The Bodyguard

Captive Hearts #3

by Joan Johnston

Sworn to protect her, he was forbidden to touch her....Joan Johnston is a masterful creator of unforgettable characters and stories that make you feel as if you're falling in love again. Now she sweeps you back to Regency-era Scotland, where a determined young woman challenges a man's world—even as she embraces the outsider who protects her life and steals her heart....When the tall, rugged stranger stepped out of the shadows and rescued her from a fate worse than death, Katherine MacKinnon knew she had found her bodyguard. With his steely arms and reckless courage, he would shield her from her clansmen, who refused to accept her as laird, and from the hated Duke of Blackthorne, who controlled her family's lands. As her desire grew for the mysterious man who was constantly by her side, she had no idea that she was falling in love with the enemy himself....

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Regency Romance, Scotland, Adult

418 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Joan Johnston (born Little Rock, Arkansas) is a best-selling American author of over forty contemporary and historical romance novels.

Johnston was the third of seven children born to an Air Force sergeant and his music-teacher wife. She received a B.A. in theatre arts from Jacksonville University in 1970, then earning an M.A. in theatre from the University of Illinois, Urbana in 1971. She received a law degree (with honors) at the University of Texas at Austin in 1980. For the next five years, Johnston worked as an attorney, serving with the Hunton & Williams firm in Richmond, Virginia, and with Squire, Sanders, & Dempsey in Miami. She has also worked as a newspaper editor and drama critic in San Antonio, Texas, and as a college professor at Southwest Texas Junior College, Barry University, and the University of Miami.

Johnston is a member of the Authors Guild, Novelists, Inc., Romance Writers of America, and Florida Romance Writers. She has two children and one grandchild, and divides her time between two homes, in Colorado and Florida.

Awards

* Paperbook Book Club of America's Book Rak Award (twice)
* Romantic Times' Best Western Historical Series Award (twice)
* Romantic Times' Best New Western Writer
* Romantic Times' Best Historical Series Award (twice)
* The Maggie (twice)
* Romance Writers of America RITA Award finalist for The Disobedient Bride

Reviews

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this story, as I always do with Johnston, although the ending seemed a bit abrupt, but overall a good light read.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I finally finished this book. The beginning was exciting and lured me in. I won't rehash the story line as many others have in previous reviews.
I liked the premise that the handsome guy with the amnesia who washed up on the beach could help protect the pretty lady from the people who wanted to force her to wed them, so they could take the land and castle that is so coveted, a woman can't rule!
After a while, I forgot that Alex was her bodyguard and more of a love interest. She didn't know who he was and he didn't know why she was determined to seduce him. Just seemed far fetched that they and local folks didn't put two and two together about the ship accident and Alex suddenly appearing with no memory. There was some definite lust /attraction between them, took a long time, like most of the book for them to act on the lust. He was possessive and she was deceiving him for her own gain.
When I finished the book I realized that there was no real romance involved, some hot sex but filled with regret and dishonesty. How is that Kitt can be having lots of sex with this man with for months and not conceive?It seemed like she was letting him use her and she didn't let herself enjoy it, because of the deception? Her main goal and reason to be with Alex? Then BAM! An almost rape, angry forced sex and lo and behold, she ends up pregnant! Alex left for almost a year after that last angry encounter. He didn't even wonder is she was pregnant during that time. Then suddenly he finds out and they have an agreement and he decides to bring Kitt and their babe into the family! Well, maybe only the baby! Heartless! No, a mom doesn't leave her infant child to man she dislike so she can have her ancestral home! Maybe I wold have liked it better if it was several years later and she remarried and was a widow and then he found out he was a father and seeks her out! Nope, it was a rushed 9 or 10 months later they make a deal, everything is forgiven and they live happily ever after with his twin daughters. Barf!
There was a lot of anger that just got put away and not dealt with. Lust won over common sense and general dislike towards each other towards the end.
It was one of the most disappointing endings I have read in a long time! It did end abruptly! There was really no emotional connection between Alex and Kitt. Just sex to make an heir!
I wanted to finish to see how the conflicts were solved.They were mostly. This is obviously an ongoing series because the villans just sort of vanished or got sent away! I would like to read about Alex's twin girls as adults and Laddie all grown up.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot, but the end was so hard to read because of the mass amount of misunderstandings. Both of them were being ridiculous so it just got tedious. I wouldn’t be against reading the next one though, as there’s still some unfinished business with Marcus.

