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The Protectors #1

Forged in Desire

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Strong enough to protect her. Bold enough to love her. 

When good girl Margo Connelly becomes Lamar "Striker" Jennings's latest assignment, she knows she's in trouble. And not just because he's been hired to protect her from an underworld criminal. The reformed bad boy's appeal is breaching all her defenses, and as the threats against her increase, Margo isn't sure which is more dangerous: the gangster targeting her, or the far too alluring protector tempting her to let loose. 

Though Striker's now living on the right side of the law, he's convinced his troubled past keeps Margo out of his league. But physical chemistry explodes into full-blown passion when they go on the run together. Surrendering to desire could be a deadly distraction—or finally prove that he's the only man qualified to keep her safe, and win her love.

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 31, 2017

446 people are currently reading
5229 people want to read

About the author

Brenda Jackson

887 books3,531 followers
In 1994, Brenda Jackson’s first novel, Tonight and Forever, was released. Since then she has had more than 100 novels and novellas published (the first African-American author to accomplish such a feat) and has over 3 million books in print.

A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Brenda is the first African-American author to have a book published by Harlequin Desire and the first African-American romance author to make the New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller lists within the series romance genre.

In 2012, Brenda received the Romance Writers of America’s Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award—one of the highest literary awards a romance author can receive. In 2013, she was recognized by the mayor and the city of Jacksonville as being a Trailblazer in the literary field.

In 2010, she collaborated with Five Alive Films to turn her Truly Everlasting title into a feature film. Brenda’s 2011 novel A Silken Thread is scheduled to be filmed with Debbie Allen attached as director in 2015.

Email Brenda at authorbrendajackson@gmail.com or visit her on her website at brendajackson.net.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 232 reviews
Profile Image for WhiskeyintheJar.
1,506 reviews686 followers
October 8, 2018
I wish in order to portray heroines as independent and fierce, author's didn't make them fall into the TSTL category.

Our heroine Margo was apart of jury that convicted a guy who announced to the court room that until his conviction was overturned, someone from inside the courtroom would be murdered every 72hrs. 3 people have already been murdered when our hero Striker comes into the picture to guard Margo. Is Margo happy about this and willing to take her personal safety seriously? Of course not, because that would somehow mean she is being bossed around. Ugh.

The insta-attraction also felt a little out of place as it was mentioned over and over immediately in the beginning, it felt a little off when just jumping into the whole life in danger element. I can let go of realism to a certain extent in rom suspense, but let me settle in a little first.

I also thought there was some uncomfortable casualness to some issues (rape, domestic violence) incorporated; they were jarringly, abruptly brought up, to seemingly add instant emotion. I'm needing a little more care and thought behind the why and how for the inclusion of these topics right now.

An example:
Shep, as the other inmates called him, was a lot older than most of them and was serving time for murdering his wife. It didn’t take long for anyone who hung around Shep to know just what sort of man he was: a natural-born leader—a positive one.
Not knowing at this time if Shep was guilty of the crime, reading about a man killing his wife in one breath and the next saying what a swell guy he is, was hard to read.


I thought the idea of ex-cons going into the protection business was interesting but the insta-attraction, mesh of romance and suspense not working for me, and jarring moments kept me from getting into the story. I generally liked the character dialogue and interaction writing, the components worked for me but the structure did not.
Profile Image for Kate.
2,258 reviews355 followers
June 25, 2017
@ 47% I’m tapping out.

#TooManyBooks you feel?

I was intrigued by the blurb and thought why not? Big mistake on my part.

Although I liked that ex-cons were trained to become protectors.

To the actual plot of the book I really do not know how likely that would actually happen. I guess that is someone as coldblooded as the villain in the book it is possible.

The main characters were there but for all that I cared they could have been replaced with any Tom, Dick or Henrietta. There was a lot of head butting which I don’t mind and then caving into the instant desire that they felt. Too many extremes in a time span of in such a short period of time. It was also too descriptive and too much repetitiveness.


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Profile Image for Ezi Chinny.
2,658 reviews534 followers
May 13, 2020
I haven't followed the Granger series in order but I know this is a spin-off series. Still, this was an exciting romantic suspense and it had all the good stuff, danger, angst, sexy times and familial relationships. Just great writing from start to finish.

