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Worthings #3
Redemption
I used to be a cliche. A wild, selfish party girl with a rich daddy and an assortment of bad habits and addictions. I was famous for being bad and an expert at getting my way. Except with my bodyguard, Caleb, who was the only person I couldn't manipulate. After going through rehab, I've spent the past three years living a quiet life with my art and a few friends in a small town in Maine. I stay out of the spotlight and try to make up for my past mistakes.
But I haven't seen Caleb since the worst day of my life, and I don't want to see him again. He reminds me of everything I did wrong. But when my family's stalker gets out of prison and turns his attention to me, I need extra protection, and Caleb has always been the best.
So now I'm forced to confront the memories I've tried to forget and a lot of intense feelings for Caleb that I've never acknowledged before.
But I haven't seen Caleb since the worst day of my life, and I don't want to see him again. He reminds me of everything I did wrong. But when my family's stalker gets out of prison and turns his attention to me, I need extra protection, and Caleb has always been the best.
So now I'm forced to confront the memories I've tried to forget and a lot of intense feelings for Caleb that I've never acknowledged before.
228 pages, ebook
Published February 16, 2024
56 people are currently reading
136 people want to read
About the author
Noelle Adams
139 books2,689 followersNoelle handwrote her first romance novel in a spiral-bound notebook when she was twelve, and she hasn't stopped writing since. She has lived in eight different states and currently resides in Virginia, where she teaches English, reads any book she can get her hands on, and offers tribute to a very spoiled cocker spaniel.
She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary romances.
She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary romances.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
February 13, 2024
Now this is a bodyguard romance done right! I absolutely LOVED everything about this couple’s relationship.
I was a little leery when Louisa’s past was revealed. It’s a tricky one to navigate but this author developed this character in such a way that I found myself empathizing with her past struggles and cheering for her current lifestyle choices. Caleb was such an amazing hero. He was right there for her every step of the way. I loved that even without his point of view, this author wrote in a way that his thoughts and emotions were easy enough to decipher.
This has a touch of intrigue and drama running through it although it does not consume the story. This is above all else a romance that hit all my sweet spots with plenty of relationship building and enough steam to fog my glasses. Definitely worth picking up.
Heroine POV
Safe
Triggers
Steam
I was a little leery when Louisa’s past was revealed. It’s a tricky one to navigate but this author developed this character in such a way that I found myself empathizing with her past struggles and cheering for her current lifestyle choices. Caleb was such an amazing hero. He was right there for her every step of the way. I loved that even without his point of view, this author wrote in a way that his thoughts and emotions were easy enough to decipher.
This has a touch of intrigue and drama running through it although it does not consume the story. This is above all else a romance that hit all my sweet spots with plenty of relationship building and enough steam to fog my glasses. Definitely worth picking up.
Heroine POV
Safe
Triggers
Steam
March 11, 2026
2.5✨
Well man, this was kinda BORING. Former wild child rich girl x bodyguard sounded exactly like my jam, but where was the tension? The angst? The longing? Just didn’t do it for me, unfortunately.
Well man, this was kinda BORING. Former wild child rich girl x bodyguard sounded exactly like my jam, but where was the tension? The angst? The longing? Just didn’t do it for me, unfortunately.
February 11, 2024
Love this series and seeing this family get their HEAs.
A solid take on a bodyguard romance. I enjoyed watching Louisa work through her previous challenges and show Caleb who she is now. Through her embarrassment and attraction to him, they muddle their way to an HEA.
I think Noelle Adams is able to make the most of natural awkwardness that comes from an awareness to the person we like. While we can see inside Louisa's head, we can still infer some things from Caleb's actions.
It was a very sweet story, as always, and I had all the warm and fuzzies for them when I was finished. I am really looking forward to the next one. It's the whole reason I jumped on this series.
4 stars
2.5 on the spice scale
CW: previous drug use, attempted assault
A solid take on a bodyguard romance. I enjoyed watching Louisa work through her previous challenges and show Caleb who she is now. Through her embarrassment and attraction to him, they muddle their way to an HEA.
I think Noelle Adams is able to make the most of natural awkwardness that comes from an awareness to the person we like. While we can see inside Louisa's head, we can still infer some things from Caleb's actions.
It was a very sweet story, as always, and I had all the warm and fuzzies for them when I was finished. I am really looking forward to the next one. It's the whole reason I jumped on this series.
