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El guardaespaldas que temía al amor
La protegería con su vida y la veneraría con su cuerpo….
Cuando Santino Vasari fue contratado como guardaespaldas de la rica heredera Arianna Fitzgerald, supuso que se encontraría con una niña mimada y consentida. Pero la hermosa Arianna lo desconcertó por su inesperada vulnerabilidad, y lo atrajo por su carácter indómito. A solas en la casa de campo de Santino en Sicilia, descubrieron que entre ellos había una tensión sexual electrizante. Y, cuando Santino descubrió hasta qué punto Arianna era inocente, luchar contra la tentación que representaba se convirtió en una labor titánica.
145 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2019
43 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Chantelle Shaw
662 books158 followersI grew up without a TV, let alone DVD’s, computer games etc that my kids spend so much time engrossed in, but I learned to read at an early age and from then on I was always entertained – so much so that my friends used to hide their books when I visited them because all I wanted to do was read!
When I was a teenager I discovered Mills & Boon romances in my local library, and so began a lifelong love affair. I still remember that feeling of anticipation when I settled down with a pile of books - all bearing the famous rose logo - knowing that I would be drawn into a world of love, passion and emotional intensity that I have never found in any other books. I enjoy reading a wide range of books, especially historical novels, and I am a big fan of Agatha Christie, mainly I think because her characters seem so real, but I love romances and unashamedly admit that I only want to read books with a guaranteed happy ending. Reading is my joy and pleasure and I don’t want to cry buckets at the end of a book or have my sleep disturbed by its gruesome content.
For me, the characters in Harlequin Mills & Boon romances are the key. I love reading and writing about strong, alpha heroes and feisty, independent heroines who find that they can’t fight the blazing attraction between them.
When I married my own tall, dark, but sadly not wealthy hero, we moved out of London to the Kent coast and started a family that grew and grew. I adore my six children, and when they were small I loved being a stay-at-home mum, but there can be days, as I’m sure many of you know, when you feel isolated and – dare I say it – bored of conversing with three-year-olds. Harlequin Mills & Boon romances were my life-line and my sanity and I read them whenever I had a spare five minutes (in the bath, pacing the floor at three am with colicky baby on one shoulder and a book in the other hand!)
My imagination soared and I decided to try and write a book myself. My first attempt was typed up on a manual type-writer with the full-stop key and the letter p missing. Luckily my hero and heroine were not called Paul and Poppy, but it still meant going over my manuscript with a pen to fill in the gaps!
That first book was duly rejected as were my next two. I suppose I was disheartened and by now I had four small children and very little spare time, so although I continued to read romances, I gave up writing. It wasn’t until my youngest son started school that I tried writing again. I was struggling to come to terms with the death of my darling mum Gabrielle and writing became my therapy. Mum had always nagged me to get on and write a book and had an unshakeable belief that I would one day be published – I’m so glad that she was proved right and my biggest regret is that she isn’t here to share my success with me.
I wrote two more books which were both rejected by HM&B, but I was given some advice on my writing from the editorial team that encouraged me to try again. Third time lucky certainly applied to me – the day I received ‘the call’ was exactly four years after Mum had died. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life - but instead of chatting to the editor about contracts I had to dash off and pick my sick daughter up from school. Reality is never far away in my house!
I have now had nine books published - At the Sheikh's Bidding was released in September 08. My next book, Argentinian Playboy, Unexpected Love-Child will be out in the UK in July 09, and The Greek Billionaire's Innocent Princess in the UK in August 09. I have just had my twelfth book accepted and am already busy on my thirteenth. Now that my children are growing up I am able to write every day between 9 am and 3 pm, but often I become so involved with my characters that I sneak off to write again in the evening!
I feel I must be one of the luckiest people in the world to be doing something that I love, but I work hard at my luck and I believe that w
When I was a teenager I discovered Mills & Boon romances in my local library, and so began a lifelong love affair. I still remember that feeling of anticipation when I settled down with a pile of books - all bearing the famous rose logo - knowing that I would be drawn into a world of love, passion and emotional intensity that I have never found in any other books. I enjoy reading a wide range of books, especially historical novels, and I am a big fan of Agatha Christie, mainly I think because her characters seem so real, but I love romances and unashamedly admit that I only want to read books with a guaranteed happy ending. Reading is my joy and pleasure and I don’t want to cry buckets at the end of a book or have my sleep disturbed by its gruesome content.
For me, the characters in Harlequin Mills & Boon romances are the key. I love reading and writing about strong, alpha heroes and feisty, independent heroines who find that they can’t fight the blazing attraction between them.
When I married my own tall, dark, but sadly not wealthy hero, we moved out of London to the Kent coast and started a family that grew and grew. I adore my six children, and when they were small I loved being a stay-at-home mum, but there can be days, as I’m sure many of you know, when you feel isolated and – dare I say it – bored of conversing with three-year-olds. Harlequin Mills & Boon romances were my life-line and my sanity and I read them whenever I had a spare five minutes (in the bath, pacing the floor at three am with colicky baby on one shoulder and a book in the other hand!)
My imagination soared and I decided to try and write a book myself. My first attempt was typed up on a manual type-writer with the full-stop key and the letter p missing. Luckily my hero and heroine were not called Paul and Poppy, but it still meant going over my manuscript with a pen to fill in the gaps!
That first book was duly rejected as were my next two. I suppose I was disheartened and by now I had four small children and very little spare time, so although I continued to read romances, I gave up writing. It wasn’t until my youngest son started school that I tried writing again. I was struggling to come to terms with the death of my darling mum Gabrielle and writing became my therapy. Mum had always nagged me to get on and write a book and had an unshakeable belief that I would one day be published – I’m so glad that she was proved right and my biggest regret is that she isn’t here to share my success with me.
I wrote two more books which were both rejected by HM&B, but I was given some advice on my writing from the editorial team that encouraged me to try again. Third time lucky certainly applied to me – the day I received ‘the call’ was exactly four years after Mum had died. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life - but instead of chatting to the editor about contracts I had to dash off and pick my sick daughter up from school. Reality is never far away in my house!
I have now had nine books published - At the Sheikh's Bidding was released in September 08. My next book, Argentinian Playboy, Unexpected Love-Child will be out in the UK in July 09, and The Greek Billionaire's Innocent Princess in the UK in August 09. I have just had my twelfth book accepted and am already busy on my thirteenth. Now that my children are growing up I am able to write every day between 9 am and 3 pm, but often I become so involved with my characters that I sneak off to write again in the evening!
I feel I must be one of the luckiest people in the world to be doing something that I love, but I work hard at my luck and I believe that w
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 5, 2018
2.5 stars.
