The Protector by Jodi Ellen Malpas BOOK & MOVIE

The Protector by Jodi Ellen Malpas

SUMMARY

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.

MY REVIEW

Jake Sharp IS NOT Jesse Ward or Miller Hart. Thank f@ck for that!

Both Jesse and Miller are perfect Alpha males and each one of them has his own awesomeness. I adore them both. I have reread their books I don’t know how many times and they hold a special place in my heart. But this time I wanted something different by JEM. I wanted an equally strong character with his own voice and actions and not a “copy and paste” of Jesse. I am so glad the write has produced a male character with a distinct identity and not really comparable to the characters that become famous by her previous books.

Let’s talk about the book specifically and let’s start by having a look at the book cover. Brilliant! It is not a half naked man on the cover with a six pack like most of the romance books these days, or a recycled photograph you have seen in several books before. The photo is the product of an actual photo shooting which was advertised and become available to the fans a few months ago. I truly believe that it has been a major selling point of the book (besides the writer’s name). The cover increased readers’ expectations and it delivered the promise that the book will be good (Ok, I also have to admit that Sotiris Palladas as the male model is super deliciously yummy and cute).

Now let’s talk about the actual story of the book. There is this beautiful model, Camille, daddy’s little girl (although she is really a 25 years old grown woman) who is in danger according to her famous filthy rich daddy. Jake is the bodyguard who comes into the picture in order to be her shadow and protect her from a possible danger.
The events take place in a few days time. There is this fast lust, fast love factor, which all the romance junkies seem to seek in the novels they read.

So, a lot of things are happening in a few days: There are
-passion moments (the picnic in their enchanted place) ,
-embarrassing funny situations (the perfume photo shooting when Camille has to be almost naked and take erotic poses with her also almost naked male partner, while Jake is growling in the corner),
-pathetic attempts to professionalism (Jake is trying to hold back even after they make love for first time),
-full of myself beliefs which made me roll my eyes (Jake was thinking things like “her eyes are staring dreamily at me”, “all women smile hopefully when they see me pelting towards them”, “I am aware of the looks being pointed in my direction” etc.)
-mystery conditions (who is sending the threatening letters, what is the deal with Camille’s old boyfriend, what is exactly the troubled Jake’s past) and
-chase and run action scenes (Jake running desperately up and down the streets. Where did she go? Where? Where? I am gonna kill them all with the most painful death!).

I believe JEM’s writing style is excellent. The story is engaging. The writer succeeded in producing two strong leading characters, one character is the exact opposite of the other. Jake is dark and tortured while Camille is the light to his darkness. But be warned! This is not a dark romance and it shouldn’t be treated as such.
Concluding my thoughts, I have just discovered a new favorite book and a new favorite Alpha male!

NEWS:
The Protector Movie is coming TODAY at PassionFlix!