Her Bodyguard: Bodyguard Series, Book 1

Bodyguard #1

by Emily Hayes

Grayson Reilly is the ultimate bodyguard professional who doesn't fall for her clients . . . does she?

Savannah Casey is a spoiled little rich girl, and Gray is done working for spoiled brats. Savannah's father is very wealthy, and he promises to make this job worth Gray's time. He wants the best for his daughter who is at a very real risk of kidnap.

Gray doesn't want the job and Savannah seems determined to make it as difficult as possible for her to do her job.

If only Savannah wasn't so fiercely attractive . . .

Will Gray be able to stay professional? Will crossing her own boundaries put Savannah's safety at further risk?

Contains mature themes.

Genres: Romance, Butch Femme, Lesbian, Contemporary, Queer, LGBT, Enemies To Lovers

Audible Audio

Published July 16, 2024

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Reviews

[LEAH · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 ★ | This one should’ve stayed in the drafts.

[nia ✿]

if you wanna write a full novel do that don't just ram all of the plot and relationship development into a novella and call it a day without actually doing any of the work of actually making anything believable

i need to just stop reading novellas so few of them actually feel like novellas most of them seem like a 'shit draft*' of a book they wanna write. it's just the most barebones background info you can get away with, some emotional trauma that feels like an afterthought and then some spicy scenes that might be hot in a full novel with buildup but just seem insanely over the top horny in something as short as a novella

(*shit draft = it's what i call the first draft of my research papers etc. because i literally just vomit out anything and everything without using any sources just so i don't have to start from nothing)

also this has bothered me with the romance novellas i've been picking up/trying to pick up for some time this is just the one that got on my nerves enough to actually try to put my grievances into words.

sorry if this isn't the most coherent review but i just want this book to be over and done with today and I am too tired to care about anything else rn.

[Bárbara Sousa]

DNF @ 45%…
I wanted to stop sooner, but I kept trying to give it a chance, but I just couldn’t any more… This author’s books have great sinopses but then the story itself is just so rushed and there’s no build up and some characters, like the rich spoiled brats from this story, are just so rude that it’s a huge turn off, not to mention their behavior 💀
I’ve tried to enjoy this author’s books before, but it’s always almost DNF for me, sadly. This type of writing and pace just isn’t for me and after this, I’m done trying no matter how interesting the description is :/ the rest is always disappointing :(

[Netgyrl (Laura) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars - rounded up cuz I did read the whole thing.

Basically, this is a good outline for a descent lesbian p*rn movie. So if you just keep that in mind while reading and don't try to make it make sense you will probably enjoy it.

[heart ✼ · Rating 1 out of 5]

"i love you" y'all met 2 days ago 🫠

[Kie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This would’ve been a hit on AO3, but as a published book… not so much. Also, Savannah, if someone says no, take the no.

[MC Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was an interesting mix of too much, yet not enough.

There was a lot of build-up before the two protagonist’s got together, which consisted of Savannah tempting Gray, her bodyguard with her body, until she broke. However, even with all the page time before they got together, there wasn’t much in the way of them building a relationship unless you consider emotional manipulation and being an inconsiderate ass relationship building. To be fair, all of the actual relationship development through conversations between the MCs happens off-screen, which is a shame.

Now, I love a good bully romance, but this wasn't that. It was a spoiled brat toying with her bodyguard until she caught feels, and then she sort of felt bad.

Eventually, things happen that make Savannah take the threat to her life seriously, then the relationship goes from, I'm going to tease the ef out of you, to I want you because you saved me. Then, I'll make you love me. To top it all off, only two of the four or five sex scenes are between the pair.

Overall rating:⭐️⭐️1/2
Characters: 2/5
Prose: 3/5
Plot: 2/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

[Xiaoqing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this opposite attract, instant love story. There are so many sapphic love stories about falling for the tough bodyguard, but this one feels fresh and believable. The beautiful and bratty rich girl falling for the sexy and brave bodyguard is no surprise, especially after they spend weeks living together and getting to know each other. After all, it is hard not to fall for the person who will risk her own life to protect you. The writing is excellent, the characters attractive and lovable, and the happy ending sweet and satisfying. And I especially enjoyed the hot and steamy sex scenes.

[E · Rating 1 out of 5]

I felt like I was reading a fanfic by a 13yo. Poorly paced and overly horny.

