Sweet, steamy, and just a little bit awkward, the hero makes this one a real win to me. Guarding Her Heart is a bodyguard romance that strikes all the right notes.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Of all the books I've read this summer, Guarding Her Heart was the palette cleanser I never knew I needed - and I say this in all the best of ways. A true and well-executed grumpy-sunshine trope. I’m all for an emotional rollercoaster journey and this one did not disappoint. Both characters had their strengths and weaknesses, and it was a treat going on this journey with them.

Overall, this was a very angsty and emotional read, with a satisfying HEA!

GUARDING HER HEART By Negeen Papehn

Niloo dreams to be a high end stylist, she kickstarts her career by taking up a job as a stylist for a very popular band. Travis is a former Marine and the band's head of security.

😊What i liked -

✔ Bodyguard Romance/Grumpy Sunshine/Opposites Attract/Forced Proximity.
✔ I liked the chemistry between Niloo and Travis. Their journey from being a pain in the a** for each other to slowly falling in love.
✔ Niloo is sunshiney, funny, sarcastic and caring.
✔ I loved how sure, confident and vulnerable Travis's character was.
✔ I liked the side characters too especially Carlos and Mike,(too cute and swoony)
✔ This book has cultural diversity, witty banter, family/friend bonds, heartbreak, love and sexy hottie spice.

🤔What could have been better -

✔ I felt the end was a little too rushed.


📚Who Should read :

👶Beginners
💝Romance Lovers
😎Bodyguard Romance
🌞Grumpy/Sunshine trope Lovers


📈My Rating : 3.5/5

Thank you Negeen Papehn, Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for a copy.

A sexy romance between a bodyguard and stylist who bridge the opposites attract genre. This couple provides dual points-of-view on their growing attraction and life on the road with Ternura.

Travis is a grumpy man who loves deeply so don’t let the exterior fool you as he is ALL mushy inside.

So this is a series…well I am hooked, bring on the next book!

Thank you for the #gifted e-book to read and review - Entangled Publishing, MMBTours and the author.

I enjoyed the forced proximity situation and the protective cinnamon roll that is Travis, but the overall execution and pacing did not hit the spot for me.

Niloo and Travis as characters, individually and as a couple, were darling. I liked them both, could see where each were coming from and why they reacted the way they did during the small conflicts that pop up during their time together. The relationship and romance in this felt quite realistic, if just a bit sped up. I adore how head-over-heels Travis in love he was, but the logical side of my brain was on edge considering all the dangers that could happen when the head of security was indisposed.

This could be a perfect low angst, charming read for some, but I wish the tension before the couple got together was drawn out a bit more and that the couple learned to be open and communicate effectively with one another.

Overall, this was a pleasant read.

Welcome to my #booktour stop! If you’re a fan of grumpy-sunshine stories and dual POVs, then this may be right up your alley. It is a sweet, easy read. Niloo and Travis have such a fantastic dynamic; and the supporting characters were the sort of people you hope to surround yourself with. I am married to a Marine, so I have a soft spot for military characters.

This is the second in a series, but can be read as a standalone.

📌 Pub Date: September 12, 2022

I was given a copy of this story to read; but thoughts and opinions are all my own. Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing, @mmbtours, and Negeen Papehn for the chance to read this book!

Niloo is a sassy Persian stylist, and she gets the opportunity to work for the rock band Ternura. Her sister, Darya, is married to the lead singer, Anthony. And being the overprotective big sister that she is, Darya wants Niloo to have her own security detail during the tour.

Travis is a sexy, ex-Marine, and head of security for the band. He’s not too thrilled to be assigned to Niloo, and Niloo doesn’t take too kindly to having a babysitter.

This was a sweet and sexy romance, that also covered some heavier topics — which I love. Both Niloo and Travis have their guard up and are reluctant to let other people in. It was so sweet to see them unravel each other.

I loved all the supporting characters too. I’ll have to go back and read Darya and Anthony’s story, and I hope Mike and Carlos get their own book too.

