When the heroine shares a table with a hot guy at a cafe, someone at a neighboring table live tweets the encounter. The heroine is intensely private and suffers from panic attacks. In order to protect the heroine’s privacy, the hero, who is the heroine’s bodyguard, takes her to his family home. The relationship between the hero and heroine develops as they spend more time in each other’s company.

The book also delves into the hero’s relationship to his family. The book also addresses the hero's PTSD from his time in the military, as well as events that occurred before he left. However, the external storylines seemed to overshadow the romance.

The Right Swipe was one of my favorite books from last year, but unfortunately, this book didn’t work as well for me. However, the next book in the series will be about Jia, who we first met in the Forbidden Hearts series. I’m looking forward to reading her book!

It was a good book, the characters were interesting. I just could not get into them as well as I would like.

Former model Katrina King values her privacy, mostly because of a previous kidnapping and an anxiety condition. Now she helps fund start-ups, and is working with a therapist; she's finally found ten places she can go outside of the house without having a panic attack. Everything is going great, until she shares a table at a cafe on a busy day.

Jas Singh has been Katrina's personal bodyguard ever since her late husband died, and was part of their security team ever since he came back from a tour of duty that ended with a medical discharge. He likes his job. And he likes Katrina more. And not just because she's a great boss. He's been ignoring his problems, though, until he is forced to face them...

When that day at the cafe results in Katrina going viral against her will as #CuteCafeGirl, part of a made-up Twitter saga documenting her supposed meet-cute with #CafeBae, Katrina wants to be anywhere but home. Jas whisks her away to his family's farm in Northern California. While tucked away in safety, will they address the growing feelings between them?

This second installment in Rai's "Modern Love" series is just as fun, flirty, and timely as the first. "Girl Gone Viral" is fantastic, as are Katrina and Jas! You'll be rooting for them from start to finish!

Ok... firstly I have to say THAT cover is So cute!!

This was my first book by Alisha Rai and have to say it won't be my last.

I really appreciated the topics of PTSD, trauma, and panic disorder. The topics were handled so well considering they were a major part of the main characters. It's so refreshing to see this in our romance novels. Sometimes mental health challenges can be stigmatized in novels but Alisha handled it so well. Major kudos to you Alisha!

The two main characters were so sweet and loving! Oh my goodness it was. bit of slow burn but it was just the perfect amount of slow burn.

Oh that Jas my friends talk about a dreamy piece of pie hahah.

I would definitely recommend picking this one up! I have to go back and read the first in the series now! :)

4 stars!

Thank you to much to Netgalley and Harper Collins/Avon for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 4/21/20
Published to GR: 4/14/20

This was just uh-freaking-mazing, I cannot stress how badly I already want to reread this wonderful book.

I love love love the diversity, living for it, truly. I love the fact that the author's depiction of Katrina is so natural and original that it's hot and...trendy, for lack of a better word.

Every single scene just melts over and into the next like a creamy goodness, argh it's phenomenal. Especially the sex scenes. I find it difficult to even call them that. Love scenes would be more accurate, but that term always seemed wishy-washy to me. However, in this case, it doesn't hold that light for me. If anything, it perfectly represents what romance and the closeness of being with someone is all about.

Jas..... I had a bit of a problem keeping in mind that 'Jas' is a male character's name hehe. Spelling out his full name helped some(Jasvinder), but every time 'Jas' came out, it'd throw me for a loop. Mini moment of confusion.

What also tripped me up sometimes was the narration style of this book. I guess because it felt so intimate and had such depth that I almost resented the author for not writing it in POVs.

This book is considered a romance, but I believe the entire concept of this book revolves around love. The love of family, friends, and yes the romantic aspect of it, although the beginning of it isn't quite defined, it is every present throughout the story.

It's lovely, funny, and everything the real world is cracked up to be. I highly recommend this read and can assure that this will be going onto my favorites shelf.

