Her Savage Defender

Ruthless Defenders #1

by S.R. Jones

From USA Today Bestselling author SR Jones comes a fiery new protector, romantic suspense novel.

No one can watch over her the way I can.

Samuel
I don’t take orders—I give them, so when I’m asked to guard a woman who likes to be in control, we clash from day one.
She’s abrasive and yet compelling, and what starts as a mild attraction, explodes quickly into an inferno I should put out.
Instead of pouring water on it, though, I pour gasoline on the fire of our desire and let the flames consume us.
Someone wants to hurt her, and they should know—I’m a bringer of destruction.
No one will harm this woman. She’s now mine to defend.

Carolina
They call him Reaperman.
A military hero who protects those under his care with savage intent.
When my father received threats against me, he hired the best.
Tall, inked, and full of swagger, he’s normally the kind of guy I hate on sight. From the start, he’s too much, yet as we grow closer, he’s never enough.
This man soon develops into an addiction for me.
The danger, though, isn’t only on the outside; it’s inside too, and I need to deal with it, or I’ll ruin us before we even begin.

Genres: Romance, Dark Romance, Dark, Contemporary, Novella, Adult, Smut

158 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2022

About the author

Redeeming dark and dangerous heroes one book at a time.
Skye Jones is an award winning and USA Today Bestselling Author.
She writes dark mafia and contemporary romance as SR Jones, and angsty paranormal romance as Skye.

When not writing Skye can be found reading, dog herding, or watching gritty dramas on Netflix with her husband. She lives in the grey, windswept north of England, which fuels her taste for the dramatic and the gothic.

For a free read sign up for her reader club here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/ca20ewxx71

Reviews

[Katie Utterly Unashamed · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well my first DNF of 2024 is in the books. I made it to 41% and just couldn't go any further.

The writing was good, but I could not stand the heroine, which made it hard to want these two together. I feel like this author was trying to make her something and the character was doing something else. Does that make sense? It felt like two different personalities. Like one minute she was a spoiled drunk with extreme anxiety (note alcohol causes anxiety, so she should have quit drinking) and then the next she was this smart, strong girl who had her sort of had her shit together.

Which made the relationship development not work for me. It felt so surface and forced. It didn't feel like enemies who couldn't resist each other. These two 100% should not be together.

One of my author friends always telling me how her characters don't always agree with what her plan is, and she has to go with what they want. This book felt like the author was fighting it. Like the character in her head would go one direction, and she would counter it with what she wanted.

Fuck, that probably doesn't make sense to anyone else, but I don't give a shit, it makes sense to me, and when I come back and try to figure out why I didn't like this book it will make sense.

Anyway, I'm going to do some searching and give this author another try. Like I said, I just didn't like the heroine, but the writing itself was decent.

[Hilda · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I suppose one ought to be careful when playing with matches. One could get burned.” “Darling, that man is not a box of matches.” She taps one long finger on the table. “That dude is a Molotov cocktail, and he's already lit.”

This man. This man! Samuel aka Reaperman is assigned to Caroline a British socialite. Because of her dad’s title of baron and her mother being a supermodel she’s grown up in this posh lifestyle. She’s used to it. It all changes when Sam walks in. And this begins our story. I really liked it but I love bodyguard stories. Yes, I know they are super predictable. I don’t care. This one was extra spicy, this man had a filthy mouth and I was here for it so was Caroline. Lol.

The reason behind her needing protection was done very well. And the story moved along quickly. I just wish it was longer. It was too short. I would not have minded another 100 pages of this story.

[sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was going to give this 3 stars then I thought about it and decided on two stars but I realized how bad it was and now believe it definitely was worth less than one star but I really liked the idea. Like it’s a good idea for a book but the way everything played out was terrible, I’m just so disappointed and I wish it was better.

[DeeReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two flawed characters who truly needed one another. Exciting read! Looking forward to reading Marcus and Lexy's story next!!!!
5 exciting stars

[Maria11 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 to 4
Good read. Sam was very hot and sexy. It seemed out of character for him to get involved with a client though. Carolina was very down on herself. When we find out the reason she needs a bodyguard it was way out there and then the other plot came out of nowhere. I just didn’t warm up to the characters like I have in other books not sure why.

I received a copy from the author for a honest review.

[Derryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this because mama didn't raise no quitter. I probably should have DNF'd this.

