This is the first Sidney Halston book I’ve read and I really enjoyed it. I loved the main characters and I found the story moved along and definitely held my interest. I couldn't stop reading. I will definitely pick up with others in the series!

Kiss Kiss Bang started off as what I thought was going to be a RomCom then the story took a turn and the Romantic Suspense really came through. And, Romantic Suspense may have won out, but it definitely had its lighter moments.

Alpha-male Joey Clad was undeniably one sexy man. On top of it, he knows how to hold a gun, hack a computer and love a woman.

Livie was a woman who ran away from an abusive house, learned how to stand on her own two feet and fight for what she believes in.

Alone, they are two strong people. Together, they could take on the world, figure out who is stalking and threatening her and protect the joy of Livie’s life … the precocious, lizard loving Sophie.

As Kiss Kiss Bang progressed, I really enjoyed reading about Evie and Joey. They both had pasts that they weren’t proud of but found a way to turn things around. Joey was entertaining at times, serious when had to be, super sexy – especially when he was helping Sophie. Sorry, but there is nothing sexier than a man crawling around looking for lizards, playing around in the pool and just enjoying the wonderment of a child.

Surrounded by strong secondary characters, Joey and Olivia were able to shine through. Sidney Halston really did a wonderful job of bringing these two characters together and giving them a love worth fighting for. I was intrigued with the storyline and enjoyed reading about Sophie. Yea, she kind of made the story. She was just adorable. And, the story flowed … there was no time that you weren’t wondering what was going to happen next or who may have been threatening them, where the Governor fit in or just when Harry’s Hacker would strike again. There were some things that were predictable but, that’s expected. There’s only so much that can be said without being a little predictable. That’s a true testament of a good romantic suspense author.

ARC received for review

Hot and sexy computer geek Joey falls fast for Olivia, candidate for Governor. He helps her with her computer problems, and then with her stalker. Her daughter is adorable. It was great up until the end. Wham, bam, thank you ma'am and end. It won't be so bad if Ms. Halston has plans for Joey and Annie's other brother come on board at ICS and get HEAs.

Holy smokes!! I fell in love with Joey from the beginning! He's the total package!!

Olivia and Conner were neighbors and best friends growing up. Neither of them had role models in their life, so they grew very close and depended on each other to vent. Conner always said it was him and Olivia taking on the world together. Great plans, but Conner, unfortunately started using drugs like his brother. While him and Olivia were at a party, the cops came and they both got arrested. Olivia left town and never looked back. She's now making something of herself as an adult...she's running for Governor! The night before her big speech her laptop has issues and she takes it to a shop to be fixed. Of course, everything goes wrong and she has a meltdown.

Joey (Josef) Clad is part owner of Iron-Clad security. He's hot, he's rich, he's super techy smart! He's at a shop working when he sees, while looking at surveillance cameras, a woman having a melt down in the shop. Not just any woman but one that's running for Governor! He rescues her, in more ways than one!

This story has romance, suspense, sweetness, suspense, humor and a great ending!! The characters were great and the chemistry between Olivia and Joey was amazing! Of course, I also loved Sophie! Loved this whole series!!

What happen to her best friend, Conner and his brother? Did they get out of the slums like she did? You gotta read this one and find out!!

Six-foot-two and ripped...with superior computer skills, Josef "Joey" Clad is not your typical ex-Marine. The co-owner of Iron-Clad securities is 100% Alpha male, but under his muscular physique, he's the best hacker in Miami who specializes in running Iron-Clad's cyber ops. The perfect skill set for their new client who is getting threatening emails, a client who he definitely wants to get to know better. Much better. Single mom, widow, Olivia Monroe has exceptional dreams that she refuses to let go of. Fifteen years ago, she left her broken home in New York City and never looked back. Now a dark horse candidate for Florida governor, she's not looking for a relationship. Even with the hot guy who sweeps in and saves her computer the night before a big speech. Her hero has trouble written all over him. Joey is too handsome, too funny, too confident, and way too hard to resist. Too bad he's now her bodyguard.
The book was really good. I loved both main characters as they went through the story. Both characters were well written. I really enjoyed the plot. I highly recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Oh Joey......be still my heart! Another hot and sexy installment in the series that I have come to adore!!

