia after the side effects of an untested drug destroyed his body’s tolerance to light. But because of his sacrifice, he brought down a dangerous traitor. Now, five years later, Noah’s adversary is back to settle the score. The man moved as stealthily as a shadow, but Specialist Maggie “Blue” Callahan had her assignment–to protect Noah at all costs. And no matter how much Noah protested, she would carry it out. Except that was becoming increasingly difficult with the seductive siren call of the night. Would its inexorable rhythm sentence them both to the all-consuming darkness?”
https://openlibrary.org/works/OL5694338W/Guardian_of_the_Night_(The_Specialists)
Pint-Sized Protector by Eve Langlais. Haven’t read it yet but when I’m scrolling through the library ebook offerings I always think the cover is fun. It’s a pretty petite lady and a big ‘ole beefy dude in a “Charlie’s Angels” position. lol
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34994857-pint-sized-protector?from_search=true
Also The Geek Job by the same author has a heroine that is a bodyguard/ fixer/ con-woman.
Oh thought of another one that kind of fits: A BROTHER’S PRICE by Wen Spencer. The world building is interesting- it’s kind has a Old West/ Medieval feel. Matriarchal society.
The Librarians tv show has a couple of books, but the show is where you get to see sparks fly between Eve, the Guardian, and Flynn, the Librarian she protects. He originally insists he doesn’t need a Guardian, but she saves him from getting killed a few times and is generally a badass. I love that show.
Remembered reading Black ties and Lullabies by Jane Graves a few years ago. Enjoyed it. Female bodyguard sleeps with her “protected”, then quits job and later finds herself pregnant.
I have two recommendations. Hillbilly Rockstar by Lorelei James which is Book 6 of her Blacktop Cowboys series, but can be standalone. Heroine agrees to be the bodyguard of a country music star hero. The second book is Defending Hearts by Rebecca Crowley. The heroine is former military and works at a security firm. The hero is a Turkish/Swedish soccer star playing on an American team who is targeted because of his Islamic faith. I really enjoyed this one.
I read this ages ago so I’m sure it’s got piles of things I would consider problematic now, but Susan Andersen Baby Don’t Go fits the bill.
Some Like It Deadly (book #3 in Heather Long’s Going Royal series) has an undercover female bodyguard assigned to protect the prince’s best friend.
Lead by Kylie Scott. He’s a n out of control rock star, she’s his body guard minder.
Merry Shannon’s The Sword of the Guardian! It’s a sci-fi/fantasy f/f romance, and it is delightful.
Undercover Mistress by Amethyst Ames fits the bill but it is full of crazy sauce – a Scottish author keeps getting threats, so the agent wants to hire a bodyguard… but with stereotypical scot stubbornness the author refuses and says what he really needs is a mistress. So the agent hires a female bodyguard who is willing to pose as a mistress (it is complicated but not horrible – she doesn’t believe in love, but it has been a long dry spell and this particular author was her fantasy material, so she figures she can do the job and get some orgasms while at it, no harm no foul). There is loads more crazy stuff, but I liked that once the author cottons on to the whole ruse he actually has lots of respect for the h and her profession.
I will shamelessly point out that in Overload Flux, the first book in my space opera romance series, the heroine is a very lethal bodyguard for the detective hero.
Also, not exactly a bodyguard… but one of my fav romance series is by Suzanne Enoch and is contemporary romance about a female cat burglar and the billionaire she tries to steal from. I mention it because she has to save him on multiple occasions, and throughout the series they kinda become the white hats and she is always the expert when it comes to B&E, casing places, recovering missing items, etc. He also tries to back her up and protect her, but has respect for her skills and expertise. First one is called Flirting with Danger I think? The h saves the H from a bomb in the first chapter and the danger/hijinks just escalate from there 🙂
Slight variant – ML Buchman’s newest his White House Protection Forces’ series, On Your Mark. Heroine is a Secret Service Agent specializing as a driver (she’s a former NASCAR driver). She gets promoted to driving the President’s limo but much of the action involves when she’s driving the First Lady.
Slight variant – ML Buchman’s newest his White House Protection Forces’ series, On Your Mark. Heroine is a Secret Service Agent specializing as a driver (she’s a former NASCAR driver). She gets promoted to driving the President’s limo.
Defending Hearts by Rebecca Crowley! Hero is a professional soccer player dealing with Islamaphobic threats and heroine is his military veteran bodyguard.
Weirdly enough, I really enjoyed reading about the crappy parts of her job. While every other career bodyguard in romance seems to work for (or own) a company with unlimited resources and no ethical or legal oversight it was refreshing to read about a security expert who’s job involves obnoxious supervisors and telemarketing to hit sales quotas on home security packages. She can kick ass too but it’s a much less essential part of her workday.