4 stars
2.5 on the spice scale
CW: previous drug use, attempted assault
February 20, 2026
Bodyguard romances are my weakness.
February 18, 2024
A quick enjoyable read with some great tropes: bodyguard, age gap, mutual pining, only one bed, caretaking, touch her and die and some suspense and action.
Delivers exactly as it should.
Delivers exactly as it should.
October 8, 2025
Redemption by Noelle Adams tells the story of Louisa Worthing, who was once the quintessential rich girl spiraling through parties and bad decisions. Louisa has spent the past three years rebuilding her life in quiet anonymity. Sober and focused on her art, and learning what it means to live without chaos. But when a stalker who was focused on someone else in her family shifts focus to her, Louisa’s peace is shattered, and the man assigned to protect her is none other than Caleb, the ex-military bodyguard who has seen her at her worst.
Their shared history stretches back years. Becoming part of her life when she was merely sixteen years old, he was the one man she could not manipulate, the one who drew boundaries and held firm even when she tried every trick in her arsenal to test them. When trouble comes calling and Caleb is reassigned to protect her, Louisa is determined that this time around, she will redeem herself.
The chemistry between them is undeniable, but Adams writes it with restraint and emotional depth rather than dramatics. Louisa’s attraction to Caleb is not born of rebellion anymore, but rather rooted in understanding and a deep sense of yearning that goes beyond anything she has experience before.
Caleb, for his part, fights a losing battle against his feelings, torn between loyalty, morality, and the haunting awareness that he has always wanted her, regardless. Their romance builds slowly, with Louisa determined to take responsibility for her prior life and actions, and Caleb equally determined not to hold them against her.
What stood out most to me was the sensitivity with which Adams handles Louisa’s recovery. There’s no melodrama here, just the day-to-day honesty of a woman who knows that redemption is never a straight path. Louisa’s guilt over her past isn’t glossed over, and Caleb’s hesitancy feels both justified and also adds that delicious layer of angst to the story. Caleb low-key reminded me of Grant from Princess by Claire Kent, another pseudonym used by Noelle Adams. Their love unfolds with a kind of gentle realism that makes the eventual connection feel that much more worth it when all is said and done.
The only weak thread in an otherwise beautifully told story was the stalker subplot. It serves its purpose in bringing Caleb back into Louisa’s life, but it remains peripheral to the emotional core of the novel. The tension it introduces feels muted compared to the internal struggles both characters face. That said, it does not detract from what truly matters here; their journey toward forgiveness, both of each other and themselves.
Recommended for: readers who enjoy emotional, character-driven romances with age-gap and forbidden elements, and second chances built on quiet strength rather than grand gestures.
Final Verdict: Thoughtful and tender, Redemption is a novel that is quietly powerful and deeply human!
Rating = 4/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit A Maldivian's Passion for Romance
Their shared history stretches back years. Becoming part of her life when she was merely sixteen years old, he was the one man she could not manipulate, the one who drew boundaries and held firm even when she tried every trick in her arsenal to test them. When trouble comes calling and Caleb is reassigned to protect her, Louisa is determined that this time around, she will redeem herself.
The chemistry between them is undeniable, but Adams writes it with restraint and emotional depth rather than dramatics. Louisa’s attraction to Caleb is not born of rebellion anymore, but rather rooted in understanding and a deep sense of yearning that goes beyond anything she has experience before.
Caleb, for his part, fights a losing battle against his feelings, torn between loyalty, morality, and the haunting awareness that he has always wanted her, regardless. Their romance builds slowly, with Louisa determined to take responsibility for her prior life and actions, and Caleb equally determined not to hold them against her.
What stood out most to me was the sensitivity with which Adams handles Louisa’s recovery. There’s no melodrama here, just the day-to-day honesty of a woman who knows that redemption is never a straight path. Louisa’s guilt over her past isn’t glossed over, and Caleb’s hesitancy feels both justified and also adds that delicious layer of angst to the story. Caleb low-key reminded me of Grant from Princess by Claire Kent, another pseudonym used by Noelle Adams. Their love unfolds with a kind of gentle realism that makes the eventual connection feel that much more worth it when all is said and done.