[Fafiliebe ♥ Warner ♥ Raffe ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars..

The end was haste and unbelievable, he left her a year, and then abruptly returned to her, still in love with her..
She also gave him no reason to trust her again..

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did really enjoy this book. Kitt Mackinnon becomes the laird of her claim when her father dies. The problem is none of the men will follow her direction or stop trying to seduce her. On top of that her fathers dying wish was that Kitt should attempt to marry the English Duke of blackthorne, in order to gain the land that was rightfully theirs. This is no easy feat for kitt as the Duke has treated the villages horribly and is responsible for the death of her former lover, not to mention the animosity between the Scots and the English. However the Duke of Blackthorne is attacked on his way to Scotland and thrown overboard of his ship. He washes up on the Scottish shore with no memory of who he is. He then wanders taking the name Alex Wheaton trying to figure out what happened. Kitt gets words that the Duke has died at sea and fears that she has lost all hope of reclaiming the land. Alex travels with no memory until he accidentally saves Kitt from being raped by one of her clansman. Kitt then hires Alex as her bodyguard to protect her and help her gain some respect from the men. Unbeknownst to Kitt, she just hired the Duke of Blackthorne! As alex struggles to remember himself, Kitt tries to help her clan survive on their measly resources. Somewhere along the way, Kitt unknowingly falls in love with the one man she said she’d always hate, and while Alex doesn’t know anything, he knows he loves Kitt.

I did love majority of this book. But unfortunately like a lot of historical romances they fumbled the ending. I didn’t love the miscommunication when Alex finally remembered who he was, and Kitt finding out before hand but never telling him. Realistically Kitt should’ve told Alex as soon as she found out his identity. But even so Alex reacted horribly after the fact and refused to believe Kitt ever loved him. And then they spend more than a year apart right at the end!!! I hate when there’s huge time jumps apart. And then when they finally got back together it was very rushed. Alex just suddenly believed Kitt really did love him, when she literally was telling him that the whole time. This book was fantastic, 3/4 of really fun and cute. Love the bodyguard trope as well. I did like the forgotten memory part of the plot as well. I just did not like the ending and the huge miscommunication part.

[Cindy Beasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspense and Drama all through the book

There was always well laid plans depending whose side you were fighting and rooting for, English against Scottish and then the ones trying to kill the Duke of Blackthorne. Would the Duke get to the bottom of everything to live happily ever after. Enough people stood in his way for sure. A good book to continue the series, now to the next one.

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off relatively strong. The characters felt real and I enjoyed the romance. The ending is sadly what ruined the book. The ending was so abrupt and it felt like the author had to rush to finish.

[Caley · Rating 2 out of 5]

So frustrating with all the miscommunication and then it doesn't really get resolved in the book. Just an "I've always loved you" from her and "you're so beautiful" from him with a page left in the book meaning they'll talk about the fact that she didn't kidnap him or have sex with someone else.

[Debbie Dodd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading.

[sandy forguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book 👍👍

[Jenna ( Chicken Mama ) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wasn't really impressed with the whole story.

[Julie Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good series!

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy reading, page turner for me!

[Jacque · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable reading.

[S D]

It's a romance novel. And I got surprisingly invested in it.

[Shanie Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uggh. Grow up

[christy turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read

I really enjoy reading your books. You did an awesome job on this series. I can't wait to start my next book.

[Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Didn’t like the ending. It was was abrupt and weird.

[Jane Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Average story telling. Predictable. Nothing special. I wasn’t drawn in. A number of his and her actions weren’t believable.

STORY BRIEF:
Kitt’s ancestors owned Castle MacKinnon. The English won the land 50 years earlier and the castle is now owned by the English Duke of Blackthorne. The current Scottish tenants are close to starvation due to the high rents charged by the Duke. Kitt is an only child. Her father makes Kitt promise to marry the Duke of Blackthorne or to get pregnant by him as a way to get the land back into Scottish hands. He then announces that Kitt is to be laird/lady of the clan upon his death. After he dies, the men of the clan want her to marry one of them. She says she needs time to decide, but she keeps secret her plan for the Duke. Meanwhile she is attacked and almost raped by one of the men which would force her to marry him. She decides she needs a bodyguard.

