Bulletproof Bodyguard

Bulletproof #3

by Kay Thomas

Marcus North was an intriguing mystery to the residents of Murphy's Point, Mississippi--especially Cally Burnett, the single mom who ran the B and B where Marcus stayed. But despite the instant attraction that flared between them, Cally couldn't have guessed the secrets Marcus hid, or the way those secrets would come to haunt them both.

Working undercover on a crucial case, Marcus had to keep his identity hidden...but his desire to protect the young mother and her son had him putting everything else at risk. Including his career--and his life.

Passion--and desperation--rise as the determined mother and sexy cop come to an uneasy alliance, and everything rides on one deadly night....
Books in
#1  BETTER THAN BULLETPROOF #2  BULLETPROOF TEXAS #3  BULLETPROOF BODYGUARD #4  BULLETPROOF HEARTS

Genres: Harlequin, Romantic Suspense, Romance, Adult

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

I didn’t grow up burning to be a writer. As a child I wasn’t even much of a reader until fourth grade. That’s when I was stuck at home with the flu and my big sister read THE BLACK STALLION aloud to me. For hours I was enthralled—shipwrecked in a foreign land and riding an untamed horse across the hot desert sand. Then tragedy struck. My sister lost her voice. (I think she caught my flu.) But I couldn’t wait to hear what happened to Alec Ramsey—so I picked up that book, finished reading it by myself, and went in search of more adventures at the local library. Today I live in Dallas with my husband, our two children, and a shockingly-spoiled Boston terrier.

In November 2013, HARD TARGET: Elite Ops-Book 1 was released in my new series from Avon Impulse, featuring sexy ex-military men...and the women who rescue their hearts. HARD TARGET received an Award of Merit in the HOLT Medallion Contest and was also a nominee for best romantic suspense in the GDRWA Booksellers Best Awards. PERSONAL TARGET, book two in the series, released in 2014 followed by EASY TARGET (Elite Ops 3) in 2015. For excerpts, book trailers, and more—visit my website at www.KayThomas.net

And to keep up with my latest releases, sign up for my Kay Thomas "Bullet Points" Newsletter. I only send them out when I have a new book and the list is never shared, so you'll only hear from me: http://eepurl.com/Pup1

I can also be found online at Facebook: www.facebook.com/KayThomasWrites

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www.Twitter.com/KayThomasWrites

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www.pinterest.com/KayThomasWrites

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www.instagram.com/KayThomasWrites

In addition to their US releases, my national best-selling books have been published in France, the Netherlands, Estonia, Australia, the UK and South Africa. BULLETPROOF HEARTS (April 2011), won the 2012 HOLT Medallion in Short Contemporary and was a finalist in the National Readers' Choice Awards. My debut novel, BETTER THAN BULLETPROOF (January 2009) was a HOLT Medallion Award of Merit recipient, a Readers’ Crown finalist, and a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice nominee.

Reviews

[My Lady Janey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

This was surprisingly good, suspenseful, and believable. It was also almost clean. I thought these books didn't have a plot and just have sexy times but no, it was the opposite. I am so glad I bought many Harlequin books and actually tried them. Glad that I removed that stereotyping from my mind. The only thing that I didn't like was the instalike and Marcus' attitude sometimes but I understand he was going through tough things. I can't imagine being an undercover cop for too long. It probably is really hard in real life.

Will definitely read more from this author and others writing for Harlequin!

[Paula Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cally Burnett runs a bed and breakfast, and is quite captivated by handsome guest, Marcus North. Little does she realise, he's an undercover cop, there to catch a group of men, led by Gregor Williams, staying at the bed and breakfast, who are planning to rob a nearby river casino. Things get complicated when Gregor kidnaps Cally's three-year-old son, Harris, to ensure her participation and complicity in the casino robbery.

Very enjoyable romantic thriller plays out like a direct-to-streaming action movie, and that's not a criticism! This is fast-paced, suspenseful and exciting from start to finish. Those who prefer an emphasis on romance probably won't be as enthralled, as the relationship between Cally and Marcus takes a definite backseat to the action and suspense. This also has a bit of a harder edge than most Intrigue titles. So refreshing to get a bit of a change-up from the usual hiding-out-at-the-ranch storyline this category offers! My only real gripe is Cally having sex with Marcus while her son is kidnapped. Writers: this would never happen in real life! Stop it!