The only weak thread in an otherwise beautifully told story was the stalker subplot. It serves its purpose in bringing Caleb back into Louisa’s life, but it remains peripheral to the emotional core of the novel. The tension it introduces feels muted compared to the internal struggles both characters face. That said, it does not detract from what truly matters here; their journey toward forgiveness, both of each other and themselves.
Recommended for: readers who enjoy emotional, character-driven romances with age-gap and forbidden elements, and second chances built on quiet strength rather than grand gestures.
Final Verdict: Thoughtful and tender, Redemption is a novel that is quietly powerful and deeply human!
Rating = 4/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit A Maldivian's Passion for Romance
February 15, 2024
This is book three in The Worthingtons series and it is Louisa and Caleb’s story and omg it is definitely a must read. Louisa and Caleb have history because he used to be her bodyguard and had seen Louisa at her worst years before. Louisa used to be selfish, wild, obnoxious, entitled and had some really bad habits all because her father is wealthy and she could have and do anything that she wanted but when things got out of hand Louisa realised that she needed help and fast so she ended up in rehab and that changed her life and now she is a better version of herself so now she lived a quiet life in Maine with only a handful of good and loyal friends but when the family stalker got out of prison and sets his sites on Louisa leaving her once again needing a bodyguard imagine her surprise when Caleb walks in leaving Louisa upsst, guilty and unsettled because he had seen her at her worst and she treated him so badly but he is also the best person to protect her and she trusted him with her life. Louisa was now trying to live her best life while painting and going for walks and even though it still didn’t stop the guilt that she felt it was still a constant climb to recovery and she was trying to move forward even though at times it was still hard but she was determined to be a better person but it doesn’t stop her being jittery with Caleb back in her life especially as she had always been attracted to him but he never crossed that line. The more time that Louisa and Caleb spent together the closer they become and the feelings that have always been there gets even stronger but Caleb has a job to do and he can’t be distracted because that could mean Louisa could get hurt and he can’t let that happen so he will protect her and make sure that she is safe regardless of what he has to do or what the outcome will be for them in the end. Louisa and Caleb have explosive chemistry that is unable to be denied and when they come together everything between them falls in to place but there relationship will not be plain sailing and there will be many ups and downs along the way but I absolutely love how they get there happiness and future after everything that they had been through. I definitely recommend you read this book, series and other books by this author and you will not be disappointed.
February 22, 2026
Characters: Louisa Worthing and Caleb
Trope: bodyguard
Content warning: former party girl who had a drug addiction, stalker
Louisa Worthing is the daughter of a billionaire and 3 years ago she was an absolute mess. She partied too hard to the point of her being addicted to drugs and alcohol and Caleb was her bodyguard getting her out of one scrape after another, all the while treating him badly and sexually harassing him (she tried to sleep with him when she was high or drunk). Now that she is clean and sober, that time in her life she wants to forget and is embarrassed by, because she isn’t proud of her behavior. She hasn’t seen Caleb since he checked her into rehab 3 years ago, and now Louisa needs to be protected again because the man who stalked her cousin William’s fiancée Jade, now set his sights on Louisa.
William and Jade ask Louisa if Caleb can protect her again, and Louisa reluctantly agrees because even though she is attracted to Caleb, he reminds her of the past. The more time they spend together in her cottage, the more Caleb can’t hold back his feelings and they start a relationship.
*I love how as soon as Louisa gets Caleb alone at her cottage, she apologizes to him for her behavior, I appreciate a woman who can admit to her bad past behavior and apologizes. That is something that is addressed in AA/NA meetings is to apologize to anyone who you hurt while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Both of them had some internal hiccups they needed to address before they could get comfortable and be in a serious relationship. Also dealing with the stalker as well, before they could relax.
Trope: bodyguard
Content warning: former party girl who had a drug addiction, stalker
Louisa Worthing is the daughter of a billionaire and 3 years ago she was an absolute mess. She partied too hard to the point of her being addicted to drugs and alcohol and Caleb was her bodyguard getting her out of one scrape after another, all the while treating him badly and sexually harassing him (she tried to sleep with him when she was high or drunk). Now that she is clean and sober, that time in her life she wants to forget and is embarrassed by, because she isn’t proud of her behavior. She hasn’t seen Caleb since he checked her into rehab 3 years ago, and now Louisa needs to be protected again because the man who stalked her cousin William’s fiancée Jade, now set his sights on Louisa.