Well, I really wanted to love this novel because the blurb had gotten me so excited. I usually enjoy romances with the hot bodyguard H who rides in to protect and defend his damsel in distress. But this one didn't quite live up to the hype. Don't misunderstand me: the H was definitely hot but the story itself wasn't that thrilling. The first quarter was a bit too slow and when the pace did pick up, the storyline was focused more on the socialite heroine's TSTL actions and less on the romance between the MC's. The heroine herself was quite aggravating; she reminded me of Paris Hilton as a shallow attention seeking 20something year old, who lived for the flash of paparazzi cameras.
Arianna wasn't quite as bad as the younger Paris H because it was clear, from her interior monologues, that she was an intelligent young woman with solid life ambitions. However, for the first 65% of the story, there was a huge incongruence between her outward behaviour/actions and her inner thoughts. That's what annoyed me the most ! After all, what's the point of wanting to be a better, less vacuous person on the outside, if one continues to hoard the limelight and act in the same old attention seeking manner ?
Arianna has a history of delinquent public behaviour; she's been acting out for years in an effort to attract her father's attention. Her father is more concerned with multiplying his billions and has little interest in his only daughter. I felt sorry for her on this score because it's awful for a parent to be totally indifferent to his child, but this heroine became self destructive in her efforts to gain his notice. Her public persona isn't very likable at all and she's well aware of it, since it's all part of her plan to annoy her daddy. She spends all her time partying, getting drunk, wasting time, shopping and associating with trust fund playboys, athletes and actors. Her public image is so tainted that the H thinks she's lazy, selfish, materialistic and very slutty. One journalist even went as far as to say:
Arianna is the daughter of billionaire fashion designer Randolph Fitzgerald and has been famously described in the British press as ‘the most privileged and pointless person on the planet’.
This is the heroine, Arianna:
Santino, the H, is a Sicilian-English former SAS soldier who's been hired, by Arianna's billionaire fashion designer father, to protect from a group of Calabrian mafiosos who are intent on kidnapping her. The H doesn't actually work as a bodyguard since he's now a millionaire entrepreneur/investor. Nevertheless, he makes an exception and agrees to be Arianna's protector since he'd been the one to unearth the information about the plans to kidnap her. The H has his own tragic backstory: he's one of those H's who's afraid to love because he'd seen how love had destroyed his late father's life. His parents had been totally in love with each other and his dad became a reclusive alcoholic, who gave up on life, after his mom's death due to cancer. Santino thinks, therefore, that love is a weakness.
This is the H, Santino:
The story did start on an exciting note, because it opens with a scene where the hungover ( from hard partying ) heroine meets Santino at her father's holiday villa in Positano, Italy. She's sleeping on a poolside lounger, dressed in the tiniest scrap of a thong bikini when the H arrives to start his bodyguarding duties. Of course, she acts like a spoilt, rude brat and treats him like a minion. The H doesn't cower or get angry; he merely lifts his eyebrows and begins to eat the hot breakfast that her butler has just left for her ! Lol. Arianna is aghast at his audacity; after all, she's the spoilt, paparazzi princess so why he is smiling and eating all her food while she sits there in shock ?
I had high hopes for the storyline at this early stage, because my interest had been captured by the witty banter between the MC's.
But, unfortunately, my interest started to lag as the plot unfolded because the story devolved into a relatively bland narrative of the heroine's many silly, and dangerous, attempts to run away from the H. Arianna runs off to go join her friends at a party, then she plays a game of hide of seek with Santino, where she goes off to meet a seamstress who's teaching her to sew. Her big secret ambition is to be a fashion designer like her dad but she wants to accomplish it without her indifferent parent's assistance or knowledge. That's why she refrains from telling Santino that she's trying to change and become a productive member of society. The H spends all his time playing a game of catch up with Arianna, who keeps rushing off to join her socialite pals. Then, it's back to the partying again:
The MC's did share great mutual chemistry and the H had a few growly, alpha male jealous moments when Arianna kept flirting with her rich male pals at parties. The most idiotic thing the heroine had done was to lie to the H and tell him she was meeting a secret lover ! In her warped mind, that was preferable to telling him the simple truth about her sewing lessons. It's like I've said before: this girl is her own worst enemy and doesn't think about her reputation until after she's already damaged it...
Santino, for the most part, is burning with jealousy over Arianna's secret lover but of course he denies it to himself.
There are a few more TSTL actions, on the part of both MC's:
1. Arianna, who cannot swim and has a phobia for deep water, puts on an ill fitting life-saving jacket and hops onto a jet ski with her drunken male pal ! She does this, because she's jealous of the attention the H is getting from her female socialite friends.
2. Santino, who's supposed to be the ultimate bodyguard, is lounging with identical twin blondes on his lap and doesn't see when the bratty heroine runs off in a huff to ride the jet ski...
3. Arianna falls off the jet ski, almost drowns and is nearly accosted by a kidnapper before the "super bodyguard H" finally turns up to save her...
The narrative continued in a similar fashion until she's almost kidnapped again and then they finally depart for the H's family cottage in Sicily.
It's from this point onwards that the author speeds up the pace of the plot and allows the MC's romantic storyline to get some attention, finally. But even this turns out to be unsatisfactory for me because the MC's big passionate, flirtatious and sexual build up that's been going on from the first chapter, ends in an abridged and very disappointing lovemaking scene. The H recoils from Arianna after he encounters her hymen, there's no orgasm for either of them and plenty of accusations and recriminations. Then chapter 8 begins, abruptly, 4 months after this sexually disappointing scene.
The heroine, who is now a hard working, model citizen, meets Santino again when he offers to invest in her fashion designing venture. I felt that this part of the novel was a bit rushed when compared to the first 8 chapters. Too many important things happened too quickly in this last section:
1. The heroine forms a partnership with the H, who is willing to teach her all about management of business, PR and investment practices. Part of me was a little bored at this point and I did wonder how this H, who'd left school at 18 to join the army, had managed to acquire all this specialist skill in these areas. But, what do I know ? He's the former super soldier, and he's an inhabitant of HPlandia, so it follows that he'll be naturally adept at mastering the fields of big business and investment...
2. The MC's start a sexual friends with benefits relationship that ends when the heroine mentions the word "love" to the H.
3. They break up, then he has an epiphany and returns to grovel, beg and plead.
The lack of an epilogue was a major disappointment ! The MC's relationship had been squeezed into the final quarter of the novel and I felt that the reader deserved an epilogue, to prove that these two high strung characters really had what it takes to forge a lasting, solid relationship. I will say, though, that I believe they were committed to each and in love by the end of the story. And, the heroine did finally achieve her dream of becoming a fashion designer. The one problem I had, though, was the fact that the author left the issue with her father unresolved. I wanted some closure on that front, because a lot of attention had been placed on her unhealthy relationship with her dad. Santino did go through a short period of emotional turmoil where he lost weight and was full of regret for the way he had thrown away Arianna's love. And, he did grovel in a very satisfactory manner:
‘Tesoro mio—’ His voice cracked. ‘If you give me the chance, I will spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you. You are everything, Arianna—’ he swallowed convulsively ‘—and without you I am nothing.’
