The Billionaire's Bodyguard

Limitless #4.5

by Tamie Dearen

A standalone Christmas romance short story
It's only one woman... only one weekend. How hard can it be?

Mack has one job—to keep his boss’ sister safe. But there’s one tiny complication... Mack has secretly had the hots for Mariah since the day they met. Oh, and one more complication… Mariah doesn’t want a bodyguard.

His plan is to keep watch from a distance. But when a case of mistaken identity forces Mack and Mariah to fake a relationship, Mack has a hard time hiding his attraction. Or keeping his mind on the job!

The last thing Mariah needs this weekend is a bodyguard… especially not Mack, her brother's super-hunky head of security. Just looking at him puts butterflies in her stomach. But she knows they could never be together. When Mack shows up at the wedding rehearsal she's attending, everyone thinks he's her boyfriend. Hopefully she can ditch the man before he notices how he affects her.

The more time Mariah spends with Mack, the more she's drawn to him. But a man like Mack, hardened and tough from life's circumstances, would never want to be with a woman like her who's had an easy life. They have no hope for a future. Right?

Will Mack be able to keep Mariah safe even though her nearness short-circuits his brain?
Will Mariah's stubbornness be the death of her… literally?

Grab your copy of this enemies to lovers, fake relationship story from USA Today bestselling author Tamie Dearen
FROM THE AUTHOR:
You may have seen this story before if you read all of the Christmas anthology, Stockings, Wishes and Christmas Kisses, but there are a few changes and additions in this edition. If you’re a fan of the Limitless Billionaire Romance Series, you’ll enjoy reuniting with some of your favorite characters. If you haven’t read the Limitless Series yet, don’t worry—this is a standalone romance.

Genres: Romance, Christmas, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Billionaire Romance, Mystery Thriller, Clean Romance

124 pages, ebook

First published November 14, 2019

About the author

USA Today bestselling author Tamie Dearen has published more than twenty books, including The Best Girls Series and the Limitless Clean Billionaire Romance Series. Tamie believes real life is already full of enough heartache, so she gives her book-characters happily-ever-afters, no matter how difficult their paths.

Tamie Dearen lives in Texas with her incredibly romantic husband and two dogs. She hates dusting and exercising and loves anything musical or artistic. When she's not writing books, you might find her playing with her grandkids or drilling on someone's tooth.

Join Tamie Dearen's VIP Newsletter and get a free book as a welcome gift. Copy and paste: http://www.tamiedearen.com/enter-to-win/

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a companion novella to the Limitless series. Mack (hero) has a minor role in the previous book. He is an Army Ranger veteran who is extremely masculine, muscular, protective yet sweet and sensitive. Mariah (heroine) also had a supporting role in the previous book, is a spitfire, very independent and sassy. She and Mack made an interesting couple, who loved each other in spite of their differences. There was suspense in this story, and it was set at Christmas time. A good read that I recommend!

[B. D. Mann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I selected this novella by Tamie Dearen for two reasons. First, because 92% of reviewers awarded four-stars or better reviews, and second because I have personally awarded five-stars to Ms. Dearen twice myself. Nevertheless, this offering was a big disappointment to me. It became obvious to me that I should have read the previous book in the series. Picking up on the backstory became tedious and kept me guessing. Character development was far too mediocre. The story seemed far too rushed with insufficient attention to detail. As the story progressed, I found little support for the premise that Mariah and Mack had enough in common to warrant a lifetime commitment. Three stars!

[Mary Gouveia-ironmonger]

The Billionaire's Bodyguard is book 5 in the Limitless Series, but can easily be read as a standalone.
Mack has had feelings from afar for Mariah for a long time, but the threat of someone hurting her certainly brings them together and quickly. Mack becomes her shadow ensuring he is with her 24/7 until the danger has been resolved. Their back and forth banter all while Mack tries to keep this independent lady, who truly doesn't believe she is in any danger safe is epic! This story is absolutely lovely. Thanks again Tamie Dearen for a fabulous read. Can't wait for the next in this series.