Margo Connelly was part of a jury that convicted a mobster who eventually began seeking revenge against all those put him behind bars. Margo's dad hired Lamar "Striker" Jennings to be her body guard because they were notified that jurors were being murdered. Even though Striker had a checkered past, he was more than up to the task of watching out for Margo. The only problem is that it's hard paying attention to the surroundings when he can't keep his eyes off Margo. The continual push and pull with the way Margo and Striker interacted with each other made their relationship so intriguing. They fought their attraction until they couldn't anymore. Boy, I loved the way the author wrote the sex scenes. They were tasteful yet very titillating. Very sensual at times and just all in during other scenes. Bravo! I love books with romantic angst as well as angst from the danger. What a ride.

I thought the mystery could have been stronger and less predictable, but it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. I really liked this story and can't wait for the next story in the series. I definitely recommend this story to lovers of Bodyguard romances.

Special thanks to Netgalley for this ebook, which was given in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Christina.
632 reviews25 followers
February 6, 2017
3 Stars - 3 Flames

Intriguing cover? Yep. Riveting story line? Oh yeah. Character appreciation? Sure. Execution? Eh...could have been better....

Margo has been sequestered for the last 6 weeks while on jury duty. As the sentence is read, everything in her life and around her changes when her life is threatened. In order to protect her, her uncle hires a security firm for around the clock protection. And of course, what kind of story would it be if the protector and protectee didn't have some kind of chemistry, right? But that's just it. Besides the physical chemistry, I can honestly say that I didn't get "it" between the two. But that could just be me.

Striker is the protector. He's also an ex-con, ex-convict and still dealing with personal issues from his past. He's extremely attracted to his client, and can't seem to keep himself from her. Not like he's really trying though. When the poo hits the fan and Margo REALLY needs protection, I'll give him credit. He's the man!

First few chapters had me intrigued and ready to dive in to the story. But then between the random thoughts each character would go off on a tangent with and then trying to get back in to the story, I found myself actually skimming to get to the good part(s) or at least to something other than the written mumbling. Although this story had some pretty cool moments, it wasn't enough for me to "love" it.

*I received this book from the Jeep Diva in exchange for my honest opinion.
Profile Image for Steph.
993 reviews89 followers
December 22, 2016
It's always such a bummer when a great cover hides a crap read. I had high hopes for FORGED IN DESIRE, but no such luck.

Margo Connelly didn't expect to have her life in danger simply by serving on jury duty, but once bodies start dropping, she knows she's in deep shit. A family member hires Lamar "Striker" Jennings to protect her from the underground monster bent on destroying anyone associated with the case, but neither is expecting the heat generated between the two of them when they go into hiding together. Can Striker keep his client…and lover…safe until the threat is eliminated, or will they get killed before their love affair even gets off the ground?

FORGED IN DESIRE is the first story in the Protectors series, and unfortunately it really didn't work for me. It's not that the premise wasn't a decent (if tired) one, it was that the dialogue was painfully slow, and while Ms. Jackson did a good job TELLING me about the chemistry between Margo and Striker, she didn't SHOW me, leaving me hoping for more between these two. There was just no heat behind any of the words in the book, it felt like it was being regurgitated ad nauseam from the "romance writing for dummies" books. And I know Ms. Jackson has the writing chops since she's got a huge body of works backing her up, but this one felt so stiff and formulaic.

The constant POV changes also drove me insane with anger, as there was little to no segue between Margo and Striker (and the assassin, and the jilted ex, and the dirty agent…everyone had a voice). Lastly, there was just too much going on…too many threats to Margo's life for me. It felt forced and contrived and lacked a nice, natural, clean flow. And when the culmination of the suspense happened…it fizzled out like a week old latex balloon. The entire book was a big disappointment from beginning to end.

Bottom Line: No OM/OW or sharing; condom use (then skipped after discussion); no BDSM/kink; discussion of past sexual assault; loads of violence/murder.
Profile Image for Taryn.
191 reviews235 followers
did-not-finish
April 15, 2018
DNF @ 36%

Tbh if I didn’t have so many other books on my TBR I was anticipating reading, I might have stuck with this one. The plot was intriguing enough to keep me interested, but that was about it.