Really wasn't a bad story at all and was pretty well written but unfortunately just didn't keep my interest. I skimmed through most of this.

[Tess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately the only enjoyable aspect of this book was imagining the 6’3 tattooed bodyguard with a pierced 🍆….
Characters, plot and writing where lacking in my opinion, there where some cringe worthy moments and a random religious mentioning…. The ending didn’t finish solving the main problem of the story…. Pass from me unfortunately.

[ꪖꪀꪀꪖ · Rating 2 out of 5]

nope, where the f ck was the story. the storyline was so plain and the writing styles was like a five year olds. no thank you!

[chaoticcaffeinatedbookgremlin ▪︎Manda▪︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sooo…. This started off fun and different and able to keep my attention when most haven’t. But everything happens so fast, feeling so fast. I just needed things a bit slower more build up? More connection. Some lines felt a little too unrealistic and cheesy? But like the plot was fun, characters were okay. I guess some times this is why I love such long books 📖 I want to feel like I completely understand who they are and I fall for them as the same time as the other character. I will definitely try more by this author because she’s talented and hopefully I will come to love the shorter books.

[Sandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t feel a connection to the characters and their relationship didn’t make sense to me. So many things served no purpose to the story. Like when the MMC female friend sent him sexy pictures at the beginning. 🙄 Or how many time the FMC said she wasn’t as pretty as her Mummy. 🙄 and the dad making her call him Daddy. 🙄🙄 I’m surprised my eyes came back to normal. Also, she said SO many times that he has a big 🍆 or big muscles. Okay. I get it.
Do not recommend.

[deni_the_bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tropes
- bodyguard x heiress
- suspence
- forced proximity
- opposites attract

What I liked
It was a quick and spicy read and I loved their banter.
It was my first book of this author and I'm not disappointed. I haven't read many books with the "bodygyuard x heiress" trope, but this one was good.

I LOOVED the MMC dirty mouth!! And the plot twist was unexpected!

What I didn't like
It was too short.
I like short books but this one needed some more chapters because I feel like the romantic relationship was missing some emotional development.

[Ginz · Rating 2 out of 5]

So many people gave this book 5 stars... it baffles me.
There were so many places where I should have DNFd even at 95%...
I gave it 2 stars because 1 star is the minimum, and the 2nd star is for my favorite trope in the epilogue.
I wish I could get these wasted hours of my life back.

[So · Rating 1 out of 5]

Best part of the book: it ends

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit I’m late to the party because this is my first book by S. R. Jones. I have eyed several of her previous novels but while I enjoy them from time to time I’m not a passionate mafia/crime/and everything in between romance reader. But this one… it kind of surprised me how much I liked it.
I put this under the spoiler tab but nonetheless I am not going to rehash too much of the story.

Samuel aka Reaperman is a former Mercenary now security expert/bodyguard to Carolina, an English media personality and daughter of a British aristocrat and former supermodel. He is hired after the h receives dubious threats by a mysterious stalker. Carolina’s life is in shambles: additionally to the threats to her safety she just caught her bf cheating on her with her young intern and she copes with too much alcohol. After a bit of initial bickering the two of them grow closer and closer through all of this mess, open up to each other and eventually fall in love. The mystery of her stalker isn’t surprising and drawn out and the end is rather anticlimactic but to be honest it didn’t bother me at all.
What I loved, I repeat LOVED about the book was that beneath all the typical romance stuff (they are both absolutely hot with banging bods, cool jobs, have the hottest sex etc etc) the author managed to draw out two real people with real problems and insecurities who grow with each other and give each other strength to face all obstacles. Especially the end pleased me ( ⛔️ beware, big spoiler following ⛔️): towards the end the h decides that she needs to enter rehab to gain control over her chaotic life and her latent alcohol problem before entering a stable relationship with the H who she very much loves. The H of course is disappointed but understanding and vows to wait for her. After the attack on her life he prints out photos of his farm life in Montana (so cute 🥰) to convince her to skip rehab and move with him to his farm there to detox and get her life in order. I’m convinced 95% of romance authors would have let the h take the route to Montana but Jones chose wisely: the h refused, entered rehab in England and after 2 months joined the H in Montana where they continued to live peacefully. That was beautifully written, kudos to the author! Overall, a 5 star read for me.