William and Jade ask Louisa if Caleb can protect her again, and Louisa reluctantly agrees because even though she is attracted to Caleb, he reminds her of the past. The more time they spend together in her cottage, the more Caleb can’t hold back his feelings and they start a relationship.
*I love how as soon as Louisa gets Caleb alone at her cottage, she apologizes to him for her behavior, I appreciate a woman who can admit to her bad past behavior and apologizes. That is something that is addressed in AA/NA meetings is to apologize to anyone who you hurt while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Both of them had some internal hiccups they needed to address before they could get comfortable and be in a serious relationship. Also dealing with the stalker as well, before they could relax.
December 30, 2025
*3.25* Imagine being in love with someone while watching them throw their life away, drugs, reckless sex, blackout drinking, and zero regard for the people around them.
This is the rich, self-destructive heroine/bodyguard trope with years of mutual pining and a heavy dose of guilt. I actually appreciated that the book doesn’t pretend she wasn’t awful, she knows she treated him badly.
“It makes me feel even worse. More guilty. If you had feelings for me. And I treated you the way I did.”
“You didn’t know.”
“Not about you, but I knew how to be a decent person. And I wasn’t a decent person to you.”
I liked this book, but didn’t love it.
Tropes/themes:
Bodyguard romance
Age gap
Mutual pining
Hurt/comfort
Touch her and die
Rich, troubled heroine
Weak stalker subplot
HEA
I was also surprised by how lightly her recovery is handled. She claims to be three years sober but still drinks regularly because drugs were her “main addiction.” And for a book involving past drug use and multiple sexual partners, the total lack of conversation around safe sex was odd.
The stalker subplot was weak and mostly there to shove the couple together, which made this my least favorite of the series.
This is the rich, self-destructive heroine/bodyguard trope with years of mutual pining and a heavy dose of guilt. I actually appreciated that the book doesn’t pretend she wasn’t awful, she knows she treated him badly.
“It makes me feel even worse. More guilty. If you had feelings for me. And I treated you the way I did.”
“You didn’t know.”
“Not about you, but I knew how to be a decent person. And I wasn’t a decent person to you.”
I liked this book, but didn’t love it.
Tropes/themes:
Bodyguard romance
Age gap
Mutual pining
Hurt/comfort
Touch her and die
Rich, troubled heroine
Weak stalker subplot
HEA
I was also surprised by how lightly her recovery is handled. She claims to be three years sober but still drinks regularly because drugs were her “main addiction.” And for a book involving past drug use and multiple sexual partners, the total lack of conversation around safe sex was odd.
The stalker subplot was weak and mostly there to shove the couple together, which made this my least favorite of the series.
February 21, 2024
Redemption is such a gentle love story! Caleb was Louisa’s bodyguard for years, and he saw her through her lowest-of-low points. Now clean, Louisa has been living a quiet life, but Caleb reappears when a stalker shifts his attentions to her. Interacting with Caleb once again makes Louisa see him in a whole new light…
I loved how practical and honest Louisa was! She knew she made serious mistakes when she was younger, and she has spent a lot of time in self-imposed atonement. But she’s also just coasting along in life. It takes that threat to her to motivate change and to make her recognize what Caleb means to her.
Caleb is a classic stoic Adams hero, revealing far less on the surface than what’s roiling beneath. Redemption is told entirely from Louisa’s POV, so uncovering what motivates Caleb is one of this book’s most enjoyable aspects.
And serious points to Adams for showing someone who behaves rationally in face of a threat! In so many romances, protagonists make some seriously dumb moves even knowing they’re in danger. Adams avoids that here while creating truly threatening moments for her protagonists.
I loved Redemption. I hope you will, too!
I loved how practical and honest Louisa was! She knew she made serious mistakes when she was younger, and she has spent a lot of time in self-imposed atonement. But she’s also just coasting along in life. It takes that threat to her to motivate change and to make her recognize what Caleb means to her.
Caleb is a classic stoic Adams hero, revealing far less on the surface than what’s roiling beneath. Redemption is told entirely from Louisa’s POV, so uncovering what motivates Caleb is one of this book’s most enjoyable aspects.
And serious points to Adams for showing someone who behaves rationally in face of a threat! In so many romances, protagonists make some seriously dumb moves even knowing they’re in danger. Adams avoids that here while creating truly threatening moments for her protagonists.