Right from the start the writing felt off to me. It was choppy and stiff and the POV would change in middle of a scene, making things confusing. I didn’t get a good feel for the characters and honestly couldn’t care less about their budding romance.

Unfortunately this one missed the mark.
Profile Image for Richelle Robinson.
1,285 reviews35 followers
April 23, 2017
Margo was on a jury and now has to be protected because the crime boss they sent away has had people associated with the case killed.

Striker is a ex con who has been assigned to watch Margo. I really liked Striker and hearing his backstory made my heart sad. He's a good person and is willing to do anything to protect the people he loves.

Striker and Margo are both attracted to each other but they don't want to act on it because they it wouldn't be professional. Eventually they do get together but Striker feels it's best not to let it happen again. I had a hard time feeling the connection between the two characters. Their relationship was too fast for me and I would have liked a slow burn better.

Margo had so many people trying to kill her in this book and it wasn't even funny. I mean at one point it there were so many people after her different reasons and it made my head spin. I felt that it was a little too much. As much as I wanted to love this story and take a chance on a new to me author sadly the odds weren't in my favor.

*arc was received by publisher through NetGalley for honest review*

For more reviews check me out at: http://www.shellysbookcorner.com
Profile Image for Monica **can't read fast enough**.
1,033 reviews370 followers
June 7, 2018
3 1/2 stars

Forged in Desire was just what I needed in a contemporary romance. This is a straight forward easy to read and enjoy romantic suspense book. Brenda Jackson always weaves a good story and this was no exception. I plan on continuing with this series over the summer as they are the perfect pick up and enjoy romances that I am always drawn to reading during the summer.

You can find me at:
•(♥).•*Monlatable Book Reviews*•.(♥)•
Twitter: @MonlatReader
Instagram: @readermonica
Facebook: Monica Reeds
Goodreads Group: The Black Bookcase
Profile Image for Barefoot Danger.
213 reviews4 followers
July 24, 2017
A classic of modern literature! Nah just kidding, it sucks. The plot doesn't make sense, everyone is stupid, whatever.
Profile Image for Book Lover.
552 reviews43 followers
February 6, 2017
This is the first book in this series. We get introduced to all the characters for the coming books. This book focuses on Lamar “Striker” Jennings and Margo Connelly.

Striker is pulled in to protect Margo after the criminal she convicts during jury duty threatens everyone in the room with death and people actually start dying. Margo and Striker are instantly attracted but wait a few weeks before acting on it. In the mean time, we get ALL their thoughts along the way. I am all for getting a little bit of what’s going on in a character’s head, but this was thought overload, and repetitive. And this continues throughout the book. We also get what’s going on in the heads of all the other characters. And it whips back and forth between them all. Too much in their heads and not enough action. I just couldn’t feel the chemistry. And it moves so slowly.

And how many people does the main character need to be trying to kill her?! We have the criminal, her uncle’s ex and some crazy chick with a grudge against her family. Too much going on and the flow of things is not good.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley.
Profile Image for Michelle Lindo-Rice.
Author 54 books323 followers
December 4, 2016
Brenda Jackson has some plot twists and turns in this first book of the Protector series. She laid a good foundation for the other books. I wish I could meet Striker in the flesh. His romance with Margo was hot and sensual. The heat was off the Richter scale. I loved the suspense factor. There were so many killers in this story, and evidently there will be more murders to solve in the follow-up reads. There were so many characters and storyline strings that only a professional could keep the reader from getting confused. Instead, you could see a masterful woven of storylines that lead you to a HEA conclusion.
** I was given a copy in exchange for a honest review
Profile Image for SassyMama.
1,016 reviews4 followers
April 6, 2017
I was CAUGHT UP in the romantic action/suspense of Striker Jennings and Margo Connelly...her life took a turn for the worse after doing her civic duty...looks like Margo will DEFINITELY need a FOREVER Protector...and Striker appears to be just THE MAN for the job...I enjoyed this THRILLING ride and SIZZLING romance and I look forward to the next book in the Protector series!
Profile Image for Layeshia.
377 reviews
March 5, 2019
Nicely written one of my favorite authors is Ms. Jackson. She always writes a very interesting story which is also believable just very important to me and I can imagine myself in the shoes of the heroine. And for that I’m always very grateful. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this book it has Romance is a whodunit portion and definitely a hero healthy the damsel in distress overall five stars. 🥰
Profile Image for SuperWendy.
1,082 reviews264 followers
September 22, 2019
There's a decent plot here but it's buried under a bunch of backstory and never-ending sex scenes. Seriously, once the couple starts "doing it" they're "doing it" Every. Single. Chapter. I mean, even rabbits stop to take a break.