[Claudia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a novella so it only scratched the surface on so many things it fell flat.
Savannah.Even though they aren’t together yet, I dislike that for most of the book Savannah is still sleeping around. To me it isn’t appealing to see MCs be intimate with others especially multiple times. 🙄 though the orgy was hot!
Now Gray.😒 I don’t understand why it was only her protecting Savannah especially when multiple times men came as a pack! Like girl where is YOUR backup?🙄 also Amelia, Grays past partner that sadly died was not really relevant. It was brought up about Gray being guilty about moving on and blah blah blah but we don’t really see Gray felling guilty.
I just found most of the book annoying with annoying characters. Also hate third POVs

[JB · Rating 1 out of 5]

Almost DNF. The only redeeming quality is the narrator.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️?? I felt like too much happened and not enough happened

[Scriptmonkey · Rating 1 out of 5]

The best thing I can say about this book is that it was short--though that's also part of the problem. The story is too short to provide more depth than a hot tub. It drops some promising pieces but leaves it to the reader to imagine more. The ending feels very rushed and the only reason I can think for doing it was to reduce the costs of publishing a print version (or the audiobook).

It seems every story in the "lesbian/sapphic romance" genre as Amazon calls it, that has an MC who is a cop, a soldier, or works some sort of personal security (Gray is both a former soldier and a bodyguard), says they are THE BEST at their job, but everything in the story demonstrates they are terrible at it. To be fair, since it appears most romance authors aren't overly burdened by details, the MCs are terrible at any job they have, but it really shines when they get to hold a gun.

We meet Gray on a job and her client is immediately put in danger because "they won't listen to her" and then Gray is shot. She's just the best. She has the client call 911. The client can barely form words but Gray knows they will track the phone. How? How will they immediately track a cell phone? Calling the ISP? Getting a court order? Magic? This is a medical emergency. From there, the reader learns that Gray owns a company with several employees that can work as bodyguards. Don't worry, you won't meet them and they'll never be useful even when the situation demands it.

After recovering from being a backstop for a bullet, Gray's very next job is protecting a similar spoiled rich kid client, Savannah. Her dad owns a big ol' shipping company and engages in smuggling to provide rates that undercut competitors. You might think such a detail would have ramifications, but you would be wrong. Sure, it seems the competition wants to kidnap Savannah to force Daddy Smugglebucks to change his business practices, but that goes nowhere either.

In any case, the excellent at her job, paragon of professionalism that is Gray, immediately lusts for Savannah. Why bother to establish and develop chemistry between characters when you can just state they are hot for each other? The reader simply must accept this reality. So, within maybe a day, when Savannah drags a date into her bedroom, Gray--the ultimate professional--leaves her unguarded to rub one out. She nearly squirts onto her pants. Yes, it should be noted that both MCs are squirters. Why should it be noted? Because the author states it repeatedly. That night, Gray does it again.

When an abduction attempt by several armed men is foiled, Savannah is shaken and this eventually prompts Gray (see: The Best at her Job), to initiate a kiss. She breaks it off and resists Savannah's seduction attempts over the next several days, until she doesn't and turns into a dominatrix, rationalizing that instead of being the height of unprofessional behavior, she is protecting her.

A second abduction attempt by a gaggle of armed men prompts the sex and this thought. At this point, I think I should remind the reader that Gray owns a company with several employees. She calls no one. She doesn't even call the father. So it is that, when Savannah cajoles a drunk on sex Gray to get their nails done, Gray agrees--knowing it is a bad idea. As with the opening scene, it is. Ten armed men storm a freaking nail salon and abduct both of them.

Gray, who is so good at her job, she didn't recon the salon to learn there wasn't a back door (but those places always have back doors) and didn't even attempt to call for backup or the police when she saw the kidnappers coming (and didn't appear to deal with the police on either of the other two abduction attempts).

Gray is knocked out after implausibly taking down most of the men. While unconscious, Savannah's first thought as she looks at Gray's face is how she had been sitting on it earlier. That's her first thought? Then she blushes. You are kidnapped, woman! Then again, Savannah also declared that "If I change my life around, they have already won!" These aren't terrorists, you ninny. These are kidnappers. There is a crucial difference.

Moving on, Gray wakes up and asks, "how long was I out?" and Savannah comforts her by saying, "Not long, a half an hour." This is a trope of 99% of fiction in books, TV, and movie that makes me cringe. If you are knocked out by a blow to the head for 30 minutes (hell, in some media they are knocked out for hours), you have a severe brain injury. When you see a boxer or football player get knocked out, they are usually awake in seconds, and they still almost certainly have a concussion.

