REVIEW: Last First Kiss by Sidney Halston

Last First Kiss by Sidney Halston is the second book in the Iron Clad Security series and can be read as a standalone.

ICS employee Annie Clad, younger sister of ICS co-owner Joey Clad, is tired of her job. She’s never allowed out in the field. All her work is done in the office, tracking and hacking, but she longs to go out and physically help in a job. When movie star Rocco Monroe is hired to play a role in a controversial movie and he starts receiving threats, the studio hires ICS to protect him. Only Rocco insists it has to be Annie, so she could act as his girlfriend instead of making it look like he had an actual bodyguard. Annie learns that there’s more to Rocco than his reputation, while Rocco struggles with Annie’s job. Can the movie star and the bodyguard find happiness?

I liked the storyline involving the movie and threats. I found it to be engaging and entertaining. I also liked the twist of having a female bodyguard instead of a male, since we don’t often see that in books. What dragged the book down for me, however, was how everyone treated Annie. Her brother didn’t want her out in the field. Rocco claims he respects Annie and her ability to do her job, but when push comes to shove and Annie needs to actually throw herself into danger to protect him, he has an issue with it. He often finds himself trying to protect her instead. Annie, having been in the Army and survived an ambush attack, is more than capable of taking care of herself, yet the men in her life don’t seem to recognize this. At one point Rocco even calls Joey because he was worried about her when she was just doing her job. It was frustrating how sexist the men came across in this book. I would have enjoyed it much more if the men who were supposed to respect Annie actually did.

Annie, for her part, comes across as a bit whiney at times. And the constant bickering with Joey was a little tiresome. Even though he was her brother, he was still her boss and she should have treated him with the respect she would have if someone other than her brother was her boss. It felt like she thought she could do what she wanted just because she was his sister. At one point, she even threatens to tell their mother on him, which seemed childish considering she is almost thirty years old.

Would I recommend the book based on the storyline? Yes. Would I recommend it based on the characters? No. I definitely liked the characters in the first book a lot more than I did the ones in this story.
 

Book Info:

Publication: August 29, 2017 | Swerve | Iron Clad Security #2

He’s an A-list Hollywood heartthrob.
She’s trying to prove herself in a man’s world.

For this female bodyguard, protecting her client is simply business, but what happens when sparks fly and the danger heats up?