Loved this story so much! What's not to love? A single mom and widow falls for a guy who saves her when she needs it most and he ends up being her bodyguard. Yes, please! Loved the premise and how everything unfolded! It honestly made for one great read! I absolutely recommend this book to all romance lovers!

Brilliant read with all the things I enjoy in a book with a brilliant storyline and characters and I will look forward to reading more from you from this author thank you for my arc

Josef "Joey" Clad is the "Clad" in Iron-Clad Security, the private security firm he and his best friend, Jax Irons, own and operate. Joey's more the brains in the outfit, but even so, he's still got the physical protection skills he learned from his stint in the military. When he meets gorgeous, but frazzled, Olivia Russo, falling apart in the computer store where he's on a job, his protective instincts come to the fore and he falls, HARD, for the beautiful single mom. And when it becomes clear that Olivia and her daughter are in need of some protection, Joey's just the man for the job.

Olivia is a hard-working, widowed single mom who's running for governor of Florida when she picks up a stalker. She's got no one in this world but a friend of her late husband's, to look out for her, but even the security agent her friend hired for her is no match for the person stalking her. Thank God for the gorgeous, sweet man she meets at the store she's brought in her overworked laptop for repair. Little does she know that he's more than just a computer guy, he's an expert private security agent, AND a hacker with some crazy skills that have not only earned him millions, but underground recognition too. He's just the man to help her when not only is her stalker picking up in intensity, but her gubernatorial opponent's verbal attacks are picking up in malice, too.

Like the other story in this series that I've read, Kiss Marry Kill, Kiss Kiss Bang is hot, fast paced and well drawn with two likable leads who share some serious chemistry. Add in an adorable, lizard-loving little girl, and Sidney Halston came up with the perfect combination of sweet, romantic and suspenseful. I wish there were more coming in this series, but I have a feeling this is it, considering that Jax, Joey and Anna's stories have all been told now.

I was a little hesitant to dive into Kiss Kiss Bang (I’ll get to the reason in a bit) but I needn’t have worried because I loved this book. This may just be my favorite of the series. It was a fun, quick read that was low on angst, but had just the right amount of suspense to keep things interesting and characters I enjoyed getting to know and ended up loving when everything was said and done.

The reason I was hesitant about this one falls entirely on Joey/Josef’s shoulders. I wanted to gut the man with a spoon in Last First Kiss. Badly. But, I reminded myself to keep an open mind because he did have some good points, and whadda you know? I ended up really liking him. He was still all kinds of dominant and steamroller should be his nickname, but in this case it just worked. He was compassionate, upfront and funny, which ended up being quite a lethal combination.

Olivia I loved right away. She’s vivacious, determined and compassionate. Her past isn’t all wine and roses, but she’s created a solid life for herself and her daughter and is looking to do more for those around her. Olivia was a lot of fun. Sassy and a little snarky, and could hold her own in room full of sharks.

Olivia and Joey’s journey was a lot of fun. Joey does steamroll his way into her life, but I never felt as if it was oppressive. Part of it, of course, had to do with the security issue and that he is in the protection business. The other part is that he did it in a sneaky and yet fun way that still allowed for caveman tendencies, but showed how much he respected Olivia. I loved their bantering and the chemistry between them was hot and it really was a lot of fun to watch their relationship grow, and then you throw Sophie into the mix and all bets are off.

I loved the previous books, but this one just felt...lighter than the others when it came to the romance and I really liked that because there was enough drama going on around them that it would have bogged the story down too much. As for the suspense aspect, it was very well done. It kept me on my toes (I actually attempted to figure out who was behind it all and only got part of it right) and when everything was said and done, it all made perfect sense to me. I enjoyed hanging out Jax, Megan, Annie and Rocco, but Sophie was the one who definitely stole my heart and the show.

Kiss Kiss Bang by Sidney Halston
Book #3: Iron Clad Security Series
Source: Netgalley and Purchase
My Rating: 5/5 stars

Time for some harsh truth: at the end of the second book in the Iron Clad Security series, I absolutely despised Joey Clad. I found him to be arrogant, somewhat cruel, and completely dismissive of the talents and skills of others. In short, he’s a dick and I didn’t quite care if he ever appeared in a book again.

