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Guarding Her #1
Surface
She was off limits. Too young. The boss’s daughter. Forbidden.
I knew it all along, but it didn’t change the absolute possession I felt when it came to her… nothing would change how I felt about her.
So I did what I had to; I waited until the time was right to make her mine, only to find out there is one thing that could ruin it all.
I knew it all along, but it didn’t change the absolute possession I felt when it came to her… nothing would change how I felt about her.
So I did what I had to; I waited until the time was right to make her mine, only to find out there is one thing that could ruin it all.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 9, 2018
1154 people are currently reading
1625 people want to read
About the author
Anna Brooks
81 books1,002 followersBe sure to follow me on Bookbub for sales and new release alerts! https://www.bookbub.com/profile/anna-...
The first time Anna tried to read a romance novel, her hair caught on fire when she leaned over a candle to sneak a peek at her mom’s Harlequin. She thinks being hit on the head with a shirtless Fabio until the smoke cleared is what sparked the flame for her love of romance.
Anna was born in Wisconsin, but currently lives in Texas with her husband and two boys. She writes sexy romance that always has a happy ending and loves bringing characters back for cameos. Less than six degrees of separation connects any of her novels.
When she’s not writing or reading, she’s watching reruns of her favorite romcoms, talking to her dog and cat like they’re human, eating carbs, or practicing hand lettering.
She loves to hear from readers and can be found on social media as @annabrooksauth everywhere.
The first time Anna tried to read a romance novel, her hair caught on fire when she leaned over a candle to sneak a peek at her mom’s Harlequin. She thinks being hit on the head with a shirtless Fabio until the smoke cleared is what sparked the flame for her love of romance.
Anna was born in Wisconsin, but currently lives in Texas with her husband and two boys. She writes sexy romance that always has a happy ending and loves bringing characters back for cameos. Less than six degrees of separation connects any of her novels.
When she’s not writing or reading, she’s watching reruns of her favorite romcoms, talking to her dog and cat like they’re human, eating carbs, or practicing hand lettering.
She loves to hear from readers and can be found on social media as @annabrooksauth everywhere.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 230 reviews
March 31, 2018
~WRITING - PLOT - PACE~I had high hopes for this one. It sounded like it was going to be a perfect insta-love over the top alpha male book. Alas, it turned out to be just OK. It started out really good but as soon as I found out the hero was f-cking around with OW while claiming to always want the heroine, not to mention keeping any guy that was interested in her away, the story lost some of its luster. Not to mention I hate time jumps and we get a couple in this book (two months later -- five months later). AND...it was pretty slow moving without much interesting happening. So yea, it was a bit of a disappointing read. The writing itself wasn't bad. The pace was really up and down. Slow moving in places and then hyper speed in others. The plot was pretty cliché and could have used some tightening up. Last, it was all wrapped up in an OK ending. Since this is a start to the series I expect we will be seeing this couple again in other books.
~HERO~
ROYCE...He was OK. He was your typical over the top alpha male. The book starts out with him basically claiming the heroine as "mine." He was sweet. He was protective. Unfortunately, he was also a little bland and do not even get me started on how he chased every guy that was interested in Paisley away, but felt it was A-OK to continue f-cking other women <--- and yes I am going to be harping on this fact A LOT because it pissed me off. *lol*
~HEROINE~
PAISLEY...Paisley was a virgin (groan). She had a crush on Royce since she was 14. I thought she came across a little bland and immature (she was 19). But overall she was an OK heroine.
~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~
This book was rich in secondary characters. A lot of the guys from ROYAL ACE SECURITY make appearances. I assume a lot of them will be getting their own books. I also enjoyed Paisley's adoptive parents Erik and Polly.
~HEAT LEVEL~
Low. This one wasn't all that spicy. There were a few sex scenes, but they were more on the milder side. I also didn't think this couple had great on page chemistry.
~ANGST LEVEL~
Low. This wasn't a very angsty read. Royce and Paisley are off and running right from the start without really any hiccups in the relationship. Most of the angst comes from the underdeveloped side mysteries. There wasn't any OW drama. There was a bit of OM drama in the form of Chad (again another underdeveloped side story). I will say that I wasn't crazy about the fact that Royce apparently slept with OW the entire time he was "waiting" for the heroine. Maybe if the heroine hadn't been a virgin. Maybe if he hadn't told her to stay "sweet" for him (aka stay a virgin) before he left her. Maybe if he hadn't purposely been keeping her from forming potential relationships with other guys. I could have gotten past it. I don't need my characters to stay celibate if they are not in a relationship but at the same time, you can't try to sell me a crock of sh!t about how the hero was all in LOVE with this heroine and knew she was going to be "HIS" starting from when she was 16 then have him off f-cking around. It just never works for me. If you love someone and are just biding your time until they become legal you don't f-ck around with OW. Period.
