REVIEW: The Protector by Jodi Ellen Malpas

In The Protector by Jodi Ellen Malpas, London model Camille Logan is used to being stalked by the paparazzi, being stopped for pictures or autographs, and appearing in countless magazine ads. But she’s never had a bodyguard–until the day her overbearing business mogul father hires Jake Sharp. Her attraction to the hulking and handsome former SAS sniper is intense and instant. And that throws Cami for a loop. She’s battling her own demons, including a former drug addiction and the need to get out from under her father’s thumb financially. She doesn’t need to help Jake fight his past demons, too. But if it means they can have a future together, Cami finds out she’s willing to do just about anything to make it happen.

‘I can’t help him if he doesn’t want to be helped. I can’t bring him into the light when he’s content residing in darkness. And I can’t let him drag me into that darkness. I can’t fix him if he doesn’t want to be fixed.’

Jake has never had a shadow mission quite like the one he has with Camille. Since the tragic end of his sniper career and the gloomy and anxiety-filled years since then, his bodyguard jobs have been his focus. And he’s damn good at keeping his head fully in his job. But Cami unleashes emotions and thoughts in Jake that he thought were locked down for good. It might prove to be both of their undoing if it means his razor-sharp mind isn’t one step ahead of the extortionist threatening Cami’s life. Jake isn’t exactly sure how he’s going to defeat the bad guy AND win his woman’s heart when all is said and done, but he will accomplish his goal. One way or another.

‘I’ve never felt so absorbed by a woman that she makes me want to sacrifice my soul in her honor.
I’ve never felt this. Never.
Many words are trying to wrestle their way into my twisted mind, but only one is making it through.
Mine.’

A case of insta-love turned into the real deal in The Protector, a new standalone by Jodi Ellen Malpas. Just when you thought her alpha males couldn’t get any hotter or more damaged, along came Jake Sharp, taking badass bad boys to a whole new level.

‘I need redemption. I need to fix too many things and accept myself before I can expect Camille to accept me. All of me, every dark, dirty, sinful piece.’

This was one steamy whirlwind of a romance, written with a perfect balance of explicit love scenes and tender, sincere emotions. It was all about the alpha male vs. the strong heroine and how they both hid secrets about themselves from the world. And after a slow and steady start to the first half of the book, where we watched Jake and Cami’s attraction grow past the point of no return, the second half of the story took off and was pure adrenaline. It never let up, as Jake’s secrets were revealed one by one and the threats against Cami amped up. I loved the way Malpas made everyone seem suspect and that we never truly knew who was behind blackmailing Cami and her dad until the very end.

I’ll admit I didn’t really want to like Jake at first. He seemed cold and rather sexist when it came to women. But I adored the changes he went through after meeting Cami. Jake had a very troubled past and it was difficult for him to get out of that dark space. But Cami gave him a focus and something positive to hang onto, to pull him out of his anxiety and the past. I was really struck by how capable, strong and levelheaded Cami turned out to be. She didn’t take any of Jake’s guff and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. I did think quite a lot of time was spent on describing how gorgeous they both were, not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I was happy when both Cami and Jake’s thoughts turned more toward each other’s strength and true character. That’s when I could feel that connection between them and knew it wasn’t just superficial.

The Protector was a suspenseful journey that paired up two deserving people trying to overcome their troubled pasts. With one of the sweetest HEAs that is guaranteed to make you shed a tear or two, I think romance fans will have a great time watching Jake and Cami’s relationship grow and evolve.

Book Info:

 Published September 6th 2016 | by Forever |

THE NEW NOVEL FROM THE #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE THIS MAN TRILOGY AND ONE NIGHT TRILOGY!

People think they have Camille Logan nailed: daddy’s girl; beautiful, spoiled young woman with her father’s bank balance to fund her lifestyle. But Camille is determined to have a life free from his strings. Out on her own, she’s made mistakes, including one that found her clawing her way back after a stint in rehab and plenty of bad press. Now, after fighting so hard to be independent and happy, she finds her life threatened as a result of her father’s ruthless business dealings. Caught between resentment and fear, Camille prepares herself for the measures her father will take to protect her. But nothing could prepare her for the ex-SAS sniper who crashes into her life.

Jake Sharp resides in his own personal hell. He was distracted from duty once before, and the consequences were devastating–both personally and professionally. He vowed never to let that happen again. Accepting the job of bodyguard to Camille Logan isn’t the kind of distraction from his demons he should take. Women and Jake don’t mix well, yet protecting the heiress seems the lesser of two evils. But Jake soon discovers that she isn’t the woman she’s perceived to be. She’s warm, compassionate, her presence settling, and his duty to protect her soon goes deeper than a well-paid job, no matter how hard he fights it. He needs absolution. He comes to need Camille. But he knows he can’t have both.