Received and ARC copy from NetGalley for a free and honest review. This in no way swayed my thoughts and feeling on this read. All quotes are subject to change, as this is an ARC that they are coming from.

"Happiness is a radical act"

I ADORED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!!!! Katrina is a widow with anxiety and PTSD (TW: Kidnapping, panic attacks, general anxiety and anxious thoughts.) After her husband passed away, she only kept on one of her bodyguards, and that was Jas. She has feelings for him, but is trying to date others, because she shouldn't be dating her employee, right?
Jas is a war veteran who would do anything for Katrina, except actually tell her that he was in love with her. Estranged from his family, Katrina is all he has, and wants. He has his own demons that he wars with as well. (TW: war related PTSD)

"Humans aren't meant to be indefinitely bent into pretzels. We bend until we snap, and then we put ourselves back together and hold steady until someone or something bends us again. Every part of that process requires strength, and hope, I think."

After Katrina has her photo taken with a stranger without her permission, another online influencer spins a story of love and fate with this stranger. The stranger runs with it, and it is viral to the point of making national news. This triggers Katrina's anxiety, and Jas just wants to keep her safe. So, he swallows his pride, and takes her to his home in NorCal where his family owns a peach farm.

From there, we see this two not only grow into lovers, but we see them grow as people. They both face various demons throughout the novel, and it is such a beautiful thing. I love this book more than I loved the first, and it was just amazing. I am so excited for you all to be able to read it!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hands down, 5 stars.

I absolutely devoured this book. From it's portrayal of mental illness to the swoon-worthy love story of Katrina and Jas, this book was everything I hoped for and more. I can't wait for more from Alisha Rai. I will definitely be reading everything she releases from now on.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and I am happy to give my honest review.

I am a huge fan of Alisha Rai and loved The Right Swipe, the first book in this series. I was excited to read Katrina's story and it did not disappoint.

Katrina is a bit of a recluse. A retired model, widow, and sufferer of extreme anxiety. We learn through the story that she has experienced emotional abuse by her parent and was kidnapped and held for ransom because of who her husband was. She was a famous model and wants to live a private, healing life.

Jas is Katrina's bodyguard. He joined her husband's security detail after leaving the military traumatically. Jas was a gentle soul and a balm to Katrina's spirit. He has quietly loved her for years and thought there was no possible way for them to work.

Katrina is outed in the public unwillingly and Jas brings her to his family's farm upstate to escape. The forced proximity was delightful. I loved Jas's quiet way of caring for Katrina. I loved Katrina creating room in her everyday life for mental health.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I did find Katrina a bit Mary-Sue towards the end. She did everything so well including business and personal relationships that I wanted to see how she would bounce back from struggling. Jas, however, is hands down one of my favorite book boyfriends. I could read 100 more books with Jas in it and be happy.

I loved Alisha Rai's first book, "The Right Swipe" and I was excited to get this ARC to read.

The story is about an ex-model named Katrina and her bodyguard Jas. When Katrina accidentally goes viral, Jas takes her away to his family farm. The two have always been attracted to each other, but now that they're away their feelings get stronger.

This book is a little more of a "slow burn" but Rai is a good writer who kept me reading until the end. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hot body guard hero whose primary form of communication is grunting. Yes, I’ll take that, thank you.

Seriously though this book is so well done. Alisha Rai is a very talented writer who takes serious issues seriously and writes about them authentically and responsibly. I love her.

Be aware though that there are some heavy subjects covered in this book. Panic disorder, Anxiety, PTSD… but it’s not dark. It’s hopeful and bright.

As for Katrina and Jazz…this was a pair after my own heart. Two perfectly imperfect people who just LOVED each other and do the work to get out of their own ways to FINALLY be together. This is a great book.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon for the chance to read an advanced copy. I voluntarily read this book and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

In the second book in Alisha Rai's Modern Love story, Girl Gone Viral, Katrina King finds herself going viral after someone live-tweets her encounter with a cute guy at the coffee shop, making it seem like more happened than it actually did. Katrina is desperate to maintain her low-profile, so her bodyguard Jas (who also happens to be the man Katrina is actually interested in) offers her refuge in his family's home, secluded on a peach farm. Alone in close quarters, it seems like Jas may actually have the same feelings as Katrina, but can she trust herself to believe it's real?

