Guarding Jess

Guarding Jess is the 2^nd book in the McCormack Security Agency series and the newest release from Shannon Curtis. From the Carina Press website.~

Jessica Pennington's work as an etiquette coach requires her to be polite and proper at all times, especially now that she has a book coming out. The only thing that rattles her reserve is the increasingly violent emails and texts from her persistent stalker. With the book launch in jeopardy, she reluctantly hires a bodyguard.

Noah Samuels hates stuck-up, prim people like Jessica. He's more the blunt, straightforward type. But to advance up the ranks at McCormack Security, he has to take the high-profile assignment. After a near miss on his first day on the job, Noah realizes that the stalker isn't just hype cooked up to sell books-the threat is real.

As the stalker escalates from letters to letter bombs, Noah sees a vulnerable side of Jessica that rouses more than just his protective instincts. But can she let down her guard long enough to trust Noah before it's too late?

Guarding Jess was the first book I’d read from Shannon Curtis, but it won’t be the last. I actually got an early copy from NetGalley and plan on buying Viper’s Kiss, the first book in the McCormack Security Agency series soon.

I liked Jessica from the first time we met her. I could tell there was more to her than what she showed to the public. Noah was a bit of a hard-ass in the beginning, but the more time I spent with him, the more I liked him. I could see the attraction between Jessica and Noah from the minute they met. It’s not really a good thing for a bodyguard to be attracted to the woman he is there to protect, but even when Jessica seems proper and polite, Noah still wants her.

Jessica is just as attracted to Noah, although she doesn’t seem to trust her own judgment with all that is going on in her life. She will do anything to protect her business and her book launch, and that even means putting some of her trust in Noah to protect her from her stalker. I admit I did figure out early on they were off base with who they were looking at for the stalker. I didn’t have the right person in mind, but I was correct in my guess in the sex of the person.  The only problem I had with the book was figuring out the secret of the stalker early in the story. However, I do read lots of mysteries and romantic suspense stories.

Jessica and Noah grow closer with each passing day and their attraction only gets stronger the more time they spend together. I loved the passion between them once they finally gave in to their attraction. They really were perfect together.

I really enjoyed Guarding Jess and Shannon Curtis’ writing style. I like reading about strong characters and there are many strong characters in this story. The official release date is May 14, 2012 from Carina Press.