ARC Review: The Protector by Jodi Ellen Malpas

11 Sept 2016

Book Title: The Protector
Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas
Series: Standalone
Release Date: September 6th, 2016
Genres: Contemporary Romance
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.






I still remember how much I enjoyed this author's This Man trilogy and considering that I wasn't a fan of her previous series, I still wanted to give this new standalone read a shot. With a blurb that hinted at an alpha protective hero, I was a complete sucker and gave in to my urges to read this one. Sadly, this book didn't hit all the love buttons for me and well...it left me a little underwhelmed. 

Jake Sharp, an ex-military sniper who is now a bodyguard for hire has been assigned to his latest mission, who turns out to be a rich heiress. Camille Logan is a daughter of a millionaire who seemed to have a line of enemies on his own and he will do whatever he takes to protect his daughter...or so we think. 

One of the few things I did enjoy about this book is that Camille did not come off as a typical spoilt rich woman, considering her family background and wealth. She is an independent, feisty woman who runs her own fashion business and definitely does not take shit from anybody, including her own father and her newest bodyguard that comes in one sexy piece of a hunk. 

It took me a long while to get into this book, personally I felt that I couldn't see myself invested in the chemistry between Camille and Jake from the very beginning. The insta-lust was clearly evident but there just wasn't any burning sparks that made me want to root for this couple. It was just a lot of them ogling at each other but both of them were too headstrong to admit anything. Jake was also a brooding hero, so there wasn't a lot of interactions going on between these two until much later on.

The book definitely leaned towards more on the suspense end and I could appreciate that as I found myself wanting to know who was the culprit behind the blackmailing and threats. However, I think it would have made for a better read for me if the romance was given more attention too to balance out both elements in the read. 

Overall, The Protector was a romantic suspense read with an alpha protective hero and a fair amount of steam to complement. If fans of JEM are looking for something different from her usual reads, this could be what you're looking for as she brings out the mystery element with this one.  


Advanced review copy received via Grand Central Publishing via Netgalley 
in exchange for an honest review.


Jodi Ellen Malpas

Jodi Ellen Malpas wrote her debut series, The This Man Trilogy, in secret, worried about what people might think if they knew what her imagination was capable of. She was shocked herself. But she finally found the courage to unleash her creative streak and self-published THIS MAN - the first book of the This Man Trilogy - in October 2012. She took a chance on a story with a hero who soon became one of modern day fictions most prolific alpha male characters. 

Jesse Ward – also affectionately known as The Lord of The Manor, sparked incredible reactions from women across the globe and catapulted Jodi into the world of women’s fiction. With so much love and enthusiasm from her readers, and a thirst for more of her words, Jodi suddenly wasn't afraid of her imagination anymore. She went on to write The One Night Trilogy with the delectable and mysterious Miller Hart, and stole the hearts of her readers once again. She’s now a proud #1 New York Times bestselling author – all six of her published novels having hit the New York Times best sellers list – as well as a Sunday Times bestseller and international best seller. Her work is published in over 20 languages across the world. 

Jodi was born and raised in the Midlands town of Northampton, England, where she lives with her two boys and a beagle. She is a self-professed daydreamer, a Converse & mojito addict, and has a terrible weak spot for Alpha Males.

Writing powerful love stories and creating addictive characters has become her passion – a passion she now shares with her devoted readers

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