I really enjoyed The Right Swipe when I read it last year, but this one was even better. I loved both main characters, as individuals and as a couple. Katrina and Jas both had such rich backstories that added a real depth to the story. There were so many sweet moments between the two building up the tension until they finally got together, and I was glad that this one had Katrina and Jas' POVs. I only knocked a half star off because I felt the end wrapped up a bit quickly. I definitely recommend checking this one out when it publishes!

Thank you to the publisher for the free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed Right Swipe, but I think I liked Girl Gone Viral better. Jas and Katrina were just adorable. Jas might be my new favorite book boyfriend! It was refreshing to see a couple a little more shy and self-conscious with each other slowly open up. I loved the humorous banter/dialogue. There were some weighty issues in each character's backstory, but the author managed to keep the tone light and I appreciated that. I had to suspend some belief with the respect to the story that went viral, but it was a very cute novel. I hope there will be a third book in this series.

This hit so many of my favorite tropes.
Friends to lovers ✅
Forced Proximity ✅
Supportive squad ✅
Cute doggo ✅

Okay so technically the dog isn't a trope but hey its my review my, rules #teamdoodle. Things I loved about this book Jas and Kat both supported each other through their internal struggles and encouraged each other to grow. They also both received support from their respective friend groups! I also loved they way Rai talked about mental health in this book, she didnt shy away from it and handled it was tact and empathy.

TLDR: This was a fun sexy read with a shit ton of heart, and loads of 🍑.

My initial impressions are mixed. I like the diversity of the characters and the originality of the premise-- a wealthy woman who suffers from an anxiety disorder gets into a relationship with her longtime bodyguard/friend/crush when she is suddenly thrust into the spotlight because of social media and they retreat to his farmhouse to avoid the attention. In romance genre terms it's friends to lovers in a forced proximity situation. But the pacing killed the anticipation at first. This is truly the slowest of slow burns. I often like that, but in this case I found my mind wandering on multiple attempts to get through it.

But I did get there. In the end, Girl Gone Viral burned slowly, taking it's time to catch fire, but then, eventually, it glowed hot. Katrina is a wealthy investor with an anxiety disorder. Jas is her loyal, long suffering bodyguard and a war veteran.

The reason I had trouble at first is that they main characters spend alm9st the entirety of the first half of the book in silent, tortured yearning for each other, largely because of the difficulties they've had to endure in the past. Both main characters are still dealing with serious trauma. Once the romantic relationship starts about 55 percent in, the pacing gets better and the story, which by that stage is more focused on their movement towards each other, grows more compelling.

One thing to be aware of-- this is not a true romantic comedy no matter what the cover might imply. The cover art is a cartoon rendering of an Instagram photo inset against a bright green background. Inside the photo is a brown woman in a bright yellow t-shirt and baseball cap next to a brown man in causal business dress. This does not convey an accurate impression of the tone and contents of this book, which is rather serious despite the presence of some gentle humor. If you're ready for that, this is a sweet, medium heat romance with heart and a rich multicultural, multidimensional cast of secondary characters.

Katrina King was having a quiet cup of coffee in a crowded coffee shop, when a man asked if he could sit at her table. What was an innocent meeting became an internet sensation when the couple next to them posted their picture on a blog and proceeded to imagine a great romance that went viral. Katrina is a very private person who, with her bodyguard Jas Singh, seek privacy at Jas's childhood home. Sparks fly and what was employer, employee becomes much more. Fast paced and totally enjoyable.