If you're after an easy, quick read with lots of action and suspense, this one delivers.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

**just a couple details I did describe about the story but I giving barely 0.01% of the story away! Enjoy**


Part of the Bulletproof series, as well as the Bodyguard of the month, would of liked to start the Bulletproof series @ book #1. But didn't I needed to besides I had trouble finding book #2.

A burnt-out undercover cop, gets thrown into getting one of the "guys" the governor has been under. Renting a room at Callys bed and breakfast, he was sold from the first moment he met her, drenched from giving her son a bath, holding her squirmy son!

The people that Marcus got in with, just happened to plan to rob the casino he's been working undercover for the governor because of a screwed up case he and his partner were Involved in 6 months before. His partner was still being questioned about from IA. And Marcus's career was on the line. All this trouble for getting shot and not helping Tesse like he should of.

Cleaning out the rooms for day turns the Bed and Breakfast on its side for the next couple days. Calls spills some of their homemade peach liquor and accidentally finds out what Greggors plans might be along with the guns.

Follow along, as Cally finds out Marcos is involved though she has a hard time believing he's as evil as the rest! While they fight there attraction, learn to lean on one another, while Marcus begins to understand that Callys life could very well be he's next assignment or maybe he'd just help her with the catering!! ;-)

Whether you are reading the series Bulletproof or the Bodyguards of the month. Enjoy this story of a broken undercover cop, a lonely widow that hums "Mommas gonna buy you a diamond ring" to get precious son that welcomes that broken cop into their lives forever!!!

[Christy Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was 4.5 stars

Marcus is working undercover after learns about casino going be robbed. He works there as a bodyguard and is staying at River Trace B&B that's owned by Cally who's a widow and single mom to 3 year old Harris.

Cally doesn't find out who Marcus is until she found out about the robbery and her son's kidnapped by the bad guys.

Marcus is under investigation along with his cop partner after last undercover job that went bad. He wasn't even supposed be doing anything good but he stumbled onto this and now had play his part.

Problem is he falls fast for Cally and her son puls at his heart too. Thankfully Harris isn't hurt. I wanted more of him in this with Marcus. I also wish we had more of Cally's best friend Kevin who was shot but thankfully lived. I wish could get him a book with his partner since he gay and he was awesome for what little we got him. I also loved Cally's friends that help her run the place. Bay has medical skills that saved Kevin's life.

No one dies besides bad guys to move the plot like soke past books which was happy about. Ending was good.

[Phylis Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me from the start. I just could not put it down. I read it in one afternoon, it was that good.

Marcus was an undercover police officer and he was trying to take down some guys who were going to rob the local casino. The way she told the story it was like you were there and could imagine the whole scene going down.

I really enjoyed reading this book and hope she writes more about the casinos. It was fascinating to me.

[Mary Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bulletproof Bodyguard is your third release, and it's an exciting premise. Can you tell me how you came up with the idea?


BULLETPROOF BODYGUARD is about a young, widowed mother who is forced to help with a casino robbery on the Mississippi coast when her three-year-old son is kidnapped by ‘guests’ staying at her bed and breakfast. Her only hope is an undercover cop with a troubled past who must choose between saving his career and saving her child.

.
It's hard to believe that you're a "debut author"--your work is so polished. I have to ask: are you a plotter or a "pantser?"

Thanks, I appreciate your saying that.

I am a pantser, who is working hard at becoming more of a plotter.

I used to write myself into corners being a pure pantser, but selling on proposal has helped me in that area quite a bit. I like to know where I'm going, but I don’t like to plan so much of the story out that I know everything before I start writing..


How difficult is it to weave together the romance and suspense in your books? One reviewer mentioned that you "let the romance build naturally" and I noticed the same thing.

I love to write very compressed timelines with a ticking clock. (As a writer this keeps me focused on making every scene count.)

For me that combination keeps the suspense tighter and the emotions of the characters rawer and much closer to the surface. My hero and heroine don’t have time to dissect their feelings (like we do in real life.) They simply react and respond to circumstances around them. That lack of time for the characters to analyze the relationship, combined with the ticking clock is what I believe keeps the sexual tension building. For the reader, my hope is this “urgency” keeps one turning the pages and wanting to find out what happens next.


What advice do you have for aspiring writers? Would you have done anything differently on your path to publication?

Be Persistent- no matter what happens. You have to keep writing and submitting to get published, so don’t stop doing either one.

Submitting your work to new places is the best way I know to get over a rejection, so when you get one of those dreaded letters (or emails), submit that work somewhere else before the end of the week. Preferably before the end of the day!

