ALWAYS WATCHING BY LYNETTE EASON

Always Watching was a fast-paced, slick book but in spite of that it was rather boring. That’s hard to believe when the story involves a mentally ill woman stalking a radio show host while a team of beautiful women bodyguards and dashing cops and crime specialists protect him. But my overall reaction was neutral rather than thrilled. I’d expected the plot of a woman (from a squad of all-female bodyguards, no less) protecting a man would be exciting and extreme—possibly even silly.  But it wasn’t at all. It was bland and quiet, a good read for a long airplane flight or afternoons waiting in a medical office.

I’d thought the hero, Wade, would be a dweeby wuss—after all, what sort of a man sits around being vulnerable while a beautiful blonde woman has wild protective instincts about him?! I was surprised that he was my favorite character. He was a sensible, ordinary sort of man, embarrassed by the idea of having women protect him. He hadn’t even hired the bodyguards (his father had), and was not able to handle his stupid, spoiled tween daughter, also a realistic touch. I really wanted to shake that little brat, she repeatedly almost got herself or her dad killed. However Olivia, the heroine, and the other characters didn’t really stick out.

The book is a suspense drama, with very little romance. This was good because Wade’s personal life was kind of unbelievable. First he married his high school sweetheart, a spoiled greedy vixen who drank and hated their kid; then, with no affection or attraction, he considered marrying a career woman for business and to further both of their social lives; then he finally was interested in Olivia, a bodyguard with strong feelings and a tragic past. What the heck IS this man’s type?! I couldn’t BELIEVE he would be attracted to all these women. Actually, I couldn’t believe he’d be attracted to any of them. So I would suggest reading this book only for the suspense angle. The romance can be overlooked.

I was given this book by Revell in exchange for my honest review.