So, this was OK but, unfortunately I can't give it a high 5...
Safety: No OW, no OM and no cheating. Both MC's flirted with other people but it was merely done to make each other jealous. Both MC's were celibate during their 2 short separations.
Well, I really wanted to love this novel because the blurb had gotten me so excited. I usually enjoy romances with the hot bodyguard H who rides in to protect and defend his damsel in distress. But this one didn't quite live up to the hype. Don't misunderstand me: the H was definitely hot but the story itself wasn't that thrilling. The first quarter was a bit too slow and when the pace did pick up, the storyline was focused more on the socialite heroine's TSTL actions and less on the romance between the MC's. The heroine herself was quite aggravating; she reminded me of Paris Hilton as a shallow attention seeking 20something year old, who lived for the flash of paparazzi cameras.
Arianna wasn't quite as bad as the younger Paris H because it was clear, from her interior monologues, that she was an intelligent young woman with solid life ambitions. However, for the first 65% of the story, there was a huge incongruence between her outward behaviour/actions and her inner thoughts. That's what annoyed me the most ! After all, what's the point of wanting to be a better, less vacuous person on the outside, if one continues to hoard the limelight and act in the same old attention seeking manner ?
Arianna has a history of delinquent public behaviour; she's been acting out for years in an effort to attract her father's attention. Her father is more concerned with multiplying his billions and has little interest in his only daughter. I felt sorry for her on this score because it's awful for a parent to be totally indifferent to his child, but this heroine became self destructive in her efforts to gain his notice. Her public persona isn't very likable at all and she's well aware of it, since it's all part of her plan to annoy her daddy. She spends all her time partying, getting drunk, wasting time, shopping and associating with trust fund playboys, athletes and actors. Her public image is so tainted that the H thinks she's lazy, selfish, materialistic and very slutty. One journalist even went as far as to say:
Arianna is the daughter of billionaire fashion designer Randolph Fitzgerald and has been famously described in the British press as ‘the most privileged and pointless person on the planet’.
This is the heroine, Arianna:
Santino, the H, is a Sicilian-English former SAS soldier who's been hired, by Arianna's billionaire fashion designer father, to protect from a group of Calabrian mafiosos who are intent on kidnapping her. The H doesn't actually work as a bodyguard since he's now a millionaire entrepreneur/investor. Nevertheless, he makes an exception and agrees to be Arianna's protector since he'd been the one to unearth the information about the plans to kidnap her. The H has his own tragic backstory: he's one of those H's who's afraid to love because he'd seen how love had destroyed his late father's life. His parents had been totally in love with each other and his dad became a reclusive alcoholic, who gave up on life, after his mom's death due to cancer. Santino thinks, therefore, that love is a weakness.
This is the H, Santino:
The story did start on an exciting note, because it opens with a scene where the hungover ( from hard partying ) heroine meets Santino at her father's holiday villa in Positano, Italy. She's sleeping on a poolside lounger, dressed in the tiniest scrap of a thong bikini when the H arrives to start his bodyguarding duties. Of course, she acts like a spoilt, rude brat and treats him like a minion. The H doesn't cower or get angry; he merely lifts his eyebrows and begins to eat the hot breakfast that her butler has just left for her ! Lol. Arianna is aghast at his audacity; after all, she's the spoilt, paparazzi princess so why he is smiling and eating all her food while she sits there in shock ?
I had high hopes for the storyline at this early stage, because my interest had been captured by the witty banter between the MC's.
But, unfortunately, my interest started to lag as the plot unfolded because the story devolved into a relatively bland narrative of the heroine's many silly, and dangerous, attempts to run away from the H. Arianna runs off to go join her friends at a party, then she plays a game of hide of seek with Santino, where she goes off to meet a seamstress who's teaching her to sew. Her big secret ambition is to be a fashion designer like her dad but she wants to accomplish it without her indifferent parent's assistance or knowledge. That's why she refrains from telling Santino that she's trying to change and become a productive member of society. The H spends all his time playing a game of catch up with Arianna, who keeps rushing off to join her socialite pals. Then, it's back to the partying again:
The MC's did share great mutual chemistry and the H had a few growly, alpha male jealous moments when Arianna kept flirting with her rich male pals at parties. The most idiotic thing the heroine had done was to lie to the H and tell him she was meeting a secret lover ! In her warped mind, that was preferable to telling him the simple truth about her sewing lessons. It's like I've said before: this girl is her own worst enemy and doesn't think about her reputation until after she's already damaged it...
Santino, for the most part, is burning with jealousy over Arianna's secret lover but of course he denies it to himself.
There are a few more TSTL actions, on the part of both MC's:
1. Arianna, who cannot swim and has a phobia for deep water, puts on an ill fitting life-saving jacket and hops onto a jet ski with her drunken male pal ! She does this, because she's jealous of the attention the H is getting from her female socialite friends.
2. Santino, who's supposed to be the ultimate bodyguard, is lounging with identical twin blondes on his lap and doesn't see when the bratty heroine runs off in a huff to ride the jet ski...
3. Arianna falls off the jet ski, almost drowns and is nearly accosted by a kidnapper before the "super bodyguard H" finally turns up to save her...
The narrative continued in a similar fashion until she's almost kidnapped again and then they finally depart for the H's family cottage in Sicily.
It's from this point onwards that the author speeds up the pace of the plot and allows the MC's romantic storyline to get some attention, finally. But even this turns out to be unsatisfactory for me because the MC's big passionate, flirtatious and sexual build up that's been going on from the first chapter, ends in an abridged and very disappointing lovemaking scene. The H recoils from Arianna after he encounters her hymen, there's no orgasm for either of them and plenty of accusations and recriminations. Then chapter 8 begins, abruptly, 4 months after this sexually disappointing scene.
The heroine, who is now a hard working, model citizen, meets Santino again when he offers to invest in her fashion designing venture. I felt that this part of the novel was a bit rushed when compared to the first 8 chapters. Too many important things happened too quickly in this last section:
1. The heroine forms a partnership with the H, who is willing to teach her all about management of business, PR and investment practices. Part of me was a little bored at this point and I did wonder how this H, who'd left school at 18 to join the army, had managed to acquire all this specialist skill in these areas. But, what do I know ? He's the former super soldier, and he's an inhabitant of HPlandia, so it follows that he'll be naturally adept at mastering the fields of big business and investment...
2. The MC's start a sexual friends with benefits relationship that ends when the heroine mentions the word "love" to the H.