P.S. Please for the love of all that is good STOP with the f-cking virgin heroines!
~IN THE END~
Like I said, it was OK. I can't really say anything more positive about it than that. It had a bunch of cliché stuff I hate. It felt underdeveloped. It was slow. That said, I am an optimist, so I MAY give the next book in the series a chance. Hot alpha men security series are usually like crack for me. We'll see. Yours truly is going to give this one a single thumbs up.
August 9, 2020
This wasn't a bad book but it just didn't do it for me. Everything seemed to happen very fast without much story in between everything getting resolved. I didn't feel much of a connection between Royce and Paisley since he just came in and decided they were togerher now and she just went along with it. There wasn't even much angst with her dad finding out about them, it was again something that was over and resolved fast and didn't take up much page space.
Overall, I think fans of the bodyguard trope will enjoy this but for me it just wasn't what I was looking for.
Overall, I think fans of the bodyguard trope will enjoy this but for me it just wasn't what I was looking for.
May 10, 2018
I absolutely loved this. It never specifies if the H was with anyone else after the first kiss., so not sure if he was celibate or not until the meet again. Tad om drama, but didn't last long. Love how they loved each other.
March 31, 2020
.
God I wanted to love this one but I just can’t. I read it all the way through just to make sure that I wasn’t missing something, but nope. I was planning to check out some more of her books, But honestly I need to to go read something with an a$$hole lead. I’d prefer an in your face guy who is honest about who he is over one that is basically skeezy and shady like the the author turned the hero in this book into. Here is my basic problem with this book. The hero met the heroine when she was around 14 and he was 20. Nothing crazy or creepy happened. When she was 16, he started to feel something for her. He kissed her and specifically asked asked her to wait for him because she was underage. He takes another assignment to avoid the temptation and she doesn’t see him for 2.5 years. During this time she doesn’t so much as kiss another guy. It’s revealed to though out the book that he wouldn’t allow that to happen. He stayed in touch with her body guards, threatened guys interested in her etc. When she asks him what would have happens if someone else had made a move on her he says that he would have broken the it hands. I could have found that to be alpha/romantic if he were showing her the same courtesy. But he obviously didn’t. It’s like tha author was just afraid to pick a side and go with it. Because every single tome he had a chance to say that he was celibate while he waited for her, he didn’t. Not one tome. Not even to show the girl
That he “loved” how committed he had been to her. And trust me there were some times she could have used that reassured. It made 0 sense! Like a guy who is in love with someone couldn’t go 2.5 years without sex. Good lord that kind of thinking is in like with the “boys will be boys” thinking that excuses rape. “Those boys are just slaves to their desires, it’s not their fault right”? . The worst part of the entire book is that she makes the illogical decisions with the entire storyline. Talking about the heroines virginity was never off the table, he even asked her several different times about if she had kissed someone touched them etc. but the heroine never once asks him when the last tome he slept with someone was.... because we all know women don’t like to ask questions and have information right? When they first go to have sex, he asks to do it without a condom. She asks if there is a reason to not to and he replies that he has had testing with the agency but hasn’t been with anyone since then. This is a high dollar security agency, they are going to text their employees at minimum probably every 6 or 12 months. Their insurance would require it. So this tells us nothing. Again, the girl doesn’t show any jealousy or ask WHEN he was with someone last (as in during the 2.5 years he made sure that he made her wait for him) it was really pathetic. Who wouldn’t ask that? When they do have sex he doesn’t even have any internal monologue saying how long it had been, or it was worth waiting for him, or anything. Then later in the book the laugh out loud ludicrous moment comes when she is threatened. The heroine is pregnant and someone left a note saying the baby should have been theirs. They are all over this one guy that she talked to (she actually thought he was gay, it was just friendship for her) but not one person (including the heroines father or all of the guys that work their and claim to love her like a niece sister etc) of this world famous security bodyguard company asks about the women he’s been with or just when the last time he was with someone else??!? Hello, they said the baby should have been theirs!! For a minute I thought that’s where they were going with it and that’s why all the hush hush. But nope. This author is just that concerned with making sure her “hero” doesn’t actually act like a guy in love, that she ruins her own book rather than address it. She didn’t have a problem beating us over the head with the heroines purity though. She’s the worst kind of female author, men can do what they want, but women have to be perfect and pure waiting on them. As soon as I finished I honestly just thought “screw this crap” I’ll go re read A BB Reid or LJ Shen book, at least they admit it when their characters are asses. They write their hero’s as who they are and don’t destroy their entire plot to avoid showing too much about them. Too bad. She lost my respect (and probably a lot of other readers) along with a good review and future sales. Returning this one and moving on.the best piece dog advice that I can give this author is to get some beta readers. If she has some, she should fire them. Someone should have prevented this cluster@$&@ unless they are more worried about kissing her butt. If that’s the case, what’s the point?
