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Heroes for Hire #6
Undercover Bodyguard
Bakery owner Shelby Simons can't deny a stalker is after her. Still, knowing she's at risk is one thing. Admitting she needs a bodyguard is quite another. Especially when the bodyguard is Ryder Malone. The former SEAL is too big, too tough and way too attractive. Yet Ryder won't take no for an answer. If she can't find a place for him in her life, he'll make one, working undercover to protect Shelby and find her attacker. But as Ryder and Shelby get closer to answers—and each other—the killer starts closing in….
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
71 people are currently reading
318 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
October 13, 2015
2.5 stars
Was boring. No explanation for murders was given. Heroine kept on pushing the hero away and then suddenly she is saying I love u to him.
Was boring. No explanation for murders was given. Heroine kept on pushing the hero away and then suddenly she is saying I love u to him.
October 12, 2019
Yet another wonderful suspense novel from the pen of Shirlee McCoy. She is incredibly talented at this genre and I am on a mission to read all her books. She has over 50, so I am in for a treat, as I only discovered her this year! She creates such wonderful characters, swoon worthy heroes and includes a powerful spiritual dynamic. I am a forever fan.
February 17, 2013
I loved the story line, and all the charactors in this book. Shelby is very independent, working hard at her bakery. She does not want to depend on Ryder to protect her. She does not want to fall for him. She had some bad relationships before, and is content to stay single. As the threats against her heats up, so is the growing emotion she feels for Ryder. She tries to run from her own feelings, but we all know we can’t do that… I really enjoyed this book. The old lady is this book made me laugh so many times. The only annoying thing about this book is the author repeated herself throughout the book. I guess it was to put power behind the words, I just found it irritating. Other than that I really did enjoy this book!
July 5, 2012
Love anything by Shirlee McCoy. She keeps the story interesting from word one. And most of the stuff I've read is series stuff so even when the story ends it's not really over, you get to revisit the characters again in the next book or two or three.
I liked the way this story flowed, how the relationship came to be so naturally over time. Three Forever.
I liked the way this story flowed, how the relationship came to be so naturally over time. Three Forever.
August 25, 2019
2.5 stars. Too much repetition/harboring over Shelby’s feelings, got old real quick. Started to skim forward to not have to reread it all over again. Needed more telling into the story, Not enough written into the plot. No final explanation given with the guilty/innocent people. Take note it was a romance not a mystery novel.
March 11, 2019
Actual rating is 2.5 stars
Shelby Simon's runs her own business, a bakery that is popular with most town's people. It's not uncommon to see her walking to make a delivery when her 1958 Cadillac decides it doesn't want to start. But she wouldn't give away old Blue (the car is pink) and plans to run it into the ground because it was her grandmother's who she loved very much. So that's exactly what she was doing when she runs into a strangely dressed male jogger who gives her the creeps. Other then keeping an eye on him to make sure he's not going to kidnap her till he disappears, her walk to her delivery goes off without a hitch (minus being 5 minutes late). All of that explodes in her face (see what I did there?) when she rings the doorbell of her friend's place and the house explodes all around her.
Ryder Malone is a security specialist about to open his 4th headquarters for his security company. Former military, he retired after an explosion killed 4 of his fellow soldiers and left him with a bad leg. When the house Shelby Malone was delivering to explodes (he was sent by old lady Dottie to help Shelby) he leaps into action in order to pull Shelby away from the fire raining down. This, mixed with the fact that Dottie hires him to watch out for Shelby (two donuts and a coffee per day), and the fact that he's actually worried about Shelby (and maybe attracted to her) has him following her about acting as her personal bodyguard.
Shelby doesn't need Ryder, both as a protector or as a potential suitor. 2 relationship failures and she's out. A little more caution and she'll be fine, right? Only someone tries to rob her bakery and shoots her in the back as she tries to flee. Someone set her house on fire...Ryder may be overbearing but maybe what she needs is her own Hercules protecting her...
Okay, this book was interesting. I waffle between liking it and not liking it. Ryder is pushy and overbearing in my opinion. I don't really like that. Nor do I like how Shelby mostly just takes it or agrees. But that's just me. I did love the action though. It's not often that a suspense romance has the main character nearly offed 4 times. That is just good story writing, in my opinion.
What made this a 2.5 star read for me though was the fact that Ryder and Shelby maybe were together (being generous here) for 2 weeks tops. Shelby is then in hospital with a serious infection for a month. At the end of the book she's out and still recovering, so being generous again, I figure she's maybe been out for 1-2 weeks. Ryder proposes at the end of the book. So, you've known each other for 2 months. One of those months was basic hospital visitation. And you're proposing???