3. They break up, then he has an epiphany and returns to grovel, beg and plead.
The lack of an epilogue was a major disappointment ! The MC's relationship had been squeezed into the final quarter of the novel and I felt that the reader deserved an epilogue, to prove that these two high strung characters really had what it takes to forge a lasting, solid relationship. I will say, though, that I believe they were committed to each and in love by the end of the story. And, the heroine did finally achieve her dream of becoming a fashion designer. The one problem I had, though, was the fact that the author left the issue with her father unresolved. I wanted some closure on that front, because a lot of attention had been placed on her unhealthy relationship with her dad. Santino did go through a short period of emotional turmoil where he lost weight and was full of regret for the way he had thrown away Arianna's love. And, he did grovel in a very satisfactory manner:
‘Tesoro mio—’ His voice cracked. ‘If you give me the chance, I will spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you. You are everything, Arianna—’ he swallowed convulsively ‘—and without you I am nothing.’
So, this was OK but, unfortunately I can't give it a high 5...
Safety: No OW, no OM and no cheating. Both MC's flirted with other people but it was merely done to make each other jealous. Both MC's were celibate during their 2 short separations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2018
Bodyguard/poor-little-rich-girl romance. Hero is a veteran from the British Army and a tycoon. Heroine wants to be a fashion designer like her cold, long-distance father.
Hero becomes the heroine's bodyguard after he discovers the heroine is a target for a kidnapping plot while he doing some undercover work for an old army buddy - as all billionaire tycoons like to do in their spare time.
Yeah - none of the suspense/body guard elements made much sense. The heroine's debut as a fashion designer was beyond belief as well (she was still learning to sew).
The romance was okay. Heroine let the hero have the wrong idea about her as that was her usual defense mechanism. Hero had the wrong idea until he discovered the heroine was a virgin.
It took a while for the commitment-phobe hero to come around, but the heroine at least used their time apart to work on her dress designs.
Heroine never reconciled with her father, which was a plus. And this review is as uninspiring as the book. Sorry about that!
Ivy has all the details in her review.
Hero becomes the heroine's bodyguard after he discovers the heroine is a target for a kidnapping plot while he doing some undercover work for an old army buddy - as all billionaire tycoons like to do in their spare time.
Yeah - none of the suspense/body guard elements made much sense. The heroine's debut as a fashion designer was beyond belief as well (she was still learning to sew).
The romance was okay. Heroine let the hero have the wrong idea about her as that was her usual defense mechanism. Hero had the wrong idea until he discovered the heroine was a virgin.
It took a while for the commitment-phobe hero to come around, but the heroine at least used their time apart to work on her dress designs.
Heroine never reconciled with her father, which was a plus. And this review is as uninspiring as the book. Sorry about that!
Ivy has all the details in her review.
Read
November 5, 2018I don't like bodyguard stories plus this book does not have an epilogue so I will not rate this. Bummer!
April 26, 2019
I didn't care for the heroine the first half of the book but the second half she was better.
Hero was average.
Didn't really care for the rich and spoiled characterization of the heroine.
Story line was okay.
I think my friend Ivy (Carmen's) review best describes this book and all it's pro and cons.
Hero was average.
Didn't really care for the rich and spoiled characterization of the heroine.
Story line was okay.
I think my friend Ivy (Carmen's) review best describes this book and all it's pro and cons.
November 10, 2018
I agree with Ivy’s excellent review. I like CS’s books but this one was not good enough.
November 10, 2018
Millionaire Heiress and a millionaire bodyguard. Arianna is a publicised, socialite bitch, one of the self destructive faces on media. Her father is a fashion icon billionaire whose real focus is in making his billions. As a result, her outlandish behavior was staged to catch his attention which never did. When word got through to him, Arianna was under attack by the Italian Mafia he hired Santino Vasari, her new bodyguard in exchange for stocks from his billionaire empire.
Arianna and Santino clashed with instantaneous attraction. Santino was wary of her 'spoilt Rich Girl' temperament and she was unimpressed with his Machismo manner. However their angst and attraction was a volatile combination. She tempted him, she was indeed a sexy tramp but also quite innocent of men. That combination proved too much for him. She pushed his patience, she made herself more damning to him, she flirted with other men etc just to get the edge on him. There were times she broke his control and times when he got furious. Quite a feisty h in this book! All this time it meant nothing to her, she was a sincere innocent compassionate woman fighting for independence.
In attendance of one of her outrageous parties,She had a fight with Santino and left in a rush, which turned out to be a huge mistake.Arianna was accosted by two men, she fought them off,but it was Santino's voice made them flee. Finally,Santino revealed the reason why he was hired and much to her anger and despair. He shipped her to his home in Sicily for greater protection and isolation.
At the villa, they become closer, Santino realised Arianna isn't the woman he thought she is in the tabloids. He always sensed her vulnerabilities and air of innocence but he ignored them. Arianna finally understood why He is so different and different. This brought them closer shattering resistances from both ends, eventually they gave in to passion. Santino was disturb in discovering how much of an innocent she was, he decided to end the closeness and as soon as She was no longer a threat by the mafia he sent her away.
Still smattering from rejection,Arianna worked on becoming independent from her father. Developing a creative streak for fashion before Santino crashed in her life, she pushed herself into developing a clothing brand called 'Anna '. She had to approach companies for investors, she wanted to launch her brand for a season but didn't have the capital. Eventually she won over Tiger Investments and Branch off Toni Delis which is a million dollar brand.Arianna was nervous and excited to present her work to the investor. Much to her shock, Surprise ! Surprise ! Santino is the owner. They were mesmerized and magnitised ; however he had business interest and made her present her work. Arianna finds herself flustered and nervous, she failed miserably presenting her business plan. Santino took pity and he took her under his wing to train her about marketing and other attributes of running a business. Their attraction grew more and they find themselves in an affair. Arianna seeing him this way couldn't help but fell in love 💘. Although Santino dismissed the emotion. He was traumatised by his Father's emotional crash when Santino's mother died. Fear made him avoid the emotion. When Arianna confessed her love ,he bailed again. He left her for a second time. The final straw was when a journalist revealed that her brand was linked to her father's via Tiger investments because they own some stocks from her father's company, she denied it because she didn't know, Santino's confirmation hurt her, made her feel betrayed. She left him.
Santino realised he did hurt her so much and in his remorse and self reflection he realised he did indeed loved her. Being alone showed him that he felt like his father except suicidal. He rushed back to her side, made corrections of the stock and profess his love. She didn't believe him until his grovel and tears shatter her doubts and she agreed to marry him..this review lost a star because there was no epilogue wanted the father to change and embrace her. Wanted a chil for them. Great read... I enjoyed the suspense and lure...