Then I read this book . . . .

From one book to the next, Joey Clad is a completely different person and I totally loved him in this go ‘round! Joey introduces himself in the opening scenes of Kiss Kiss Bang, and he has nearly totally honorable intentions. Joey sees a woman in line for Geek Squad, and when he sees her begin to melt down, he knows he must step in and help her. Helping her is the honorable part, wanting to meet the hot lady is the not so honorable part, but Joey just can’t seem to help himself. Within minutes, and after some identity confirmation, the hot lady agrees to accompany Joey to his offices so he can fix her computer.

Olivia Monroe isn’t a risk taker. Olivia Monroe plays by the rules, does her research before opening her mouth, and walks a straight and narrow path. She has to! Olivia Monroe is currently running for governor of Florida and she must always present and conduct herself appropriately. Leaving a store in her pajamas with a hot guy after melting down over her dead computer isn’t exactly the image she wants to portray, but, as the saying goes, needs must. For unexplained and very disconcerting reasons, Olivia trusts Joey immediately. For even more unexplained and disconcerting reasons, she also finds herself tremendously attracted to him and attraction to hot, new guy won’t help her campaign image at all.

Meeting Olivia turns Joey’s life upside down and right side up in short order. One encounter is all it takes to have him utterly convinced she is the woman for him. When he meets her completely adorable daughter, the deal is sealed as far as Joey in concerned. Now, he just has to figure out how to convince Olivia of the rightness of their relationship! As it turns out, there’s a crazy person out there hell-bent on hurting Olivia. Joey’s wheelhouse absolutely includes protecting others from such madness which means he gets a great deal of one on one time with Olivia until the mystery is solved.

Even with all of Joey’s incredible skills, hunting down Olivia’s attacker isn’t easy. It requires a great number of twists and turns, and some dredging up of the past. What’s more, with each new attack, Olivia’s opponent takes advantage of the opportunity. Olivia has to creative with her campaigning which means relying on Joey to deal with her protection. The process is as intense as it is scary and both emotions bring Olivia and Joey closer together both physically and emotionally.

The Bottom Line: I want to roll around in this book I enjoyed it so much! The change in Joey from one book to the next was significant for me, and I am so happy with the personality adjustment. Joey is strong, capable, commanding, sexy, loyal, and loving yet never to the point of overshadowing Olivia. Olivia is strong, determined, intelligent, and loyal. She has a mission, a goal, but also the desire to protect herself and her loved ones; she isn’t stupid and knows when she needs to ask for help. Joey’s help 😊 One of the things I particularly appreciated about this book is the connection between Olivia and Joey; once they are together, they are together. There’s no cold-feet, I’m in over my head, we must break up for a bit because of some lame miscommunication. This situation isn’t the norm in romance reads and I was glad for the change of pace that did nothing but increase my liking of this book. Finally, there is the ending of this read. I am a big fan of karma and slimy humans getting exactly what they deserve, and this book offers up a healthy dose of completely satisfying karma; essentially, the perfect ending.

Well written and an enjoyable story. I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more by this author.

This book was absolutely amazing! I started it and finished it within one day. Joey and Olivia are so awesome together! Sophia makes this book so much more fun! Definitely recommend this book and series to anyone. I received this ARC in return for a honest review from Netgalley.

A very enjoyable story with great characters and an exciting plot.
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher*

Six-foot-two and ripped...with superior computer skills, Josef “Joey” Clad is not your typical ex-Marine. The co-owner of Iron-Clad securities is 100% Alpha male, but under his muscular physique, he's the best hacker in Miami who specializes in running Iron-Clad's cyber ops. The perfect skill set for their new client who is getting threatening emails, a client who he definitely wants to get to know better. Much better.

Single mom, widow, Olivia Monroe has exceptional dreams that she refuses to let go of. Fifteen years ago, she left her broken home in New York City and never looked back. Now a dark horse candidate for Florida governor, she's not looking for a relationship. Even with the hot guy who sweeps in and saves her computer the night before a big speech. Her hero has trouble written all over him. Joey is too handsome, too funny, too confident, and way too hard to resist.