Safety:
TWs: stalking, infidelity (ex-bf cheated on h), alcoholism, physical assault
No OW drama, mild OM drama (douchebag ex half-heartedly tries to win her back but no snowball chance in hell)
No cheating between MCs, H no manwhore (“It’s been a while for him” and it’s a rare occasion for him to “bump uglies”), h no virgin and refreshingly seems to have had a more active sex life than the H
Setup for future books? (I’m guessing Jade and Marcus)
HEA: cute short epilogue with a glimpse into their life in Montana and her being pregnant

[Ana Paula Fiorotti · Rating 2 out of 5]

"I don’t even bother to call him on his shit stirring because I’ve realized something in the last few minutes as he was talking. I’m not going anywhere. Not unless Carolina tells me to. I don’t want to leave. Not here. Not this. Us. I want to stay and see how this plays out. More, I want her to come back to Montana with me and visit and give us a chance to try at something without the spotlight of the media she’s always going to have on her here."

Pontos que gostei do livro:
• Foi uma leitura leve e com fluidez, que era exatamente o que eu precisava já que não vinha conseguindo ler nada no momento.

Pontos que não gostei:
• Senti em alguns momentos que a autora errou na escrita ao detalhar os personagens, porque ao invés de ter tom de apresentação, essas partes tiveram um ar de superioridade, como se a mocinha estivesse se gabando pelas coisas ditas.
• Nomes de marcas de alta-costura são jogadas a todo momento na história, sem haver nenhuma necessidade. Pelo menos só ocorreu no início do livro.
• Senti também que a autora colocou uma idade na mocinha que não combina com a personalidade que ela tem. E também a personalidade que a mocinha tem não bate com aquela que ela diz ter.
• Escrita com ar imaturo.
• O casal ficou junto muito rapido, e bem do nada, o que é algo que não me agrada muito, já que gosto que a relação seja mais desenvolvida, ainda mais quando é algo que, como nesse livro, começou como quase que um enemies to lovers.
• Foi jogado o tema de vício em bebidas e reabilitação, sem nenhum cuidado, não foi trabalhado com seriedade, o que seria necessário se tratando de uma temática mais séria.
• Os problemas durante todo o livro são criados e corrigidos do nada, sem nenhuma complicação ou desenvolvimento. Até mesmo o arco principal do livro é deixado de lado na maior parte do tempo e só então é resolvido do nada, sendo comentado apenas como um engano.
• Várias questões levantadas não foram explicadas ou trabalhadas, como foi o caso por exemplo de ele ter sido um sniper ou dos pesadelos que sempre tem.

OBS: lido em inglês.

[Wishy Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: bodyguard
Spice: Yes 🥵
Series: Standalone

Thoughts - ok, so I got sucked in by a reel and man am I not sad about it 😂. Sam, you will live rent free in my head for a LONG time! Who wouldn’t want a huge, tattooed man protecting you who also has a Jacob’s ladder and a Prince Albert 😅 you need this story in your life. The MMC aside, I really enjoyed the side story of what’s happening with her friend and I hope this will be played out in future releases. I enjoyed the banter and you could definitely get a sense of their chemistry throughout the story. Special mention for the whole living room part, both the before and Joseph arriving 😉. Definitely recommend if you’re after an alpha tattooed hunk MMC and a suspenseful storyline.

Plot - Carolinas father has pissed off a few bad people and she needs a bodyguard until things settle down. She didn’t expect that bodyguard to be abrasive, covered in tattoos and have to be her shadow over the coming weeks. Her complete opposite in every way, the stress of everything become too much, until one night she takes things into her own hands, and takes back the control.

* ⚠️ trigger warnings
* Pierced MMC
* Twists and turns
* Forced proximity
* Opposites attract

“Fucking look at you. A buffet spread out all for me. Mine to eat, fuck, and worship.”

“I’m going to fuck the stress out of you every day. More than once. It’s my duty as your bodyguard to ensure you’re relaxed and ready to react sensibly in any situation, and I take my duties seriously.”

[Variaty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Her Savage Defender war ein guter Quick-Read.