The only one that comes to mind for me is Viral Justice by Julie Rowe. 3rd in the Biological Response Team series but stands alone. She’s a Sergeant in the army tasked with keeping a medical professional safe as he can’t seem to fight his way out of a paper bag.
Deadly Testimony by Piper J Drake. She’s hired to protect a witness. I’ve really enjoyed the Safeguard series (this is book 2).
Ok, I’ve got this one – one of my top 5 favorite series of all times – all Genres – you MUST read about Charlie Fox – a former British Army turned bodyguard who I love love love, and there are 11 books in the series. Zoe Sharp is the author – fabulous series, please do read.
Dana Volney’s Protecting the Prince. The first in the Wyn Security series featuring bodyguard Wynter Wyn, a former soldier who opened her own security business after getting back from the Middle East. She has to protect Eli Prince, a shipping magnate heir — it’s fun and actiony and flips a lot of the usual gender tropes.
I have added so many to my TBR pile from this rec league! My addition:
TWO GEEKS AND THEIR GIRL by Tymber Dalton. Its M/F/M and I rated it 4/5.
“Amanda “Manny” Croyle hates technology…and it hates her right back. Which is why it annoys her when she’s assigned to an undercover investigation and protective operation for two computer geeks. But it’s not like she has a life. Just a wounded heart and PTSD from her time in the Middle East.”
Crazy Love, one of the books in Tara’s Janzen’s Steel Street series sorta fits the bill – hero assigns heroine to be his guardian because he thinks she’ll be safer than doing other stuff, but she is actually a badass and saves him a bunch of times. I love that whole series (despite the fact that former car thieves now running a secret military organization makes no sense) and several of the books feature women with all the skillz.
A Dangerous Promise by Megan Hart. Many good reviews, but I didn’t care for it. A Duke to Remember by Kelly Bowen is very good.
There are a couple of old Silhouette IM that I liked: One of These Nights by Justine Davis and Aim For the Heart by Ingrid Weaver
So funny since I just read “The Bodyguard” by Ruchi Singh and bemoaned the lack of books with a similar plot point!
I unfortunately don’t have any additional recommendations than the ones that have already been made, but I will note that I enjoyed Singh’s book (despite it being heavier on suspense than romance).
Great “Rec League” topic!
Just seconding Hillbilly Rock Star, my first and favorite by Lorelei James. Though not a fan of cowboys or country music, I really enjoyed this book. Definite keeper.
Charm City by Mason Dixon – ff contemp set in Baltimore
This is an old one but a GOOD ONE, and bonus: the heroine is a shoe designer!
Michelle Jerott, HER BODYGUARD
https://www.amazon.com/Her-Bodyguard-Michelle-Jerott/dp/0380813173
It looks like she stopped writing, which is a shame because she’s very good.
And not truly a bodyguard by profession, but Jude Deveraux’s SWEET LIAR has similar protector-y vibes
No wait, you can get HER BODYGUARD as an ebook under the newer pen name, Michele Albert. Still doesn’t fix that taking-a-break-from-writing issue for me, but.
http://www.inkalicious.com/ex-hb.html
Seconding Piper Drake’s Safeguard series.
Ooh I have one!
I read it FOREVER ago when I was doing my Nora Roberts glom. Her O’Hurley’s series has one called “Skin Deep” that’s about a movie star and her bodyguard. I think she’s being stalked. It was pretty good from what I remember!
This is more of a fantasy-with-strong-romantic-elements instead of a standard romance, but The Last Dancer by Daniel Keys Moran has a female bodyguard and a male Senator… and immortal incomprehensible aliens, new religions, and a bonkers-crazy set of plotlines. (I adored it, but I think it needs to come with a Fair Warning label.)
HelenKay Dimon’s Leave Me Breathless. Ex-FBI agent pulls bodyguard duty for a judge who’s been getting death threats. He, as a former soldier, doesn’t think he needs one – especially since she’s a woman.
Desiree Holt’s new Without Warning in her Vigilance series:
https://smile.amazon.com/Without-Warning-Vigilance-Desiree-Holt-ebook/dp/B0738J85VB/
He’s an author with a stalker, she’s former military turned bodyguard.
Agree on the Some Like It Deadly Book 3 in Heather Long’s Going Royal Series. It was an entertaining, witty, steamy, enjoyable read. Loved strong, intelligent Kate. Loved heart energy of Lawyer Hero Richard and that the story allowed men to show emotion and caring, both with their Significant Other and with their closest male friends. Their romance was balanced and real. My favourite book in the series. 4 Stars from me as well as average rating on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22391713-some-like-it-deadly?ac=1&from_search=true
There’s an old Christina Dodd book, Lady in Black, where the heroine is a butler/bodyguard to a rich old man. The original paperback was cute, but I didn’t like the updated Kindle version–new did not mean improved in this case, imo.
First Star I See Tonight, Susan Elizabeth Phillips