I loved Redemption. I hope you will, too!
February 12, 2024
Louisa has spent several years getting her life back on track, but she still lives with the shame of her previous poor choices. She just wants to live quietly now. When a stalker threatens, her family sends several bodyguards to protect her. The team includes Caleb, the bodyguard who saw the worst of her excesses. She takes the chance to apologize sincerely to him, but she can't completely shake her shame. They have a lot of time to spend together, though, and it turns out that Claeb is not made of granite as Louisa previously suspected. I loved their interactions as they dealt with the past and faced their feelings for each other. This was very romantic and moving.
February 15, 2024
This is my Favorite Book in The Worthings Series!
The title for Louisa and Caleb's story is so fitting. I liked that it was Louisa with a troubled past and that Caleb was able to hide his true feelings behind the professionalism expected of a bodyguard through the years. I enjoyed the fact the the story flowed very well and that it kept me turning pages. I look forward to more of the Worthings.....
The title for Louisa and Caleb's story is so fitting. I liked that it was Louisa with a troubled past and that Caleb was able to hide his true feelings behind the professionalism expected of a bodyguard through the years. I enjoyed the fact the the story flowed very well and that it kept me turning pages. I look forward to more of the Worthings.....
February 16, 2024
Mediocre. I'm a huge NA/CK fan but her latest releases have been ... verbose and honestly boring.
The MMC goes with the FMC while she does mundane regular life activities...yet the stalker still sneaks up on them...in 2024...from prison LOLOL
I can't suspend my disbelief that some guy who stalked her cousin's girlfriend will now change gears and stalk the FMC...esp since she's nothing to him and has been away from the public life for 3 years?
Sorry Noelle, but this isn't the one.
The MMC goes with the FMC while she does mundane regular life activities...yet the stalker still sneaks up on them...in 2024...from prison LOLOL
I can't suspend my disbelief that some guy who stalked her cousin's girlfriend will now change gears and stalk the FMC...esp since she's nothing to him and has been away from the public life for 3 years?
Sorry Noelle, but this isn't the one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Did not finish
August 21, 2024DNF at 54%. I was loving this, then at 32% something happens that feels so out of nowhere. It doesn’t ever get back the momentum for me, at least not to where I stopped reading. Not a bad book, just not something I want to continue reading right now when I have so many other books I’m interested in.
November 22, 2024
3.5 stars.
It was as well written as usual from this author, and the characters were great. However there was an undercurrent of sadness and guilt throughout the book, from the heroine’s perspective, which was understandable and essential for the story but is not my preference in a romance novel. So it lost half a star.
It was as well written as usual from this author, and the characters were great. However there was an undercurrent of sadness and guilt throughout the book, from the heroine’s perspective, which was understandable and essential for the story but is not my preference in a romance novel. So it lost half a star.
February 17, 2024
This is such a good book. Like the relationship, the chemistry. Everything. This is most definitely a reread.
February 18, 2024
3.5 stars
February 19, 2024
[ 4.5 / 5 ]
February 21, 2024
I think my fave ones from Noelle are the soft, pining ones. Fairly plot light and domestic but sometimes, that’s what you want.
April 6, 2024
This author is an auto-buy for me, but this wasn’t great. Her recent stuff is a rehash of the same tropes she’s already done. The characters are pretty one dimensional. It’s disappointing.
April 19, 2024
3.5 Kept me interested - a little cliché
Build up to romance was good
Build up to romance was good
June 5, 2024
Loved this slow burn bodyguard romance! Noelle really writes first person from the heroine's point of view only, so well. As readers, we manage to know exactly what the hero is thinking/feeling.
September 2, 2024
very cute!
I love this series! Very cute story! Very interesting!! Fun story lines! I can’t wait to read the next book!
I love this series! Very cute story! Very interesting!! Fun story lines! I can’t wait to read the next book!
Read
March 18, 2025Short fun read. Regretful FL and her old bodyguard, caretaking/hurt comfort, mutual pining/unrequited love.
July 9, 2025
3.5*
August 4, 2025
2.5
bodyguards are always such boyscouts
bodyguards are always such boyscouts
November 25, 2025
These books are the perfect nibble size, yum
December 30, 2025
actual rating 3⭐
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews