Beauty and the Bodyguard

Bachelor Bodyguards #4

by Lisa Childs

Can this bachelor bodyguard save his true love from mortal danger…on her wedding day? 

Bride-to-be Megan Lynch has just learned her ex, presumed dead marine Gage Huxton, is alive after surviving enemy captivity. But before she can break up with her fiancé, gunmen storm her wedding and take hostages! Megan will do anything to stay alive—for herself and a second chance with Gage. But there's more terror to endure before she can say yes to the dress—and her dream groom! 

 What do the gunmen want? Gage works double time to unravel the mystery and save the beauty who still holds his heart. As the wedding crashers open fire, Gage puts his life on the line to protect Megan and convince her of his love.

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Suspense, Adult

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 2016

About the author

Born one dark and stormy Halloween night, Lisa Childs was predestined to write suspense novels. She loves spinning dark and twisty stories that keep readers awake because they’re either too busy turning pages or too scared to sleep. Lisa Childs is the prolific author of more than seventy published novels. In addition to romantic suspense, she also writes women’s fiction, paranormal and contemporary romance.

Lisa loves to hear from readers who can contact her on Facebook or through her website.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was nice, but not as good as the other books in the series. Gage was okay. Megan irritated me quite often with her silliness especially running into danger without thinking and naively believing that the man who double-crossed his partners in crime and sent him to prison would not kill her when she had the loot in her possession. Also, I felt their romance lacked intensity. The action and suspense was also okay. Couldn't figure the husband-wife team of bad guys. Why would a woman get her husband out of prison when he was not great value to the big plan and easily expendable?

It was however nice to see Penny Payne, mother of all the bodyguards of Payne Protection of the Shotgun series and Bachelor Bodyguard series, and Chief Lynch --Megan's father and well-loved and respected father figure of all the agents in the Special Agents at the Altar series and Nicholas Rus-- also getting engaged. It was disappointing though that none of the agents made an appearance in the book, even to see their chief at the hospital. Would have loved to see Chief Lynch being ragged by them. At least, my favourite Nick Rus made few appearances, that too, one with his new born. Although, Nikki Payne has had major roles in the previous book (The Bodyguard's Surprise Baby - Nick Rus) and this book, always the strong, badass girl, somehow I haven't really been able to warm up to her. But, she does intrigue me. The next book in the series is on her, so I will surely read it.

Lisa Childs books are always engaging and I've enjoyed majority of her books in the bodyguards and agents series. Besides, it's always nice when other characters of previous goods make appearances, to catch up with their lives. Nevertheless, the books can also be read as a stand-alone

[Paula Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sort of unbelievably dumb thriller that requires every single character, good guys and bad guys alike, to behave like complete and utter morons in order to keep the plot moving! That being said, it wasn't boring, and was entertaining exactly for the reason that it was so unlikely and silly.

Megan Lynch is about to walk down the aisle to marry Richard, who she doesn't love, but he's a good friend. The real love of her life is Gage Huxton, who resigned from the bureau and reenlisted with the marines after Megan fibbed and told him that she never really loved him (after being led to believe he only slept with her because her dad was his boss and he wanted to boost his career.) He subsequently got captured and was presumed dead.

So Gage shows up at the wedding, having being hired to protect Megan just in case things go wrong, her being the daughter of the FBI chief. And go wrong, they do! Gunmen (and a woman) storm the wedding and take everybody hostage! It's not entirely clear what they want, so Gage must figure out motivations while trying to keep Megan safe.

The big thing working against this story, other than the stupidity of it all, is that our hero and heroine are basically awful people! We learn that Megan and Gage first got together because Gage put the moves on her while she was already dating Richard! So she dumped Richard for him. Not really a noble move, Gage! He also annoyed me with his constant, "So why had Megan agreed to marry Richard?" thoughts. Yeah, I was wondering that too, Gage, but there are gunmen running around. Get your priorities straight! As for Megan, what the almighty f*** is she doing going back to Richard and agreeing to marry him? I hate people who marry someone they don't love! Gage is correct in that respect.

The plot mostly consists of Gage, Megan, wedding planner Penny Payne, Megan's father Woodrow Lynch, and Penny's budding bodyguard daughter Nikki Payne flitting from room to room as they plot how to save themselves, and frequently (and easily) evading the eyes of the criminally unobservant gunmen supposedly holding them hostage. There are secret passageways in the wedding chapel, handy stockpiles of guns and....

Jeez. Did I really give this 3 stars? I suppose I did! If you can just go with the flow, and not think too hard about how ridiculous it all is, you might enjoy yourself. I find I can if I'm not bored.

[Beyond the Pages with Eva K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick Summary: An action packed, suspense driven romance

My Review: Beauty and the Bodyguard by Lisa Childs was insanely good. It was so intense. From the beginning, it gave off a vibe akin to a building up, much like a cresting wave. I was completely enthralled.

This book was filled with characters who had depth and texture - both male and female. I could easily recognize the series like setup. It was not off-putting in the least. It actually stirred up more interest.

My Final Say: This was my first Lisa Childs book, but it will most certainly not be my last. I shall be spending some reading time in this series. Readers who like suspense and intrigue in a second chance romance will like this story.

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Re-read: Yes
Cover: +

Appreciation is extended to the author, to Harlequin, and to NetGalley, who provided access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very intense story that takes place in less than 24 hours. Megan is in the bride's room, preparing for her wedding to Richard. She doesn't love him, but they are friends and that's good enough - she thinks. But then she remembers the way she had felt about Gage, and realizes that she can't go through with a passionless marriage. Just then, a knock at the door brings the bodyguard provided by the wedding planner, and Megan thinks she's seeing a ghost.

Gage had been an FBI agent working for her father when he fell for Megan. When she broke things off with him, he re-enlisted in the Marines to escape the pain. While in Afghanistan he was captured and tortured for six months before he was able to escape. Now he works as a bodyguard for Payne Protection. He didn't know who he was assigned to protect until he was there, and wasn't happy about it when he did. He was ready to walk out when he spotted the gunmen coming into the chapel.

From here it was a roller coaster ride of action and danger as the gunmen take hostages and try to achieve their goal. There is a lot of confusion at the beginning, as no one knows what they want and they aren't saying. Megan's father thinks it's something he's brought on as a bureau chief for the FBI. Gage worries that it's something terrorist related because of him, and Penny Payne thinks it's something from one of the security firm's cases. All the gunmen will say is that the wedding must go on. As Gage tries to protect Megan, Nikki Payne (youngest and only girl in the family) becomes a decoy, and tries to keep attention focused on her. There are a lot of twists and turns as Gage and the others try to resolve the situation. Every time they think they have a handle on the problem, something else happens to ramp up the danger. The confrontation at the chapel is intense, and they think they're home free, until the dying words of one gunman shows that it isn't over yet. By this time we have a good idea of who, what and why, but danger still stalks Megan. The final confrontation is fast and furious, but ends quite satisfactorily.

The reunion of Megan and Gage wasn't an easy one. When they had first met and fallen for each other, it was fast and they hadn't really known each other that well. Megan was rather insecure, and though she loved Gage, she found it hard to believe that he could really care for her. Therefore, she was easily influenced by a jealous coworker of Gage's and a "friend" who had his own agenda. She broke things off with Gage rather than talk to him about her fears and feelings. For his part, Gage let his pride get in the way, and when Megan broke things off, he ran instead of fighting for her. It was thoughts of her that kept him going during his captivity, but he wasn't going to admit that when he saw her again. When they were reunited, I wanted to bang their heads together. Rather than admit how glad they were to see each other again, they let pride get in the way again. But forced into each other's company, their previous attraction reignites, though each tries to resist it. Gage believes that he is no longer the man she loved and too messed up to deserve her. Megan feels guilty about the way she treated him, as she finally realizes that she'd been played. I was happy when they finally started to talk honestly, but it took nearly losing each other before they admitted their feelings. I really enjoyed the scene in the hospital room at the end.

The suspense of the story was really good, from the prologue to the very end. In the prologue we get the idea that the man in prison isn't happy about what he has found out, but there are no details. The next time we see him is in the chapel, but again, we don't know exactly who or what he is after. The addition of his female accomplice ratchets up the danger, as she doesn't seem to be quite stable. I loved seeing Nikki's involvement where she doesn't have to deal with her brothers' interference, and her abilities really shine. The more interaction between the gunmen and the good guys there is, the more questions are raised about just what they want. I began to suspect the who, but the what was a surprise until Megan's scene when locked in Penny's office. I kept wondering how they were going to resolve it while trapped in the chapel, especially with more bad guys outside to prevent them from getting help. It was exciting all the way to the last page.

I also enjoyed the secondary romance between Penny and Woodrow. I've loved her throughout the series, with the way she raised her boys and accepted their half brother too. I ached for her and the way her marriage had turned out. I liked Woodrow and his protectiveness towards his daughters. He was surprised by his attraction to Penny. I liked how he understood her issues because he had had a similar problem with his own marriage. The problems at the wedding chapel created some stress between he and Penny. The scene in the hospital room was really sweet, and I was happy for them both.

[Books and Spoons · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wedding day, filled with drama, danger, and death, the whole story takes place on one chaotic, fatal day, that no one expected to see!
This story is different, the time span of the tale is just that one day, but the reflexions on the past, the memories, the recollections all bring forward the full story, and gives an eye to the prior events, feelings, and growth and change the characters has gone through.
The intensity is high, the danger is palpable, the people in the wedding chapel have very few they can trust and no way to contact the help outside. The turmoil in the chapel, in the minds, and in the hearts, the tragedies, all plays a critical point in the story, they don't know who is the target of the attack, and why, all they know is everyone's lives are in danger.
I nearly want to say, read the other books in the series before this one. Yes, I read it as a stand-alone, it was okay so, but I am sure I would have gotten much more out of the story if I would have read the previous books in the series first.
The characters are fascinating, they all have points of interest to the reader, and the two love stories developing made me sigh at the end. There's complex family situations, trust issues, self-esteem issues, past hurt, pain from the war, and an incredible survivor story. Yet I felt like some points were repeated several times in depth, yet others got just a superficial glimpse to the matter, giving an unbalanced feeling of the tale.
Savage, mortal, violent action, mixed with romance that puts the hearts on the line, and desire that has only fragile hopes of forever kind of future.
~ Three Spoons with a teaspoon on the side

[Monica Cardoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book. I loved the suspense in this story and how it seemed that there were multiple things happening at the same time. The storyline was interesting and the characters were great. I’m going to have to read not only the first couple of books in this series but also Shotgun Weddings. Megan and Gage had gone through so much and they deserved to be happy. There was only one problem in my opinion and that was I wanted to know more about them and their background. I wanted more history and just more them. Gage had gone through so much and I could only imagine what he went through when being tortured. Then there was Megan she was in love with Gage but she was getting married to someone else. He was pushing her away and it seemed that things were not going well for both of them. They needed to get on the same page in order for them to have a happily ever after.

Received ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an Honest Review

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a disrupted unwanted wedding for stolen gems. Megan makes it hard for Gage to protect her. She was always rushing foolishly into dangerous situations thinking she would be able to help.There was lots of action, but there were several discrepancies. A decently trained ex-soldier and bodyguard would never leave the person he was guarding; he would not leave a door unlocked behind him, or kiss his client when gunmen could show up at any minute in an unlocked, unprotected area. For people who are in a stressful and dangerous situation, wedding planner, bride, bodyguards, etc., and who should be noticing everything, they don’t. They are not very good at hiding, locking doors, and seem to take turns at getting caught. They don’t seem to have any sense of personal survival. This book does contain swearing and sex.

[Syeda Noor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omggggg I read a novel thinking it was the best , only to discover another of Lisa Child which is more mindblowiing.......
TWO THINGS I LOVED ABOUT IT.
A) WHEN NIKKI TELLS D ABOUT GAGE BEING RAMBO..... HAHHAHAHAHA
B) PENNY FINALLY HAVING HER HAPPY ENDING...SHE DESERVED IT.....I wanted Logan's reaction on the engagement though....Maybe I'll get it in Nikki's story.... So offfffc I go.....

[Mattie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gage and Megan

It was ok, but heroine made so many bad decisions because she wanted to help but in actuality put people in more danger. She almost got hero killed several times because she wouldn't listen to him (however she thought she's so tough she knows better than a marine). It was unclear whether hero was celibate during the separation (I assume he was because he was in captivity for 6 months and then months of recovering, but it wasn't addressed). Np.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

HRS #1908 = 3+ stars

[Elizabeth Mckernan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good

Very good book. I couldn't put down until I finished reading it. I will read more books by this author.

[Cat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Megan - TSTL. Gage- PTSD vet. If you like drama, then this is the book for you. Lots of pages of self reflection and very little dialogue.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a novel that holds your interest from the start to the end. it takes place all in one day. it is Megan wedding day that takes a turn from happy to a major conflict. they are cut-off from any contact with the outside. the story is a fast pace action packed right from the start. the story is good as a stand alone, but might get more if read the series.

[Donna Repsher · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review and here it is: 2 stars.

This is the first novel I've read by this author and this novel was well-written technically, but at first, the title threw me off, since I was expecting a tale based on the Beauty and the Beast trope, which this novel most certainly was not.

The novel opens with a prison escape in the prologue and the reader doesn't meet that escaped convict for some time. In the first chapter, we meet the hero, Gage Huxton, who had been missing in Afghanistan and presumed dead. He somehow managed to escape his brutal captors and has only recently returned after enduring 6 months of torture. As expected, he has PTSD, night terrors, and flashbacks. He now works for the Payne Protection Agency as a bodyguard, and his latest assignment is to guard the bride at the wedding of the daughter of his former boss at the FBI, Megan Lynch, whose name he isn't told until he arrives at the wedding chapel. Penny Payne, who owns and runs the chapel hand-picked Gage. He was once in love with Megan and she with him, but when lies and rumors broke them up, Gage quit his job at the FBI, re-enlisted in the Marines, and was immediately deployed to Afghanistan, where he was captured and tortured.

Megan, presuming Gage was dead, is now getting married to her friend and former boyfriend, Richard, opting for a passionless marriage to a man she doesn't love. She's stunned to see Gage alive, but there's a lot of emotional baggage between these two, and Megan is suddenly reticent to go through with the wedding. Everything ramps up when suddenly the chapel is overrun by armed strangers with guns, and they all want Megan. What follows is a suspenseful novel with many twists and turns, and the unusual fact that entire novel takes place in a single day.

My issues with this novel mainly relate to the immaturity of the main characters, and the ridiculous wedding chapel with a secret stash of sophisticated weaponry, hidden passages and tunnels, and the fact that no one in this novel ever does what they're told to do. The main characters would not have broken up at all had they simply talked to each other, Gage would have never quit his job at the FBI, re-enlisted, and gotten captured and tortured. Both Megan and Gage are guilt-ridden about the breakup of their past relationship, but they have sex before even discussing it (and while armed gunmen are running around the chapel looking for her and killing innocent wedding guests. After a number of chapters, all this running around the chapel became overdone and ridiculous, Megan's histrionics became annoying, and while the mystery of why this was all happening is finally explained, it certainly was insufficient to rescue this novel from being a mediocre read.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Beauty and the Bodyguard is definitely a romantic suspense novel. Glad that I only read about the wedding and not there. Did a good job of keeping secrets. Plenty of drama, action and romance. One major love scene.

Megan Lynch is getting married to her friend Richard. While she is getting ready her ex-boyfriend that she thought was dead comes in the room. She is shocked. Megan is a librarian. Her father is in charge of local FBI office.

Gage Huxton is now a bodyguard. He has been assigned to guard a bride. He does not expect to see Megan the girl who broke his heart as the bride. He refuses to guard her till he notices the guys with guns.

Why is strangers with guns coming to Megan and Richard's weddings? Penny the wedding planner has bad feelings about this wedding. She thinks Megan is wrong to marry Richard.

Most of this book is set in the wedding chapel in Chicago.

I like this romance by Lisa Childs and plan to go buy more of her books to read.

I was given this ebook to read for free from NetGalley and Harlequin. In return I agreed to give a honest review of Beauty and the Bridegroom.

[Paula Legate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a Excellent book. It was action packed with suspense, and twist and turns. This was a double romance. I love books with action, and romance, and this book had it all.

It was Megan's wedding day. She was marring a friend. She knew she could never love Richard like she loved Gage. Gage was her one true love. He was in the military, and went missing, and she thought he was dead. She thought she was seeing his ghost, when he came into her changing room at the chapel. He got out of the military after he was found, and started working as a body guard. He was hired to protect a bride, but had no idea it was Megan. Megan's father was the chief of the FBI, so as you can imagine he has made a lot of enemy's throughout the years. The fastest way to hurt Woodrow would be to hurt his daughter.

Woodrow was a single dad. He taught his daughters self defense when they were little. Megan was a strong heroine and used her skills throughout the story to stay alive.

I loved the double romance. You had Megan, and Gage. You also got to read about Megan's dad falling in love with Penny, the wedding Planner. I love romance, and you can never have too much in one book.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

When it came to the book, I requested it because I've almost never disappointed by a book published by Harlequin. I love my action packed, drama filled suspense novels so this seemed like the type. Then the title ok it didn't lead to anything but I almost thought it was a almost retelling of beauty and the beast. Can you blame me with that title?

I honestly did not like this book. It was ok, but I wouldn't read this book again or recommend any one pick it up. There was just something not right about it. The more I go through this book the more ridiculous this book seems. There were plenty of cringe worthy moments that I found silly.I'm surprised I even got through this book. Really I just wanted to know why everything was going on and who was behind everything that I continued this book.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the best book in the series but it was a quick read. I would have given it a better rating had the bride Megan not been so dramatic it got to the point where you wanted her to just stop and listen to Gage, her father,and the others. The suspense and twists made it worthwhile to continue on.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

You're not allowed to reference Beauty and the Beast in the title of the book and then have NOTHING similar to the story line of BatB in the same book. Ugh. I shouldn't have bothered with this.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Bachelor Bodyguards

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
It was ok. Didnt enjoy it much.