Maybe I'm just an old crotchety realist, but I don't think that's a firm foundation for a marriage. Also, Ryder wants a fall wedding. So, doing some rough math they have maybe 1-2 months before the wedding. So, you've known each other 3-4 months and you'll be married. And how the hell do you pull off a wedding in 1-2 months??? They say you should be getting your dress AT LEAST 6 months in advance (I also think this is stupid, but I see their point about orders and shipping and adjustments). How does this work??? I would like a romance that doesn't spew out these unrealistic numbers and expect the reader to swallow it. I want details. HOW do they pull this stunt off???
End unrealistic timeline romance rant!
In Conclusion
For the most part I liked this book. It would be a solid 4 stars if it were not for the unrealistic ending and the fact that I found Ryder a bit too pushy in some places and Shelby a bit too compliant in the same places. So it lost half a star for the pushy, agreeable thing. Full star lost for the ending not being at all (in my opinion) realistic. Maybe just don't read the last bit...
Shelby Simon's runs her own business, a bakery that is popular with most town's people. It's not uncommon to see her walking to make a delivery when her 1958 Cadillac decides it doesn't want to start. But she wouldn't give away old Blue (the car is pink) and plans to run it into the ground because it was her grandmother's who she loved very much. So that's exactly what she was doing when she runs into a strangely dressed male jogger who gives her the creeps. Other then keeping an eye on him to make sure he's not going to kidnap her till he disappears, her walk to her delivery goes off without a hitch (minus being 5 minutes late). All of that explodes in her face (see what I did there?) when she rings the doorbell of her friend's place and the house explodes all around her.
Ryder Malone is a security specialist about to open his 4th headquarters for his security company. Former military, he retired after an explosion killed 4 of his fellow soldiers and left him with a bad leg. When the house Shelby Malone was delivering to explodes (he was sent by old lady Dottie to help Shelby) he leaps into action in order to pull Shelby away from the fire raining down. This, mixed with the fact that Dottie hires him to watch out for Shelby (two donuts and a coffee per day), and the fact that he's actually worried about Shelby (and maybe attracted to her) has him following her about acting as her personal bodyguard.
Shelby doesn't need Ryder, both as a protector or as a potential suitor. 2 relationship failures and she's out. A little more caution and she'll be fine, right? Only someone tries to rob her bakery and shoots her in the back as she tries to flee. Someone set her house on fire...Ryder may be overbearing but maybe what she needs is her own Hercules protecting her...
Okay, this book was interesting. I waffle between liking it and not liking it. Ryder is pushy and overbearing in my opinion. I don't really like that. Nor do I like how Shelby mostly just takes it or agrees. But that's just me. I did love the action though. It's not often that a suspense romance has the main character nearly offed 4 times. That is just good story writing, in my opinion.
What made this a 2.5 star read for me though was the fact that Ryder and Shelby maybe were together (being generous here) for 2 weeks tops. Shelby is then in hospital with a serious infection for a month. At the end of the book she's out and still recovering, so being generous again, I figure she's maybe been out for 1-2 weeks. Ryder proposes at the end of the book. So, you've known each other for 2 months. One of those months was basic hospital visitation. And you're proposing???
Maybe I'm just an old crotchety realist, but I don't think that's a firm foundation for a marriage. Also, Ryder wants a fall wedding. So, doing some rough math they have maybe 1-2 months before the wedding. So, you've known each other 3-4 months and you'll be married. And how the hell do you pull off a wedding in 1-2 months??? They say you should be getting your dress AT LEAST 6 months in advance (I also think this is stupid, but I see their point about orders and shipping and adjustments). How does this work??? I would like a romance that doesn't spew out these unrealistic numbers and expect the reader to swallow it. I want details. HOW do they pull this stunt off???
End unrealistic timeline romance rant!
In Conclusion
For the most part I liked this book. It would be a solid 4 stars if it were not for the unrealistic ending and the fact that I found Ryder a bit too pushy in some places and Shelby a bit too compliant in the same places. So it lost half a star for the pushy, agreeable thing. Full star lost for the ending not being at all (in my opinion) realistic. Maybe just don't read the last bit...
July 18, 2019
There was so much to love about this book. This is my first time reading a book by this author (I know I skipped the first 5 of the series, my library didn't have them) and I was so pleased. The story line was suspenseful but it was the characters that got to me. In many of the Christian Romance books the romance has just fallen flat for me. There never seems to be a spark or a real desire for the other person. This book had it in spades. How they looked at each other and responded to each others touch, the Chemistry was strong but still clean. I also enjoyed the writing, some of the descriptions the author wrote were very beautiful and intriguing.
But life and energy seemed to pour onto the ground, spill into the street.Blood flowing like a river, and she flowed with it as someone ran toward her, knelt beside her; a stranger with horror in her eyes, talking into a phone, screaming for help as Shelby flowed away.
