Book Review: Defending Honor by Lynette Eason and Kelly Underwood

About the Book:

She trusts no one…

Bodyguard Laila Rabbinowitz is all business. Tough and stoic, she was the perfect Mossad agent…until a terrible betrayal led to her worst nightmare. Being a bodyguard with the Elite Guardians allows her to keep her heart safe—she’ll never get involved with a client, never let anyone close enough to betray her again. And she’s certainly not going to trust anyone who doesn’t earn it.

He needs protection…

Billionaire Preston Whittaker walked away from his famous family after a terrible event, but he’s put that behind him—or so he thinks. When his father and brother are killed in a suspicious boating accident, he must take the helm of the family business and carry on the family legacy. But someone doesn’t want him at the helm. They want him dead.

She’ll have to pretend to be his wife to save his life…

Enter the Elite Guardians. Preston is going to need someone by his side 24/7, and the only solution is…a fake marriage. Laila needs to pull off acting as the trophy wife to the country’s most eligible bachelor. With the eyes of the paparazzi on them, she’ll have to convince everyone that she and Preston are in love.

But what will it cost her heart?

Preston’s reputation as a party playboy precedes him, and Laila doesn’t belong in his world filled with parties and money. But is there more to Preston Whittaker that the world doesn’t see? Maybe, in time, he’s someone Laila could learn to trust.

Only problem is, the danger is closer than they both know…and time is running out.

Book three of the riveting, high-octane world of the Elite Guardians reboot!

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My Thoughts:

Defending Honor by Kelly Underwood and Lynette Eason delivers plenty of suspense with a strong romance thread. The intense action kept me flipping pages and wondering who the killer was until the big reveal. Attraction flickers between Laila and Preston early in the story (and in their fake marriage), but their unfolding romance didn’t carry my interest as much as I expected it to.

My favorite moments in Defending Honor happened when the characters showed vulnerability and talked through their issues. I liked how Preston wrestled with lying (about the fake marriage) to those around him in order to protect himself and his loved ones. Looking through the quotes I marked, I see a pattern of Laila or Preston dropping a great quote at just the right moment. While none of the quotes rated as a main theme or narrative element, they made me smile and keep reading.

Defending Honor by Kelly Underwood and Lynette Eason stands as the third installment in the Elite Guardians Collection. Characters from Eason’s original series (Elite Guardians) and the prior books in this series (Elite Guardians Collection) combine to give Defending Honor a lot of characters to follow. As such, I recommend reading the novels in order. 3.5 Stars.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.