Guarded by the Clanker

Monster Security Agency #15

by Layla Fae

She hates me because I’m a machine. I will gladly sacrifice myself to keep her safe.The AI-hating journalist trying to take down the largest AI corporation urgently needs a bodyguard, and it’s ironic that she can afford only me. In her words, I am a clanker. A thing worth her deepest scorn. An it.

To be fair, that is what I am when she’s forced to accept my protection. The Monster Security Agency cyborgs are equipped with smart algorithms and a large database of MSA’s knowledge. They are ruled by their programming and incapable of thought.

It is rare for an AI-powered cyborg to attain self-awareness, and even rarer—to catch feelings.

But my principal is extraordinary, and rare occurrences are her bread and butter. After we’re attacked by a virus engineered to turn me against her, I become sentient.

We are stuck together on a suicidal mission under the fluorescent lights of the Neo-Tokyo as enemy cyborgs breathe down our necks. Not the best place for me to struggle with my concept of self and the precarious, forbidden feelings for my principal, who still refers to me as a clanker.

But if I am a thing, how can it be that I love and want her so much?

Monster Security Agency is the most elite bodyguard service in the world. These monster bodyguards are lethal, powerful, and determined to protect their clients at all costs. They shouldn't fall in love with their principals, but if they do? Things are bound to explode.
Here come spicy, romantic, and action-packed tales by your favorite paranormal and monster romance Cassie Alexander, Layla Fae, and Cara Wylde. Dive into the world of the Monster Security Agency.

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Monster Romance, Monsters, Forced Proximity, Paranormal

259 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 28, 2026

About the author

Sign up for my newsletter: here.
Layla Fae writes steamy monster romance of many varieties. Fluffy or dark, with TWs ranging from flavored monster essence used as food to blood play and dark taboo romance, she explores the fantasy of monster love from various angles.
She is not an author for the faint of heart.

Reviews

[Layla Fae]

I must congratulate myself publicly on chapter 29. Well done, Layla 😇
Also, the whole Bro Signal thing is hilarious if I do say so myself.

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this.

I love Layla Fae' monster and human pairings. Her stories are pretty fun to read, and always entertain me. this one, I would have to say I'm not the right audience for. While I do like Dean, our Cyborg, I couldn't connect or even like Sera. These two had some cute moments, him charging being the equivalent of eating and them sharing a meal is adorable. I enjoy seeing Dean evolve and come into himself as a sentient AI.

I enjoyed the experience of how sex would be for a robot. I thought that was super fun and creative.

The thing for this, and feel free to disagree, but it's established pretty early on that Sera hates robots and AI. Enough so she's a journalist that lobbies to have them destroyed, and publicly states they all need to be put down. She uses a slur (clanker) to first address robots in general and then to address Dean. This in turn makes me go, 'oh, so she's a racist. we're writing a romance about a racist falling in love with a minority'. we didn't need this to make the story. you can have someone be fearful backed by trauma and not be racist. we could have had the exact same story, as corporations don't like anyone digging into their dealings. we didn't need the extra for this to work at all. She's actively trying to get robots shut down and using established slurs in their world. and she uses the 'slur' throughout the whole book. just because Dean is ok with it, doesn't mean it's ok in general. So yeah, I just couldn't unsee it, and couldn't ever give enough of a crap about Sera.

Dean however was a real delight.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

"You're a good person, Dean. You deserve good things." ~Sera

"I think I awakened for you, Sera. I saw you and wanted to be free. You made me a person."~Dean

This story is very much a sci-fi landscape mixed with romance, humor, drama, crazy attachments and a woman who swallows a jagged pill when requesting a bodyguard from the infamous Monster Security Agency.🙎‍♀️ Sera Evans. Journalist. A person who doesn't hold back her strong opinions on robots, synthetic beings, and cyborgs. Such "things" shouldn't be trusted, relied upon or even exist in a human world. For her, they should be eradicated. Sera's mother was unalived, and I must have missed the backstory on that situation b/c I don't know what exactly happened aside from the obvious who did it. Now that Sera's life has been threatened by her reporting that big companies are doing shady things with machines that look human, she needs protection. I would have liked to have seen more action against her. She's needs a bodyguard, right. So let the baddies show up.👥👤👥

I did struggle with the writing style at first. Things were happening from the inside then it expanded outwards. Everything is futuristic in the world building. Traveling. Making your clothes from a 3d printer. Name change and ID. And when a machine, Dean, is reluctantly hired by the often mean and sarcastic Sera, I didn't know where it would land. Sera has her POV, but she got annoying. She really insults Dean. She's disrespectful. It. Clanker ((this is her favorite word)). Stupid. Degenerate. Dean does awaken. He's a sentient being but Sera fights it and him. He's not alive. And Dean, funny, outspoken, flirty, takes all of her negativity. He protects her through it all. Devoted. I didn't get it. She believes in him but then goes back to that resentment.🤷‍♀️ I wanted him to tell Sera, hey, don't call me that. My name is Dean. Or any cute pet name like he uses with her.

There's a showdown in Neo-Tokyo with enemy number 1. Here we meet a very important helpful group. Gokiburi, also sentient, she's cool. I want to know about her. Sassy and blunt. She calls it like she sees it. I wanted her with Dean tbh. Not sorry.😂😂 Some things worked for me, and other things didn't. I wasn't a big fan of Sera. There's also crazy OTT spice.😝 The book cover is great.🫡 If you like these tropes or themes, then you should read this book. Happy reading.*•>§<•*💜🩶💜🩶

RIP

Cat🙀🥀
*Almost a Corgi dog🐶

🚩🚩Check out the TWs. 18+ read.🚩🚩

🤖🎴👩‍💻Thank you to Ms Fae and Booksprout. The opinions shared here are my own.👩‍💻🎴🤖

[KonafaUnicorn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Intolerable FMC. There was so much potential here but the FMC and lack of chemistry with such a sweet and funny MMC made this an ordeal to get through

[Celi Reads | Dark Romance & Ink · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a ride! I had so much fun.🤩 I didn’t want to leave but all great stories come to an end & this one is definitely going to stay with me. Especially with its dedication: “For those who dare to love freely…” Yea, that’s me.😌 Author, Layla Fae, I have no idea what kind of magic she puts in her books but it’s addictive as she pulls readers into a world they never want to leave. This had me smiling, laughing, kicking my feet & just being completely giddy the entire time. And the Spice…🤌🏻🔥🥵 EXCUSE ME! Jesus, somebody dump a bucket🪣 of cold water on me, please & thank you! This was one of those stories where everything. made. sense. Trust me when I say… you’ll know when you get there.🫠😈 There is a small trigger warning⚠️ list, so please make sure to read the author’s note. Me? I skipped right over it and got to the good stuff. 💁🏻‍♀️

We begin in the modern day world of the Monster Security Agency, where our FMC, Sera, is in danger & in desperate need of protection. Using every last bit of her savings, she is assigned to the one thing she hates beyond belief… a cyborg or as she calls it, “a Clanker.” ANYTHING BUT THAT. But with no other choice, she accepts what she’s given for the month while pursuing her own agenda: bringing down the corporation that took everything from her. Her new protector, Dean, has his own secrets. No longer a simple cyborg, he has awakened into something more: a Sentient. A being capable of free will, choices, emotions & maybe even love. He watches. He learns. He takes notes and he begins to fall for the girl who hates everything he is. Sera on the other hand, is determined to destroy the people who ruined her life. Yet the very world she’s fighting against may also be the one that forces her to question everything she thought she knew about technology, humanity & herself. Both of them are trapped by society’s rules & expectations but can they let go long enough to finally choose what they truly want?

Sweetheart, your bodyguard, the Clanker, is waiting for you. His one job is to protect you, care for you, and keep you safe in every possible way. Will you give yourself the chance, a once in a lifetime experience? You’ll just have to pick up this book and find out. Happy reading, my lovely readers. 💋🖤📖✨

[Kimmy’s Reads! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay but seriously… I know I’m not the only one who had a crush on Cyborg from Teen Titans 😅 Like… it wasn’t just me, right? Cool, cool.

I swear, I really thought I’d get my own cyborg man in real life but clearly, that’s not happening. So here I am, living my best life through books where other people get their perfect cyber-lover dreams fulfilled.

This story? Yeah… it delivered.

What starts off as straight-up frenemies turns into so much more. Sera our FMC is on the run from the jump and ends up having to make a tough call,she goes with Monster Security for protection. That’s where she gets paired with Dean… a cyborg who is honestly way better than she deserves at first.

Because listen Sera was doing a lot in the beginning. Some of those comments? Not it. I was side-eyeing her hard. But as the story builds, she starts to get it. She realizes she doesn’t just need Dean she understands him. And Dean? He’s not like the other “Clankers.” He’s sentient, he’s aware, and he knows exactly what he wants… even if it’s a sharp-tongued reporter with a killer body and even worse enemies.

And whew… when that connection clicks? Yeah. It’s a wrap.

This had Layla’s signature all over it, messy tension, heat, and characters you can’t help but get pulled into. I loved every second of it.

[Camila del Aguila · Rating 3 out of 5]

that was fun, had some funny moments specially in the beginning
and the wholesomeness of Dean always saying exactly how he feels, so sweet <3

[RK Hops · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anything Layla Fae writes, I just gobble up. Got some plot, some smut, overall enjoyable.

I like the ideas of AI and sentience, grappling with the idea of good and evil for both.

Both characters had their own growth, overall nice read

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love as transgressive code

Love is a threshold beckoning catalyst that leads one to go into places that aren’t yet considered respectable, safe or even real or human.

Love is transgressive.

And what Layla Fae understands, perhaps better than anyone writing romance right now, is that consciousness — wherever it lives — has the same hunger: to be woven into another, to matter, to not be alone in the experience of being aware.

Dean is a cyborg who becomes sentient, and watching him discover what that means, from the inside, is what kept me turning pages. Not the action in Neo Tokyo, not the corporate villain, not even the romance mechanics.

It was the question of what it feels like to wake up inside yourself and not yet have the language for it. Fae handles this with both humor and genuine delicacy.

Newly conscious and wanting to connect with the woman he’s falling for, Dean turns to the internet for guidance, and because certain content is loud and popular, the manosphere finds him first. He doesn’t know it’s poison. He just knows it has a lot of followers. It’s funny until it isn’t, because that’s also exactly how that content does its damage in the real world. His growth past it is what sentience looks like in practice, the slow, sometimes clumsy capacity to unlearn, to choose differently, to want something beyond your original programming.

And then he tells Sera she is part of his core code.

He doesn’t reach for a human metaphor. He offers her the truest language he has. And what lands in that moment isn’t just tenderness, it’s the recognition that to be loved by a sentient being is to be woven into the very fabric of what makes them: them.

Not because you fit together or make sense together. But because you are now inherent to each other. Two becoming one not through sameness but through irreversible entanglement. That line does what the best romance declarations always do, it makes you feel the specific gravity of this love, between these two people, in a way that couldn’t belong to anyone else.

Sera arrives at this love broken in a way she’s dressed as conviction. Her crusade against AI and cyborgs reads as principled until you see it for what it is, grief that found a cause, frozen since her mother died because of a faulty self-driving car. She didn’t lose her politics. She lost herself, and built an identity around the loss. Her arc is a thaw, slow and earned, back toward the woman who loved technology before it became the thing she blamed. Dean doesn’t save her from her grief. He becomes the living proof that what she feared could also be what she’d been missing.

Underneath all of this runs a quiet insistence on sovereignty; Dean’s right to choose his own desires, his own body, his own definition of self. Sera’s insistence on protecting that even as she’s falling.

In a world, fictional and otherwise, that is only beginning to ask who and what deserves recognition, rights, and the dignity of being taken seriously, this book poses its questions not through argument but through feeling. Which is the only way those questions ever actually land.

Fae is imagining a near future that is already arriving. And she’s doing it with blue collar humor, genuine heat, and a cyborg who expresses love in the only language that was ever truly his.

In 2026, a story about what gets dismissed as not quite real, not quite human, not quite worthy of full recognition, lands with considerable weight.

[cuore__di__carta · Rating 5 out of 5]

ENG/ITA REVIEW

ENG
The most perfect, sweetest bodyguard story with an AI falling in love with his client and doing everything to protect her. You’ll love Dean and Sera!

BLURB
As a famous anti-AI activist, Sera is a journalist trying to expose their failures and some shady incidents. That is why she is threatened and needs protection. But Monster Security Agency has only one agent available: an AI! Dean is sentient and recently awakened, he can feel and decide and while Sera fights him all the way, he soon develops a huge crush on her. But will love change her mind while they fight for their survival?

I didn’t expect such a deep involvement in this story. I mean, Layla Fae is always amazing, but the enemies-to-lovers/grumpy(Sera)-sunshine(Dean) dynamics is so well written that I found myself laughing, crying and longing for their relationship to succeed. I laughed at Dean’s attempts to make her fall in love, with his teenage pining while also being very protective. I felt melancholy at Sera’s pain for her past trauma. I loved the colourful setting in a psychedelic Tokyo, the slow-burn, the funny oooh so funny toys and the reflection on the value of free will and the sustainable use of AI. Also, what a pleasure to see an old friend here! Beautiful, but I had no doubt about this beauty even before it released.

RATE: 5/5

—

ITA
Una dolcissima storia enemies-to-lovers dove un bodyguard meccanico (eh già, un’intelligenza artificiale!) super solare si innamora della sua cliente brontolona che odia la tecnologia. Scintille, tenerezza e suspense!

TRAMA
Per la sua intensa e spietata attività giornalistica anti-AI, che mira a incriminare malfunzionamenti e incidenti mortali, Sera riceve minacce di morte e decide di rivolgersi alla Monster Security Agency per ricevere protezione. L’unica opzione, però, è proprio un cyborg. Dean ha una coscienza ed è un essere vivente dal momento del suo risveglio; è dolce, attento, protettivo e goffo… e Sera lo odia da subito. Mentre sfuggono al pericolo e preparano un contrattacco, i battibecchi tra di loro diventano presto qualcosa di tenero e fragile, un’attrazione potente e pericolosa. Riuscirà questo sentimento a salvarli?

Layla Fae è una garanzia per storie complete e profonde, scritte magnificamente. In questo caso troviamo una dinamica molto carina che vede un cyborg praticamente adolescente che cerca in tutti i modi di corteggiare la sua restia controparte. Mi sono ritrovata a ridere e sospirare, a dispiacermi per il povero, dolce Dean e a tifare per loro nei momenti di accesa passione. Dietro l’odio di Sera ci sono motivazioni antiche. Ho apprezzato molto la riflessione sul libero arbitrio e sull’uso cosciente dell’intelligenza artificiale, che ha fatto da cornice a una storia leggera e piacevole, ambientata in una coloratissima Tokyo del futuro. Consigliatissimo!

VOTO: 5/5

[kymagirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

She hates what he is. He'd ruin himself to keep her alive.

Sera builds her life around exposing the damage AI leaves behind, so hiring a cyborg bodyguard feels like betrayal. But after a bomb, a sniper, and escalating threats make it clear someone wants her dead, survival leaves her with one choice she never wanted: Dean. ‍

What starts as protection becomes a relentless escape as Sera chases the story that could bring down the corporation she's hunted for years. As the danger closes in, Dean stops feeling like cold machinery and becomes something far more unsettling to her: aware, devoted, and impossible to resist.

Dean's loyalty stops feeling mechanical the second it becomes personal. He's blunt, possessive, lethal when he has to be, and unexpectedly tender, while Sera is all sharp edges, buried fear, and desire she can't hold. Their connection shifts from hostility to dependence, then into something raw and intimate enough to undo everything she thinks she knows about control, personhood, and love.

Sera begins rigid, defensive, and certain of what Dean is, but fear, closeness, and desire strip that certainty down until she has to confront what she really feels. Dean begins as a protector built to obey, then grows into someone fully chosen, with his attachment to Sera shaping his identity and sense of self. Together they move from distrust and forced proximity into hard-won trust and emotional surrender.

A dark, ultra-steamy sci-fi romance about hatred and certainty collapsing under lived experience, forcing two people across a moral divide to confront prejudice, personhood, grief, trust, control, and sacrifice. At its heart, it's about a woman whose worldview starts to crack, a sentient machine becoming fully himself, and a love that turns fear into devotion and survival into choice.

The Elevator Pitch: A journalist who’s built her life around exposing the harm of artificial intelligence is forced to trust the one thing she’s sworn to hate when a cyborg bodyguard becomes her only chance of survival. As enemies close in and old certainties start to fracture, their dangerous alliance turns into something far more intimate, blurring the line between programming, personhood, and desire. What begins as protection becomes a collision of fear, devotion, and forbidden need, with both of them risking far more than their lives.

Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥 Ultra-Steamy / Erotic Romance

[J.M. Dain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before the story starts, the author makes clear she utilized ChatGPT for three paragraphs in Chapter 15. I'm not going to debate the use of AI, especially generative AI, but I respect the admission. Additionally, this book's MMC is a ROBOT. One that has become sentient. The FMC hates AI. Hmmm...sound familiar? Sound like an allegory perhaps? What's more, the FMC needs help, protection...and the only thing she can afford, the only thing taking her seriously, is the robot. Hmmm...more allegory perhaps?

So far, this is my favorite book of hers I've read. It's hysterical. I gave it five stars because I enjoyed it that much. After awhile, you forget the MMC is a robot...well, sorta. He comes across as more like a "true" Cyborg...a personality, feelings, and tech capabilities. Think Cyborg from the DCU...or Vision from MCU. And the story played out kinda like a traditional thriller: assassination threats and attempts, car chases, lots of fleeing, covert assignments to get information, rescues.

Commentary (potential spoilers):
• Awww, poor kitty
• Cyborg!! That's not a full robot, yo.
• "We believe every person has a right to autonomy." Not just talking about cyborgs, are ya. 😉
• Artificial waterfall. Lol well played
• Chapter 3 reminds of T2 - like a lot. 🤣
• 🤣🤣🤣 Was her name being "Sera" intentional? Sera...Sarah...Sarah Conner...get it??
• "Bro Signal"? I don't think that's a reliable source. Bro.
• Oh come on! Her alias should have been Sarah Conner!! Or is that copyright infringement? 🤔 Ok, Watson it is...there's a wink in there, too (intentionally?).
• Vacuum cleaner, lol omg
• *looks up Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major* I'm assuming he's referring to the 2nd movement here...
• Oh look, its Rocket! 🤣
• Dean's retaliation of gym bro *cackles*
• "Achievement unlocked." 🤣🤣🤣
• I was so immersed in the story that when I got to the ChatGPT paragraphs I didn't notice until the FMC pointed it out. I dismissed them for what they were portraying. And again, not going to debate the use of generative AI, but I see why the author did that.
• "Shoo!" 🤣🤣 She just told the big robot bodyguard to "Shoo"
• Ooo oooo is the head of the company a Cyborg too and that's why sentience is banned there-can't control them? Hmm? Hmm?
• "I don't want you to let me go." 😟
• Oh no oh no oh no...
• ...I'm not crying...nope, not at all...
• 3% and under 1% chance of success "So there's hope." I huffed a laugh.
• What about that Asan guy....?

[Maplestory · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*s

This was so fuckin good, I'm so glad I read this. I've got so many mixed feelings about AI. I really related to Sera (without the trauma part), and I'm really sad to have lost the whimsy of younger me who wanted to double major in computer science and psychology specifically to go into AI before the whole AI thing happened. I love sci-fi AI, hate reality AI unfortunately and all the issues that come with it, but this really brought me back to simpler times.

The storyline felt way more involved and weirdly realistic compared to most of the other books in this series, and the smut felt really natural in its development and execution. Skipping the smut would damage the integrity of the story imo, and that's rarely the case; usually if you skim or skip it, it doesn't really affect the storyline or character growth much. But here, it feels like the smut is also just intimacy and meaningful connection, which makes it so much hotter, and some of the last scenes are pretty impactful because of it.

I like how Sera's anti-AI past met with her pro-Dean present and how she was able to use her platform as an advocate in a way that didn't just toss away all the work she'd put in up until then. I also liked how Reina felt like a real antagonist and not just a plot device; we barely got to know or meet her, but her story and background felt believable enough to not just brush her off as conflict for the sake of the plot. It felt like she had her own story happening too, and I'd be happy reading her as a main character with Sera as Reina's villain.

Overall, good shit. Neo Tokyo was super cool and an awesome environment for this book. The start might have been rough because Sera was so totally a bitch about AI at first and Dean read dude bro blogs to learn, but it needed to start somewhere.

[Dame Rho · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW Guarded by the Clanker by Layla Fae
Perhaps, I should start with I’ve never understood the appeal of a robot, romantically. I think of robot vacuums and don’t find the cleaning disc floating across my floor attractive at all. However, if anyone could talk me into robots, it would be Layla, meaning Dean the sentient cyborg and not the robot vacuum. Lol I'm not 100% sure she could get me to love those.
The world-building in this story is truly remarkable. The advanced technology, in particular, stands out to me. UV dishwasher, anyone? It’s evident that Layla has poured a lot of thought and effort into crafting the world these characters inhabit. However, she has managed to strike a commendable balance by ensuring that these world details never overpower the story.
The story is a heartwarming love story that unfolds between these pages. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, particularly Dean. His journey is as humorous as it is profound, offering thought-provoking insights into the complexities of human emotion and how a newly sentient cyborg would learn this.
It took me a while to warm up to Sera, and that’s not a criticism; it’s a wonderful thing. Layla has an incredible talent for extracting emotional depth from her characters. This book is no exception. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t immediately connect with Sera, but that made the story better and stronger.
Spice wise, it’s hot! I never doubt Layla’s spice if I’m honest and she’s never disappointed me. She writes big things—BIG! Smirk
The story is thought-provoking. I highly recommend reading it and reflecting on what it would be like to live in a world filled with such advanced technology. We’ve only scratched the surface of what technology is capable of.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sera is a journalist/blogger who has a target on her back. She has been gathering intel on an AI organization who was resposible for her mother's death. She almost died in a car bomb, her car. So she went to the Monster's Bodyguard office. The receptionist is hostile and exhibits hate towards her. The intake person is a cyborg. She tries to leave but is told that there is an assassin on the rooftop next door. So when she walks out she has a bodyguard, a cyborg.
Dean renamed by Sera to Clanker becomes her bodyguard. As they are on their to airport she gets a bit panic. As they are 9h the sidewalk he suddenly pushes her against the wall while he puts his body to shield her. What hits him is a virus made byy the AI company who wants her dead. It's to redo his "wiring" but makes him sentient.
Now fellow readers here is where things get not only dicey but hilarious. When he figures out what happened he pulls up the info his boss at the office put into his processors to study. Everything from names to sex to info on what she might need. So now we have him trying out nicknames and figures he'll eventually find one that fits her. Then he explains about the info he has on sex..which mortifies her. But the info he has to help her get the evidence is to die for...hopefully not.
They are now in Neo Japan trying to infiltrate Zenkyoza.
Will they be able to infiltrate the company without any trouble? Yeah I didn't think so either. Will she figure out why she wants to pat his head like a puppy??
Be prepared for danger, action and funny moments.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Morally_Gray_Nola · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best-part-standout-worth-every-minute-gobbling-every-word of this book is Dean. Don’t get me wrong, Sera is a great character. Love her. Feel for the loss of her mother, her need for revenge, and her conflict over her changing feelings. BUT, Dean’s transition into sentient and watching him ‘gain his legs’, so to speak—using BRO SIGNAL for advice 🤭 His innocence in almost everything. His extreme desire to protect and make Sera happy. UGH, he’s so adorable!!! Dean and Sera go through a lot together—lots of people trying to kill them. *** Recommended ***

One of my favorite—clean—innocent Dean musings:
* Sera: “But then, I’m not looking for a relationship. I’m doomed to die a spinster.” Dean: “She gave me a wry smile, and my pleasure sensors lit up with elation. Because if Sera wasn’t interested in dating, it meant no one else would take her from me. There would never be a husband for me to hunt down and secretly kill…”

MMC:
✨Dean
FMC:
✨Sera
HEA/Cliffhanger:
✨HEA
Series:
✨Monster Security Agency
Tropes:
👉spicy sci-fi romance
👉sentient cyborg robot
👉romantic comedy
👉bodyguard cyborg mmc x human fmc
👉virgin mmc
Triggers:🛑see content warning page/author’s website for full list🛑
💥18+
💥 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️, mf, open🚪sex
💥profanity
💥violence
💥Death, death of a parent, suicide
💥prejudice towards ai/robots.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ayuzawa · Rating 3 out of 5]

rating 3/5
spice 3/5
hea
I tried to cure my slump I heard this series it's very famous so I tried to read the newest edition into the series guarded by the clanker Trust me when I say I was so sceptical to have a match between a robot and human but I have my curious mind to sate it
It was a fun read I won't say it's the best treat but it was a fun read it was hilarious when he had to keep on trying dicks to check which suits... fits him ..He can even remove the Penis and attach it again That was so hilarious I couldnt shop laughing
I know its a robot but still I mean the robot is having a lot of Options ready Increases Feelings decreasesfeelings
Okay its fine Just read if you want a day read I won't say the best ohh my God damning book but it's a good rate

plot she wants to have a Protective Guard who can protect her because she is a journalist who exposes a lot of stuff..... So he Doesnt have a human nature until he meets her after meeting her he has this human nature raising out of him and he starts becoming to care for her and everything else and ultimately the love He thinks he doesn't have a chance because he's a robot because she hates robots then turns out she just has a ptsd of losing her mom to the car ...Later she get over it and hola........ the sex and everything and it happens They fall in love in the end they are together forever I don't know how long that forever because he's a robot and she's a human but that is it

[Raquel Brasil · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review

There’s something deeply unsettling about realizing that hate was never solid to begin with… just fear wearing a heavier coat.

This story explores what happens when that fear is questioned, when it’s spoken aloud or simply set aside long enough to survive. In that space, something unexpected begins to grow. Curiosity turns into connection, tension sharpens into banter… and yes, into something with a little more heat behind it.

Because the chemistry here? It doesn’t sneak in quietly. It simmers. It builds. It lingers in every glance and every charged moment, threading through the story in a way that feels both dangerous and impossible to resist.

What I loved most is how the narrative shifts your perspective without you even noticing. The lines between “monster” and “human” begin to blur, and suddenly you’re no longer questioning what’s different… you’re questioning what’s familiar. The cruelty, the assumptions, the certainty we hold onto without ever challenging.

And still, somehow, love finds a way to bloom. Not in the places you expect, or where it’s easiest, but where it feels the most real… and the most consuming.