God I wanted to love this one but I just can’t. I read it all the way through just to make sure that I wasn’t missing something, but nope. I was planning to check out some more of her books, But honestly I need to to go read something with an a$$hole lead. I’d prefer an in your face guy who is honest about who he is over one that is basically skeezy and shady like the the author turned the hero in this book into. Here is my basic problem with this book. The hero met the heroine when she was around 14 and he was 20. Nothing crazy or creepy happened. When she was 16, he started to feel something for her. He kissed her and specifically asked asked her to wait for him because she was underage. He takes another assignment to avoid the temptation and she doesn’t see him for 2.5 years. During this time she doesn’t so much as kiss another guy. It’s revealed to though out the book that he wouldn’t allow that to happen. He stayed in touch with her body guards, threatened guys interested in her etc. When she asks him what would have happens if someone else had made a move on her he says that he would have broken the it hands. I could have found that to be alpha/romantic if he were showing her the same courtesy. But he obviously didn’t. It’s like tha author was just afraid to pick a side and go with it. Because every single tome he had a chance to say that he was celibate while he waited for her, he didn’t. Not one tome. Not even to show the girl
That he “loved” how committed he had been to her. And trust me there were some times she could have used that reassured. It made 0 sense! Like a guy who is in love with someone couldn’t go 2.5 years without sex. Good lord that kind of thinking is in like with the “boys will be boys” thinking that excuses rape. “Those boys are just slaves to their desires, it’s not their fault right”? . The worst part of the entire book is that she makes the illogical decisions with the entire storyline. Talking about the heroines virginity was never off the table, he even asked her several different times about if she had kissed someone touched them etc. but the heroine never once asks him when the last tome he slept with someone was.... because we all know women don’t like to ask questions and have information right? When they first go to have sex, he asks to do it without a condom. She asks if there is a reason to not to and he replies that he has had testing with the agency but hasn’t been with anyone since then. This is a high dollar security agency, they are going to text their employees at minimum probably every 6 or 12 months. Their insurance would require it. So this tells us nothing. Again, the girl doesn’t show any jealousy or ask WHEN he was with someone last (as in during the 2.5 years he made sure that he made her wait for him) it was really pathetic. Who wouldn’t ask that? When they do have sex he doesn’t even have any internal monologue saying how long it had been, or it was worth waiting for him, or anything. Then later in the book the laugh out loud ludicrous moment comes when she is threatened. The heroine is pregnant and someone left a note saying the baby should have been theirs. They are all over this one guy that she talked to (she actually thought he was gay, it was just friendship for her) but not one person (including the heroines father or all of the guys that work their and claim to love her like a niece sister etc) of this world famous security bodyguard company asks about the women he’s been with or just when the last time he was with someone else??!? Hello, they said the baby should have been theirs!! For a minute I thought that’s where they were going with it and that’s why all the hush hush. But nope. This author is just that concerned with making sure her “hero” doesn’t actually act like a guy in love, that she ruins her own book rather than address it. She didn’t have a problem beating us over the head with the heroines purity though. She’s the worst kind of female author, men can do what they want, but women have to be perfect and pure waiting on them. As soon as I finished I honestly just thought “screw this crap” I’ll go re read A BB Reid or LJ Shen book, at least they admit it when their characters are asses. They write their hero’s as who they are and don’t destroy their entire plot to avoid showing too much about them. Too bad. She lost my respect (and probably a lot of other readers) along with a good review and future sales. Returning this one and moving on.the best piece dog advice that I can give this author is to get some beta readers. If she has some, she should fire them. Someone should have prevented this cluster@$&@ unless they are more worried about kissing her butt. If that’s the case, what’s the point?
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April 18, 2018
This is the first book in the Guarding Her series and it was so good!! loved it.
Royce wanted Paisley since she was 16 but since he was older and works for her dad, he went away.
but after a few years he came back and all bets were of when she was in danger and he claimed her as his.
Loved this book so much. Royce was a possessive and protective Alpha. Loved him.
Paisley was a bit young, but i liked her.
The story was good and lots of side characters that I can't wait to read about.
