The Bodyguard Next Door

This was a danger filled, high drama, sizzling masterpiece! This checked so many of my favorite boxes! <br><br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1651947419i/32910545.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br><br>Iris and Pierce together were pure perfection. I adored the friend-zone that Pierce had to deal with. His disgruntlement with the situation was so freaking cute, I couldn’t help but giggle each time it came up. But holy heck, when things start to head in a not friendly manner, he didn’t hesitate to act on it. <br><br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1651947477i/32910546._SY540_.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br><br>Iris played a large part in the cute factor of this story. She had a rough history and a scary time of having to deal with it popping up unexpectedly. But there were moments when she released the part of herself that was a spitting, fighting cat and I loved watching her try to bring someone twice her size down and the consequent actions Pierce took to control the situation. As I’ve said, it was just all so freaking cute.<br><br><br><img alt="May be a black-and-white image of 1 person and people kissing" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1651947477i/32910547.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br><br>This storyline was quite unique, centering around a topic that I’ve only read about once or twice before. I loved it all the more because it’s a rare find. Iris and Pierce’s story was masterfully crafted with characters that had me laughing, questioning, and cursing all along the way. With an epilogue that left me smiling and sated, I nevertheless wondered how long until the next amazing Wilde boy would be out. <br><br>Multi POV<br>Safe <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="61030422-77ed-4643-87b3-651827426010" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="61030422-77ed-4643-87b3-651827426010">no ow/om drama; h not a virgin; H not a manwhore </label><br>Triggers <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="82a19164-af6a-4e47-a469-bbabf81586ff" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="82a19164-af6a-4e47-a469-bbabf81586ff">h was manipulated as a child/young girl by her parent </label><br>Steam <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="e04547a7-7c67-46f2-bc4e-46607da85926" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="e04547a7-7c67-46f2-bc4e-46607da85926">Steamy and explicit but does not consume or control the story; condoms used </label><br></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]>

4.5?.

3.5 stars rounded up<br /><br />I just really like Cynthia Eden's suspense romances. In this story, Iris (h) is a former art forger who's been hiding from her past. Her new next door neighbor, Pierce (H), is a bodyguard for Wilde and there's insta attraction. Of course, Iris's past comes calling and Pierce is there to protect her. The whole book is very fast paced, including their relationship, but I enjoyed it. I suspended some disbelief and had a good time. Written in third person, multi-POV (including bad guys). No ow/om drama and neither were virgins (h had been celibate for 2 years and no history given for H but he makes a comment that seemed like it'd been a while for him too). <br /><br />I liked both Iris and Pierce esp when the book first begins and Iris is trying to keep him in the friend zone and he's chafing hard about it. It was hilarious. I loved how protective he was of her immediately and how she tried to protect him in her own way too, even if she needed to stop earlier and accept that he was staying. There are steamy scenes even with all the danger happening and both say I love you before the end of the book.<br /><br />I do wish that Pierce had been more fleshed out as a character. He was a former Ranger and then became a bodyguard, but there's no info given on his upbringing or his family that I can recall. There was plenty of this type of info for Iris though so the characters weren't balanced. I liked the premise of art thief masterminds, even if Iris's backstory was really sad and she didn't know who to trust for most of the book. It also wasn't clear who was connected to the primary villain until the end so there was a lot of questioning who was safe and who was not. <br /><br />The story ends in a HFN and I wish there was an extended epilogue or an extra chapter with these two showing them together without all the hiding and then danger. Iris was completely free for the first time in years, I wanted to see what she'd do. Also how another relationship would develop. Still, an entertaining read esp when I didn't feel good and I didn't want anything super deep, this hit the spot.

Another Wilde! I really love this series. Lots of action and suspense. Twists and turns that I did not see coming.Pierce is ,unkowingly, thrust into Iris’s path. Pierce is super OTT and hot! Great chemistry and banter with these two. HEA

Cynthia Eden brings her A Game in this new 5 Star adventure!!<br /><br />Pierce Jennings moves into a new building and his neighbor has immediately put him in the friend zone even though there are sparks flying. But that will not do at all for him.<br /><br />Iris Stuart has so many secrets she’s afraid to get close to anyone. She in Witness Protective Custody. But then she meets The smoking hot guy next door.<br /><br />“That doesn’t mean I am not well acquainted with bad. And, baby, I can be so very bad.”<br /><br /><br />Pierce goes all alpha male protective when Iris is attacked.<br /><br />“Well, Captain Way Too Obvious, have you thought that doing a stake-out right across the street isn’t the best plan?<br /><br />I love the premise of this story because it was so different and I fall in love all over again with every new story.<br /><br />Of course now I have to know more about Remy and Constantine.

