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bosbie's review against another edition
3.0
3/5 stars
thank you to netgalley and bold strokes books for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
as someone who has had a life-long struggle trying to enjoy contemporary romance, i've finally found a book in this genre i could actually finish! overall a cute little romp. radley's prose, while a bit too tell-y for my taste at times, was straightforward enough for the book's short ~200 pages to feel like a fully completed work. the bodyguard trope is a tried and true formula so the romance worked, and i was pleasantly surprised at how tense and suspenseful the third act was.
now for my gripes: in general i couldn't fully picture any of the characters in my head because neither their physical features nor personalities were described besides basic features. eve is fit and katherine is beautiful, but what else? the prose hyper focused on what the pov character was feeling in the moment, but was too superficial go beyond that.
but my biggest issue with this book was that i just couldn't get myself to like katherine. she was written with a nice enough personality, but my views on inherited wealth are similar to eve's, and the attempts to justify katherine's childish behavior and entitlement didn't at all sway me the way it seemed to completely sway eve. and while the romance was cute, eve went from staunch anti-monarchist to lady katherine simp in what felt like a single chapter, which was in my opinion way too quick of a switch from a mindset so deeply ingrained in eve she had purposefully in her entire career never taken royal clients.
side tangent, but most of the blame regarding the initially strained relationship between eve and katherine was placed on eve, which i didn't think was fair given eve's background as a daughter of a working class family who experienced firsthand the inherent corruption and unfairness of royalty. so katherine is completely absolved of her involuntary yet nonetheless implicit involvement in centuries of wealth disparity because she ~works in philanthropy~ and ~gives money to charity~?? miss me with that bullshit.
still enjoyed overall. good premise and romance, but the quality would have benefited if more time was invested in making katherine less insufferable.
thank you to netgalley and bold strokes books for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
as someone who has had a life-long struggle trying to enjoy contemporary romance, i've finally found a book in this genre i could actually finish! overall a cute little romp. radley's prose, while a bit too tell-y for my taste at times, was straightforward enough for the book's short ~200 pages to feel like a fully completed work. the bodyguard trope is a tried and true formula so the romance worked, and i was pleasantly surprised at how tense and suspenseful the third act was.
now for my gripes: in general i couldn't fully picture any of the characters in my head because neither their physical features nor personalities were described besides basic features. eve is fit and katherine is beautiful, but what else? the prose hyper focused on what the pov character was feeling in the moment, but was too superficial go beyond that.
but my biggest issue with this book was that i just couldn't get myself to like katherine. she was written with a nice enough personality, but my views on inherited wealth are similar to eve's, and the attempts to justify katherine's childish behavior and entitlement didn't at all sway me the way it seemed to completely sway eve. and while the romance was cute, eve went from staunch anti-monarchist to lady katherine simp in what felt like a single chapter, which was in my opinion way too quick of a switch from a mindset so deeply ingrained in eve she had purposefully in her entire career never taken royal clients.
side tangent, but most of the blame regarding the initially strained relationship between eve and katherine was placed on eve, which i didn't think was fair given eve's background as a daughter of a working class family who experienced firsthand the inherent corruption and unfairness of royalty. so katherine is completely absolved of her involuntary yet nonetheless implicit involvement in centuries of wealth disparity because she ~works in philanthropy~ and ~gives money to charity~?? miss me with that bullshit.
still enjoyed overall. good premise and romance, but the quality would have benefited if more time was invested in making katherine less insufferable.
gmzzn's review against another edition
4.0
(I got a free eARC of this book via Netgalley!)
Protecting the Lady is a very enjoyable book. It's got some nice, light romance that didn't feel rushed at all, despite not being very long, and Katherine and Eve both felt like real people. It took me a while to get through it mostly because of my own reading block, but when I got into it for real I couldn't stop, since the scenes all fit and flow together very well.