Loved it very much.
Royce wanted Paisley since she was 16 but since he was older and works for her dad, he went away.
but after a few years he came back and all bets were of when she was in danger and he claimed her as his.
Loved this book so much. Royce was a possessive and protective Alpha. Loved him.
Paisley was a bit young, but i liked her.
The story was good and lots of side characters that I can't wait to read about.
Loved it very much.
June 11, 2018
I love Anna Brooks writing and I did enjoy this story, but the age difference had me tripping. Once I let that go, the story did flow for me more and more. The alpha tendencies are always a turn on for me, and the building of a series was appreciated. I am always down to read another Ms Brooks story. Thanks girl!! xo
April 6, 2021
3.5
Pretty predictable. But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.
Pretty predictable. But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.
March 20, 2019
POV
1st person from H and h
Characters
H- Royce 3 stars, he was a good H but he was kind of too much Alpha for me, and I never thought I would say that.
h- Paisley 4 stars, it's rear when I like the h more than the H. But in this case I did, she was sweet.
Parts I loved
•They made a pretty cute couple
•I like how they had a connation all along, but he refused to do anything until she was of age.
Parts I didn’t like
•I didn’t really like how Royce treated Paisley’s dad he had every right to be mad and he should have handled it better in my eyes
Sexy time
3 stars
Cliffhanger
no
OW/OM
HEA
Yes
1st person from H and h
Characters
H- Royce 3 stars, he was a good H but he was kind of too much Alpha for me, and I never thought I would say that.
h- Paisley 4 stars, it's rear when I like the h more than the H. But in this case I did, she was sweet.
Parts I loved
•They made a pretty cute couple
•I like how they had a connation all along, but he refused to do anything until she was of age.
Parts I didn’t like
•I didn’t really like how Royce treated Paisley’s dad he had every right to be mad and he should have handled it better in my eyes
Sexy time
3 stars
Cliffhanger
no
OW/OM
HEA
Yes
March 3, 2021
Royce was hired to protect Paisley and as she grew older he realized she was going to be his. The problem though was she was too young and he waited until she was older to finally make his move. Paisley though is angry thinking that Royce doesn't have feelings for her and doesn't understand why he is all of the sudden acting like he cares. Can Royce be the man Paisley always thought he could be or is she wrong?
This was a pretty good forbidden romance. I thought Paisley was a bit naïve at times but overall the chemistry between Paisley and Royce is terrific. Liked how the story unfolded and would read more from this author.
This was a pretty good forbidden romance. I thought Paisley was a bit naïve at times but overall the chemistry between Paisley and Royce is terrific. Liked how the story unfolded and would read more from this author.
April 10, 2018
Surface by Anna Brooks is the First book in the Guarding Her Series. This is the story of Royce and Paisley.
When Royce first meets Paisley he knows she is off limits being 7 years younger but it didn't stop him from know that she will be his one day. Royce went to working out of town more until the time was right for him to claim what was his. Paisley always had a crush on Royce but when he started staying away she felt that he didn't feel the same.
But now Royce is back and things are starting to change.
Story that was hard to put down~!
When Royce first meets Paisley he knows she is off limits being 7 years younger but it didn't stop him from know that she will be his one day. Royce went to working out of town more until the time was right for him to claim what was his. Paisley always had a crush on Royce but when he started staying away she felt that he didn't feel the same.
But now Royce is back and things are starting to change.
Story that was hard to put down~!
August 17, 2018
Loved how Royce waited patiently for Paisley to be of legal age before he revealed how much he wanted her. Also since he is her bodyguard; Eric, his boss and Paisley's father, will probably kill Royce if he touches her. ERRR-too late! lol My problem now is finding the time to read the rest of this series because it's just that delicious.! I loved how close the guys are that work for Royal Ace Security and how they protect one another. Royce's father and "his family" was a little shocking, to me, but that's what makes it such a great story.
November 17, 2018
2.5 stars at most. I found it hard to connect to any of the characters. What I did like was how the H, faded into the shadows when she was too young, but now she's of age, he's back to protect her. And to claim her, she's his. He was super alpha, and the steamy scenes were good, but the plot was lacking, and the backward and forward between her family and him was tedious. The h was still too young, completely dependent on others. It made her seem too childish for a grown man, I wanted more depth to her character.
March 26, 2018
Oh Royce!! SWOON! I loved how much he loved Paisley. He knew he couldn't be with her while she was younger...since he was 7 years older. He went away because she was too much of a temptation to him. But all bets were off when he came home. He pursued her, won her, and loved her hard. She loved him since she was a young girl so it didn't take her long to fall for him. She worried because he worked for her father. This story was so wonderfully written. I happy-cried my way through the whole last paragraph! Wonderful story!