There were only 2 things that really bothered me about the book
1.Near the end it did start to bother me how Shelby kept pushing Ryker away but she finally got there.
2. She kept talking about 2 strikes and she was done with relationships (she had 2 failed). I just didn't get this part and could have done without it
So much to like about this book. It was also a nice short read which is sometimes all I have the time for. Near the end I was at the edge of my seat and I won't lie, a little teary eyed at how Ryker handled Shelby in the last dramatic couple of chapters. Definitely worth a read and I will be trying the next in this serier!
But life and energy seemed to pour onto the ground, spill into the street.Blood flowing like a river, and she flowed with it as someone ran toward her, knelt beside her; a stranger with horror in her eyes, talking into a phone, screaming for help as Shelby flowed away.
There were only 2 things that really bothered me about the book
1.Near the end it did start to bother me how Shelby kept pushing Ryker away but she finally got there.
2. She kept talking about 2 strikes and she was done with relationships (she had 2 failed). I just didn't get this part and could have done without it
So much to like about this book. It was also a nice short read which is sometimes all I have the time for. Near the end I was at the edge of my seat and I won't lie, a little teary eyed at how Ryker handled Shelby in the last dramatic couple of chapters. Definitely worth a read and I will be trying the next in this serier!
August 16, 2021
Shelby has trust issues but Ryder Malone is a very patient man. When Shelby is nearly blown up, the perpetrator realizes she is a witness and may have seen something he doesn't want known. Now he is out to silence her. Fortunately, Ryder happened to be on scene as well. As the owner of a Security Contractor. And he is set on protecting Shelby even though she doesn't believe she needs protecting.
As bombs burst and shots fly, the real danger is to her heart. Shelby finds herself drawn to the handsome bodyguard in spite of her best intentions. Her grandmother, Beulah's words kept ringing in her ears, "The only good man is a dead husband with good life-insurance policy." It must be true since her mom and sister wholeheartedly believed it. Could Shelby find a man who loved her for who she was? Maybe this time...
Great story filled with suspense and a sweet romance!
Highly recommend!
As bombs burst and shots fly, the real danger is to her heart. Shelby finds herself drawn to the handsome bodyguard in spite of her best intentions. Her grandmother, Beulah's words kept ringing in her ears, "The only good man is a dead husband with good life-insurance policy." It must be true since her mom and sister wholeheartedly believed it. Could Shelby find a man who loved her for who she was? Maybe this time...
Great story filled with suspense and a sweet romance!
Highly recommend!
August 9, 2021
Bakery owner Shelby Simons can't deny a stalker is after her. Still, knowing she's at risk is one thing. Admitting she needs a bodyguard is quite another. Especially when the bodyguard is Ryder Malone. The former SEAL is too big, too tough and way too attractive. Yet Ryder won't take no for an answer. If she can't find a place for him in her life, he'll make one, working undercover to protect Shelby and find her attacker. But as Ryder and Shelby get closer to answers—and each other—the killer starts closing in…
Heather's Notes
I got tried of Shelby and her two strikes, although the author does circle back around to it. Otherwise, it was a pretty good book. I enjoyed it, and liked the characters. I did not know it was part of a series, so now I am going to go check out some of the other books in the series.
Heather's Notes
I got tried of Shelby and her two strikes, although the author does circle back around to it. Otherwise, it was a pretty good book. I enjoyed it, and liked the characters. I did not know it was part of a series, so now I am going to go check out some of the other books in the series.
April 13, 2020
This has by far been my favorite book in this series. I fell in love with the characters. Ryder was a breath of fresh air. Even though he had been through a relationship that didnt and well he wasnt wary of falling in love. He didnt fight it. He didnt expect it but he went for it. He was patient, strong, understanding and truly cared for Shelby. You could feel it in the way he interacted with her. He gave her space if she needed it but always told her the truth. I seriously stayed up all night to read this one. The ending made me cry. The way Ryder wore his emotions when Shelby was shot. Just broke my heart. I will say the resolution to the attacks felt a little rushed but I didnt mind to much. It's the 2nd time I've read this book and I'm sure it wont be my last.
July 21, 2020
Wonderful story.
Usually one can tell within the first chapter of the book will be a good read. The story got me on the first page. Kits a scary story with lots of action and a bit of romance. The ending is superb. Shelby Ann runs a very successful bakery. As she delivered several boxes of goodies to her friend, she rung the doorbell and the home exploded. She saw the man who burned the house down leaving the parking lot. Shelby has been shot and her home burned also. And it only gets more interesting. But you will have to read the whole book. Don't miss this story. It's worth spending the whole night reading it.