Arianna and Santino clashed with instantaneous attraction. Santino was wary of her 'spoilt Rich Girl' temperament and she was unimpressed with his Machismo manner. However their angst and attraction was a volatile combination. She tempted him, she was indeed a sexy tramp but also quite innocent of men. That combination proved too much for him. She pushed his patience, she made herself more damning to him, she flirted with other men etc just to get the edge on him. There were times she broke his control and times when he got furious. Quite a feisty h in this book! All this time it meant nothing to her, she was a sincere innocent compassionate woman fighting for independence.
In attendance of one of her outrageous parties,She had a fight with Santino and left in a rush, which turned out to be a huge mistake.Arianna was accosted by two men, she fought them off,but it was Santino's voice made them flee. Finally,Santino revealed the reason why he was hired and much to her anger and despair. He shipped her to his home in Sicily for greater protection and isolation.
At the villa, they become closer, Santino realised Arianna isn't the woman he thought she is in the tabloids. He always sensed her vulnerabilities and air of innocence but he ignored them. Arianna finally understood why He is so different and different. This brought them closer shattering resistances from both ends, eventually they gave in to passion. Santino was disturb in discovering how much of an innocent she was, he decided to end the closeness and as soon as She was no longer a threat by the mafia he sent her away.
Still smattering from rejection,Arianna worked on becoming independent from her father. Developing a creative streak for fashion before Santino crashed in her life, she pushed herself into developing a clothing brand called 'Anna '. She had to approach companies for investors, she wanted to launch her brand for a season but didn't have the capital. Eventually she won over Tiger Investments and Branch off Toni Delis which is a million dollar brand.Arianna was nervous and excited to present her work to the investor. Much to her shock, Surprise ! Surprise ! Santino is the owner. They were mesmerized and magnitised ; however he had business interest and made her present her work. Arianna finds herself flustered and nervous, she failed miserably presenting her business plan. Santino took pity and he took her under his wing to train her about marketing and other attributes of running a business. Their attraction grew more and they find themselves in an affair. Arianna seeing him this way couldn't help but fell in love 💘. Although Santino dismissed the emotion. He was traumatised by his Father's emotional crash when Santino's mother died. Fear made him avoid the emotion. When Arianna confessed her love ,he bailed again. He left her for a second time. The final straw was when a journalist revealed that her brand was linked to her father's via Tiger investments because they own some stocks from her father's company, she denied it because she didn't know, Santino's confirmation hurt her, made her feel betrayed. She left him.
Santino realised he did hurt her so much and in his remorse and self reflection he realised he did indeed loved her. Being alone showed him that he felt like his father except suicidal. He rushed back to her side, made corrections of the stock and profess his love. She didn't believe him until his grovel and tears shatter her doubts and she agreed to marry him..this review lost a star because there was no epilogue wanted the father to change and embrace her. Wanted a chil for them. Great read... I enjoyed the suspense and lure...
December 20, 2018
3.5 Stars. It was an enjoyable read but something just didn’t really gel - I can’t quite put my finger on it. It also seemed like it was 2 seperate stories all rolled into one: the bodyguard scenario and then the fashion/ business scenario. Enjoyable but not great.
July 21, 2019
Finally this is the Harlequin Presents that I love and I adore, and what I expect from all of my Presents novel.
This was unlike any bodyguard romance that I have ever read before. The plot may have been similar to other books in the past, but it was completely different and a big part of that was due to the characters Arianna and Santino. This book was freaking amazing from word one all the way up to the last one. I was immediately captured with the story of Arianna and Santino and their love story. Oh my goodness their interaction from the very beginning was beyond explosive that sparks flew off the pages. I don’t think I have ever read a first meeting like the one with Arianna and Santino that completely blew my socks off. It was beyond amazing. There was heat, passion, chemistry, playfulness, very flirty, yet full of seriousness and intensity that just really took the story off on an amazing direction that just didn’t stop. It was really well written and gave me all type of feels while reading it. I wish I could adequately describe just how much love that scene, and I could go on and on about it. It was heck of the beginning.
I didn’t even care that they kissed that early on in the story because there was just so much good tension just built up in that little space of a time that when he came for that passionate kiss I was ready for it and I wanted it. Bad. Of coarse the kiss was meant as a one up mend ship between the battle between these two, but that was what made it really fun and entertaining to see as the game became about something more than pushing each other’s buttons. It was about their chemistry and passion for one another. It really set the tone for the rest of the book.
After that explosive first meeting and kiss, the tension and passion that was so intense at the first meeting carried throughout the book, which was really amazing. Really the whole battle between Arianna and Santino never really stopped throughout the story, which made it really entertaining and fun to see the sexy cat and mouse game play out. They really knew how to push each other’s buttons while battling all this sexual tension and passion between them. I really thought that the pages were going to burst into flames at one point. The build up between them was utterly fantastic the more and more the story progressed. It also showed the deeper and deeper that they were getting to one another the closer that they got and made more intense.
The number of passionate scenes between Santino and Arianna was massive. In fact I would say that everytime they were the same scene together something passionate happened between them whether it be a heated kiss, touch, makeout, kiss or full blown love scene. It was all there. I was surprised at how many type of scenes were in the book, and I didn’t hate it. I love it in fact. It was never over the top or too much or made me roll my eyes with the thought “again” floating in my head. No, it was nothing like that. It felt like a natural progression in the story and their romance. It just showed how intense of a chemistry that they had with one another in a way that they never had with anyone else. It was awesome, and they worked so well in the story. I couldn’t even tell you what my favorite scene was between them because I loved all of them together. Plus I loved seeing Santino and Arianna anytime they were on the page together, and if it was during passionate moments so be it.
What I wasn’t expecting, but throughly loved, was the fact that there was some angsty action here. I’m not talking about just the sexual tension between them, which was pretty darn amazing, but the scenes that happened after a passionate moment where he discovered that it was her first time, and it turn rejected her and really hurt her in the process. Fast forward months later when they were reunited, there was still that sexual tension between them, but also that angst as Arianna tried to keep her guard up because she didn’t want to be rejected by him again. When she designated to give him her virginity in the first, she really put her trust in him in way that she never had in another man in her entire life. In fact with Santino it was the first time she felt safe with a man, and was the reason that she wanted Santino to be her first so when he rejected her that first time it devastated her and made her realize that she shouldn’t trust anyone. So when she came in contact with Santino again, she was wary about getting involved with him and keeping her emotions separate from their business dealings especially since she fell in love with him while she was on his island when he was acting as her bodyguard. So that was a struggle between them while still battling that attraction between them that hadn’t lessened with time. Eventually she gave into him and they engaged in some very passionate only to have him reject her once again hence more lovely angst that I love.
