REVIEW: PASSING HIS GUARD by MELYNDA PRICE

 

In Passing the Guard by Melynda Price (Against the Cage #2), Ryann Andrews is feeling the pressure of the gambling debts her father left behind after his death. Accepting a job to locate a senator's son and bring him home, seems her only chance to get the money she desperately needs. However, she knows things aren't going to be easy, and it might just mean using some dirty tactics to get what she wants.

 

Aiden Kruze never thought his mother would stoop so low, as to sending a female private investigator to bring him home. But it seems she has, knowing he won't resort, to the means he used on the last two she sent after him. However, if the gorgeous PI thinks he's going to just comply with her demands, she's got another thing coming. But when Ryann explains her reasons for needing his co-operation, he will do everything in his power to protect her.

 

Honestly, there was so much to love about this book. As it had everything -- I believe -- a really good romantic suspense novel should have. Firstly, the plot was amazing with its edge-of-your-seat suspense, and plot twists that never failed to surprise me every time one occurred.  In fact, I never thought Ryann would resort to such dirty tactics as she did. She just seemed so good-natured. A regular Miss Goody Two-Shoes. But then again, desperate times call for desperate measures. 

 

Secondly, the dialogue was totally engrossing. Both Ryann and Aiden's back stories, as well as the witty banter between the pair, certainly grabbed my attention from start to finish. There was no way I could have put this book down, even if I'd really needed to. Aiden's experience in the ring definitely provides readers a good glimpse into the world of mixed martial arts. While, although Ryann seems vulnerable, she's actually a really strong heroine. Easy to like from the start, and a great match for Aiden. They're both equally as stubborn, which was actually a good quality for both characters. Their relationship wouldn't have survived without that trait. 

 

The chemistry between Ryann and Aiden was evident from the moment they met, and just kept getting stronger, until the very moment where their need for each other, exploded onto the pages perfectly. The scorching sex scenes added some serious spice to the story, and illustrated the couple's intense chemistry really well. Aiden certainly aims to please, and Ryann is never left unsatisfied. What I liked so much about both characters was their willingness to compromise, if they were ever to come out on top, of whatever cat and mouse game someone wanted them to play.

 

Overall, I really loved this story, and not only because it's a book of my favorite romance sub-genre. Passing his Guard can be read as a stand-alone, but I wished I had first read Win by Submission, the first book of this series to get a better understanding of the secondary characters.  I would recommend this book to fans of romantic suspense, and anyone looking to venture outside their comfort zone to read something in this genre.  

 

Overall Rating:

 

Book Info:  Montlake Romance / 25th August, 2015 / Against the Cage #2

 

Aiden “Disco Stick” Kruze walked away from it all—money, family, friends, and a successful career as a lawyer in Manhattan—to pursue his dream of being an MMA fighter. When a sexy private investigator shows up at Aiden’s gym, he mistakenly assumes she’s a cage-banging groupie.

Ryann is determined to haul Aiden back home. She’s desperate to claim the reward money that will pay off her father’s creditors before the man who killed her father comes to collect from her.

Aiden is done living his life under the microscope of being a senator’s son. He’s not going back to New York—ever—and there’s nothing this tenacious redhead can do about it. Or is there?

When the demons of Aiden’s past catch up with him, he realizes the lies, deception, and betrayal run deeper than he ever imagined. Aiden must put his career and his life on the line to save the woman who’s stolen his heart.