REVIEW: Packin’ Heat by Ashley Bostock

In Packin’ Heat (Girls with Guns #4) by Ashley Bostock, Brandi Parker can’t believe her employer has gone and hired a bodyguard. But with the threats her boss has been receiving, the services of bodyguard, Blaze Bryant, are needed. Unfortunately, he’s not only going to be protecting her and the children, he’s going to be living with them. Too bad Brandi isn’t too fond of Blaze or vice versa. Or is Brandi’s frosty attitude towards Blaze a way to protect herself from falling for him?

”How often have you fired the handgun you claim to own?”
“Often enough. I’m not a professional by any means but I’m not afraid of it, either.”
“So once a month, once a week?”
She rolled her eyes. “Enough to know how to use it in case an intruder comes into my house.”
“Our house now.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Look, I have to do my job, aside from what your opinion is, so get used to it.”

Blaze Bryant has a very important job to do. Working for ATF, he’s tasked to find evidence on his new employer’s shady dealings while acting as a bodyguard for the man’s children and their nanny. However, learning that Brandi is part of his protection detail is a quandary he didn’t expect but needs to deal with quickly if he’s to keep her safe. The question is — can he do his job without Brandi becoming too much of a distraction?

Having not read any of the previous books of this series, I found this could be read as a stand-alone. However, in saying that, I believe reading the other books would have helped, if only to know more of the history between these two beforehand. As they have quite an interesting past and the first time they met wasn’t the best. In fact, at the start of this book, it seems as if they have a like-hate sort of relationship.

The dialogue was intense due to the main characters back stories, the assignment Blaze has been given, the secret the hero is keeping from the heroine, Blaze’s need to discover the person responsible for the threats and the reason behind why they’re making them, as well as what happens to Brandi. However, there were also some light-hearted moments that made me smile. Brandi is feisty and I liked how she stood up for herself whenever it seemed the hero annoyed her and she couldn’t stand for it.

”That. It’s not a clip. It’s a magazine.”
“Well, me and my girls call them clips.”
“Well, you four girls are wrong. They’re called magazines. Everyone knows that.”
“Clips, magazines. Tissues, Kleenex. Everyone still knows what I’m saying.”
He held his arms up. “Don’t shoot the messenger! I’m simply correcting you so you’re accurate. Not to be a jerk.”

I really liked both the main characters as well as the secondary ones (well, most of them anyway), yet I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t as much suspense to this story as I thought there would be. Blaze is on a mission, and because of a tragedy in his past, he’s determined to succeed. However, his attraction to Brandi is a distraction; a reminder that he can’t fail to protect those he’s guarding. He’s already lost someone he really cared about, and he’s not about to let it happen a second time.

While Brandi, she’s strong, brave and it’s hard for her to trust Blaze when she knows he’s hiding something from her. Yet, there’s no denying that she does trust him to some extent. As for her job as a nanny, she’s really good at it and I liked the way she worried about the children. Even though she had every reason to quit, since the children’s father hit on her a few times in the two years since she started working for the family.

Overall, this was a good book that provided a strong romance that was going to happen, no matter how hesitant Blaze was to get involved with another woman for fear of losing her. The way this story ended was wonderful, and I liked Blaze’s dialogue when he was talking to the pregnant Marilyn. The use of the acronym BOW and what it stood for made me laugh. Moreover, the epilogue cemented this couple’s relationship with the heroine’s surprise for the hero. I would recommend Packin’ Heat by Ashley Bostock, if you enjoy the friends to lovers trope, the enemies to lovers trope or strong heroines that can take care of themselves.

Book Info:

Publication: June 1st, 2016 | Self-Published | Girls with Guns #4

Hot as Hell and twice as bad…
At least that’s the first impression nanny Brandi Parker gets about the new bodyguard hired by the family to ‘oversee’ her and the children’s protection. She loves her job but living day and night —God, especially the nights — in close quarters with a sex on a stick know-it-all is wearing thin on her nerves. She can handle four little kids with running noses, screaming tantrums and broken toys, but she did not sign up for constant sexual arousal from some arrogant, tattooed hard-ass.

Some like ‘em hot. Red hot…
But not Blaze Bryant. Particularly the flaming hot red-head testing his patience. He’d given up women a long time ago after one mistake proved he wasn’t worthy of anyone’s love. Or trust. So the last thing he needs is this aching attraction to Brandi. No, he knows this is just another job and as soon as he finishes, he’s gone. He’ll never see her again. So why does that thought gnaw at his gut?

Lust filled days and heated nights…
As the nights drag on, Brandi and Blaze can’t fight the passion sparking between them. But when doubts arise and secrets surface is passion enough to hold them together? Or will they be forever separated by a scheme even bigger than Blaze realized, a mistake that might cost Brandi her life.