Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

My Bodyguard Summer

Rate this book
She hired him to keep her boss safe, but now she's in danger too...of falling for him.
Everly only cared about one thing--protecting her celebrity boss, Harlow Kline, from the lowlifes threatening her. But it wasn't going to be easy.

Not only did she have to convince Harlow to give up her busy schedule of interviews, fashion shows, and red-carpet events for the summer, she had to convince Jack Prescot to do something he'd sworn never to do again--guard a beautiful, single starlet with a propensity for falling in love.

She also had to remind herself--repeatedly--that she wasn't interested in the handsome and perceptive bodyguard who paid way too much attention to her. Especially considering that Harlow was the one in danger.

But as the long, sultry days in paradise melted into each other, their connection grew until she knew he was the one man who could save her from the shadows and secrets hidden in her heart.

If only Harlow didn't need her.

If only she was capable of love.

If only danger wasn't rushing toward them like a tidal wave.

With the perfect mix of clean romance, steamy kisses, and exciting suspense, this story is the next best thing to having your own luxury, beach-front mansion and a hot bodyguard to keep you safe.

344 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 7, 2021

63 people are currently reading
100 people want to read

About the author

Michelle Pennington

47 books300 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
151 (54%)
4 stars
87 (31%)
3 stars
33 (11%)
2 stars
5 (1%)
1 star
2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
Profile Image for Melissa.
2,546 reviews269 followers
June 15, 2021
I really enjoyed this one. I love these kinds of fun reads. You don't have to stress, nothing gets to crazy, but there is lots of good chemistry. I have been enjoying Penningtons books lately. If you haven't read her book A Guy Worth Shaving For go get it. That one is so good. This had more of a danger feel. The leading lady was very off limits, and the bodyguard was all hard and tough but squish on the inside. This was a great summer read.
This is non religion. no sex scenes but some great kisses. A little violence.
Profile Image for Aimee .
3,072 reviews298 followers
June 15, 2021
4.5 stars
Ooh, this book fit my mood perfectly this week as I needed a good distraction. I really love romantic suspense (light suspense) and this one was so good.

There are some heavy duty sparks flying around in this book! I loved the strong attraction between Everly and Jack. From the very beginning, the attraction was there and even though they were sometimes at each other, it added to the build up between them. The story has a great forward momentum and I was invested from beginning to end. I didn't want to put it down. I thought the epilogue with the resolution between Everly and her family came suddenly for me as a reader, without a ton of fallout details, but it's okay. I'll fill in the details myself. hahaha.

Content: mild peril, kissing, mild violence

- I borrowed this book on KU.
Profile Image for Katie (hiding in the pages).
3,520 reviews331 followers
June 21, 2021
Suspenseful Summer

I would never survive the kind of pressure it takes to be a bodyguard and this story reminded me of that once again. Everly is the PA for a big-named senator's actor daughter (Harlow) and the stakes are high when the threats start coming in before a bill is passed. Jack makes a comeback for his father's bodyguard company and coordinates a security effort to protect Harlow, but no one expects the sparks that fly like stray bullets.

Pennington does a great job at portraying the shallowness and carelessness of a selfish celebrity, while still maintaining an underlying current of danger. I loved the way the security team not only worked together, but teased and played together, but I especially loved the way Jack and Everly interacted. Not only did their friction cause sparks, but the times they actually got along had the same result. These are solid characters that fit the mold of the ideal bodyguards. Everly is kick-butt tough, with a ton of sass, while Jack is handsome, strong, unmovable, and quick thinking. The culmination of suspenseful events was worth every hint.

This book hit the spot for a swoony summer read and I loved it all from start to finish.

Content: mild, swoony romance; mild violence/peril/threats of danger

*I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*
Profile Image for Kathy * Bookworm Nation.
2,164 reviews704 followers
February 3, 2022
This one had been on my rader for a while and I was finally in the mood for a light suspense, and this was just perfect for my mood.

Story A fun and sweet bodyguard romance, with a bit of opposites-attract.

Characters I really grew to like Everly as the story progresses. Her whole life basically revolves around taking care of Harlow, which often means putting on a hard front. So, it was nice seeing her soften up around Jack. I liked Jack from the start, he's tough, fun and charming.

Romance I liked the romance in this one. I thought it moved at a believable pace, good chemistry and some nice moments between them.

Overall, this was a really entertaining read. I liked the romance and suspense elements, thought it was well-written and kept me turning the pages.