The Duke is traveling by boat to Scotland. Three men were hired to kill him. They beat him, take his clothes, tie his hands and feet, and throw him overboard. He survives and ends up on the beach but has amnesia. He doesn’t know who he is or where he came from. He meets a young boy who suggests he speak with a Scottish accent, since the English are hated here. He ends up at Kitt’s cottage where he saves her from a rape attack. She asks him to be her bodyguard. He agrees.

REVIEWER’S OPINION – CAUTION SPOILERS:
This was too much like so many other historical romances. I needed something to be special or different. The conflicts didn’t work for me. She thinks he is Scottish and tells him she plans to get pregnant by the Duke. After she learns he’s the Duke, she starts having sex with him but doesn’t tell him who he really is. She’s in love with him, but she lies to him. Later he learns who he is, but doesn’t let her know he knows. They continue a sexual relationship for a while until he admits to her who he is. Then he shows anger and leaves. Why didn’t he show anger before? Then a year goes by, and all of a sudden he forgives her, and they will be together. I’m sorry, but it just didn’t work for me.

DATA:
Story length: 402 pages. Swearing language: mild, including religious swear words. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 4. Total number of sex scene pages: 12. Setting: 1796 Scotland and England. Copyright: 1998. Genre: historical romance.

[Ariel · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I've had this book sitting on my shelf for a VERY long time and I finally decided to give this book a shot since I've been in a bit of a reading slump.

I was very disappointed...first off, i really kinda HATE amnesia plots...if I had known amnesia was a huge plot device for this book I wouldn't have picked it up.

Alastair (Alex) Wharton aka the Duke of Blackthorne is on his way to Scotland when he's attacked and thrown overboard his ship and left to drown. He washes up on shore with no memory of who or where he is. He meets our heroine Katherine (Kitt) MacKinnon and agrees to become her bodyguard. Why does she need a bodyguard you ask? Well, her father named her Laird when he died and now every man in the clan is trying to jump her in order to get her pregnant, marry her, and become Laird. Normally, marrying a clansman wouldn't be a problem, but Kitt has her sights set on the English Duke of Blackthorne whose family took over her clan's lands years ago. Kitt hopes to trick the Duke into getting her with child and then marrying her, making her son the heir to their stolen lands. When word spreads that the Duke is dead from drowning at sea, Kitt thinks all her plans for regaining her lands are ruined. Of course there is a villain out to get everyone to achieve is ends and lots and lots of angsty misunderstandings *eyeroll*

This book was incredibly predictable with these "enemies" falling for each other only for misunderstands and Alex's returned memory to fuck everything up. I really didn't like Kitt at all...she was annoying and pigheaded as she tried to be Laird and prove she could do the job as any other man. But then she'd never accept help from others or listen to other's opinions before making rash, heart-driven decisions. Alex was a much better character who was fleshed out a bit more...I felt bad about his circumstances and wanted him to get back home to his daughters.

The last couple chapters were very rushed and did a lot of time skipping around. One minute we were leaving for London and the next it was 9 months later...

Overall, this wasn't a horrible book. I did like some of the side characters like Laddie/Michael and I did enjoy reading about Alex, but this book really could have been better. Like I said, I don't like amnesia plotlines so maybe I'm biased...but this just wasn't my cup of tea.

[Shen Git · Rating 1 out of 5]

Truly disappointing. I wanted to flesh out my Men In Kilts category, and I just couldn’t bring myself to finish this.

Scotland, approximately Regency-era-ish? Hard to know.

I wasn’t too keen on the opening chapter, but, hey, openers are hard. Kitt’s father, the head of Clan McKlintock, is dying, and he asks her To Do Something For Him. We don’t get to know what. He also names her the new Clan Chief, defying all sorts of convention, etc. She is worried, but determined.

Cut to a ship in the middle of a terrible storm. Alex, lord whatever of Blackthorne Abbey, is being tossed about and could well die. Cue lengthy flashback to the past ten years of his life! He used to a naive romantic, he married a slutty, mean-spirited woman named Penthia (PENTHIA.) and they had twin girls. Penthia’s a bitch, slept with his brother, and told Alex the twins are not his. Alex was all, like, sensible and shit, and shunned the children even though he has adored them since they were born and still does. Love children, hurt by mother, put up giant wall so the kids think you’re a cold bastard. Totally makes sense. In the last few months, Penthia died of drunkenly falling down the stairs (thus completing the unholy checklist of unforgivable sins), and Alex only realized how much he loves and misses his children nine days ago, when he resolved to not be such a dick to them anymore. Then he left for Scotland. Clever.