Another thing that was really amazing about the plot was the whole danger/suspense element going on within the story. After all the setup was that Santino was her bodyguard protecting her from a dangerous mafia intent on kidnapping her. That was why he was hired in the first place, even though she thought it was because her father wanted to control her and wasn’t told that there was a threat to her life until later on. This suspense element just added so much more to the plot and increasing the intensity of the story on top over the heated encounters between Santino and Arianna just made for a really good adrenaline rush throughout out the story. It made the heart pound as did the intenseness of the romance. It kept me on the edge of my seat as certain moments happened throughout the story and really brought Santino and Arianna closer together because of those dangerous moments going on. I was surprised that this plot point was finished way before ending of the story and didn’t carry through the entire book. I wasn’t expecting that, and I thought more would be done with. It ended most too easy as did the danger. I would have like to see that storyline carry on a little longer as well as the suspense.
I will say that I preferred the begging of the story because of the whole cat and mouse game that they were playing as well as the build up that was happening that made the story even more passionate and intense, then it kind of slowed down just a tad once that four months passed between the time they were in Sicily to when they met again in London and he was willing to fund her company. Then after they gave in to that, the story focused more on their bedroom activities as well showing their bond growing more and more as the story progressed. Just that beginning just really knocked my socks off and really showed why this wasn’t your typical Harlequin Present bodyguard romance. The beginning just really highlighted what an amazing romance it was between Santino and Arianna. Once I started, I devoured it.
There were a couple things that I wished were in the story that weren’t, but it didn’t detract from how amazing the story it was, or how much I loved this story hence the reason for my five stars rating, but I think if these couple things were in there I think it would have been over the top and just the icing on the cake. For one, I wish that Santino did a little more groveling in the story. After all he rejected Arianna twice, which was a really big deal since she had been rejected by her father all her life and yearned for his love that she never got. I just think Santino needed to make up for that and romance her a little more instead of offering her a proposition of them being bed buddies without an emotional connection. I think he could have done a little more there, though he did romance her later at the charity auction for a night, which was when she gave into him, but even still I think he had to make up for that rejection as well as the second one, but that just me. I love to see a good groveling scene.
The second thing I wish was in the story was an interaction between Arianna and her father. I just needed one. Conversation, or something between them where Arianna stood up to him and basically told him all that he did to her during her youth and why she acted that way was to get his attention and possible his love. I think she deserved to have that scene just to tell him off and show that she as a better person that he gave her credit for. Even just to get all her pain and hurt over what he did off her chest, I think that would have been nice closure. Plus I just wanted to see how he treated his daughter if he came face to face with her and kind of find out why he acted the way he did because it was a little contradictory from him hiring a bodyguard to showing no care whatsoever to her. It didn’t make sense, though she kind of explained it why to Santino I would have liked more of explanation from the horse’s mouth himself.
I could go on and on about the story and what I loved about it, which was so much of it. The storyline was amazing. Santino and Arianna I loved and adored. I loved that this didn’t feel like a typical bodyguard type romance and many more layers to them. I was amazed by the interactions between Santino and Arianna, which were so sassy, spicy, and just freaking hot from the moment they met. I loved how they pushed each other’s buttons throughout the story in order to get a rise out of each other. I loved seeing their playful banter as they “fought” one another. I loved how they bounced off of each other, which was very sexy and full of heat. It was fun and entertaining to see those interactions play out and usually end in some heated encounter between them while increasing the emotional bond between them. It was really a game between them. One i loved seeing play out on the pages. The chemistry between them was beyond anything I have ever read. I loved it, and I could on even longer and I still don’t think I could do it justice with my words alone. You need to read it just to experience it and see why I adore it the way that I do. It was entertaining and fun yet very sexy and intense at the same time. Amazing story.
I can see myself reading this one over and over again for years to come. I want to go on that sexy journey again with them and enjoy every single moment. My book is currently so marked up with my favorite scenes with them that it’s practically the entire book. I can’t wait to go back to it sometime in the future.
Highly recommend for Harlequin Presents lovers as well as people who enjoy really steamy, sexy romance that have elements of danger to it all while this sexy cat and mouse game is playing between two amazing characters. You’ll be entertained by it, for sure.
This was unlike any bodyguard romance that I have ever read before. The plot may have been similar to other books in the past, but it was completely different and a big part of that was due to the characters Arianna and Santino. This book was freaking amazing from word one all the way up to the last one. I was immediately captured with the story of Arianna and Santino and their love story. Oh my goodness their interaction from the very beginning was beyond explosive that sparks flew off the pages. I don’t think I have ever read a first meeting like the one with Arianna and Santino that completely blew my socks off. It was beyond amazing. There was heat, passion, chemistry, playfulness, very flirty, yet full of seriousness and intensity that just really took the story off on an amazing direction that just didn’t stop. It was really well written and gave me all type of feels while reading it. I wish I could adequately describe just how much love that scene, and I could go on and on about it. It was heck of the beginning.
I didn’t even care that they kissed that early on in the story because there was just so much good tension just built up in that little space of a time that when he came for that passionate kiss I was ready for it and I wanted it. Bad. Of coarse the kiss was meant as a one up mend ship between the battle between these two, but that was what made it really fun and entertaining to see as the game became about something more than pushing each other’s buttons. It was about their chemistry and passion for one another. It really set the tone for the rest of the book.
After that explosive first meeting and kiss, the tension and passion that was so intense at the first meeting carried throughout the book, which was really amazing. Really the whole battle between Arianna and Santino never really stopped throughout the story, which made it really entertaining and fun to see the sexy cat and mouse game play out. They really knew how to push each other’s buttons while battling all this sexual tension and passion between them. I really thought that the pages were going to burst into flames at one point. The build up between them was utterly fantastic the more and more the story progressed. It also showed the deeper and deeper that they were getting to one another the closer that they got and made more intense.
The number of passionate scenes between Santino and Arianna was massive. In fact I would say that everytime they were the same scene together something passionate happened between them whether it be a heated kiss, touch, makeout, kiss or full blown love scene. It was all there. I was surprised at how many type of scenes were in the book, and I didn’t hate it. I love it in fact. It was never over the top or too much or made me roll my eyes with the thought “again” floating in my head. No, it was nothing like that. It felt like a natural progression in the story and their romance. It just showed how intense of a chemistry that they had with one another in a way that they never had with anyone else. It was awesome, and they worked so well in the story. I couldn’t even tell you what my favorite scene was between them because I loved all of them together. Plus I loved seeing Santino and Arianna anytime they were on the page together, and if it was during passionate moments so be it.