[Marie Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Mariah and Mack’s story (Book 5 of 6: The Limitless Clean Billionaire Romance Series). Their banter drew me in and kept me reading. I found myself openly smiling as their dialogue played out, which does not happen often for me. This is a quick read and a perfect story to let your worries and stresses go by following Mack trying to protect his boss’s sister and crush Mariah. The author Tamie Dearen has a gift in writing dialogue that creates characters relatable and unique. You will not regret picking up this book. This is a honest review from the ARC book I received.

[Cilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

While part of the series, this book can easily be read as a stand alone. I really enjoyed this story with Cole's sister Mariah and Cole's head of security Mack and how it showed that it is not outward appearances that matter but what is on the inside - and that how someone treats you and their attitude toward other people is a far better judge of who they are, than how they look or how much money they have. Fun clean read. I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest review.

[Wanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mack can't help falling in love with Mariah the very first time he saw her. He sees nothing but obstacles in the way of his relationship with her. First and foremost, he's her bodyguard and she's the sister of his boss. Mariah is a very fierce woman and believes that she doesn't need a bodyguard. What could possibly go wrong in this scenario??? You would love finding out.

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent story by Tamie Dearen. She has again given us a story of love, danger, and interesting characters and story line. The best part is you know there are 3 more interesting stories in Mack’s brothers. I always look forward to one of her stories.

[Romcom Queenie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great quick read with all the feels. Love the characters and their chemistry. Another hit by this author.

[Pascale’s*ARC,Unwind,Read,Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good story. I have really enjoyed all of the books in this series. This one can stand alone, although it helps to know the back stories of the other characters.

[Tanmaya Kamath · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book from start to end! It was sweet, funny, romantic--- and there was no unnecessary breakup or too much miscommunication like the previous 4 books.. hence I rate it a four!❤️

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much! I highly recommend this book!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story! This is a spin off from the Limitless series, but you don't have to read those beforehand to understand this story. It can stand on its own. Mariah and Mack have great chemistry. I love the push and pull between them. I don't want to give things away, but there is plenty of romance and enough suspense that you don't want to put it down.

[Christoph J Sikora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful!

Just when I thought Tamie Dearen had finished her Limitless Clean Billionaire Romance series (all four partners of Phantom Enterprises were matched with ladies who brought out the best in them), she continues with "The Billionaire's Bodyguard", the story of Cole's bodyguard Mack and younger sister Mariah. An attraction between the two was hinted at in "... Temporary Marriage", Cole and Brooke's story, but "... Bodyguard" gives backstory and fleshes out the whole story between Mack and Mariah.

Cole assigns Mack to protect his sister at a wedding she'll attend in their hometown in late December. An anonymous threat has been made against Cole and Mariah, and the FBI thinks it's connected to the person who rammed Brooke's car because the perpetrator was a high school classmate of Cole and Mariah Miller. Mariah insists that she doesn't need protection--she'll be accompanied by her boyfriend who was on the boxing team in college--but Mack knows that boxing prowess is no match for an armed assassin, and he follows her to Kansas for the wedding. Due to a series of events, Mack is forced to pretend to be Mariah's boyfriend and convinces her that he believes the threat is real.

Nobody at the wedding, the reception, or the post-wedding breakfast attempts to harm Mariah, but Mack keeps thinking that danger is lurking right around the corner. It turns out that he was right, but the defense training he gave Mariah at her insistence pays off.

The angst in this story comes from "I could never fit into her world" on Mack's part. Mariah has no angst about his fittng into her world particularly; she's just frustrated that he resists her obvious interest in him. Meanwhile, his resistance is faltering...

In the end, good triumphs over evil, the threat is neutralized, and Dearen even writes at the end: "They lived happily ever after"! This is a beautiful book, and it's not as overtly Christmassy as the other Christmas stories I've read. Definitely recommended to Clean Billionaire Romance lovers.

[Char (1RadReader59) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this was a fun Christmas jingle. What a funny book. A romance about a billionaire brother who already had his wife brutally attacked. In an attempt to hurt him, without touching him. And now, he wants the rest of his family protected. His parents, well, they are more stationary. Mariah Miller, however, is active and doesn't live near him. And she wasn't going to be near him this weekend, because of a wedding, she was going to be in as maid of honor.