Content Rated PG+
Romance: Kisses, implied side characters hook up - not detailed
Language: None that I remember
Violence: Mild
Profile Image for Mara.
1,470 reviews111 followers
June 19, 2021
Everly has managed to convince Jack Prescot to guard her celebrity boss, Harlow Kline. It's something he swore he'd never do again, that's why he trains the bodyguards at his father's company. But Harlow Kline's father, a senator, is one of his father's oldest friends and his father isn't taking no for an answer.

Avoiding Harlow and her advances isn't as hard as Jack thought it might be. He'll just schedule one of the other three guards on the team assigned for this job to guard her. His problem is why can't he get her personal assistant, Everly, out of his thoughts. She's kind of hard, brash and authoritative--not his type at all--so why is he finding himself focused on her and not Harlow, the woman he's been hired to keep safe?

Boy, the sparks were flying right away in this one. Definitely a case of opposites attract or strong dislike to lovers. Everly is something else. She's a force to be reckoned with. Smart, super organized (she'd put Marie Kondo to shame), tough, and with a reputation that proceeds her. She's fiercely protective of Harlow, but doesn't have anything good to say about Harlow's father, the senator. Everly also has a secret which she keeps closed off, protected by concrete walls, surrounded by steel. Will Jack be able to penetrate through all those defenses to find out what it is and help her deal with it?

Jack (swoon) is everything a bodyguard should be--smart, strong, quick thinking with lightning fast reflexes. Did I say gorgeous? Well, bodyguards don't have to be gorgeous but . . . He must've been super patient too because Harlow didn't make it easy to try and keep her safe. I loved all the banter Jack and Everly had while they were trying to avoid admitting they were attracted to each other.

This is a great summer read, especially for those who love the beach, since it takes place on a beach. There's a little suspense and a little violence but it doesn't last long and isn't graphic. Lots of sparks and some swoony kisses.

I received a complimentary copy from the author to review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Profile Image for Deborah.
676 reviews52 followers
August 11, 2021
Man oh man do I love this author! This one was kind of fun because there was an element of danger. Loved Jack! He was A-Mazing! Everly had a lot of baggage and I like where she went as a character.
Profile Image for Melissa.
1,191 reviews15 followers
June 13, 2021
This book took me a while to get through because life kept getting in the way, but I was always anxious to get back to it. I loved the sparks between Everly and Jack from the very beginning. Their banter and chemistry was great. Jack put up with a lot, but he was her perfect champion. This book evoked all the emotions and I like books that pull me in like that.
Profile Image for Tara (bookish_tmb).
57 reviews4 followers
June 12, 2021
Perfect bodyguard romance

I really enjoyed this book! Michelle Pennington is one of my favorite clean romance authors. Jack and Everly’s story was great to read. Jack is protective. Everly is closed off, but she begins to see she can trust him. The suspense is good, but the story line isn’t heavy. Would recommend!
Profile Image for Teya Teya.
Author 9 books103 followers
January 15, 2022
I enjoyed this book. Great storyline, believable love story, and action. I had most of it all figured out, however, it was still written well and kept you interested. Everly hires a bodyguard and his team for her charge, a starlet, and her senator dad's secrets. Her being the biggest.
Profile Image for Christina.
800 reviews34 followers
August 31, 2022
LOVED this one!

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this story, but I was hooked from the moment I started. I love romantic suspense, and this one had a great mixture of rom com and suspense, which meant I couldn’t get enough.

Everly is a unique heroine. She is feisty, organized, smart as a whip, and killer good at everything she does. But she hides many things, and I loved unraveling her secrets as the story unfolded. She is the personal assistant to a famous celebrity, and so good at her job.

Enter Jack (dreamy sigh!) and things get a whole lot more interesting. He is super intelligent, good at reading people, a leader, and a great bodyguard. The only problem is he finds it harder and harder to focus on his principal, Harlow, when all he can think about is her personal assistant Everly.

There were lots of twists in the story, some I figured out and others I didn’t expect. I loved the setting, and the characters on Jack’s team were hilarious and so lovable. A fantastic story that you won’t want to miss!!