What I wasn’t expecting, but throughly loved, was the fact that there was some angsty action here. I’m not talking about just the sexual tension between them, which was pretty darn amazing, but the scenes that happened after a passionate moment where he discovered that it was her first time, and it turn rejected her and really hurt her in the process. Fast forward months later when they were reunited, there was still that sexual tension between them, but also that angst as Arianna tried to keep her guard up because she didn’t want to be rejected by him again. When she designated to give him her virginity in the first, she really put her trust in him in way that she never had in another man in her entire life. In fact with Santino it was the first time she felt safe with a man, and was the reason that she wanted Santino to be her first so when he rejected her that first time it devastated her and made her realize that she shouldn’t trust anyone. So when she came in contact with Santino again, she was wary about getting involved with him and keeping her emotions separate from their business dealings especially since she fell in love with him while she was on his island when he was acting as her bodyguard. So that was a struggle between them while still battling that attraction between them that hadn’t lessened with time. Eventually she gave into him and they engaged in some very passionate only to have him reject her once again hence more lovely angst that I love.
Another thing that was really amazing about the plot was the whole danger/suspense element going on within the story. After all the setup was that Santino was her bodyguard protecting her from a dangerous mafia intent on kidnapping her. That was why he was hired in the first place, even though she thought it was because her father wanted to control her and wasn’t told that there was a threat to her life until later on. This suspense element just added so much more to the plot and increasing the intensity of the story on top over the heated encounters between Santino and Arianna just made for a really good adrenaline rush throughout out the story. It made the heart pound as did the intenseness of the romance. It kept me on the edge of my seat as certain moments happened throughout the story and really brought Santino and Arianna closer together because of those dangerous moments going on. I was surprised that this plot point was finished way before ending of the story and didn’t carry through the entire book. I wasn’t expecting that, and I thought more would be done with. It ended most too easy as did the danger. I would have like to see that storyline carry on a little longer as well as the suspense.
I will say that I preferred the begging of the story because of the whole cat and mouse game that they were playing as well as the build up that was happening that made the story even more passionate and intense, then it kind of slowed down just a tad once that four months passed between the time they were in Sicily to when they met again in London and he was willing to fund her company. Then after they gave in to that, the story focused more on their bedroom activities as well showing their bond growing more and more as the story progressed. Just that beginning just really knocked my socks off and really showed why this wasn’t your typical Harlequin Present bodyguard romance. The beginning just really highlighted what an amazing romance it was between Santino and Arianna. Once I started, I devoured it.
There were a couple things that I wished were in the story that weren’t, but it didn’t detract from how amazing the story it was, or how much I loved this story hence the reason for my five stars rating, but I think if these couple things were in there I think it would have been over the top and just the icing on the cake. For one, I wish that Santino did a little more groveling in the story. After all he rejected Arianna twice, which was a really big deal since she had been rejected by her father all her life and yearned for his love that she never got. I just think Santino needed to make up for that and romance her a little more instead of offering her a proposition of them being bed buddies without an emotional connection. I think he could have done a little more there, though he did romance her later at the charity auction for a night, which was when she gave into him, but even still I think he had to make up for that rejection as well as the second one, but that just me. I love to see a good groveling scene.
The second thing I wish was in the story was an interaction between Arianna and her father. I just needed one. Conversation, or something between them where Arianna stood up to him and basically told him all that he did to her during her youth and why she acted that way was to get his attention and possible his love. I think she deserved to have that scene just to tell him off and show that she as a better person that he gave her credit for. Even just to get all her pain and hurt over what he did off her chest, I think that would have been nice closure. Plus I just wanted to see how he treated his daughter if he came face to face with her and kind of find out why he acted the way he did because it was a little contradictory from him hiring a bodyguard to showing no care whatsoever to her. It didn’t make sense, though she kind of explained it why to Santino I would have liked more of explanation from the horse’s mouth himself.
I could go on and on about the story and what I loved about it, which was so much of it. The storyline was amazing. Santino and Arianna I loved and adored. I loved that this didn’t feel like a typical bodyguard type romance and many more layers to them. I was amazed by the interactions between Santino and Arianna, which were so sassy, spicy, and just freaking hot from the moment they met. I loved how they pushed each other’s buttons throughout the story in order to get a rise out of each other. I loved seeing their playful banter as they “fought” one another. I loved how they bounced off of each other, which was very sexy and full of heat. It was fun and entertaining to see those interactions play out and usually end in some heated encounter between them while increasing the emotional bond between them. It was really a game between them. One i loved seeing play out on the pages. The chemistry between them was beyond anything I have ever read. I loved it, and I could on even longer and I still don’t think I could do it justice with my words alone. You need to read it just to experience it and see why I adore it the way that I do. It was entertaining and fun yet very sexy and intense at the same time. Amazing story.
I can see myself reading this one over and over again for years to come. I want to go on that sexy journey again with them and enjoy every single moment. My book is currently so marked up with my favorite scenes with them that it’s practically the entire book. I can’t wait to go back to it sometime in the future.
Highly recommend for Harlequin Presents lovers as well as people who enjoy really steamy, sexy romance that have elements of danger to it all while this sexy cat and mouse game is playing between two amazing characters. You’ll be entertained by it, for sure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2020
Ohne ihr Einverständnis hat Ariannas Vater, ein reicher Modedesigner, einen Bodyguard für sie eingestellt. Arianna ist wütend und gibt Santiano klar zu verstehen, dass seine Anwesenheit weder erwünscht noch erforderlich ist. Was Arianna nicht weiß, ist das das eine kriminelle Vereinigung nur darauf wartet das It-Girl zu entführen.
Santino ist ein echter Held, ein ehemaliger Soldat mit Kriegserfahrung, der sich aber auch gut als Geschäftsmann macht. Er hält nichts von der Liebe und möchte keine Beziehungen eingehen. Selbstredend ist er äußerst attraktiv und wird von Frauen umschwärmt. Arianna ist das typische bildschöne It-Girl, die kaum eine Party auslässt, von Papas Geld lebt und jede Menge Affären hat - Doch stimmt das wirklich? Sie ist eine starke Persönlichkeit, die aber auch ihre schwachen Seiten hat.
Die Geschichte hat mich in die Welt der Schönen und Reichen gebracht, Luxus-Yacht, schöne Häuser auf Sardinien und Sizilien mit dazugehörigem Butler.
Es knistert von Anfang an zwischen Arianna und Santino, aber sie haben auch ihre Prinzipien und die müssen erst überwunden werden.
Ich habe mich in der Geschichte sehr wohlgefühlt und habe alles erhalten, was ich laut dem Klappentext erwarten durfte. So war die Liebesgeschichte prickelnd, es gab brenzlige Situationen, Sex (wenn auch weniger als der Titel suggeriert), einen Mann der Sicherheit verspricht und obendrauf Reichtum.
Santino ist ein echter Held, ein ehemaliger Soldat mit Kriegserfahrung, der sich aber auch gut als Geschäftsmann macht. Er hält nichts von der Liebe und möchte keine Beziehungen eingehen. Selbstredend ist er äußerst attraktiv und wird von Frauen umschwärmt. Arianna ist das typische bildschöne It-Girl, die kaum eine Party auslässt, von Papas Geld lebt und jede Menge Affären hat - Doch stimmt das wirklich? Sie ist eine starke Persönlichkeit, die aber auch ihre schwachen Seiten hat.