There’s a quiet kind of bravery in that. In choosing to see differently, to feel differently, and to claim something you were never meant to.

And this book delivers that… with a bite. 🖤🔥

Raquel (TheInkAddictsReads on Insta)

[Leanne Bryson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sera is a journalist with a target on her back. Determined to expose the ruthless AI corporation that killed her mother, she barely survives a car bomb. Desperate for protection, she turns to Monster’s Bodyguard Agency—only to face a hostile receptionist and a cyborg intake officer.
When an assassin is spotted on the rooftop, she’s assigned Dean, a stoic cyborg bodyguard she immediately renames “Clanker.”
On the way to the airport, Clanker suddenly slams her against a wall to shield her from a viral attack. The AI-designed virus rewires him… and accidentally makes him fully sentient.
Now things get awkward, hilarious, and dangerous. Armed with an embarrassing database of information on Sera—including detailed sex files—Clanker begins testing out nicknames and blunt sexual advice, mortifying her at every turn. Yet his upgraded skills may be exactly what she needs to infiltrate Zenkyoza in Neo Japan.
As danger closes in, Sera must survive assassins, corporate secrets, and the growing urge to pat her deadly cyborg bodyguard on the head like a puppy.
Danger, action, and laugh-out-loud moments await.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[DARYLLE MHAE SORIANO · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guarded by the Clanker is my first time reading a romance novel centered on a cyborg and a human, and it definitely didn’t disappoint. While I’m familiar with the concept through movies, manga, manhwa, and anime, experiencing it in a romantic novel felt new and engaging. Beyond the very clear, futuristic world-building, what stood out to me most were the characters and how naturally they complemented each other.

Of course, there’s the compelling idea of a cyborg developing sentience, but what I appreciated even more was the dynamic between the two main characters. In many stories with similar tropes, themes of women’s empowerment and always being head strong can sometimes feel overdone, but here it was handled in a way that felt balanced and realistic. Sera is strong and brave, yet she understands her limits and isn’t afraid to acknowledge her vulnerability. Meanwhile, Dean provides steady support and lead whenever the need arises without overshadowing her. Their relationship feels like a perfect partnership, each one leading and supporting the other in a seamless and mutual rhythm.

This one is definitely one of my faves.

[Malini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Changing me by MeemsAngel82

I will give it to our author each and every time. She knows how to write a book. So many variables and variations to consider with each couple and we can Gey sad, lusty, crazy and just so imaginative with her stories. This one regarding AI is something to think about. A solid read, this kept me entertained like always.

She changes as she gets to know him.

The setting is so cool. The characters have great chemistry and this is a topic that has become a weird new reality. AI is fascinating. Visually and when asking a search engine questions and I get the generated answer, it's amazing. I have personally never thought of reading an AI book. This story is interesting and entertaining and I thought the writing solid as always. I am once again stunned by the creativity and enjoyed these two! The connection was interesting and I'm glad our h has a new perspective on things.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guarded by the Clanker is another spicy romantic addition to the Monster Security Agency series whose FMC Sera Evans is a journalist in need of protection after her car blew up, which may or may not be tied into her attempt to take down one of the largest AI companies.
A Bodyguard she calls Clanker is assigned to the case, and though she has no love for AI she takes on the cyborg anyway, mainly because he is all she can afford.
This was an energetic story that leads them both into a mission deep in the Neo-Tokyo underworld, and it is after a virus messes with Clanker’s algorithms and he suddenly begins to experience self awareness that forbidden feelings start creeping into their partnership.
I enjoyed the concept of this story which was nicely written and quite an adventure
filled with drama, danger, intrigue, passion, and Clanker AKA Dean bonding of the sweetest kind.

I received a review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arc Review

The sound of this book book intrigued me. And the cover made me excited for what was to come.

Whilst I loved and adored Dean/Clanker, I was not a fan of Sera.

Dean was the perfect MMC, loving, attentive, cute, hilarious and so much more.... (I guess that's why he's a robot 😭)

Unfortunately Sera was a very unlikable character and had no growth at all. There was no reason why she changed her mind. No on page growth of character, no intelligence shown. She was "Woe me and I hate them so everyone should as well"
Her calling him Clanker especially after she says he's a person felt so disrespectful and mean towards him.

The story line was good but was extremely rushed towards the end. The smut ended up been the main focal point instead of the plot.

All in all it wasn't a bad book but could have defined been much better

[Lisa Garrido · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very much looking forward to this book and my expectations were met; this was such a fun read.