Gray convinces the stupidest kidnapper ever to untie her because she needs to pee. This goes poorly for him and then Gray turns into a superhero and shoots and kills all but one of the attackers (he's knocked out--for as long as necessary), but is shot--again. She falls unconscious (again) from the blood loss, but later the doctor assures us despite the exsanguination, the bullet didn't hit anything vital. Another stupid book/tv/movie trope. You were shot dead center in your abdomen. Intestines, the stomach, or other organs were hit. The client calls 911 (again) and she can't speak (again) and we're assured they will immediately track the cell phone and find them at this unknown location before Gray bleeds out. Magic! Spoiler alert: Unfortunately, they do!

One last thing, Savannah's father kept trying to control her by threatening to freeze her trust fund. I'm guessing Emily Hayes doesn't know how trust funds work. Savannah is over 21. This isn't a testamentary trust. This was a trust set up for a minor. There would be, at the least, legal proceedings that would be necessary to freeze an adult's trust. It was just a MacGuffin to force Savannah to do what the author wanted anyway. I wonder if I can knock myself out for thirty minutes by bashing my head on the desk and forget I ever read this book? Fingers-crossed.

[Amounah Works · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love the erotic, but it doesn't flow in this story. It's not good.

[Lucien St Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book courtesy of the Kindle Program and I gave the book 3 stars but I think it should really be 3.5 because I feel a bit ambivalent about it. The premise is good but the execution needs a bit of work. We have two protagonists the spoilt bratty pretty rich girl Savannah, and the Stoic butch bodyguard Grayson. I gave a star for the whole masc, butch presenting thing cos I feel like such characters they always get a raw deal in books. Either they are femmed up or made to be wet butches (always crying) or super emo so I really liked Grayson's unrelenting stoic vibe. Nothing phased her. I loved that.
I also enjoyed the physical action in the book, martial arts, bullets flying, our bodyguard was a professional and it was a gr8 change from so many books in this genre where either the sapphic bodyguard herself has to be rescued or even worse there is absolutely no physical action at all it all becomes a let down but that was not the case here.
On the other hand Savannah and her father were a little stereotyipical and one dimensional I get that she was young and rich but it was a little unrealistic how she was not quite in control of her finances despite her having a relatively lucrative job i feel this area needs more research or clarification.
The only other ingredient missing really was suspense there needed to be suspense around the antagonist who in this case was entirely faceless. I never realised how much you need a villain until I read this book. Otherwise its not a bad book but a lot more work needs to be done around character development ie the villain, Savannah's Dad etc.

[Lez_be_readin_ya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gray is a strong powerful woman who kicks arse and takes no names, after being shot at her last job he is ready to start working again, and she reluctantly takes a job protecting the daughter of a wealthy businessman as a competitor has threatened her life.

When Savannah is told that she will be getting a Bodyguard she is passed, to say the least, she thinks that her Father has hired Gray to keep tabs on her and report back so she goes out of her way to do everything she can to try and make Gray quit, however as stubborn as Savannah is, Gray is more stubborn and will not quit no matter what Savannah throws at her.

After a close call with some not-so-nice men and a big black van, Grey and Savannah start getting a little closer, spending more time together and getting to know each other on a more personal level, and Savannah's behaviour changes when they are alone together.

Even with the threat Savannah continues to test Gray's patients in more ways than one. But will Gray give in to temptations and show Savannah who really is the boss?

Another great book by Emily! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I highly recommend reading this! I can't wait for the second of the series to come out, April 3rd can't come around quickly enough!

Star rating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice rating. 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[B, · Rating 4 out of 5]

A safe bet

Her Bodyguard is the story of Grayson “Gray” Reilly, formerly in the Army and now operating her own personal security business, who’s been hired to protect Savannah, the twenty-something lesbian daughter of billionaire Simon Casey.

Savannah lives as an “It” girl, concerned with maintaining access to her trust fund and her image as a rich, popular partier — rather than pursuing her passion as an artist.

Savannah strenuously objects to Gray’s oversight, denying she’s in any danger and assuming Gray’s only purpose is to spy for Simon.

Gray left the Army due to the death of her girlfriend Amelia in Afghanistan and hasn’t been attracted to anyone since.

Determined to compel Gray to quit, Savannah first tries to repel her by having lewd sex with multiple partners while Gray is on duty and forced to watch. When that fails, Savannah targets Gray herself to seduce.

Still mourning Amelia and concerned about breaching her professional ethics, Gray fends off Savannah’s attempts to seduce her. She successfully keeps her distance until traumatic circumstances break down her wall.

The story is one of Gray’s recovery and reopening her heart and Savannah’s living independently of her father’s influence.