This is some sort of spin-off to the author's Granger Family series, and the back-story is either told or info-dumped. You know what would have been great? Spinning out all that back-story and fleshing out the 3 (seriously, THREE!) subplots involving three separate parties - all of whom are out to harm to the heroine. Instead we get a hero and heroine with sex on the brain...constantly! Monotonous when you're reading, downright brain-numbing when you're listening to the audio version.
Profile Image for Jenica.
1,440 reviews46 followers
July 21, 2019
I really did not like Striker as a hero. And I felt like this book did not need to be as long as it did. The main plot of this was definitely enough to carry the whole book so the side people trying to harm Margo were just annoying and distracting. But I'm really intrigued by Dr. Fuller and am excited to continue the series for her.
Profile Image for Estefany.
561 reviews48 followers
February 4, 2017
Para mas reseñas --> Mi Biblioteca

ARC enviado de manera gratuita a cambio de una reseña honesta.

Bueno vuelvo con otra reseña luego de un tiempo ausente, es que he estado muy ocupada y todavia no encuentro un punto de equilibrio, entre mis responsabilidades, el blog y mis gustos.

En este caso se trata de Forged In Desire, como parte del blog tour. La portada y la sinopsis me atraparon de una, pero conforme iba leyendo sentía que el libro perdía fuerza, es decir todo empezo chevere pero luego decayó muchísimo, de ahí las 3 estrellas y eso porque estuvo entretenido y ya.

Esta es la historia de Margo Connelly, huérfana, criada por su tío y heredera de una fortuna, que tuvo la mala suerte de ser jurado en el caso criminal del siglo, sin embargo luego de leer la sentencia el acusado amenaza a todos diciendo que si no lo liberan todos los presentes en la sala morirán con 72 horas de diferencia, nadie le cree hasta que los asesinatos comienzan por el juez encargado del caso. Su tío preocupado por ella, contrata una agencia de guardespaldas para mantenerla viva y ahí es cuando aparece Striker, quien ha pasado una vida súper difícil y poco a poco ha ido saliendo adelante, pero el libro esta cargado de todos los clichés del genero.

Si agradezco que no haya estado narrado en primera persona y que mostrara los puntos de vista no solo de los personajes principales sino también de otros secundarios, pero vamos con lo que no me gusto, el drama del pasado de Striker aumentaba con cada pequeño detalle que el compartía con Margo, además de donde diablos salio semejante apodo y todos los protagonistas que vienen luego tienen un apodo así. Otra aunque Margo súper independiente y todo, al final parecía un drama mexicano, todos querían acabar con ella, los últimos capítulos fueron muy cómicos en ese aspecto. El drama familiar de Margo que se resolvió en un abrir y cerrar de ojos me dejo como aja y eso es todo. Y la cantidad de escenas picantes del libro, obvio este es un libro erótico pero fue mucho con demasiado, le falto suspenso para ser mejor.

Si me gustaron los personajes, Margo tiene una personalidad fuerte pero dulce a la vez, de hecho me pareció súper madura la decisión que tomo casi al final del libro, no toda mujer hubiera hecho eso, así que mis aplausos para ella. Ahora con Striker si tengo mis pero, porque honestamente parecía la mujer en este libro, se quejaba de que el amor, de que no cumplirá su trabajo, de esto y de lo otro, yo ya estaba pensando, se invirtieron los papeles aquí. De los demás personajes, casi todos solteros lo que da para muchos mas libros, me gustaron Stonewall (ven los apodos) y los que justamente no están solteros los Granger, me intrigaron mucho sus historias.

