Series: Bachelor Bodyguards (Book 5)
Payne Protection's latest hire has a secret agenda…but his heart keeps getting in the way!
Digital security specialist Nikki Payne is eager to prove herself. So when former Marine Lars Ecklund asks for her help in tracking down his sister, Nikki happily volunteers her services. But she doesn't anticipate falling for her role as nanny and bodyguard to a baby they're protecting…or uncovering a raging hunger for guarded Lars.
To find out what happened to his sibling, Lars must get into a fortified mansion at any cost and track down an elusive lawyer. But his fierce desire for Nikki is complicating everything. Putting the stunning spitfire in danger doesn't sit easily with him, yet he has no choice if he's to reclaim his sister -- or create a future with this new family.
I've really enjoyed this series and I have been waiting for Nikki to get her chance. As the youngest and only girl, she has been suffering from an overdose of brothers. Ever since her family started their security company, she has wanted nothing more than to take her place as one of the bodyguards. Unfortunately, all of her brothers are extremely protective and won't give her the opportunity. Her chance comes when the newest branch of the business is hired to provide bodyguard service for an infant.
Nikki isn't the least bit motherly, but she's desperate to make her mark, so she agrees to the nanny bodyguard position. Also assigned to the detail is one of the newest hires, Lars Eckland. He's one of her brother Cooper's Marine buddies, and just as macho and overbearing as her brothers. But she also senses that there is something else going on with him.
Lars had come to River City looking for his younger sister, who had gotten pregnant while he was deployed. He had sent her to Cooper for help, but she never showed up. He got one letter from her saying she was visiting an adoption lawyer, and that was it. Lars is desperate to find Emilia and uses his connection with Cooper as an entry to the lawyer's estate.
I've liked Nikki since the beginning of the series. She's small but fierce and determined to live life on her own terms. It has been enjoyable to see her stand up to her brothers and try to show them what she can do. However, she tends to overreact to their actions, which only makes them dig in their heels. She also avoids relationships because she doesn't believe that most men can be faithful.
I liked Lars also. He's a good and honorable man, but his fears about his sister have pushed him to the breaking point. I ached for him and his grief over her disappearance and his guilty feelings about failing to take care of her.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Nikki and Lars. They struck sparks from each other from the beginning. Nikki first sees him as just another chauvinistic lunkhead, but can't deny that she's attracted to him. Lars initially sees Nikki has the weak link in the chain of protection, which suits him fine, but quickly discovers his mistake. As they work together to protect the baby and find Lars' sister, the attraction between them grows. Both of them fight it. Nikki because she is afraid to allow herself to love, and Lars because Nikki is his friend Cooper's sister and that's going against the "bro-code." The battle is a losing one, and I enjoyed seeing them grow closer. I liked Nikki's support of Lars in his search for his sister, and how hard she worked to keep him from giving up hope. Lars has to reconcile his protectiveness toward Nikki, which gets him in trouble with her, and his growing respect for her abilities. He soon knows that he wants her in his life permanently, but has to find a way to convince her. I liked the ending and seeing them open their hearts to each other.
The suspense and action in the story were very good. We know Lars' problem from the start, and his reluctance to involve his friends. The issue becomes more complicated when the lawyer in question becomes Cooper's first client as he opens the new office. I liked that Cooper had reservations about the job, as it showed that his instincts were good. Lars' shock when he sees the baby is intense and increases his need to find the truth. I wanted to shake him for keeping everything to himself and was glad when it all came out. The intensity built as the team raced to find the truth, and the reader sees the desperate condition that Emilia is in. They also have to find a way to prevent the illegal adoption set up by the lawyer. The final confrontations were nail-biters and kept me glued to the page until they were over.
Family was a big part of this book; not just family by blood, but also that of shared experiences. The relationships of Cooper and his team were as deep as those he had with his brothers and sometimes deeper. Lars' wish to protect them from his actions was real and understandable, as was their determination to help him once they knew the problem. Lars' had a bone-deep feeling of responsibility toward Emilia because of their past. I ached for his grief when he thought she was dead, and his feelings of guilt because he thought he had failed her. I loved the quick connection he had with the baby. The most complicated was the relationship that Nikki had with her family. Her feelings of betrayal because of her father's actions affected her relationship with her mother and her half-brother. Then there was her frustration with her brothers and their overprotectiveness. While she had a point, there were also times that I thought that she was purposely pushing their buttons. It was interesting watching them try to deal with their need to protect and Nikki's need to be accepted for her abilities.
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