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May 16, 2019Hmmmmmmm DNF
Tapping out....just couldn't hold my interest nor get me "invested"
Tapping out....just couldn't hold my interest nor get me "invested"
May 16, 2018
It's been a minute since I read this.. I liked it, but just didn't love it. Didn't get invested in anything. It could also be a "its me, not the book" thing. That's been going on a little lately.
April 11, 2018
Surface by Anna Brooks a five-star read that will bring your emotions to the surface. This is the first book in the Guarding her series and its kicks off with a bang, I can’t wait for more. Royce King will melt your heart, he meets Paisley when she is still young but as he knows he’s wrong he takes jobs away to avoid her, I liked this, and you could see the struggle he was facing it made him that much more an admirable man, especially when faced with Paisleys teenage behaviour. Paisley is a sweet girl but like any teenager with a crush she has a feistiness to her that will bring sparks to the story that won’t dampen any time soon. When they are both a little older the seven-year age gap isn’t as noticeable and those sparks start to come alight.
I also liked how we get the other security guards were brought into the fold, we get enough of a hook to get to know them, but not so much that they rule the page, I can only hope that we do get to see them rule the pages in their own story. Anna Brooks once again you have ruled the pages and created an amazing story.
I also liked how we get the other security guards were brought into the fold, we get enough of a hook to get to know them, but not so much that they rule the page, I can only hope that we do get to see them rule the pages in their own story. Anna Brooks once again you have ruled the pages and created an amazing story.
April 17, 2018
Wow. Surface is my first Anna Brooks story and I loved it. This is a great start to a new series.
Royce is an over the top alpha man that loves his woman and will do anything for her.
Paisley is a sweet girl that is very well protected girl since her dad owns a security firm. Royce just happens to work for him.
These two have great chemistry and I love this storyline. I liked all the secondary characters also and can't wait to read their stories.
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy for my honest review.
Royce is an over the top alpha man that loves his woman and will do anything for her.
Paisley is a sweet girl that is very well protected girl since her dad owns a security firm. Royce just happens to work for him.
These two have great chemistry and I love this storyline. I liked all the secondary characters also and can't wait to read their stories.
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy for my honest review.
June 18, 2019
This book has like 4 of my favorite tropes. Age gap, forbidden, Virgin h, and unexpected pregnancy.
So you’d expect me to thoroughly enjoy it, unfortunately the story really wasn’t that great.
Paisleys parents die when she’s 9 and after a few years in foster care she gets adopted by Erik and Polly when she’s 14.
Erik is the owner of a security firm and puts one of his guys on Paisley duty when she moves across the country to New York for college, with out her knowing.
Of course it’s the dude she has had a crush on for years and was the closest to.
This all comes out when Paisley is attacked and almost raped one morning.
So yeah total set up to be an awesome book. Unfortunately the story lacks any real depth. Some of the transitions are choppy and I never got an “alpha” feel from Royce.
Also the love and connection between Paisley and her adoptive parents isn’t realistic imo, she was adopted when she was already 14...and moves away not even 4 years later. If she were 7 it’d be one thing but the girl is already grown and barely has the time to be a “family”, the parental connection just doesn’t make sense with the age and time limit provided.
So you’d expect me to thoroughly enjoy it, unfortunately the story really wasn’t that great.
Paisleys parents die when she’s 9 and after a few years in foster care she gets adopted by Erik and Polly when she’s 14.
Erik is the owner of a security firm and puts one of his guys on Paisley duty when she moves across the country to New York for college, with out her knowing.
Of course it’s the dude she has had a crush on for years and was the closest to.
This all comes out when Paisley is attacked and almost raped one morning.
So yeah total set up to be an awesome book. Unfortunately the story lacks any real depth. Some of the transitions are choppy and I never got an “alpha” feel from Royce.
Also the love and connection between Paisley and her adoptive parents isn’t realistic imo, she was adopted when she was already 14...and moves away not even 4 years later. If she were 7 it’d be one thing but the girl is already grown and barely has the time to be a “family”, the parental connection just doesn’t make sense with the age and time limit provided.
September 15, 2020
I had high hopes for this book, and was pretty disappointed. There was little backstory, and once they got together it was completely rushed and things were skipped over. They had sex once, skip ahead a few months, boom she's pregnant, skip ahead a long while ahead and she's having the baby..... There was no angst, no build-up, no burn leading up to them getting together. It was a waste.