Tropes: grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, opposites attract

CW: mention of suicide, loss of a parent, PTSD 


Thank you @mmbtours for a spot on the tour and an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

What I liked in this book

🤍 Dual POV
🤍 Relationship between Anthony and Travis
🤍 Strong female lead
🤍 Kind of enemies to lovers
🤍 Romance
🤍 Loveable characters
🤍 LGBTQ representation

What you can look forward to in this book

🤍 Grumpy × Sunshine trope
🤍 Bodyguard romance trope
🤍 Opposites attract
🤍 Loveable side characters

ARC provided by NetGalley and publisher. Niloo and Travis have a love to hate relationship. They both admire from afar but Travis has a desire to stay in his professional role. When Niloo's life is threatened, Travis realizes his love can go hand in hand with duty.

This is Niloo and Travis's story, a sweet bodyguard romance, between the bodyguard and the stylist of the Latin rock band Ternura, with very different personalities, good chemistry and a forbidden romance where they need to overcome some obstacles and drama that comes with it. Told in dual POV, this story will entertain you, while the character's banter will have you smiling. The story itself is good, starts building fast, it's a quick read and therefore I think somethings were a bit rushed, still a good book to read if you love the bodyguard trope.

Ironically, I realized too late this was the second book in the series 😅 The first book dealt with Darya and Anthony, who also make an appearance in GHH. But the second book is younger sister Niloo’s story. Travis is the head of security for Anthony and his group, Ternura. Obviously, that means he is the perfect man for the job in protecting Niloo while on tour. Niloo and Travis being opposites made for hilarious banter. Overall, it was a fun read!

If you are into grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, bodyguard/reluctant protectee, you’ll enjoy this one! It’s also available on Kindle Unlimited. A huge thank you to the author @negeenpapehn via @mmbtours and @netgalley for this reader’s copy. It in no way influences my review.

𝔽𝕒𝕧𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕖 𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕤:
✨ That glimmer is back-the one that's twisting my insides. It's vulnerable and beautiful and takes my breath away
✨ But her presence manages to ease the war inside me, even if she has no clue it exists. When I'm around her, I feel hopeful
✨ It's here, with him loving me, that I'm allowed to be all the things I want to be without fear of
judgment or disappointment. He sees me in a way no one ever has. He's the freedom I've been searching for

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for this eARC to read and give an honest review!

This book is about Niloo, a stylist of the famous rock band Tenura and Travis, their grumpy head of security. Travis gets assigned to keep an eye on Niloo while she is on tour with the band. After their initial aversion against each other they soon realize that they enjoy their company a bit more than they would like to admit…

Niloo and Travis are great protagonists! Niloo is hard-working, strong, humorous and is very caring of her family and friends. Travis is broody, extremely focused on his job and seems quite cold to others, but over time he warms up. You can start to see that he is very caring and his likeable personality shines through the more time he spends with Niloo.

They have witty banter, and you can really feel their great chemistry. They are super cute together, but I honestly have to say that at some points it was a little bit too cheesy for me.

Both characters have to deal with the loss of a very important person in their lives. It was interesting to see how differently they both handled their grief and the ways they helped each other deal with their losses.

The style of writing is fluent and nice. It kind of felt like I was flying through the pages when reading the book.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a romance with great banter and very loveable and strong main characters.

I had enjoyed Set To Music by Papehn so I was glad to get Guarding Her Heart to review. I like the way Papehn weaves the character's Iranian language and culture into the stories. It's an added depth to an already interesting novel. It was fun to see the cast from the first novel back especially Mike who is Niloo's best friend and the band's stylist. When he gets Niloo a job doing the same, the book is set into motion. Travis is such an enigma obot and that's okay with Niloo since she's there to do her job, prove she wasn't a nepotism hire and hopefully launch the career she really wants in Vegas. Of course, best laid plans and all, Niloo finds out fairly quickly there is a whole lot more to Travis than his stoic exterior. I enjoyed peeling back his layers as much as Niloo did, I think.

The story is very realistic especially when these two make incorrect assumptions and fail to communicate is ways that threaten their relationship. It was both aggravating and intriguing since you knew there had to be a happily every after in there.

