Christian James is one of the best bodyguards in the business, a man who prides himself on discipline, distance, and control. Alongside his highly trained dog, Hades, he’s guarded celebrities, billionaires, and eccentrics. But his newest assignment of protecting reclusive author Victoria Mason inside her sprawling, secretive estate is unlike anything he’s encountered.
Victoria is gorgeous, demanding, and terrified for good a stalker with intimate knowledge of her private life is closing in. Her rules are impossible. Her shadows run deep. And Mason Manor has a way of twisting perception the moment Christian steps inside.
Complicating matters further is Miriam, Victoria’s devoted assistant who is beautiful, cautious, and assigned to watch Christian as closely as he watches the estate. Their attraction is instant but dangerous. Christian can’t tell whether Miriam’s feelings are genuine or part of Victoria’s elaborate system of control. And earning the trust of both Miriam and Richard, the estate’s rigid and fiercely loyal manager, becomes essential, especially as Christian senses they’re hiding secrets far darker than Victoria admits.
As the threats escalate, loyalties blur, and forbidden tensions ignite, Christian must untangle the lies inside Mason Manor before the stalker strikes or before the house itself consumes him. Because here, ghosts may be hiding in the walls, but the living are hiding in plain sight.
“I had never had a client like her before. I’ve had to deal with snobs and brats, but I never had to handle someone that hired me yet didn’t want me around them. I wasn’t sure how to deal with the situation. My instincts told me to give her a firm talking to. Lay down the law and tell her that we were going to go about this whole situation my way. My way was the safe way. Her way was reckless.“
Woooooweeeee! This book was a WILD ride! 🤯 the secrets and plot twists that unraveled throughout the entire book, leading up to a CRAZY ending were WIIIIIILD! The plot was amazing and i loved the characters, even though some of them made me want to hop through my kindle and slap them! 👏🏻 If you like a thriller with some murder mystery, secrets & betrayals, and overall an amazing plot - this is the one for you! It was an easy read and i devoured it in less than 24 hours! 👏🏻🤌🏻 This is definitely one of my favorite thrillers I’ve read in a long time & i will always recommend this one! 👏🏻 If you like the bodyguard trope & some forced proximity = READ THIS. 🔥🤌🏻
Saw this on TikTok a few days before I grabbed it on my kindle. ( Fun fact : it's one of the only books that didn't have to sit on my TBR for years 😅) I'm taking a fantasy break & this was a good read for that! While the tiktok I saw showed this being a gothic kind of book, I don't think it had heavy gothic vibes. So, don't expect Rebecca vibes if you came here from that video, too. It was worth the read, though. 😊
Thrill, romance, and suspense—this book has it all. From the very first page, the story pulls you in and keeps you guessing until the end. It’s the kind of book you can’t put down and immediately want more of once it’s over. A fantastic breakout debut by K. D. Saffell, and I can’t wait to see what comes next!!