**I received an advanced copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Heather Green.
Author 9 books11 followers
June 19, 2021
A Don't-put-it-down-till-the-last-page beach read

Not a deep read as the main conflict pertained to the needy rich and famous, but it was well written. The characters were fleshed out with secrets, inner turmoil, and great personalities. It was impossible to not fall in love with Jack and Everly. The author took her time to make sure all the details were included instead of rushing through it to get another book out like some of the authors in this genre seem to do lately. So much so that the fast moving relationship between the mcs felt believable on such a short timeline. I loved how Jack showed her he saw her and cared about her as a person. I'm a sucker for the strong but gentle types.
A little more main stream than her others like she's moving from squeaky clean to a bit spicier with innuendo and implied sex. Not sure how I feel about that. But as we all know, sex sells. Didn't feel like the title fit, but I can see a set up for a series here with the other employees of PPA. So the title maybe has to do with series continuity? All in all, a fun read with lots of action and tension. I could read this one again.
333 reviews1 follower
July 28, 2021
Good

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I liked that Jack and Everly were just straight to the point kind of people. They didn't mince words with each other. It was kind of refreshing.

However, there were a few things that just didn't jive well for me. The first being the romance. There was instant attraction, but not much interaction. How did they fall in love? Was it when Everly made Jack rub sun lotion on Harlow? Or when she was pressuring him to flirt with Harlow? (That entire situation was super degrading, to be honest.) There was just attraction and then they're together-ish. Where was their interaction?

My other issue was Mick. You're telling me they suspected that tool of something, and yet did nothing about it? That feels wrong on many levels.

And Harlow was despicable. Grown ass spoiled baby, that what she is. And Everly just coddled her. Ot makes sense eventually, but ew.

If I don't look too hard at those incidents, it was a quick paced fun read.
Profile Image for Lisa.
751 reviews9 followers
July 9, 2021
I liked this book okay. It was a decent "beach read". I liked the action at the end. A few things bugged me: I get that this was the forbidden romance trope, but it seemed like Jack left his integrity at the door when he started this bodyguard job. Second, Harlow is described as an entitled teenager that is actually smart enough to act dumb at one point, but she's more like a spoiled toddler that's clueless to how much she's manipulated. Not my favorite character with all the accepted coddling on everyone else's part. There were some plot points that seemed a little weird, but that said, I read it all and I wanted to see how it ended.

As far as content goes, I would still consider it clean, however there are a couple suggestive moments, a closed door scene where you know a man and women slept together (not at all descriptive), and of course kissing.
Profile Image for Donna Weaver.
Author 89 books459 followers
October 22, 2024
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Everly hired Jack Prescot to protect her celebrity boss, but now she's struggling to protect her own heart from the perceptive bodyguard who's sworn off guarding beautiful starlets. As the sultry days in paradise unfold, Everly finds herself caught between her duty to Harlow and a growing attraction to the one man who might save her from both danger and the secrets she's been hiding.

MY TAKE
What a fun story! Jack is intrigued by the strong and feisty Everly when she comes to hire him to guard her boss from horrible death threats. And the attraction is mutual. But as Harlow's assistant, Everly is a very different person. What unfolds is a story of two people who are falling in love when it's not allowed. There's also danger, mysterious secrets, and tingling kisses. And totally satisfying ending.
Profile Image for Stacey.
1,014 reviews
June 24, 2021
Romantic comedy is probably my favorite genre of books, which is how I discovered author, Michelle Pennington. However, my second favorite is romantic suspense and I will have to say that Ms. Pennington wins the golden ticket with My Bodyguard Summer. Jack and Everly's chemistry "sizzles" from the first chapter and with all the crazy celebrity shenanigans going on they manage to build a relationship that makes the heart flutter with anticipation. I will confess that I figured out Everly's secret early in the book, but was so engaged in the story that I was determined to see how it played out. Readers will not be disappointed, although I was hoping the senator would get a bit more of what was coming to him. Final thought - Great summer reading!
Profile Image for Lynne Spreen.
Author 24 books225 followers
October 19, 2024
Everly is the personal assistant to Harlow, a famous actress. Harlow is the daughter of a senator who is at the moment pushing a controversial bill that has a lot of people hating him. Thus Everly is responsible for finding increased professional security for Harlow, and this leads her to Jack, a bodyguard. As the bad guys close in, Everly and Jack spend more time together and their relationship grows, but the spoiled, whiny Harlow is a main factor undermining them at every turn. The question is, will they end up together or not, and on a deeper level, will Everly find the courage to stop being codependent and underappreciated.
Profile Image for Jaycee Weaver.
Author 38 books305 followers
June 29, 2021
Excellent