I can recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley, Entangled:Amara for the ARC.

The story is a sweet and easy romance with hurdles between people who are poles apart in every way they can. It was good to see how they overcome everything and the drama unfolds in the journey. Niloo and Travis are cute and adorable together and have strong personalities. The family-like friends are the support system that I admire the most and loved how it went forward.
It's a dual-POV giving way into both their minds. It has a cute and witty banter that I just love. Go read it.

It’s a 3.5⭐️ for me.

I enjoyed the second Tenura book, and Travis never has a say in the matter. I like Niloo’s strength and drive toward her dreams. She has had a few speedbumps but now is on track to her dreams. This current gig, part of the glam squad with her brother-in-law’s band, will be a great stepping stone.

Travis is head of security for Tenura. As a favor to Darya, Niloo’s very pregnant sister and wife to Anthony, the lead singer, if Niloo is to go on tour, Travis needs to be her security detail. But Niloo does not feel she needs security. But as the two spend time together and he opens to her, a relationship begins to bloom.

I look forward to reading more books and hope to see Carlos’s story soon.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Entangled Publishing, LLC, for the advanced copy; this is my voluntary review.

I absolutely loved this novella!
The forbidden attraction between Travis and Niloo ignites the pages! I couldn't get enough of their banter and mutual pining. I'm a sucker for the grumpy x sunshine and bodyguard/protector trope so this book just hit all the spots for me. The spice also delivers.
I also really liked that the reader got a glimpse into Niloo's Persian culture. It helped understand her character, plus it was nice to see diversity represented in a way that didn't feel like checking a box.
My only negative to say about the book is I felt some of Travis's backstory needed to be explained more but the book wasn't long enough to really dive into it.
The writing is fun and makes this an easy to read book.
I would recommend this is you're a fan of bodyguard/protector romance, opposites attract, grumpy x sunshine trope, forced proximity, witty banter, slow burn, steam and novellas.

Guarding Her Heart is a relatively underwhelming romance that offer nothing new except for featuring POC characters.

Guarding Her Heart is my first book from Negeen Papehn. I just felt like this enemies to friends to lovers was just ok, nothing super exciting and kinda predictable. I like a bodyguard ex-miltary hero so Travis worked for me, he has some deep issues that I appreciated but I didn’t feel invested in them as a couple.

Travis Collins is head of security for the mega star band Ternura. When the lead singers sister- in-law, Niloo, an aspiring stylist, joins the band on tour Travis is tasked with guarding her. Travis is not happy to be babysitting Niloo and Niloo doesn’t think she needs one. There is really no danger to Niloo, which is kinda a bummer, if there was actual danger for her I would probably have felt more invested. It followed a pretty predictable storyline of him smothering her as part of his job, her fighting the rules then them working it out. They did have some steamy times that I enjoyed.

Thank you to the publisher (Entangled) for an e-ARC through NetGalley. All thoughts are my own. Guarding Her Heart has a pub date of September 12, 2022.

This book had a really fun grumpy x sunshine and bodyguard theme! The characters were really fun and interesting- their personalities and pasts were developed and slowly revealed throughout the book which kept me really interested and made me care about them. The representation of a Persian family was cool- I liked learning new things about the dynamics and customs that come with them. Travis puts out a cold front but his sweet side shows while he’s caring for Niloo, who fights for her independence and respect from her family. The sexual tension between them- unreal!!! It was built up really well! This was a 4 star read for me because I loved it, but it wasn’t quite one of my favorites. That being said, it was well written and I would definitely recommend it to others!

I feel so bad for giving this book a bad rating, but I really didn’t enjoy it.

I was so excited to read an enemies-to-lovers bodyguard romance, but after 20 pages they weren’t even enemies anymore. I couldn’t understand why or how that happened.
Everything in this book happened so quickly, most of it was just incomprehensible.

Furthermore, I really didn’t like Niloo and her sister. I didn’t click with any of the characters, to be honest.

What I really liked though, was the representation, since Niloo is Persian and throughout the book are parts where they speak Farsi.
It also includes LGBTQ representation.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the chance to read and review an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.