In dem Auftaktroman der The Defenders-Reihe geht es um Carolina, eine Tochter eines sehr erfolgreichen Geschäftsmannes, der unteranderem einen Verlag leitet. Durch den letzen Roman der vom Verlag veröffentlicht wurde, wurde Carolina zum Ziel einer kriminellen Organisation. Der veröffentlichte Roman passiert vage auf realen Personen, die ganz und gar nicht begeistert von ihrer Erwähnung in besagtem Buch sind. Da Carolina selbst in der Öffentlichkeit aufgrund ihrer Tätigkeit als Moderatorin steht, entschließt sich ihr Vater dazu einen Leibwächter zu engagieren, der 24/7 auf seine Tochter aufpassen soll.
Als Carrie das erste Mal auf den ehemaligen Soldaten Samuel trifft ist sie alles andere als begeistert. Der große breitgebaute Typ vor ihr verkörpert alles, was sie normalerweise verabscheut.
Doch sehr schnell ist die Anziehung zwischen beiden größer als anfänglich erwartet.

Ich dachte wirklich das das Buch spicier wäre, aber eigentlich hielt es sich in Grenzen. Am befremdlichsten fand ich die Stelle an der Samuel Carolina sagt, sie solle ihn "Reaperman" nennen. Also das war secondhand embarrassing.
Am Ende war ich bisschen verwirrt wie schnell sie sich von einer "Brain Injury" so schnell erholt hat. Aber ok.
Ich bin auf die nachfolgenden Teile gespannt.

SMUT: 🌶🌶

[Phoebe Barnes-King · Rating 1 out of 5]

The concept was fantastic, I was really excited to read this book however it was so fast pace, left out so much detail in between the bigger events, details of which were only merely mentioned as an afterthought and the ending was so abrupt that I was just so disappointed.The plot twist was good and I didn't expect it at all but the way it was executed was a bit sloppy and not very well thought of. The major event at the end of the book was completely unrealistic and I had a hard time reading through the last few chapters because of it and the ending of the book felt as though the author just wanted to finish the book and be done with it. I didn't feel like she put as much effort or heart into this book as she could have. It would have been an amazing book if she had have pulled out the romance a little longer, added in the finer details to Samuel and Carolinas relationship and the progression of their relationship, put in a but more effort to the plot twist and maybe if she had built up to the major event at the end of the book with a little more suspense.

[Coral · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start to a new series! I love the bodyguard romance trope and it mixed nicely with ex bratva security firm that was established in previous books. I love how all her series interconnect but yet can still be read as stand-alones! Now for the actual story. At first there is tension between Carolina and Sam as Carolina doesn’t want a bodyguard in her space. Totally understandable! She doesn’t think the threats are serious at first but eventually reconsiders as her relationship with Sam heats up. I love how fast it developed. It seemed appropriate given the circumstances. Not only does Sam want to protect Carolina from outside threats but mental ones as well. This focuses a lot on her dependence on alcohol. I’m glad their story got an HEA even if it was such a drastic change to both of their formal lives and I’m curious to see where this series goes and how the two will reappear in other books.

[Catlou · Rating 5 out of 5]

HER SAVAGE DEFENDER is certain to keep you thoroughly engaged from the very beginning. Carolina likes to maintain control over her life but it’s in a bit of a mess right now. Samuel demands a certain amount of control since he is, after all, in close protection services and that’s kind of his job. Right off you can see where the sparks are going to fly with this one. Of course, where there are sparks, there’s bound to be lots of heat. And this does not disappoint. While things may be getting hot and heavy between Carolina and Samuel, the danger and threats begin to escalate met with certain twists and surprises that will keep you glued to your chair, not wanting to miss a word. This is an exciting and passionate tale that is sure to entertain right through to the very end, leaving you looking forward to what’s coming next in this awesomely new series.

[Jo-Ann Forrest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carolina's father wrote a tell all book and is being threaten, so he hires a bodyguard for his daugther Carolina . She is a media personality and has to take an hiatus from her work because of the threats and she is not happy when she meets Samuel her new bodyguard. Samuel is one of the first men coming from K and Andrius's school in Corfu. He is ex military aka Reaperman for obvious reasons and he will protect feisty Carolina with his life. When things starts happening and their chemistry ignite everything will change between them. No spoilers, but SR Jones delivers these amazing suspensful, hot stories that will keep you guessing until she wants to reveal and unravel the final plot! Brilliant story, with complex characters, I can only guess who's next to fall. I volunteered to review this amazing story.