Cole, her brother, and, Mack Shaeffer, are on a face-share call with her. To talk about the urgency of her having a bodyguard with her this weekend. They are not happy, because she is saying her waft of a boyfriend, is capable of being her protection. She even knows is untrue but doesn't want to ruin her friend's wedding weekend with a big tattoo, Mack scaring everyone and not trying to blend in at the last minute.

It's when, Cole starts teasing her about, Pewter (her Boyfriend) being a weakling. That sets him off. She hangs up on them before anything is settled. So, he sends Mack because he has memorized all the FBI pics that are a possible threat. And it's a good thing, too. Not because of the threat but because the douchebag didn't show up. Pewter decided to go skiing with some college buddies in town at the last minute instead of being with her. He said that they would be spending time with her family in a few days anyway...

Did it matter that, Mack was tattooed, large, ripped sexy, and, gorgeous? Oh, hell no. They just didn’t seem to see him as shy or as an investment banker. Otherwise, they just didn’t care. See how she handles him shows up. How he surprises her, and, then blows his cover. How they make it work, and, how he gets through their time there at the wedding weekend.

[Shauna Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

They were from different worlds. It wouldn’t work.
When a relationship won’t work what do you do? That’s the question facing Mack and Mariah. Mack had served as an Army Ranger now he worked providing security for Cole, a billionaire, and his family. His life had been hard and he carried scars both physical and emotional. Mariah had grown up with Cole with a comfortable lifestyle and now that Cole had made it financially, had a very comfortable life. Her only problem was trying to find a man not intimidated by her height, her looks, her brains, or her wealthy brother. In fact, sometimes they only wanted access to her brother. Now a threat has been received towards Cole’s family and someone needs to protect Mariah even if she doesn’t want it. Mack takes the assignment knowing of the difficulty, mainly because he’s been in love with Mariah since they met. But it's about to get much harder when Mariah’s date for a wedding decides to forgo the wedding to go skiing, leaving Mariah without a date and setting Mack up as a replacement date. Things are about to get very interesting especially with a threat in the mix.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mack and Mariah were secondary characters in book 3,
learning more about their story in this wedding-themed story also provides more details on an attack in Cole's book. The additional scenes added to this version expanding Mack and Mariah's story only make it better. Mack is a former Army Ranger now bodyguard, which provides a dash of danger and suspense as he works to protect Mariah from an unexpected villain. The fact that Mack is an exceptionally honorable man keeps the story clean--hence the "semisweet" description. As far as Mariah's character, she is one stubborn female --but Mariah, like the other women in the series, eventually opens her eyes and heart to the good man who loves her. It was fun reading this story and watch them fall for each other.
Two people have never been more made for each other, Sadly it takes till the end for them to finally realize it. Mariah is a Sweet perfect sister .... to Cole who has men like Mack who run a Body Guard/security Company, Cole who is an Billionaire / Rancher and after the incident with his wife... he takes guarding someone very serious. Mack is in love with Mariah but feels he is not good enough for her. Where as She is in love with him but again she does not feel she is good enough for him.
They go thru the whole story like this ....till they finally find out who wanted Mariah dead but Mack saves the day. This story is a fast read. Yet a very happy ending

[Marie Bourgery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cole Miller's sister Mariah is a stubborn spitfire who has self esteem issues because she stayed with selfish self-centered investment banker Pewter, who was probably more concerned with her family connections than her feelings. Cole's bodyguard Mack is charged with protecting Mariah after they receive a threatening letter and he ends up caught up in pretending to be her boyfriend Pewter. Their interactions with each other in front of the rest of the wedding party were pretty funny. I don't have a problem with tattoos, but feel the same way Mariah does about needles. Although this book has Cole and Brooke from book 3 in the series and the threats to them, it isn't necessary to read that book first to follow along with the story. There were some suspenseful intense moments and lots of silly and sweet ones.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved The Billionaire's Bodyguard from the cover through the epilogue! The main characters are great, both likable and believable. I enjoyed the sniping and the bantering between Mack and Mariah. Neither thought that they were enough for the other, but are wildly attracted to them. There's a great HEA and epilogue.
This line really stood out to me: "A powerful thing... the knowledge that you aren't alone in your pain." The plot has some twists, and it flows well. I would definitely read more of Tamie Dearen's work. Her writing is a delight. I would recommend all of the books in this series to clean/wholesome romance readers and to Christian romance readers.
I received a complimentary copy. I chose to write a review and share my opinion of this well-written romance.