April 11, 2018
Surface (Guarding Her #1) by Anna Brooks is her first book in her Guarding Her series. This is not my first book by this author and I enjoyed it. It is not my favorite of hers but I did find it to engaging until the end. Her writing style is such that she makes her story and characters understandable and easy to follow. She jumped back and forth a little bit and I usually get lost when authors do this but I didn't get lost in this book. I enjoyed her characters for the most part. They are lovable and true to life. They took me on an emotional roller coaster ride that made me laugh and cry. This is story is like a forbidden fruit story. She is the boss's daughter and completely off limits. But there is something about her that he can't seem to deny. Something stirs him every time he goes near her. So, he did the only thing he could do. He waited until the time was right to claim what he like to think of as his. The problem is that, there is one thing that could destroy it all for him. I enjoyed both of these character for the most part. The alpha male in this story likes to get around even though he wants the female in this story. He is protective, sweet and sexy. She has been in love with him since she was smaller. She kind of needs to grow up some but I think her behavior goes with her age. I think that they did have great chemistry together and found myself hoping that they would get together. There is a lot of new characters in this book and I hope we get to see them in the future. I highly recommend this book. Find out what happens when something is forbidden but undeniable.
April 12, 2018
4.5
I don’t know how I finished this book within 2 days. I literally blinked and found myself at the end of the last page...
Can it be that it was that addictive? Fast paced? Yup and hell yes!!
Literally from the first chapter I got triggered into that amazing feeling of connecting with the character. Sigh. That’s one thing that I don’t find often in books and when I don’t I treasure it.
Royce and Paisley are added on my OTP list <3
From their first moments when Paisley was just a young and blossimg teenager - that sperk between them? Oooffff - to the following chapter of that attack. Jesus. I was sweating. I DID NOT expect that. But, truthfully? And in the saddest way possible, I was excited to see how the story would play out from that single “slip up” by the body guards of our girl.
Once they rejoiced again a few years later, that spark intensified ten fold!! I mean holy shit, I didn’t want to turn the next page because I wanted to slowly treasure all things Royce. Can we say alpha fucking hot?!
Every element of the story made it so interesting to read. And every page I wish I didn’t flip because it ended too soon. But I guess those are my favourite type of stories.
It had heart.
It was sweet.
It was sexy.
It was heartbreaking.
It pulled you until you didn’t know what room your were sitting in until thunder snapped you out of it (NZ weather is truly unpredictable).
I can’t wait to read this story all over again from the start, and to find more books by Anna Brooks to immerse myself into!!
Thank you for the beautiful opportunity to read the stunning story of Royce and Paisley!
Can’t wait for more.. xx
I don’t know how I finished this book within 2 days. I literally blinked and found myself at the end of the last page...
Can it be that it was that addictive? Fast paced? Yup and hell yes!!
Literally from the first chapter I got triggered into that amazing feeling of connecting with the character. Sigh. That’s one thing that I don’t find often in books and when I don’t I treasure it.
Royce and Paisley are added on my OTP list <3
From their first moments when Paisley was just a young and blossimg teenager - that sperk between them? Oooffff - to the following chapter of that attack. Jesus. I was sweating. I DID NOT expect that. But, truthfully? And in the saddest way possible, I was excited to see how the story would play out from that single “slip up” by the body guards of our girl.
Once they rejoiced again a few years later, that spark intensified ten fold!! I mean holy shit, I didn’t want to turn the next page because I wanted to slowly treasure all things Royce. Can we say alpha fucking hot?!
Every element of the story made it so interesting to read. And every page I wish I didn’t flip because it ended too soon. But I guess those are my favourite type of stories.
It had heart.
It was sweet.
It was sexy.
It was heartbreaking.
It pulled you until you didn’t know what room your were sitting in until thunder snapped you out of it (NZ weather is truly unpredictable).
I can’t wait to read this story all over again from the start, and to find more books by Anna Brooks to immerse myself into!!
Thank you for the beautiful opportunity to read the stunning story of Royce and Paisley!
Can’t wait for more.. xx
February 16, 2022
✍ • 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 •
𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐄: 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦: 𝘈 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘉𝘰𝘥𝘺𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.
𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑: 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴.
𝐋𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤.
• She was off limits.
• Too young.
• The boss's daughter.
• Forbidden.
I knew it all along, but it didn't change the absolute possession I felt when it came to her... nothing would change how I felt about her.
𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬.
I don't really have an issue with age gap romance stories, however I have limits and there were moments in the story where it just made me cringe.
• Befriending a 14 year old when your 21. (Nothing creepy happens but still. . .) 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦.