[Zelda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Reaperman’s story. We met him in The Game and his story is the start of a new series. Reaperman works for Konstantin & Andrius, new to the team and an experienced sniper. His new job is close protection of media personality Carolina Henningborne. Reaperman (Samuel) treats Carolina like a partner from the start and his protective nature doesn’t take long to come out. Carolina might be the daughter of a lord & a supermodel but she was pretty down to earth & safety savvy. The plot was suspenseful & even addresses addiction issues. I loved the characters—Samuel finds his job interferes with relationships, Carolina needs to find herself—and their compatibility in bed might not be enough for the long haul. I’m really looking forward to catching a glimpse of them in future books in this series.

[Jackie · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF chapter 3

The setup of her having to keep her bedroom door open at night is weird, especially from a security standpoint. The door is goingbto be fitted with a sensor, so if anything crosses it, the alarm will sound, there's 3 dogs in the house. It makes no sense.

A woman friend, that Samuel has "no sexual interest in" texts him pictures of herself in revealing clothing and Carolina catches him staring at one of those pictures and offers her opinion and that's just giving off "Not like other girls" energy

Also, something is icky the way they're focusing on Carolina's drinking. Her dad is telling Samuel that he needs to watch her drinking because she can become "uncontrollable". Too much wine one week out of your life when it's all going to shit, isn't concerning. It does feel like a gross way to include alcoholism into the plot unnecessarily.

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carolina doesn’t want a bodyguard, but her father is leaving her no choice if she wants to return to some normality in her life. She wasn’t expecting the intimidating Samuel to be the type of bodyguard her father would hire. Carolina knows that she won’t let anyone control her in her life even someone called Reaperman.
Samuel knows that Carolina is going to be feisty just from the meeting in her father’s office, but he’s done body guarding before and with his experience he knows he can guard her with his life. She wasn’t anything like the pictures he’d been sent and the chemistry between them starts quickly, she’s he client he can’t let anything happen between them, but learns he can’t deny it either.

[Bia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to enjoy this. I've been searching for bodyguard romances after loving Twisted Games and Broken Vow.
But what even was this?
First, the girl gave really superiority vibes in the beginning. Eventually we did see something more underneath it.
But when it goes from her having a anxiety/panic attack to, all of the sudden, them planning on having sex? Like maybe it's just me... I cannot think of sex when I'm obliviously very stressed to the breaking point, but okay. He asks her to call him ''reaperman'' during sex and I just can't anymore.
The idea of the book was good but poorly executed.
2/3 stars
3/4 spice (nothing special really...)

[Stephanie Ditmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samuel and Carolina heart up the pages in this story. Samuel becomes her protector, she’s spoiled, sassy and will not let him control her. Samuel’s a take no kind of guy and will do what he wants and he wants her. The chemistry between these two is off the charts and they can’t deny it for long, but with danger lurking around the corner his priority is to keep her safe at all costs, but will crossing the line put her in more danger? Steamy read, action packed and you will be sucked in from the start.

[Carol Weeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW! Not quote Kevin Costner, but still WOW!!

This is the first in Ms Jones' Defender series and really is just as good as her other books, albeit a bit shorter, or it could be I read it too quickly as I was do enjoying it!

Samuel, AKA Reaperman, has been employed to be Carolina's bodyguard via Konstantin's group, as there has been a threat to her life.

To say there are fireworks will be an understatement! There is plenty of steam and action, but also, very much an opposites attract love story.

Bring on the next one in the series please!

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

hehehe

Fun little book! Not long at all, it only took me a few hours. Could’ve used more spice but what can you do!

Review Edit:
I really should wait like 15 minutes after I finish reading a book to write a review but anyways… The plot seemed to get more and more watered down as I read when there was the chance the build more tension. There was the blatant set up for the next book. Would I read this book again? yeah probably! but I won’t be reading the next book. Let’s be real it’s not like I read this in the hopes it would be a literary master piece.

[Vicki Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Savage Defender features the forced proximity story of Samuel, a bodyguard, and Carolina, a news anchor whose father believes she is in danger and hires Sam. Both characters are independent personalities which produces witty banter. This quick read by SR Jones is well written with intrigue, unexpected plot twists, and steamy chemistry.
I received a free copy of this book by the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Rosieppieposie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok. I love a bodyguard romance. One of my favorite tropes. This one was eh. It honestly got bad when they had s*x. The spicy scenes felt like an AI had written them. It gave “what do women think it hot” and was so cringey. Had medium low expectations and they weren’t reached. Their love story also made no sense, went from being annoyed with each other to being eng*ged and pr*gn*not together in 200 pages while also trying to maintain a plot. Make it make sense.