The book is very light and nice, and we get a lot of slow scenes with the protagonists talking and getting to know each other better while stuck inside for safety reasons. There was no real sense of danger, in my opinion, but at least there was enough romance to make up for that, and I loved how no one came up with issues to get between them.
Also maybe Katherine doesn't like the whole having a hot bodyguard thing but I sure wouldn't mind in her place lol Eve is a great character and Katherine grew on me the more I read, despite the fact that I could not see her as an older woman after she kept complaining for the whole first half of the book about being kept safe and not taking the threat on her life seriously.
3.5 stars rounded up.
Protecting the Lady is a very enjoyable book. It's got some nice, light romance that didn't feel rushed at all, despite not being very long, and Katherine and Eve both felt like real people. It took me a while to get through it mostly because of my own reading block, but when I got into it for real I couldn't stop, since the scenes all fit and flow together very well.
The book is very light and nice, and we get a lot of slow scenes with the protagonists talking and getting to know each other better while stuck inside for safety reasons. There was no real sense of danger, in my opinion, but at least there was enough romance to make up for that, and I loved how no one came up with issues to get between them.
Also maybe Katherine doesn't like the whole having a hot bodyguard thing but I sure wouldn't mind in her place lol Eve is a great character and Katherine grew on me the more I read, despite the fact that I could not see her as an older woman after she kept complaining for the whole first half of the book about being kept safe and not taking the threat on her life seriously.
3.5 stars rounded up.
motaki's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent
biblio_gabriella's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3 stars. While I’m a fan of Radley’s writing, this book fell flat for me.
Disenchanted with her job as a Protection Command Officer, Eve Webb (~30s) quits and moves to Tokyo for a more free-spirited lifestyle. A few years later, her old boss tracks her down to tell her she’s the right woman for a close protection job. Eve is hesitant to step away from her new life, but she can’t refuse the attractive sum of money. Even though a death threat was sent her way, distantly royal Lady Katherine Lovegrove (42) isn’t keen on being confined to her home, and she makes sure everyone knows. Eve isn’t happy about protecting a royal, and Katherine isn’t happy about Eve’s presence in her life, so the two get off to a rocky start.
As always, Amanda Radley’s writing is breezy, concise, and readable. She does an amazing job pairing snarky, uptight characters and wholesome, feel-good vibes. Major and minor characters alike are treated with dignity and respect, and her books carry a particular air of kindness.
I like how forced proximity allows Eve and Katherine to begrudgingly accept each other and amend their incorrect assumptions. While Katherine acts out rudely at the start of the book, I can see why she does so, even though I think some of it is over-the-top. She eventually starts to warm up to Eve when she realizes how committed Eve is to protecting her. Eve gets to know Katherine as a hardworking and generous person, and I like how Eve is self-aware enough to admit to herself that she’s not as good at “judging a book by its cover” as she thought she was.
Unfortunately, I think “bland” is the best descriptor for the romance (and not due to the lack of sex scenes, which is something I love about Radley’s books). I felt absolutely no chemistry and there isn’t enough romantic content for me to feel invested. The MCs start to acknowledge their feelings of love shockingly fast, to the point where I almost burst out laughing because it felt so weird. I couldn’t figure out why they’re suddenly attracted to each other, much less where on earth love came from.
Though this book involves a (literally!) life-or-death plot, I can’t say I felt any strong emotions while reading. I think that this book could have packed much more of an emotional punch, but it just didn’t for me whatsoever. Maybe it’s because, while the MCs are nice, I wasn’t really able to connect with either of them. Honestly I think my favorite character is Eve’s sister Paula, who’s adorable, sweet, and fun (though Eve definitely got some badass points from me when she recruited that staple gun to her team!).