Die Geschichte hat mich in die Welt der Schönen und Reichen gebracht, Luxus-Yacht, schöne Häuser auf Sardinien und Sizilien mit dazugehörigem Butler.
Es knistert von Anfang an zwischen Arianna und Santino, aber sie haben auch ihre Prinzipien und die müssen erst überwunden werden.
Ich habe mich in der Geschichte sehr wohlgefühlt und habe alles erhalten, was ich laut dem Klappentext erwarten durfte. So war die Liebesgeschichte prickelnd, es gab brenzlige Situationen, Sex (wenn auch weniger als der Titel suggeriert), einen Mann der Sicherheit verspricht und obendrauf Reichtum.
January 29, 2019
Santino Vasari takes on the unenviable task of playing bodyguard to s spoiled socialite, Arianna Fitzgerald. Spoiled and useless is all that he expects, but he knows a drug gang is trying to kidnap her for ransom. Not his normal line of work, but he was willing to play bodyguard for a price.
Arianna Fitzgerald had spent a lot of time courting the paparazzi's poor opinion of her. Being in trouble brought the only true contact from her father that she ever got. But she has not intention of letting him push a bodyguard on her. She is more than ready to spread her own wings and try her hand at fashion without her father's input or approval.
But Santino finds there is a lot more to Ariana than he has been lead to believe. And the tabloids had it all wrong when he finds out for himself that she was still a virgin until he stepped in. Using his company to help her financially get started, also keeps her close to him. A battle he can not win with himself threatens everything.
Overall, a nice story.
Arianna Fitzgerald had spent a lot of time courting the paparazzi's poor opinion of her. Being in trouble brought the only true contact from her father that she ever got. But she has not intention of letting him push a bodyguard on her. She is more than ready to spread her own wings and try her hand at fashion without her father's input or approval.
But Santino finds there is a lot more to Ariana than he has been lead to believe. And the tabloids had it all wrong when he finds out for himself that she was still a virgin until he stepped in. Using his company to help her financially get started, also keeps her close to him. A battle he can not win with himself threatens everything.
Overall, a nice story.
November 20, 2018
A passionate romantic read with a bodyguard and an innocent what's not to love.
February 28, 2019
Arianna's parents divorced when she was a young girl.Her mother has another famiy now. Arianna is 25 and her mother is a stranger to her. There is a 15-yo half-brother, too.
Her father is a famous designer with his own label.He is a cold, controlling man,who isn't really interested in his daughter.
Arianna has learned to rely only on herself. On the outside she is a party girl getting into scrapes all the time. At the same time there is an industrious seamstress who hopes to launch her own label, Anna, without her father's help.
After visiting her mother in Australia Arianna arrives at the Amalfi coast in Italy. There she encounters Santino ,Sicilian-British ex-SAS ,her bodyguard. She tries to get hin fired, but fails. She has no idea she is targeted for a kidnapping, hence the bodyguard.Santino reveals the truth and takes
Arianna to Sicily for protection.
Several months later in London Arianna needs a sponsor, an "angel" to finance her label. The latter turns out to be Santino.
Both have scars-mental and physical- from their past. Santino has nightmares. He doesn't "do " love.
I liked the story.. but no epilogue!
Her father is a famous designer with his own label.He is a cold, controlling man,who isn't really interested in his daughter.
Arianna has learned to rely only on herself. On the outside she is a party girl getting into scrapes all the time. At the same time there is an industrious seamstress who hopes to launch her own label, Anna, without her father's help.
After visiting her mother in Australia Arianna arrives at the Amalfi coast in Italy. There she encounters Santino ,Sicilian-British ex-SAS ,her bodyguard. She tries to get hin fired, but fails. She has no idea she is targeted for a kidnapping, hence the bodyguard.Santino reveals the truth and takes
Arianna to Sicily for protection.
Several months later in London Arianna needs a sponsor, an "angel" to finance her label. The latter turns out to be Santino.
Both have scars-mental and physical- from their past. Santino has nightmares. He doesn't "do " love.
I liked the story.. but no epilogue!
March 9, 2019
The Virgin's Sicilian Protector
She has only wanted her father to notice her. But he never did unless she made a spectacle of herself. Poor little rich girl. He hired a bodyguard for her when it became apparent that she was targeted for kidnapping. Even then her father was more into his financial gains. But what about her bodyguards? Is he what he seems? Both have dark childhoods. Both have been let down by parents. Will together they learn there is more?
She has only wanted her father to notice her. But he never did unless she made a spectacle of herself. Poor little rich girl. He hired a bodyguard for her when it became apparent that she was targeted for kidnapping. Even then her father was more into his financial gains. But what about her bodyguards? Is he what he seems? Both have dark childhoods. Both have been let down by parents. Will together they learn there is more?
Read
August 6, 2019El Guardaespaldas Que Temía Al Amor (Versión)
March 6, 2024
Ein solider Liebesroman.
July 26, 2025
DNF 19%
Both main characters are improbable and insufferable, the plot ridiculous. I refuse to torture myself this way. :)
Both main characters are improbable and insufferable, the plot ridiculous. I refuse to torture myself this way. :)
July 31, 2025
Lo ame hasta el final.
November 19, 2018
See the full review at HarlequinJunkie.com
A bit of exciting suspense along with a whole lot of bickering and sexual tension, The Virgin’s Sicilian Protector took us across Europe and directly into a romance neither main character wanted to surrender to. (But of course they eventually did!)
This was my first time reading Chantelle Shaw’s work and I have to say I liked the flow of the story quite a bit. The scenes were just the right length to have made it interesting without lagging on. This was a mix of a few tropes all in one: bodyguard & a spoiled/rich heroine, forced proximity, and wounded/tortured hero. And I typically like all of those tropes. Read More
A bit of exciting suspense along with a whole lot of bickering and sexual tension, The Virgin’s Sicilian Protector took us across Europe and directly into a romance neither main character wanted to surrender to. (But of course they eventually did!)
This was my first time reading Chantelle Shaw’s work and I have to say I liked the flow of the story quite a bit. The scenes were just the right length to have made it interesting without lagging on. This was a mix of a few tropes all in one: bodyguard & a spoiled/rich heroine, forced proximity, and wounded/tortured hero. And I typically like all of those tropes. Read More
July 26, 2020
Hired to keep heiress Arianna Fitzgerald safe, wealthy bodyguard Santino Vasari was expecting to meet a pampered princess. Yet beautiful Arianna intrigues him with her hidden vulnerability, and captivates him with her spirit! Alone in Santino’s secluded Sicilian farmhouse, they find their simmering sexual tension is electric. And when Santino discovers just how innocent Arianna is, resisting her temptation becomes an impossible challenge…
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