<b>1.75stars</b><br /><br />This put me in a reading slump.<br />The plot was<br />-Friendzoned friend or H complains. <br />-h needs help.<br />-H saves her.<br />-h puts her life at risk/ needs help<br />-H saves her life<br />-h and H kiss and make up<br />-h life is threatened/ needs help<br />-she starts saying she is going to cut him off<br />-H says no. They kiss and makeup<br />-her life is threatened again<br />-h says they need to split<br />-H says no. They kiss and makeup<br /><br />That got old real quick, didn't it? This book would have been a great intro into the world of art thieves and forgers. Imagine if we got scenes of her actually selling. Great concept, shitty execution.<br />

As with all my reviews, I'm not going to recount the synopsis or give away any of the plot (though I may make comments about a couple of things). This will be an overall review of the work, and comments.<br /><br />As like most of Cynthia Eden's (CE's) novels, there are no cookie cutter characters. Pierce, the Hero (H), and Iris, the heroine (h) have very individual traits that make them unique and interesting. Talking about Iris first, she is an odd mix of seemingly naivety and world smarts. She's reserved and self isolates herself, until she decides not to with Pierce. But even though she feels an initial attraction &amp; trust with him where he also makes her feel safe, she fights with herself knowing she needs his protection yet not wanting to embroil him in her dangerous life. Her past has shown her that she gets left behind and can't trust those around her, yet she risks everything when she connects up with Pierce. Now Pierce is a burly, blunt and sometimes scary guy who says only what needs to be said. Pierce is different than any other character of CE's that I can recall because he has internal dialog that most would have just said out loud. Not sure how I feel about that, but that's how his attributes were developed and it sticks with him throughout the entire story.<br /><br />Like most if not all of CE's books, there is no doubt to the reader about the feelings the H/h have for each other. The conversation flows naturally, though not as natural to me as other books due to Pierce's internal dialog. The sexual tension ratchets up through the book until they finally do the deed and boy was that HOT HOT HOT. And unlike other authors books, CE doesn't throw hot sex scenes in when the H/h are in a perilous situation. The H actually thinks of the h safety instead of his satisfaction (since it could distract his senses from determining approaching danger).<br /><br />Side characters in this one were very interesting. Hope to see a couple of them in future stories. We know Colt (Pierce's partner) has his coming up next. I won't say who but there are two that seem interesting enough and tough enough to get their own stories (Fingers crossed).<br /><br />The plot of the book kept you on the edge of your seat. There were a lot of twists and turns. Only one of them (a statement made by h bro) didn't make any sense to me after getting to the end of the book. Although there was a big ahah moment as far as the suspense was concerned, looking back over what was written, it wasn't an outrageous jump in plot and actually made sense.<br /><br />Overall this book was on par with CE's other Wilde series. Loved it and recommend it highly

<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1652717789i/32946257._SX540_.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br>As usual, I'm so happy to read a book by Cynthia Eden. I swear she writes just for me. She knows just the characters I want to read and writes that story. <br><br>I'm always happy to sit back and read her stories and The Bodyguard Next Door was no exception. Oh boy is Pierce an alpha hero. He comes off as hard and kinda pushy until you understand that he's so worried about Iris getting hurt. He's the type to want to control everything around him and when he can't it drives him crazy. <br><br>Poor Iris has had a very sad life. She was used by her father and abandoned by her brother. You can see right away that she wants someone to love and love her badly. You can't really blame her. Of course, for her, it's hard to know who to trust and she has to work that out for herself. Which isn't easy when she has people coming at her from all sides telling her who she should trust. <br><br>There is a ton of action in The Bodyguard Next Door and you'll love the new characters that are introduced. You spend most of the book wondering who's good and who isn't. I love that about Eden's books. She likes to keep you guessing. <br><br>I'm happy to say that this ended wonderfully. You are happy for both Pierce and Iris and some new characters you want to know about. I can honestly say that I want more from this series. The Bodyguard Next Door can be read as a standalone. It totally doesn't really touch on the other books in the series but why would you read it alone. Get them all and have the best few days reading them.<br><a href="http://www.romancingthereaders.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">Blog</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RomancingTheReaders" rel="nofollow noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Romancingreader" rel="nofollow noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/romancingthereaders/" rel="nofollow noopener">Instagram</a><br><br>ARC received for an honest review

