How I have been waiting for this book to come out!! This was so great I will definitely read this again and again! I need this for my shelf and it will stick with me forever

Haley is a young music lover just trying to survive the weight of her grief. After losing both her father and brother, she’s become the kind of person who keeps her emotions locked away. One day, while walking down the street, she’s nearly kidnapped by someone in a white van. Thankfully, her quick thinking—and the help of a friend—saves her. The only reason Haley can think of for being targeted is her mother, a senator currently running for re-election. Concerned for her daughter’s safety, her mother decides to hire a bodyguard—and she knows exactly who she wants for the job.

Ace is a celebrity bodyguard who takes his work seriously—so seriously that he doesn't even flinch when beautiful celebrities try to get his attention. But when his boss forces him to take some time off, he returns to his late grandmother’s home, burdened with grief over her loss and the death of his best friend. That’s when he’s asked to protect Haley—the one girl he’s never been able to forget.

I really appreciated the emotional depth in this story, especially the flashback scenes. They hit home for me. The moments with Haley’s dad were particularly moving, as they reminded me of my own father, who passed away nearly four years ago. Having also lost my brother in 2011, I deeply resonated with Haley’s tendency to bottle up her emotions. The letter her brother wrote to Ace had me so emotional.

There are plenty of tense, suspenseful moments as threats against Haley mount. What stood out most, though, was the relationship between Haley and Ace. Given their shared past and the way he left her before, I appreciated that their connection wasn’t portrayed as perfect or easy. It felt real—messy, heartfelt, and full of growth.

DNF at 24%.

This is not a book that really understands much about the way the world works, and while I'm generally OK with a lot of silliness for a romance novel, this pushed a little too far. Haley's mother is said to be a state senator, yet works in DC and interacts with Capitol Police, which are things that United States Senators do. Haley's dad has a Michelin star but demonstrates none of the other signifiers of elite cooking, as if that's just a thing that Sarah Castille had heard of as a way to make it clear he was good. The novel opens with Ace immediately after the Oscars, so in March or so, but then a couple chapters later it's almost election time, which would make it almost November? Haley's mom talks about her getting protection from the US Marshalls despite that not being a thing they do. All these things are the sort of thing that an editor should have picked up.

But the thing that really killed it for me was when, a quarter of the way through the book and after multiple flashback chapters that show us how much Haley's father meant to Ace, Ace looks at the watch that Haley's father had given him and thinks the phrase "He'd been like a father to me." No shit! People don't think sentences like that, and after giving us so many goddamn flashbacks we know that's true already! Enough. This wasn't funny or sexy enough to justify reading any further.

Haley Chapman comes from a prominent family and one that likes to keep a perfect image on the outside after tragedy. Her goal is to become big in the music world and currently DJ’s for the college radio station. When Hailey’s life is in danger her mother hires family friend Ace Murphy to be her bodyguard. He might be her late brother’s best friend but having Ace follow her all over campus might be too much to keep either of their true feelings at bay. On the other hand, maybe the time together might be what each needs to heal them both from their pasts. A touching bodyguard romance merged with music, second chances and action. Told in first person and present/past tense to see how their relationship began and unraveled. Dual POV.