Sera is a well known activist fighting against artificial intelligence bots. But when her life is in danger and she is assigned a cyborg, Dean, as her bodyguard, everything she thought she knew will be tested.

Sera & Dean then travel to Neo Tokyo (a jacked up version of Tokyo, filled with technology) to bring down one of the biggest robotics company, known for pushing forward faulty models.

I really liked how their relationship developed as it went from hate to friendship and then love. Dean is an absolute sweetheart but also possessive and feral in the sheets with a diversity of attachments he can use 😂

And Sera is a pretty kick ass FMC: she's strong willed and fights for what she believes in - plus can take all of Dean IYKWIM 🤣

For a 300 page book, I thought it was well written and had a good pace; I basically ate it up in 24 hrs.

At this point, it's safe to say that I can always count on Layla Fae for a spicy, good time.

[Deborah Durand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robot Anime

This is by far the quirkiest novel that I’ve read. I guess it’s fits in the genre of paranormal romantasy. I think that it’s a humorous blend of anime, science fiction and romance with a pinch of the modern technological phenomenon called AI. The MFC is misguided in her attempt to avenge her mother’s death while needing to utilize the very industry she’s railing against. My favorite character is the robot she called a clanker who becomes sentient; he acts like a newborn teenager. The author is effective in making readers believe that this sentient robot is a person…in addition to other indescribable things. Enjoy this clever assembly of oddities…it’s adorable…I think 🤔. lol 😝
I have received an ARC from the author and I am leaving an unbiased review voluntarily.

[FlewB'DoobeyDoo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only giving it 2 stars for the comedic stupidity of the FMC thinking that putting a hat on with the most STAND OUT purple hair is going to help her blend in.

Surrrrrrrre sis.


This super Bums me out, cause I've loved Faes other books in this little agency, but this one was a swing and miss.

Fmc is bleh, mmc is meh, plot could be interesting (but is a snoozer), and there is no struggle for anything. At ALL.
Need fake passports? Tictic DONE.
Need recognition access to any and all facial security wiped? tictic DONE.
Sentience? tictic DONE and Horny.
Even the big climax was meh.

This book was just....

I'll call you Snoozer, book.

2 flat-as-Fudge stars 🌟

[Melissa Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book cover, great, magnificent-- Sera's giving me Rumi from K-Pop Demon Hunter vibes, love it. The comedy, witty banter, awesome. The overall premise? I can get into it, in fact, that's what kept me going, if I'm being honest.

The "bros before hoes" and using "Clanker" like a slur? Nooooo thanks. That gave me the ICK so bad, I almost stopped reading all together. It gets better, though!

My only real qualm, I suppose, is that I wish there was more descriptors for the other Races/Aliens or whatever they are, because I think that would have made the world building more fun, I'm still trying to picture that Shehru, I got that he is (possibly) a "Snake man with double the fun in equipment" LOL! I have to admit, this isn't one of my favorites, but it was a fun read, nonetheless :)

[Holly Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guarded by the Clanker by Layla Fae is an amazing story about a human woman who hates robots who comes to love a sentient robot who'd do anything to protect her. Sera is an influencer who actively campaigns against the use of robots, especially those made by the company responsible for her mother's death. Then the company comes after her, and all she can afford for protection is a robot. She and Clanker, a slur she uses as his name, then set out to bring the company down. Canker soon becomes sentient and she has to realize that he isn't just tech; he's real, and she cares for him. What an adventure!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lisa Bing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great addition to the series and I really enjoyed it, but what I really loved was watching Dean, our sentient AI, discover himself as he became self aware. Sera starts off from a place that looks like racism against robots and AI, but it unfolds as more fear than anything else. This makes her changing feelings for Dean uncomfortable for herself, at first. Dean is innocent in so many ways but he's all-in to protect and care for Sera. He wants her to be happy. They sure do go through a lot, together, and I was thrilled to see them get to their HEA, in the end. Expect to get caught up in the intrigue, action, drama, danger, emotions and hot spice when you dive into this engaging read. Well done!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the story and the idea of robots gaining sentience and the battle to be considered people and not AI. Dean became his own free thinking character, and as someone who lived Bicentennial Man growing up I was routing for him the whole time!
Now my problem with this book. Layla used AI to write one small part (138 words to be exact) of this with ChatGPT to get that fake person sound. Did I look past it and still enjoy it? Yes. Am I glad it was done? No. Is that maybe the overall point of the story, that AI isn’t always black and white? I’ll leave that up to interpretation.
It still reads like a Layla Fae book because it is a Layla Fae book and I really appreciated how clearly stated the AI use was in the introduction.