Wait, where we were? Oh, right, on a ship about to sink! The ship sights land, but the other sailors have it in for him. They beat the crap out of Alex, and toss him overboard. He nearly drowns, but is awake long enough to see that the ship does sink. Fade out to painful oblivion.

Full Review: http://www.thewordofgit.com/readingba...

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whew! It's been awhile since I've read a Joan Johnston romance and to be honest, this one did not knock my socks off. Her books tend to be rather too lukewarm for my tastes. The Bodyguard stayed consistent with this description. The story had a solid storyline, but the characters just didn't POP. The pace/development of the story was also too slow for my tastes. My attention would begin to wonder, and then, towards the middle I started to rush, just wanting to get to the end. The author wasn't very successful at conveying a contagious passion between the hero and heroine either. The sex scenes seemed rushed and very generic. The "lukewarmness" I felt was mostly due to this aspect of the story. I'm one of those stubborn avid readers who just has to finish a book, no matter what. It's some sadistic challenge for me, I guess? I rarely leave a book unfinished. Of course, anyone who knows me won't be surprised to read that the one aspect of the story I did like was Scottish historical setting. I like me Scots! :-D However, overall, this romance only garnered a 2.5-star rating from me. I can't really recommend it for a future read since there isn't anything outstanding about it.

[Susan Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Up until the last two chapters I would have given this book 5 stars. I absolutely loved it. But the ending was so disappointingly abrupt and had no realistic resolution. The hero leaving the heroine for a year was so out of character, and such a cop out on the part of the author that, although it had the usual happy ending, you felt like you'd been cheated out of an ending as enchanting as the rest of the story. This was the second time I've read the book just because most of it is wonderful. I think she should rewrite the ending.

P.S. I’m not sure why Blackthorne absolved the Earl of Carlisle of blame for the attacks on his life. Although the earl did not arrange the attacks, he knew who was responsible and did not tell Blackthorne. Doesn’t that make him an accessory to the crime?

[Bunga · Rating 4 out of 5]

A page turner! Mostly menceritakan tentang apa saja yang terjadi ketika Alastair (Alex) menghilang di lautan. Ketika itu dia dinyatakan meninggal tenggelam dan kapalnya karam. Tapi sebenarnya ada percobaan pembunuhan terhadap Alastair dan dia berhasil lolos meski amnesia. Di saat dia kehilangan memori, Alex ditawari untuk menjadi bodyguardnya Katherine/Kitt. Kitt ini barusan ditunjuk menggantikan ayahnya utk menjadi Laird, tp sayangnya klannya menolak utk dipimpin seorang wanita. Solusinya Kitt harus cari suami yg bisa dijadikan Laird. Ternyata dia malah tertarik sama bodyguardnya sendiri.

Overall, saya belum nemu novel Joan Johnston yg ga bagus. Novel ini baguuuss.. dan bikin saya penasaran dgn novel berikutnya ttg Lord Calisle & Regina.

[Flora · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've gone and sampled a couple of these books, and the folks in this one seem to be the sanest of the bunch. I'm not sure this is saying much -- we're not talking cute-nutty here. What's up with the angry men? Does it get better in other time eras/settings? Is this just a product of its time? Or is stuff like this the reason I ditched Regencies for a decade or so?

[Marty Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friends close -Enemies closer

Pay attention. Amnesia,Scotish lore, two-faced enemies, greed...shall I go on? In the meantime, Katherine and Alex fall in love. Can their storied past hold them apart? Joan Johnston masters historical romance

[beverly harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loves ups and downs

I loved every moment of this story. The characters touched my heart. There were many ups and downs that kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't put it down for long. Will definitely read this one again after I read the 1st two in the series.

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

#3 in the Captive Hearts series.

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, but the characters were very frustrating at times.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

ok it was exactly what I expected and that was good, kept me entertained, a nice quick easy read, will have to check out the sequeal