[Millard Ledford · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Billionaire’s Bodyguard: Book 5

Since Mariah’s brother Cole is a Billionaire, he employs a security team to protect the ones he loves. He received a threat on his mother’s life as well as Mariah’s. Since Mariah is the bridesmaid for her best friend, Cole sends Mack to be her bodyguard, even though he knows she will be mad, thinking she can protect herself. The events that follow seem to push them closer and closer. They will go through many dangerous situations together. This book is a page turner, entertaining, and adventuresome. Enjoy

[Donna Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT IT'S ABOUT
It's only one woman... only one weekend. How hard can it be?

MY TAKE
These two. We've seen them in the Cole's romance, so it was a delight to get to see how the big bodyguard shows a crack in his tough guy persona. Leave it to Maria to be able to do it. I read this as an ebook and loved it, so when I saw it was an audiobook I didn't hesitate to pick it up. The narrator adds so much to. Even as a shorter tale, it's still deep. Like Mac is. So, so deep.

[Karen Brasher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced suspenseful romance

Thank you Tamie Dearen for this novella. I have enjoyed this series immensely. Mack and Mariah are such well developed characters. The story is interesting and fast paced. If you are looking for a quick read, pick this one up. You will not be disappointed.

[Christina Morley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Christmas Bodyguard by Tamie Dearen is a sweet holiday romance. It's a companion novella to The Limitless Clean Billionaire Romance Series. It's a quick read that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

I received an ARC when this story was first published in the Stockings, Wishes and Christmas Kisses anthology. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Richard Goodrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story. Mack and Mariah are stellar at provoking each other. Fast glib jibes. A war zone where everything is fair. And that's just their personal relationship.

Easy-to-read. Entertaining. Happily Ever After. Page-turner. Romantic. Scary. Tear-jerker. Unpredictable. Witty. Wonderful characters.

I received a copy of this book as a gift from the author. This is my honest review.

[Mary Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful story!

I truly enjoy stories where the main characters secretly like each other but do not believe they right for each other. This was fun to read and written so well that it held my attention to the point of reading it thru in one evening. This was a great journey with two unique characters.

[Bernadette Cinkoske · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved every book in this series so I was excited to read The Billionaire's Bodyguard. I knew I would not be able to put it down. Ms. Dearen's characters are always real people for me. I am drawn into their world. I thoroughly enjoyed this well written, fast paced adventure. Don't miss it!

[Rhiannon Hinton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet, quick read

Setting: Kansas
Content: clean romance, suspense

I enjoyed this story for Mack and Mariah. Neither one thought they were good enough for the other. Their differences make the relationship that much sweeter.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked how well this story shows protecting those we love both from a brother's standpoint and from a boyfriend's standpoint. Sometimes we need to help those we love be able to protect themselves and trust each other as we develop our relationships.

[Kim Slye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novella - Short and sweet

I thought I was reading a full length story, but it’s a novella. So that’s the reason for the three stars. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️Short and sweet wrap up to the Billionaire series, but the character development and storyline depth just isn’t there in a short story.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring

Mac and Mariha's story is of two strong willed people think the don't deserve each other and are so wrong! Great plot line, romance and wish there had been pictures of him with his Tattoos!

[Marsha Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Body Guarde

I loved this book.It goes to show that if you are rich you don't have to be all about it.You don't have to think you are better then everyone and that you couldn't love someone beneath your status. I would recommend this to anyone.