A mostly closeted pop star falls in love with his bodyguard.

Harley Valentine has it all. A soaring solo pop career, money, fame and exactly nobody to share it with. The price of music has been his gay identity, friendships and his last boyfriend and when a stalker breaks into his house - his sole safe space is gone. Hiring a bodyguard is the only option - but meeting Brix has him wanting all the things he can't have.

Brix is mostly out and proud, has a job he loves and a ridiculous amount of debt from medical bills. The offer of a bodyguard job isn't exactly desirable but the amount of money on offer will wipe off his debt, so he doesn't really have a choice. But Harley Valentine makes him want more than the sparse life he's been living.

Like most Eden Finley books, this is full of spice, fluff and humour with a touch of depth and a HEA. Was there anything particularly unique? Not really, but if you've liked Finley's other books then you're probably going to like this one.

I've read the first two Mike Bravo Ops which introduced Iris and heard mentions of Brix and Harley but I haven't read Hat Trick so these two were relatively new characters to me.

I liked both of them for the most part. I felt sorry for Harley - yes he's a pop star and has fame and fortune but he also was a kid when he got famous and he never really had the chance to find out who he was. It must be rough for child stars to grow up in the public eye. Especially when their management controls the narrative.

So I felt sorry for Harley. But also he was a grown man who seemed to be trapped in his pity party. So he annoyed me at times too. I just wanted him to be like this is what I want, this is what's happening but he seemed to buckle under everyone else way too much of the time and it was irritating. I liked that he realises he has friends and people who care about him though.

Brix on the other hand, annoyed me for other reasons. Like you have a whole team of people who have tried to get to know you and he never bothers to confide in them. His secrecy about his dad being in a nursing home or hospital or whatever it was because he had a stroke was just ridiculous. It dragged out way too long and it was pointless anyway because the whole Mike Bravo Ops team already knew. Plus Brix was a bit too much of a walking self help book and it was a bit rich considering he doesn't exactly have his own life together.

The relationship between Brix and Harley was alright though. I liked that they talked and that they brought out the best in one another. The demands Harley and Iris come up with for Brix - like clearing a room and yelling out 'all clear' and taste testing all food - were hilarious. The chemistry between them was good, there was lots of fluff and spice and they were just really sweet together.So Harley and Brix were alright, but Iris always steals the show. And the rest of the Mike Bravo Ops team makes an appearance which was cool.

So it's not a perfect read but it was easy reading, light hearted and funny. I'll definitely pick up the rest of the series at some point. 4 stars. ( )

I wanted to listen to something light and relatively brainless as I spent a hefty six hours of my Saturday reorganizing my bookshelf, and this one hit the nail on the head. Now, the romance wasn't anything special, and I honestly didn't really feel the chemistry either, but this was unexpectedly funny at times, and both the main characters seemed like genuinely nice people, despite having incredibly unrelatable jobs and lives. A generous four stars for a book that helped me pass the time, and made me chuckle while doing so. ( )

Cute cute cute ( )

4.5 ( )