Psycho Romeo
Reviewed for Sinfully.3.5 stars
This was my first book by these authors and it was an entertaining opposites attract romance between intense bodyguard Sven and his outgoing client Geoffrey.
I did like both main characters, especially Geoffrey. A self-made millionaire at a very young age, he has cultivated an online persona that doesn’t fully represent him and has garnered him a group of hangers-on, none of whom he is sure are really friends or people he can count on. This comes even further to light after a video surfaces of the night he was drugged at a club and then sexually assaulted. He had been receiving threatening text messages previously, but since the police aren’t taking him seriously he enlists the help of his friend’s company and hires a bodyguard.
Sven is a big, giant of a man. The perfect bodyguard type, he is tall, quiet and intimidating, but really he’s a big softie, especially when it comes to Geoffrey. Geoffrey is a non-stop flirt and rather than being put off by it, Sven has been fighting his attraction for months. Now that he is Geoffrey’s bodyguard he has another reason to put off the client who never misses an opportunity to touch him. But being near Geoffrey 24/7, it doesn’t take too long for Sven’s good intentions to crumble. The question is then, can he continue to assure Geoffrey’s safety once the two of them are involved?
I had trouble buying Sven’s fear of being with a smaller man. Sven is all control and holding back, but an incident when he was a child has him swearing off ever being with a smaller man as an adult, which is just the type of man he is attracted to. It was a bit of a stretch for me, but he did seem to get over it rather quickly. The not sleeping with a client was the issue that made more sense.
Once they break that final rule and start a personal relationship there were definitely some very hot moments. The two men have great chemistry and I enjoyed Geoffrey’s snark and the fact that Sven is thoroughly entertained by it. I thought Geoffrey’s character was better developed than Sven, and I really got a sense of the person under the outward good–time party boy.
The mystery also worked for me as I had no idea who in the small group of possible suspects the stalker was until the reveal. I have to admit I was expecting a darker story based on the title, cover and blurb, and what Geoffrey goes through is very serious and disturbing. There were plenty of joking and light moments between the two main characters though and the story was definitely more relationship focused much of the time. There was also a good bit of action as Geoffrey’s stalker gets bolder.
When I first picked up the book, I hadn’t any indication it was a spin-off of the authors’ popular Unbreakable Bonds series, which I haven’t read. I think if I had previously read those books, I would have enjoyed this one even more. Every character has appeared in those books and while I had no trouble following the plot, the two men have a history that started in those stories and there are a number of other characters and events referenced from that series that, if I had read it, probably would have meant something to me. Instead there were times where it felt like I was being given a lot of background information about past events and characters who playing a very small part in this story. It really felt like a continuation of a series for me rather than a distinct spin-off.
Based on this reading experience though, I will be giving the previous series a go. The story flowed well and kept me entertained throughout. It will probably work best for fans of the authors’ prior work, but can be read as a standalone, especially if you’re a bodyguard-client romance fan.