[V · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

I'm surprised by some of the reviews here. Knowing Emily Hayes style of writing and the book being only 3 hours long, it's hard to expect indepth exploration to any of the characters. It's short and compact like a novella with lots of random spicy scenes thrown in. I guess I wasn't expecting some literary masterpiece and only enjoying it for what it is.

What the author could have done better at was determining Savannah's motivation. Yes she needed to keep up with her appearances for her socialite status but her character was supposed to be different and those things weren't meant to be the real her. So after being in danger multiple times you would think she'll change but she seems to snap out of it quickly and back to her old ways.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I had just finished an 8 hour book right before this one and I can't really remember what it was even about so at least this one was entertaining.

[Gina L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Butch/Femme Storyline!

I thought the book had a great storyline. Butch Bodyguard and Femme bratty client. I love the bodyguard trope and Grey handled that well. Strong, confident and sexy as hell. The bratty, spoiled Savannah is a character. She doesn’t believe her life is in danger until it is. Having Grey with her was supposed to be a turning point but she doesn’t heed the warning. Spending all her available time being a bitch to Grey. I think since this was a shorter story and details are usually left out, that maybe there was just too much brazen, bratty behavior with Grey having to take it. But I love Emily Hayes writing and I will be looking for the next one in series.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t know what I was expecting from this novella. I felt a bit disappointed when I finished the book. Nothing happens except for Savannah’s self-centered narcissistic behavior for about 2/3 of the book, and then one scene changes everything. Other than her looks, I don’t see what Gray saw in Savannah. It wasn’t until a consequential event happened that Savannah took Gray seriously and then revealed her talent as an artist, which then made everything fine. Gray was unprofessional, too. She should have assigned one of her employees when she knew she was becoming enamored with Savannah.

[Carolyn G. Manuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Protection is my business.

Grayson Reilly is head of a protection agency and back on the job. Savanna Casey is the daughter of a shipping magnate and in danger because of business. Savanna is a rich model used to getting her way and doesn’t cooperate in any way. Gray is attracted to her but fighting feelings for any but Amelia who died In Afghanistan. A thriller with a sapphic romance.

[Robin Kenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one very sexy read. The story stands up well to the sex so it is a win win!

Emily Hayes has once again written a deeply satisfying book full of good characters, a delightful story line and plenty of very hot sex! Any two of these can make for a good read, so getting all three is a bonus. I strongly suggest you purchase, and dive in right away. Then share with your friends how hot it is and encourage them to buy as well.

[Blessing Akpoyibo · Rating 1 out of 5]

The people saying this book is good are honestly the type of people who read Colleen Hoover and enjoy it. I don't think I'll ever finish this. I tried so hard to like it just because it was pride month at the time I was reading it and I didn't wanna ruin my only gay reading streak. I came back to it this year it took me months to pick the book where I left and yet again hated it. It really shouldn't have been published.

[Chelles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Her Bodyguard

This had the potential to be a good romance thriller. I mean ex-military turned private bodyguard vs. spoiled daughter of a billionaire. And I do mean "vs." because she was playing some serious games with her body guard.

Gray and Savannah did have some chemistry. There were some suspenseful moments. I feel that it was too short though. A longer story would've made it more exciting. However, it's a good quick read if you're looking for one.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Her bodyguard 🔥

I did like it , the body guard Gray sounded very sexy and strong and good at her work . But her client was a very spoiled rich brat that needed to grow up. I like the intense in the story when danger was near , saving the girl , falling in love . I have enjoyed every book I have of Emily Hayes and this one is great

[Zayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very hot and sexy as aways. Gray just couldn't seem to catch a break from Savannah's constant teasing and somewhat successfully in attempts to break her bodyguard. I did like the idea that she doesn't immediately deny their obvious chemistry like so many other writers tend to do with this whole bodyguard trope.

[Christine Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow gripping storyline

Wow amazing gripping storyline it was captivating intense sizzling hot passionate understanding loving everything you want in a book definitely top three must read outstanding congratulations

[Joanna Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story, good characters

I would recommend this book to anyone who like well-written stories with good descriptive scenes. The bodyguard is a hard-as-nails army vet tasked with protecting a spoiled heiress, with lots of expected and unexpected drama.

[Zureena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bodyguards.....

Emily has done it again. Looking forward (excited) to start reading the rest of this new series. Book was good, but i wanted to {b#tch} slap that Savannah. She don't deserve our Bodyguard. Amazing and gripping as always, don't miss out.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the Book

Reading how bodyguard Gray and model/painter/spoiled rich girl Savvanah butt heads was a joy. Ms Hayes creates characters where you want to meet them for a day out. The chemistry between Gray and Savvanah was hot. This was an enjoyable experience.