Usually one can tell within the first chapter of the book will be a good read. The story got me on the first page. Kits a scary story with lots of action and a bit of romance. The ending is superb. Shelby Ann runs a very successful bakery. As she delivered several boxes of goodies to her friend, she rung the doorbell and the home exploded. She saw the man who burned the house down leaving the parking lot. Shelby has been shot and her home burned also. And it only gets more interesting. But you will have to read the whole book. Don't miss this story. It's worth spending the whole night reading it.
February 11, 2024
BY FAR my favorite Love Inspired book SO Far. I loved Ryders character and I love he was always somewhat forwarded about his feelings for Shelby. He doesn't have to come out and say it, its the grab of the arm, the brush of a curl, the rubbing on her back. We see them both being over protective of their feelings, but also moments where you see their walls are coming down. Clearly the romance was my favorite part... but the suspense did NOT disappoint. Someone was murdered and Shelby is now the target and the killer will not stop until she's gone. You'll find she isn't safe anywhere... even with Ryder. But you'll have to checkout the book to see how it all ends.
September 17, 2020
Undercover Bodyguard
I have read all the heroes for hire up to this one and I feel the love and excitement and love that is shared by the story just the kind of books I like the most I’ll be starting the next one and I’m going to tell my daughter Jamie that it’s a must read book searies I found the first book a paperback in a box of books from a old house and that’s how I got started reading the heroes for hire I am very pleased and thank you Shirlee McCoy for your time spent in writing the books
I have read all the heroes for hire up to this one and I feel the love and excitement and love that is shared by the story just the kind of books I like the most I’ll be starting the next one and I’m going to tell my daughter Jamie that it’s a must read book searies I found the first book a paperback in a box of books from a old house and that’s how I got started reading the heroes for hire I am very pleased and thank you Shirlee McCoy for your time spent in writing the books
August 31, 2023
The characters draw you in with how different they are to each others lifestyle. I love the dynamic between Ryder and Shelby was amazing with their witty banter and the twist and turns that pull the pair closer. I love how throughout the book Ryder is slowing intertwined with Shelby's life and somehow becomes her protector from the antagonist in the book. I would love to be Shelby so I could have my own Ryder but alas fictional characters do not exist. I give props to Shirley McCoy for another amazing book!
September 24, 2021
Ryder was introduced in a previous book. In this book, he's hired by Shelby's elderly friend to protect her...for a fee of lifetime donuts and coffee. In the very first chapter, Shelby finds herself in the wrong place at the absolutely wrong time when she sees a man running, just moments before her friend's house explodes as she's ringing the doorbell. Ryder just happens to be there in time to rescue her.
May 31, 2022
Shirlee McCoy is one of my favorite writers in the Love Inspired Suspense series. I enjoyed this book about a woman who is being stalked by a killer and the self-appointed bodyguard determined to protect her. I liked the chemistry between Shelby and Ryder and the humor provided by Shelby's older friend Dottie. I would recommend this book to others who like a good, clean adventure story.
December 11, 2023
Fantastic romantic suspense! Shelby and Ryder's story is packed with drama, spice, action and suspense. This is book 6 of the Heroes For Hire Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliffhanger.
I read a print copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I read a print copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
August 30, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed this book!
October 30, 2017
Love this book, series & author!
January 29, 2018
The best one yet! Lots of action and suspense....and of course romance.
December 20, 2018
Undercover Bodyguard review
Undercover Bodyguard is the sixth fast-paced romantic suspense book in the Heroes for Hire series written by q Shirlee McCoy.
Undercover Bodyguard is the sixth fast-paced romantic suspense book in the Heroes for Hire series written by q Shirlee McCoy.
March 28, 2019
Very good short read keeps you captivated
February 28, 2020
Action, action, acyion
Characters life like, believable, lots of action, believable plot. Loved it all! Loved how characters carry on from previous story, yet can stand alone .
Characters life like, believable, lots of action, believable plot. Loved it all! Loved how characters carry on from previous story, yet can stand alone .
August 19, 2021
I always want to know about the ones who came before. Will Skylar find her sister? Will the baby be okay? I still want these and other questions answered.
October 16, 2021
Fantastic book!
March 28, 2022
I really liked this series til this book. I did not like Ryder in the last book, and I did not like him at all in this book. He was way to controlling.
March 30, 2023
Action packed and great love story.
July 22, 2024
Great mystery
Very entertaining and suspenseful. A book that keeps you interested to keep reading it, not dull and boring like many others
Very entertaining and suspenseful. A book that keeps you interested to keep reading it, not dull and boring like many others
January 13, 2025
A very enjoyable read.
July 1, 2025
You won’t be disappointed!
This is an inspiring story! We forget how words can harm others! A good lesson to be reminded of. Shirlee did an outstanding job!
This is an inspiring story! We forget how words can harm others! A good lesson to be reminded of. Shirlee did an outstanding job!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews