Review: Her Reluctant Bodyguard by Jennette Green

Her Reluctant Bodyguard
by Jennette Green

Genre: Contemporary Inspirational Romance
Publisher: Diamond Press
Cost: $3.99 for Kindle

What I Liked:
When I received a copy of "Her Reluctant Bodyguard" to review, I was skeptical. In my experience, contemporary Christian romance can be overly saccharine, with an extreme evangelical bent that often supersedes any real artistry in the romantic relationship. But after reading only the first few pages of the book, I knew this book was going to be different.

I know it's tempting, when you see books with rave reviews, to assume that it's the author's friend trying to drum up support. In fact, I've accused other authors of the same thing when the book didn't live up to the hype in reviews and on Amazon. But let me tell you. Seriously. This book is the real thing. In fact, when I finished the book, I immediately thought, this book could easily have been released as a major single title with a big NY house. The quality of writing is stellar, the character development is reasonable and engaging, the story is touching, and the resolution is satisfying.

And to say a word about the Christian element, I have to give Jennette Green the highest praise. I've been hoping to find a Christian novel to read that doesn't shy away from the reality of life. When you're a woman/man in your late twenties who is still unmarried, chances are, you're going to struggle a little bit more with your past and past relationships than when you're a fresh young thing in college, meeting the wo/man of your dreams. It's a different experience, both from a spiritual perspective, and a physical/emotional one. She treated this story beautifully, along with being realistic about the physical and emotional attraction between two people and how that manifests.

After I read the book the first time and raved about it to everyone in a viable wireless radius, I gave it some time to sink in to my psyche, and then I read it again, just to make sure that the first time wasn't a fluke. It wasn't. The writing and the story and the reality were really as good as I thought they were. This is a book that will go on my favorites shelf. I plan to buy copies of it to give out to my friends. In fact, after receiving a copy to review, I've already bought the paperback for myself, so I can literally keep it on my shelf of favorite books.

Really, as a book reviewer, I rarely say "you have to buy this book". But I'm going to say it. If you've come here, you're obviously looking for a romance that will speak to your heart, through real characters who have real struggles. If you've also come here looking for some project that could treat the Christian religion and sexual attraction with equal dignity and reality (or for a good "edgy Christian romance"), you've found it in this book. I don't get any kind of profit from saying this. All I get is the satisfaction of knowing that I get to promote an author who really deserves it. I sincerely hope that you enjoy it as much as I did. If you do read it, please let the author know that you found it here. And please let us know that you enjoyed it. I look forward to hearing from you!

Book Blurb:
Alexa's dream job becomes a threat to her life...

Successful biographer Alexa Kaplan never expected to meet her favorite pop star on the Today Show set. When Colin asks her to write his biography and tour with him in Europe , she's thrilled. It all seems like a fairy tale come true—until she begins to receive death threats.

To her dismay, Colin puts her under the 24/7 protection of his chief bodyguard, Jamison Constanzo—a man with whom she’s clashed from day one. If only she could spend more time with her perfect man, Colin, rather than spending all of her days with this black-hearted thorn in her side! Alexa struggles to control her flip attitude toward Jamison. Why does opening up her heart to him feel almost as dangerous as dealing with the stalker’s threats? But when the killer strikes, Jamison is the only one she can turn to…

An excerpt is available at the author's website, and the first chapter is available to read here.

Reviewed by Rebecca Lynn.