Too bad he's now her bodyguard.



* * * * *



The men of Iron-Clad Security are definitely eye candy and it sure doesn't hurt that they are all extremely intelligent. Joey is no exception. He is pretty laid back unless someone threatens someone that he is hired to protect or someone that he cares about.



Olivia is trying to run a clean race against the current governor who doesn't appear to care about anything but padding his pockets. When she starts getting threatening emails and damage to her property, she is rather glad that her computer had broken down in the first place.


KISS KISS BANG is the third book this series that I have thoroughly enjoyed. It stands quite nicely on its own merits though I do recommend the whole series. The plot is tight with the tension ratcheting up slowly until you are sitting on the edge of your seat. The dialogue is witting and some of the scenes are flat out amusing. Another thing that I appreciated with this book is how the sexual tension is allowed to build quite nicely before there is any relief.


I do recommend this book to any of my readers who like a good romantic suspense especially one that delves into the dirty world of politics. Joey is worth drooling over and Olivia is a good example of a single mother trying to juggle her daughter, her job, and finding time for Joey.


*** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed within are my own.

I was only able to read a few chapters of this book before deciding it wasn't for me. I was hoping the focus would be more on the thriller aspect of this rather than the romance. Unfortunately the opposite was true and the romance couldn't keep me engaged enough to want to continue. When I read a mystery or thriller, I want the focus to be on that rather than the romance. If I wanted a lot of romance and steamy scenes, I would read a romance novel. This just wasn't my cup of tea!

An entertaining read from Sidney Halston and this is a great addition to the Iron Clad Security series.
I appreciate that all 3 books in this series are unique and each have a different story to tell. This is romantic suspense that is more light and funny than angsty and dark. When most of this genre tends toward angst, this is a nice alternative.

The third book in the Iron Clad Security series, and Sidney Halston has delivered another solid bodyguard-client romance that is fun, flirty, sexy and romantic with a functional, low-angst relationship and a touch of mystery/suspense that makes this a really exciting read that can easily standalone. With an alpha hero you can’t help but love, a strong and feisty single mother heroine and an adorable little girl, this is a great read and I really enjoyed it.

Shortly into the book I was skeptical that I'd like it in the end. It was hard for me to stay interested. It seemed unrealistic in its story line and that fact turned me off. However, I was pleasantly surprised that it did get better. It got more suspenseful and started to seem more realistic. After I finished the book I realized it was part of a series, maybe it wouldn't have been as slow to get into if I had read the first two books in the series first. My advice is to give this book a try!

*4.5 stars*
I would love this protection detail…
This series is one of my favourites as it mixes sweet love and romantic suspense with humour, heat and heart!
This time out Joey is wooing a reluctant Olivia with all the romantic tricks in his arsenal – and they are impressive. He doesn’t look like a stereotypical computer nerd but underneath that sexy, ex-military façade lies the heart of a hacker as well as a protective, gentle man. If he doesn’t sound like a macho man then you would be right but he knows how to hold his own in dangerous situations and how to protect the new ladies in his life…
“”She wanted him, but she didn’t want to want him. She need help, but she didn’t want to need help.”
Olivia is an independent woman who has dealt with every knock down blow in her life with grace under fire. She is articulate and funny and so relatable as she deals with life’s usual challenges as well as unexpected danger with remarkable composure. Well, the scene at the computer store may not have been her finest moment but it certainly was hilarious! She may have called him “sneaky” but Joey crawled under her defenses and his protection soon became addictive…
There was danger and a host of characters to meet and get re-acquainted with so no time to take a breath as this story read way too quickly. Sparks flew between Joey and Olivia with their interactions made even better with Olivia’s daughter often in the midst of it all. I loved the dynamic between the three as they made me smile – a lot! – and go ‘awww’ so many times. Sophie was the best unexpected matchmaker and so darn cute she stole the show for me.
I don’t know if there is more to come in this series but my vote is ‘yes please’!
~Diane