Lindsey is officially the only author I know who can write a “low-angst” book that still leaves me absolutely aching for the characters. Liam and Dante shouldn’t work together, which of course means that they absolutely do. I adored the way this story switches up the traditional bodyguard trope formula by having the characters hook up before being forced together in a slightly less sexy pairing. I think they still would have ended up together, but the path would have been much different and less dramatic than presented. The push and pull between them was so much fun, and I didn’t even mind Liam’s spurts of immaturity. They fit his character so well, and it was an integral part of the dynamic that develops between them.
Even with relationships that contain an element of power exchange, I don’t find it particularly healthy when characters use each other to “fix” a problem in their lives. Liam and Dante are both walking wounded due to the way they were raised and events in their past, respectively. This pain is not erased with the development of a new romance, but I can see how the support they can lend each other will help them become better men (for themselves and for each other).
Lindsey shows their writing experience in multiple ways throughout this story, especially in how they subvert numerous tropes (beyond the bodyguard/client story line) that elevate this from a standard forced proximity romance with a dash of kink into something entirely unique. I should really know better by now than to put off reading anything by them, because I get sucked in and love the writing and story every time.
Rating: 5 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.