Sticky Reads: Guarding Hearts by L.L. Collins

Guarding Hearts

Author LL Collins

Released May 23, 2014

Ellis Warner is a police officer, everyone’s friend and every girl’s fantasy- funny, dedicated, and too good looking for his own good. Thanks to a childhood he would rather forget and a young adulthood riddled with mistakes, he knows that no one can ever find out who he really is. He lives his life pretending to be the guy everyone sees on the outside. The one thing he knows for sure is that he can’t be serious with anyone. When he takes a second job as security for a new country star coming into town, he has no idea how that one decision will change his entire life and expose everything he has worked so hard to bury.

Samantha Kerrigan won a nationwide contest that immediately forces her into the spotlight. Her dreams of being a successful country singer have come true, but dreams always come with a price. While going out on her first tour, a stalker’s advances threaten her safety, forcing her team to hire more protection.

The second she meets Ellis, she knows there’s something about him and immediately makes him her private bodyguard. But he’s determined just to do his job, and she’s determined to make him open up. When her life is threatened and his secrets are exposed, will Ellis be able to guard Sam from danger, and his heart from her?

I loved it! L.L. Collins' books are solid reads and Guarding Hearts was no exception. The prologue is a heart stopper and immediately has you experiencing the feels. Ellis has had a tough life, including a less than ideal childhood. However he has been able to turn those experiences around, but even his closest friends don't know much about his past and what he has gone through. He carries it around which is sometimes agonizing. I can't tell you how much I love Ellis. He's a tough guy with all the redeeming qualities any woman would want. Yes he has had a somewhat troubled past, but that definitely doesn't reflect who he is today.

Once Ellis is assigned to Samantha Kerrigan's security team due to a potential stalker situation, things became interesting! Before Ellis agreed to take on the job, he did his own research of Samantha and found himself physically attracted to her. So when they meet in person the attraction becomes mutual. I enjoyed seeing Sammie break down some of those walls that Ellis has built up over the years. Sammie is an equally strong character. She's living her dream as a country singer, but is frightened with the threat of some crazy person stalking her.

The thing I love about LL Collins' books are that they are fast past, but not at all rushed. The story reels you in from the beginning right up until the end. You don't have to work for anything in this story. There's an added suspense with the stalker angle that keeps you interested and wanting to read. I loved the romance between Ellis and Sammie. It's sweet and steamy (oh yes...shower scene!) with just the right amount of angst. So yes I loved it and highly recommend it to all contemporary romance lovers.

AMAZON US

AMAZON UK

LL Collins is a teacher who loves spending her days in the Florida sun with her husband and boys, reading, and writing. Her love of writing has found a home in the self-publishing world. Living Again and Reaching Rachel are available on Amazon Barnes & Noble, Kobo and iBooks, in both eBook and paperback. LL has been writing since she was old enough to write. Always a story in her head, she finally decided to let the characters out and start writing and try to make her lifelong dreams of becoming an author come true. She has been a teacher for over ten years, a wife for 14, and a mom to two boys, 12 and 10.