This is an extraordinarily subjective business. It just takes one “yes” to get your foot in the door.



I noticed that both BULLETPROOF BODYGUARD and BETTER THAN BULLETPROOF garnered RT nominations for Reviewer’s Choice Best First Series Romance. And this is in addition to a four star review from RT and a nod from Barbara Vey of PW.


I’m still pinching myself over everything that’s happened. As a debut author, 2009 was filled with many exciting firsts and people have been extraordinarily good to me—reviewers, bloggers, other authors. .

Exciting to think that Bulletproof Bodyguard is an April release. Are you heading to any conferences to promote the book, or guest-blogging?

I’m going to RWA in Nashville in July and I’ll be at the Juke Joint Festival in my hometown of Clarksdale Mississippi, April 17th.

I’m guest blogging at the Romance Bandits on April 2nd and doing an online book club and other events over the next few weeks. Please visit my website for more details at www.KayThomas.net

What’s next for you and your Bulletproof novels?

My next book is due to my editor at Intrigue in September with a release date for 2011. It’s tentatively titled BULLETPROOF HEARTS..

[Lynette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marcus North is an undercover officer (more on that later), he's working undercover at a casino to try to prevent its robbery. He's managed to get an in with the men planning the robbery and is meeting them at a Bed and Breakfast where they are hiding out. Cally owns the bed and breakfast and lives there with her son and two elderly workers. An instant attraction flares up between Marcus and Cally, an attraction that Marcus can't take up on because of his assignment. When Cally cleans one of the men's rooms, she comes across some incriminating evidence. To keep her quiet and to force her cooperation, the bad guys kidnap her son, which puts Marcus in a precarious position and complicates his cover story.

I really loved this book. It was the perfect blend of suspense and romance. I hate when novels have too much suspense and you don't really get a feeling for the romance between the hero and heroine. I love character driven novels. BULLETPROOF BODYGUARD is very character driven, but it is also filled with suspense that kept me turning the pages. I never got bored. Something was happening on every page. Marcus was a great conflicted character and Cally's actions given the situation were realistic, and I believed her 110%


However, I did have a couple questions. These questions stem from my background and didn't distract from the quality of the story or the writing (both which were stellar). However, they were in the back of my mind. I doubt they'd be in yours, but here they are . . .. I didn't get how Marcus who was a police officer in Jackson, MS could be that far out of his jurisdiction on a case. It didn't seem plausible for me since he was not a federal officer. It seemed like he was in a different county than where he usually worked. I couldn't buy into that. While my department's undercover team incorporates officers from the various departments in the area, its scope is still regulated to a specific area. The area inside BULLETPROOF BODYGUARD seemed too large for me. Also, Marcus seemed to be suffering from a major case of burn out. Being an undercover officer in local police departments is not a career, it is an assignment. Like most assignments of that nature there is usually a limit to how long you can be assigned to a division like that to prevent instances of burn out like Marcus has suffered. Of course, I have no clue if other departments employ this action, but it gave me pause.

That was a quirk of mine and like I said, the above questions I had didn't detract from my enjoyment. I'd definitely read this author again. And I'm seriously thinking of purchasing this for ShaNayNay (aka Kindle) so I can have a copy of my own.

[Mombo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! A cracking good romance with an thrilling ending! My absolutely favourite part of the story is Chapter 8, about a third of the way in when Cally jumps Marcus and they begin to make out. It was sudden and so out of character for Cally that as I was reading it I found myself mystified by her behaviour.. but then it all makes sense when you realize she'd do just about anything to get her son back. That was heartbreaking! Her grief was your grief and it takes a good writer to make you feel it so intensely.

The romantic part of the story was great, too. I loved the way Cally and Marcus were instantly attracted to each other and Cally realized there was more to Marcus than his brawn. I'm looking forward to the next 'Bulletproof' story because BB was just that good.

[Mojca · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting and rather intriguing and gripping beginning, but the story was too long to sustain such a tempo and the pacing (and plot) suffered greatly. Not only that, the characters were beyond bland, preventing the reader to empathize with any of them. Both leads were just there, no layers no depth, the main villain was only a pale shadow of what he could be and all the twists and turns any incessant descriptions just killed this story for me.

[Janetlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually, I was pleasantly surprised with this book! A nice, easy interesting read. . . .

[Genie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wanted to read more of the story. It finished too soon.