• Admitting you had to leave when she was 16 because you started to see her as a women. 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦.
• The words "stay sweet for me" whispered to a 16 year old after kissing her. 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦.
Also I've never really considered myself much of a feminist however this book made my inner goddess scream in outrage at times.
It was only around the 88% mark that I actually started to warm to Royce as a character but not enough.
I just couldn't get past the controlling, possessive behaviour.
It wasn't a bad book but I just wouldn't get over certain aspects and I felt very little chemistry between the characters.
This just wasn't for me.
I did finish it though but It wouldn't be something I would read again and also won't be continuing with the series.
𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤.
Hard to say.
I would say for those who are okay with an age gap when there is history before hard and those who enjoy reading a possessive male lead then yes you would enjoy this book.
Royce is intense but it goes to far over the line from protective to possessive for my personal tastes.
𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐄: 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦: 𝘈 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘉𝘰𝘥𝘺𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.
𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑: 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴.
𝐋𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤.
• She was off limits.
• Too young.
• The boss's daughter.
• Forbidden.
I knew it all along, but it didn't change the absolute possession I felt when it came to her... nothing would change how I felt about her.
𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬.
I don't really have an issue with age gap romance stories, however I have limits and there were moments in the story where it just made me cringe.
• Befriending a 14 year old when your 21. (Nothing creepy happens but still. . .) 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦.
• Admitting you had to leave when she was 16 because you started to see her as a women. 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦.
• The words "stay sweet for me" whispered to a 16 year old after kissing her. 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦.
Also I've never really considered myself much of a feminist however this book made my inner goddess scream in outrage at times.
It was only around the 88% mark that I actually started to warm to Royce as a character but not enough.
I just couldn't get past the controlling, possessive behaviour.
It wasn't a bad book but I just wouldn't get over certain aspects and I felt very little chemistry between the characters.
This just wasn't for me.
I did finish it though but It wouldn't be something I would read again and also won't be continuing with the series.
𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤.
Hard to say.
I would say for those who are okay with an age gap when there is history before hard and those who enjoy reading a possessive male lead then yes you would enjoy this book.
Royce is intense but it goes to far over the line from protective to possessive for my personal tastes.
April 11, 2018
3 1/2 out of 5 stars
Surface is book 1 in the Royal Ace Security series. Paisley is a college student living in New York, while her family is in California. While out doing photography (which is her major), she is attacked by a crack head and ends up in the hospital. Imagine her shock when she wakes up and finds her longtime crush, Royce, in her hospital room.
Paisley first met Royce when she was 14 and he was 21. Paisley felt she was meant to be with Royce, despite their age difference. Royce works for Paisley’s adopted father, Erik, as a security guard. He is Paisley’s guard dog and bodyguard, and while Paisley hates her constant protection, she loves the fact that it is Royce is her bodyguard. But when Paisley is a senior in high school, Royce finally gives in and kisses Paisley, then suddenly disappears. For 3 years.
Back to the present, once Paisley gets over her shock of seeing Royce, she has to deal with the fact that she’s been attacked. It makes her yearn for California.
I can’t give too much away without spoiling the story, but my biggest complaint about this book would be this: things happen to Paisley and she quickly gives up her dream of being a photographer to be with Royce. She’s 19 or 20 years old and her parents allowed it. I get that she’s an adult, but they didn’t say anything about it. As a parent, I would tell my child to chase your dream and focus on the relationship later. I found this disappointing. My second complaint would be there is a lot of time jumping in this book. It was hard to keep up with where we were in time.
Royce is a typical alpha male. I liked is character and he grew emotionally over the course of the book. Paisley was a tough chick and seemed much older than she was. Her father, Erik, was pretty over the top protective. I liked Polly, Paisley’s adoptive mother.
There were two side stories that weren’t really necessary to the book; one was a friend of Paisley and one was a homeless girl Paisley and Royce befriended. They added drama but were boring sub-plots in my opinion.
Overall, this was a pretty good book and I would recommend it.
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Surface is book 1 in the Royal Ace Security series. Paisley is a college student living in New York, while her family is in California. While out doing photography (which is her major), she is attacked by a crack head and ends up in the hospital. Imagine her shock when she wakes up and finds her longtime crush, Royce, in her hospital room.
Paisley first met Royce when she was 14 and he was 21. Paisley felt she was meant to be with Royce, despite their age difference. Royce works for Paisley’s adopted father, Erik, as a security guard. He is Paisley’s guard dog and bodyguard, and while Paisley hates her constant protection, she loves the fact that it is Royce is her bodyguard. But when Paisley is a senior in high school, Royce finally gives in and kisses Paisley, then suddenly disappears. For 3 years.