Big fan of Ms. Pennington’s rom coms here, but wow was I enthralled in this suspenseful romance with fun, flirting, and fab kisses. Whew! Spicy but completely clean, with an impressive hero and a heroine who’s the epitome of a strong woman. In some heroines, their strong nature is actually a weakness. Not so here. Everly’s got enough fragility inside threatening to break her that it only shows how strong she really is, and love helps her reconcile those warring reactions. So good!
Profile Image for Christina Morley.
Author 5 books21 followers
June 15, 2021
If you want to escape into a fun summer romance, then you'll love My Bodyguard Summer. It's sweet and clean with just enough suspense to keep you turning the pages. There's great chemistry between Jack and Everly. The ending was cute but I would have been happy for more. It's a standalone, but I could see this becoming a series with new characters for each book. I received an ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Profile Image for Bonny Rambarran.
1,521 reviews21 followers
June 30, 2021
He does not do the bodyguard gig anymore!! AND yet, his father convinces him — with the help of a woman who works for the woman needing a guard. And as he gets to know them both, he realizes that life’s choices are sometimes very difficult. THIS book will totally suck you in as you try and figure the characters out!! Superb book.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts and comments are my own.
Profile Image for Tabitha.
627 reviews8 followers
July 3, 2021
I love Everly and Jack and their chemistry, and didn't like Harlow much. There are layers of secrecy here as well as danger and suspense. Lots of fun moments as well as heartbreaking ones, but my favorites are the humor and snark that fly across the page when they get going.
Clean romance with some suspense and mystery and drama and intrigue and I think I already mentioned the awesome banter. Definitely recommend. Enjoy!
30 reviews1 follower
July 14, 2021
Michelle Pennington has done it again! I loved the main characters. Everly has a great strength about her while at the same time fearing that she could be vulnerable. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this one, but I did. I liked how Michelle included more of Everly’s backstory but didn’t dwell on it too much. It helped me get to know what drives Everly, and how important it was for her relationships to be better than how things were in her past. I definitely recommend this book.
Profile Image for Elizabeth S.
1,887 reviews78 followers
September 18, 2021
Usually the body-guard and protectee trope is one of the more predictable. But Pennington (as usual) doesn't follow the staid old formula. For one, it is the assistant of the protectee who is the love interest. And the work put into security and how the team functions seems real and a significant part of the story, rather than just as an excuse to get the main love interests physically together.
Author 7 books7 followers
June 23, 2021
Loved it!!

This was such a great book! I couldn't put it downtrend! The premise was so good, and the storytelling stood up to it. I loved the chemistry between Everly and Jack. All the smoldering looks and swoon-worthy kisses! So. Good.
This is a clean romance book: no swearing and no sex. It was alluded to, but was completely closed-door.
Profile Image for Joan.
1,326 reviews
July 3, 2021
Everly and Jack

I love a story with some mystery and excitement. My Bodyguard Summer has both. The story is different than most of the books I’ve read; that helps me enjoy it. Some characters I loved and some I totally disliked. I’m happy about that because I want to feel real emotions with and for the characters. And some surprises made it more enjoyable.
Profile Image for Rachael.
984 reviews
July 6, 2021
Interesting characters

This book starts off a little confusing as Everly is such an interesting character with many layers. Harlow is a bit of a spoiled brat. I loved Jack’s character and the way he managed to get under Everly’s defenses and win her love.

Enjoyable romance with a bit of suspense
Profile Image for Jenifer Blood.
68 reviews1 follower
August 4, 2021
Fun, sweet, and clean romantic suspense.

This was a great summer read. You were instantly drawn to Everly and Jack and their impossible romance. Some great angst and turmoil, and just enough danger to keep you on your toes. I really like Michelle Pennington's foray into the new genre. I will definitely be looking for more books like this from her.
664 reviews5 followers
January 26, 2022
Great

A very good story I really enjoyed it. Hollywood, political power so much to deal with, what a mess. I really like Jack's character and his personality take charge abilities and yet is still able to find the human characteristic of a man in love! Great suspense and love angle to make a great story!
Profile Image for Tiffany.
1,534 reviews14 followers
April 1, 2022
Contains: kisses and some fighting. Meh. I wanted something light to read. This was okay but I didn’t ship the MCs. After two weeks he’s in love even though they didn’t really interact. Also, they are pretty inept at their job if they let a known security risk stay around. I skimmed through quite a bit too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.