Project Protection

by Aiyana McCoy

Gun-for-hire Amelie Mills is as good a shot as she is reckless. When she takes one too many risks during an important mission, she’s reassigned to the company’s Protection Program. Her first client is world-renowned CEO–and chronic womanizer–Eric Lee. An attack on Eric’s father during a social event causes Eric to realize his family is in far more danger than he ever imagined. To make things worse, his mother’s relentless desire to marry Eric off throws his personal life off balance as well. After proving her usefulness by saving Eric’s life, Amelie is given a bizarre task by her new client—pretend to be Eric’s lover. Though reluctant to play the role of the doting girlfriend, Amelie begins receiving strange, anonymous letters that may lead her to Eric’s attackers and get her out of this humiliating faux relationship.

Genres: Romance, Fake Dating, Adult

277 pages, Paperback

Published October 14, 2023

Reviews

[Soreestreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where do I start? First of all I’ve been waiting for Project Protection to release for a literal year! I bought the kindle version so I could read it right away.

The diversity and representation goes hard. Two mixed MCs and PTSD rep! This is a bodyguard romance, where the FMC is the bodyguard! This is one of my favorite tropes and I rarely get to see it!

Amalie and Eric have this will they, won’t they BUT it wasn’t dragged out too much (which is always a big pet peeve of mine). We even got a little one bed scene after Amalie has a nightmare!

As for the actual bodyguard storyline, I did find some parts to drag a little. This doesn’t bring down the book very much because the action and plot points are very interesting and held most of my attention. I think their could’ve been more suspense around who was doing all these awful things. Other than that, I really enjoyed Project Protection!

Tropes:
• Bodyguard FMC
• One Bed
• Forbidden Romance
• Dislike to Friends to Lovers
• Rich MMC

Loves:
• Amalie’s Family (specifically her little sisters)
• Everyone meddling in their romantic lives
• Strong Female Lead (even with her PTSD she’s still a badass)
• Golden Retriever x Black Cat Energy
• Amalie’s Ending

Not Loves:
• Amalie’s Backstory felt a bit convoluted? (it wasn’t as convincing as I thought it was going to be)
• The lack of tension. (Sexual and Suspenseful)
• The character’s ages (I feel like her backstory story would be more convincing if she was 25, instead of 21)

All in all, it was good for a debut! With some more editing it definitely could’ve been a five star read!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Lady Soulaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m really glad I was able to read this book. The characters are lovable and relatable. There were sweet and bittersweet events. I couldn’t put the book down. So to the author, I say thank you for sharing. I look forward to your other works.

[Phylicia ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Verrryy adorable read! The plot was very fast paced and intriguing. Some parts felt rushed but overall I had a lot of fun reading it!

[Weekend Reader_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amelia did not protect anyone I'm sorry if you're trying to stay alive get some else to do it 😅 I think there was a lot of potential but there lots of plotholes and time jumps that were jarring. Eric read like a K-drama character just doing things like sir why are you trying to fight an assassin. Anyway it's the first book by the author so I'm sure the editing and writing will get better over time. Hailey, girl , get a grip that plot point seems unresolved or under developed.

Love this cover btw.

CN: gun/knife violence, PTSD (nightmares and panic attacks), grief, death of a parent, kidnapping

[CHRIS CARTER · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story follows Amelie Mills, a skilled but reckless gun-for-hire who gets reassigned after taking one risk too many. Her new job places her in a protection role, guarding Eric Lee, a rich and famous CEO with a complicated family and an even more complicated personal life. When danger escalates, Amelie proves her worth, and suddenly finds herself asked to do something completely unexpected: pretend to be Eric’s girlfriend.

The fake dating trope is the heart of this book. Watching two very different personalities clash and slowly learn to trust each other is entertaining. Amelie is tough, sarcastic, and independent, while Eric is confident, privileged, and used to being in control. Their dynamic creates humour, tension, and moments of genuine connection.

There’s also a mystery element with anonymous letters and threats that keeps the story moving and adds intrigue. While the suspense isn’t overly intense, it gives the plot direction beyond the romance.

The writing is easy to follow, and the pacing is steady. Some parts feel predictable if you’re familiar with romance tropes, but the story is still enjoyable, especially if you like strong heroines and relationship-driven plots.

[delusioanal | emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows Amelie and Eric. She is a gun for hire but after an incident where she nearly makes a fatal mistake, Amelie is hired to be a bodyguard. Eric’s family needs a body guard for their son cause they’ve been having strange things happen. All while this is happening Eric’s mom is trying to get him married, to help fix his play boy image. He suggests that she pretend to be his girlfriend. So now she’s his bodyguard and pretend girlfriend.

Mercenary woman? Yes, please! Very cute short fast pace read. Was able to eat this up in one sitting. I loved Amelie’s character, she’s such a bad ass. Loved getting to read about them fight their feelings for each other. Also really enjoyed their families and friends, especially when they were meddling in their relationship. Anyways, I liked this a lot immediately jumped into the second one and will be reading book #3 when it comes out. Thank you!!

[freude · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 ⭐️I really like the core idea of the book – especially the fact that she’s his bodyguard. However, I feel that the storyline could have used some more refinement, as it doesn’t always feel entirely coherent and some of the plot twists come across as a bit flat. At times, I would have liked to see more depth in the relationships between the characters, especially the main ones, and perhaps a few more challenges (besides the antagonist) to raise the stakes. That said, I still enjoyed reading it.

[Erin Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the perfect summer beach or picnic read, like a mix between an action flick and romantic drama. The romance is very wholesome and cute, and I loved Amelie as a main character. I especially appreciated how Amelie's mental health/PTSD was handled in the book—it wasn't just a random detail, but something that you can feel her grappling with throughout the story. Can't wait for the other books in this series!