Katrina King lives a necessary life of seclusion and she's lucky to have not only the best girlfriends in the world, but a very efficient (and sexy) bodyguard--Jasvinder Singh, a former soldier who has his reasons for keeping to himself (even from his own family). One day, Katrina is sitting at a cafe, sharing her table with a handsome guy (potential meet-cute?). And then the next day, she's literally gone "viral" for being that handsome guy's new bae (some readers may recall that awkward twitter thread about the couple who shipped two fitness gurus sitting in front of them on an airplane). To protect her identity, Jas takes Katrina to his family's farm where their feelings for one another are tested.

Keywords: Bodyguard romance

Another great, social-media inspired love story between two POC! Jas is Punjabi-American and has a Mexican grandparent somewhere in the family tree and Katrina is half-Thai American and half-white. As a result of his time in the military, Jas struggles with PTSD. Katrina also struggles with her own form of PTSD, after an incident in which she was kidnapped.

While reading "The Right Swipe," I was frustrated with Rhiannon's stubbornness, but respected her because of her character. When it comes to Katrina and Jas, I can't seem to come up with a reason for not really liking them. Katrina knows who she is--she is open about her panic disorder (to whoever needs to know) and is the perfect counterpart to Jas who knows who he is, but needs to learn how to open up.

Both characters are charming and endearing in their own ways. Katrina loves to cook, especially for Jas who will eat anything she feeds him (wait til you read about what his favorite breakfast food is).

This is just a sweet read altogether and I enjoyed both Jas' and Katrina's growth into better versions of themselves.

Katrina King has a chance encounter with a handsome man at her favorite coffee shop that seemed harmless enough until she finds out that the woman next to her filmed their whole conversation and spun it out on Twitter as a meet-cute. This is Katrina’s worst nightmare because she has spent much time and money hiding her identity and protecting herself from the world after a difficult childhood and traumatic event from several years before. The bogus story continues to escalate to the extent that Katrina leaves to go hide out on her bodyguard’s family farm.

Jas Singh has looked after Kartrina for several years working first for her wealthy husband who left Katrina a young widow. Jas has his own traumatic past after being wounded in the service in Iraq during a complicated friendly fire situation. He keeps his emotions locked down tight, but for quite awhile now, Katrina has come to mean more to him than a job.

Katrina and Jas both suffer from PTSD for varying reasons so their relationship development is quite tentative and complex. Going from friends to lovers with an employee is also a challenge for Katrina. As they spend time together cocooned from the world but with Jas’s family around though he has kept his emotional distance from them, Katrina and Jas are able to take wobbly steps towards a relationship. These two skittish people have much in common and a deep attraction if they can just overcome the emotional roadblocks both are living with and take a chance on love.

The very slow burn romance between Katrina and Jas seems at times not to match up with their ages. Jas is near forty and Katrina thirty but the dialogue has more of a young adult feel. All in all this story is a light and mostly entertaining read. Ms. Rai makes clever use of the at times out of control, over the top, tendency of viral stories on the internet that can steal a person’s privacy with “facts” that are inaccurate and unfair.

I enjoyed this book immensely. A sweet but not saccharine love story between two people that you can't help but root for. They both have baggage to overcome and it could have been a story that made me want to yell at the characters to "just talk to each other" but the author kept the story moving forward without getting bogged down in angst.

I like ALisa Rai's books and this one was great. I gives a different take on the romance genre. More complex character than one usually finds.

This is the second in a series called Modern Love by Alisha Rai. Having loved the first book, I was excited to read this second book, featuring some characters from the first book. Although it was a book that kept my interest and was a cute story, it definitely did not live up to the first book. The main female character's story was very dramatic - bordering on the point of being ridiculous - so it really was hard to empathize or connect with her at all. I feel like the falling for the main male character also happened really awkwardly and all of a sudden they were in love after one kiss. It just didn't feel realistic to me.

I'm looking forward to more from Alisha Rai and hoping she'll get back to the greatness that was book 1.