While Protecting the Lady was only okay for me, Radley’s writing is always a joy to read. Since I really enjoyed the other two books I’ve read by her, I think my next Radley read will be better.
other content warnings: abduction, death threats, guilt, physical assault, terrorist attack (past, off-page)
I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Disenchanted with her job as a Protection Command Officer, Eve Webb (~30s) quits and moves to Tokyo for a more free-spirited lifestyle. A few years later, her old boss tracks her down to tell her she’s the right woman for a close protection job. Eve is hesitant to step away from her new life, but she can’t refuse the attractive sum of money. Even though a death threat was sent her way, distantly royal Lady Katherine Lovegrove (42) isn’t keen on being confined to her home, and she makes sure everyone knows. Eve isn’t happy about protecting a royal, and Katherine isn’t happy about Eve’s presence in her life, so the two get off to a rocky start.
As always, Amanda Radley’s writing is breezy, concise, and readable. She does an amazing job pairing snarky, uptight characters and wholesome, feel-good vibes. Major and minor characters alike are treated with dignity and respect, and her books carry a particular air of kindness.
I like how forced proximity allows Eve and Katherine to begrudgingly accept each other and amend their incorrect assumptions. While Katherine acts out rudely at the start of the book, I can see why she does so, even though I think some of it is over-the-top. She eventually starts to warm up to Eve when she realizes how committed Eve is to protecting her. Eve gets to know Katherine as a hardworking and generous person, and I like how Eve is self-aware enough to admit to herself that she’s not as good at “judging a book by its cover” as she thought she was.
Unfortunately, I think “bland” is the best descriptor for the romance (and not due to the lack of sex scenes, which is something I love about Radley’s books). I felt absolutely no chemistry and there isn’t enough romantic content for me to feel invested. The MCs start to acknowledge their feelings of love shockingly fast, to the point where I almost burst out laughing because it felt so weird. I couldn’t figure out why they’re suddenly attracted to each other, much less where on earth love came from.
Though this book involves a (literally!) life-or-death plot, I can’t say I felt any strong emotions while reading. I think that this book could have packed much more of an emotional punch, but it just didn’t for me whatsoever. Maybe it’s because, while the MCs are nice, I wasn’t really able to connect with either of them. Honestly I think my favorite character is Eve’s sister Paula, who’s adorable, sweet, and fun (though Eve definitely got some badass points from me when she recruited that staple gun to her team!).
While Protecting the Lady was only okay for me, Radley’s writing is always a joy to read. Since I really enjoyed the other two books I’ve read by her, I think my next Radley read will be better.
other content warnings: abduction, death threats, guilt, physical assault, terrorist attack (past, off-page)
I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence and Blood
Minor: Cancer, Suicide, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
wicked_divine's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
oliwier's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.25
A quick, nice easy read. While this wasn't the book of the year for me, it was a nice opportunity to read something light-hearted and relaxing.
At first I didn't find any kind of spark between Eve and Katherine, but as the book went by I warmed up to them.
In the same way, I found Katherine immature at first, but she showed her true character throughout the book and became more likeable.
Thank you netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a review
At first I didn't find any kind of spark between Eve and Katherine, but as the book went by I warmed up to them.
In the same way, I found Katherine immature at first, but she showed her true character throughout the book and became more likeable.
Thank you netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a review
sarah_gb's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for providing this ARC for reviewing!!!
Protecting the Lady is a lesbian bodyguard/client romance between Eve, a retired protection officer who has come out of retirement to protect Katherine, the daughter of a judge whose life has been threatened by a gang.
Protecting the Lady is short and sweet. I devoured it in a day. I would have loved more pining and yearning considering the positions that Eve and Katherine are in. I just think it would have made their relationship seem stronger overall. However, I loved their interactions and flirting towards the end and I would have loved to see this sassy, flirty energy throughout the whole story. I loved Paula and Michael as side characters, they were quite fun. Also, I liked that the action scenes did not have too much detail as that’s where I tend to lose interest.
Overall, I rated this book 4/5 stars. I really enjoyed it and if you are looking for a sweet sapphic romance its one I’d recommend. I haven’t read anything else by Radley but I think I might start working through her backlog as I loved this read!
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