Back to the present, once Paisley gets over her shock of seeing Royce, she has to deal with the fact that she’s been attacked. It makes her yearn for California.
I can’t give too much away without spoiling the story, but my biggest complaint about this book would be this: things happen to Paisley and she quickly gives up her dream of being a photographer to be with Royce. She’s 19 or 20 years old and her parents allowed it. I get that she’s an adult, but they didn’t say anything about it. As a parent, I would tell my child to chase your dream and focus on the relationship later. I found this disappointing. My second complaint would be there is a lot of time jumping in this book. It was hard to keep up with where we were in time.
Royce is a typical alpha male. I liked is character and he grew emotionally over the course of the book. Paisley was a tough chick and seemed much older than she was. Her father, Erik, was pretty over the top protective. I liked Polly, Paisley’s adoptive mother.
There were two side stories that weren’t really necessary to the book; one was a friend of Paisley and one was a homeless girl Paisley and Royce befriended. They added drama but were boring sub-plots in my opinion.
Overall, this was a pretty good book and I would recommend it.
Blog --> https://tvaddictedbookworm.wordpress....
Twitter --> https://twitter.com/tvaddictbookwm
Instagram-->https://instagram.com/tvaddictedbookworm
May 23, 2018
Anna Brooks delivers a fast paced first installment of her Guarding Her Series. She combined one of my favorite tropes with interesting characters and a story line that pulled me in.
Royce was an over the top alpha, sometimes, a little too over the top for me. But the times he was the perfect amount, he was great! Fans of super possessive and protective alphas will really love him. While I enjoyed a great deal of this story, I wasn’t happy how Royce’s issue with his dad played out. I don’t want to go into detail but I felt that explanations given, didn’t make up for all of the issues. It was a smaller aspect of the book but it was still something that bothered me.
That being said, Brooks added in an exciting twist. It added an element of suspense and danger and I LOVED it!! I also really enjoyed the way that Royce and Paisley had combustible chemistry. I love that we didn’t have to wait to see things progress, once they were able to be together, Royce wasted no time. There were so many sweet moments and quite a few steamy ones as well.
Brooks has given us an intriguing cast of characters. I’m eager to learn more about the rest of the guys from Royal Ace Security.
April 12, 2018
About Surface:
Surface is a novel about a bodyguard falling in love with the person he's supposed to be protecting, this wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that Paisley is only sixteen. Royce does what any normal man would do, he decides to step away and asks for a relocation.
For years Paisley has wondered where Royce went. For years her heart breaks at just the thought of him up and leaving. For years, she has felt eyes on her at all times.
After she's assaulted, she wakes up in a hospital to find Royce is back in her life and all of his secrets are about to be exposed. This can either be a make or break for what's to come.
My Thoughts:
Okay lets face the facts, I honestly wasn't expecting to love this novel, I'm not much for the 'age gape' trope. I've often found in times while reading a novel with such material, I get a little creeped out but only when the older man or women is going for someone whom is underage. With this novel though, I didn't feel the age gap was a huge issue. Royce was a good man and stepped aside before any creepiness could occur especially when Paisley was under age.
I really enjoyed the way this novel played out. I loved the connection between Paisley and Royce. They were friends way before they were lovers and that's a point in the romance world that is so easily skipped over these days.
Surface is a fast paced novel, Royce and Paisley's story had me on the edge of my seat wanting and needing more! I'm excited to see what is in store next for the Guarding Her series!
Find me here:
The Staircase Reader
May 29, 2018
This was definitely a 5 star read!! I loved it and finished it in a day!! There were lots of surprise twists and turns that I didn't see coming! I loved the chemistry between the two and could tell right from the start that they were meant to be together. This was my first book by Anna and I cannot wait to read another by her! I love love loved it!!! I'm definitely starting book 2 in this series ASAP!
February 6, 2020
While the age gap between the hero and heroine irked me at first; it was smoothly handled by the author! I definitely enjoyed Royce’s protective nature and Paisely’s optimistic attitude - though Royce and some other events did overshadow Paisley’s character development.
I am really excited to see how and where the author takes this series! ♥️
I am really excited to see how and where the author takes this series! ♥️
April 3, 2018
It has been awhile since I read a book in one sitting, but I could not put my kindle down! I absolutely love Royce & Paisley's story! This was my first book of Ms. Brooks' but certainly will not be the last. If you need me I'll be binge reading her other titles.
June 15, 2022
i love when she falls for her bodyguard one of my fav tropes
this book was so good i loved it
this book was so good i loved it
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