<b>French &amp; English reviews</b><br /><br /><b>L'un de mes favoris de la série !</b><br /><br /><b>Ce que j'ai particulièrement apprécié :</b><br /><br />- toute l'<b>intrigue</b> autour des faussaires, du mystérieux commanditaire, du FBI ... J'ai adoré et j'avoue je n'avais pas deviné l'identité du coupable !<br /><br />- la <b>romance</b> ! Le premier aperçu m'a beaucoup fait rire bien sûr ("l'enfer" xD) mais les voir tomber amoureux, voir Pierce en mode hyper protecteur et Iris toute mignonne mais sexy ... Mention spéciale pour les "fossettes comme le soleil" &lt;3<br /><br />- les <b>personnages très attachants</b> =) J'ai adoré Iris qui avait ce petit côté girl-next-door artistique =D<br />Mention spéciale pour Constantine qui m'a bien fait rire =)<br /><br />- mention spéciale pour le "portrait" de Pierce xD J'ai tellement ri !<br /><br />Bref, une <b>romance qui m'a ravie du début à la fin</b> !<br /><br />PS : hyper curieuse d'en apprendre plus sur Remy le grand frère =D<br /><br /><br /><b>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</b><br /><br /><br /><b>One of my favorites from the series !</b><br /><br /><b>What I particularly liked :</b><br /><br />- the whole <b>plot</b> around the counterfeiters, the mysterious patron, the FBI ... I loved it and I have to admit I hadn't guessed the identity of the culprit !<br /><br />- the <b>romance</b> ! The first glimpse made me laugh a lot of course ("hell" xD) but seeing them fall in love, seeing Pierce in hyper protective mode and Iris all cute and sexy ... Special mention for the "dimples like the sun" &lt;3<br /><br />- the <b>very endearing characters</b> =) I loved Iris who had this artistic girl-next-door side =D<br />Special mention for Constantine who made me laugh =)<br /><br />- special mention for the "portrait" of Pierce xD I laughed so much !<br /><br />In short, a <b>romance that delighted me from start to finish</b> !<br /><br />PS: super curious to learn more about Remy the big brother =D

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of "THE BODYGUARD NEXT DOOR" OMG!!! What an on the edge of your seat story that books you right from the start full of emotional turmoil, intrigue, suspense, mystery, angst, humor, passion, danger, violence, murder, twists that you didn't see coming such an addicting mind-blowing must have book.<br />Iris Stuart is on Witness Protection Program because of her dark past she's excited about her new neighbor moving next door he's gorgeous, sexy, bossy alpha male she's crushing on but she makes a point of not getting close up anyone.<br />Pierce Jennings former Army Ranger is now a Wilde Security Agent with the help of his BF Colt Easton helping him move in he's attracted to his gorgeous, sweet, adoreable neighbor who put him in the friend zone h*ll no he won't be having that.<br />Iris finds herself in a dangerous situation needing Pierce as her bodyguard 24/7 she has people after her for her Art Skills he'll do everything in his power to protect her at all costs.<br />Fed Agents Bryce Robertson &amp; Travis Clarke need Iris to do a job to catch &amp; take down the man behind the forged art thefts she not in that business anymore she doesn't truly trust the Feds nor does Pierce plus they want her brother Remy.<br />I definitely recommend to get this mind-blowing, riviting, engaging, on the edge of your seat story so much happens, many surprises, twists, the journey Pierce &amp; Iris take you on well this is one book you don't want miss getting I loved it so well worth the read.<br />I'm so looking forward to the next book in this amazing series written by Cynthia Eden she doesn't disappoint "EX MARKS THE PERFECT SPOT" this is "Colt Easton &amp; Chelsea Ember's" story I SO can't wait to read this book.