En resumen un libro entretenido para pasar el rato y que te sirve para descansar de otros géneros, que te gusta y ya pero no deja una marca en ti.
Profile Image for Laura.
2,556 reviews113 followers
February 6, 2017
***ARC Provided by NetGalley and Social Butterfly PR***

Margo and Striker were an interesting couple. I was interested in their story and I liked it for the most part, but with some reservations.

There was an appeal in the idea that she was strong and independent, but needed to rely on Striker to keep her safe, although I found myself slightly annoyed with her at the beginning with the way she treated him. This resolves quickly, for the most part and I am not even totally able to say that her reaction is not normal for someone in her position...but it still annoyed me about her.

That said, I thought the balance with the romance and the suspense story was a little off, and I thought there were some additional characters who were a little too present in the narrative, so I was not able to fully engage with the events in the story, both the romance and the suspense aspect.

I think, for me, there was too much going on within the story...there was a romance, and the bodyguard idea, and family drama, and ex drama...there was just too much and I felt like I was bouncing from plot point to plot point in a few places.

Again, not badly enough that I did not enjoy it...but enough that it did alter my ability to really engage with the narrative.

I do recommend this book.
Profile Image for Book Him Danno.
2,399 reviews76 followers
February 7, 2017
I wanted to love this book but Brenda Jackson fell on the Romantic Suspense sword and made the book about 80% sex and 10% Story. The sex was fueled by lust making the story unbelievable even for this girl.
Between the random thoughts they thought or the random tangent the characters would go off on I soon found the story to be long winded. Not to mention the long winded dialogue that would slow the story to a snails pace. causing me to put the book down debating whether to finish it or not.

A lot of part of the story left forced and the author struggled to find her voice in this story.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy
Profile Image for Leona Jackson.
247 reviews4 followers
February 12, 2017
Striker

Again Mrs.Jackson gave us a story full of passion and intrigue. Characters you want to see win in life and love. Highly recommend this book. The mix of old and new characters keeps you turning the pages
Profile Image for Aaly.
1,358 reviews55 followers
January 26, 2017
*** ARC kindly provided for an honest review. ***
Profile Image for Lacey.
399 reviews136 followers
January 30, 2019
Holy shit, this one is bad. It's terrible. It's literally infuriating. I read this book while stuck in an airport for a two-hour layover that stretched into a 15-hour layover, and I honestly don't know if my frustration with that situation turned me against this book or if this book was so bad it feed my irritation with United Airlines. Either way, it was a shit time.

This is going to be the most incomprehensible review I've ever posted, because I just can't. This book made me so angry and its problems are so overwhelming. I'm not going to be able to do it the justice it deserves on my own, so I'm gonna include some receipts (i.e. quotes).

Spoilers because you don't need to bother reading this book.

First, the main characters, Margo and Striker. These two are flatter than a pancake under a steam roller and about as smart. All we are told about them is that they are both ~*~*~HAWT~*~*~ and have the hots for each other.

Instead of focusing on his eyes like before, she took in the entire man. And what a man he was. He was tall, way over six feet. And he was big. Muscular in a dark business suit and looking totally professional and serious. Why was her gaze intrigued by his broad shoulders, bulging biceps and flat abs? And those heavily lashed, dark eyes, the same ones she had stared into just moments ago, seemed to say, “Go ahead and try me.”


Gag. Imagine having to read 400-plus pages of this trite BS.

Margo is the worst. I hated her from the start. She's a hypocritical, immature brat who does not take the gravity of her situation seriously. THREE different people (more on that later) are trying to kill her stupid ass. Instead of just shutting up and doing what needs to be done to stay hidden, she constantly starts fights and whines about not being allowed to go out and shop. I get what Jackson was going for. She wanted them to be two bull-headed people who have to learn how to get along; but Margo is such a dumb, petty brat that it doesn't work.

“He can pick up anything, even feminine hygiene products, if that’s what you’re alluding to.” Margo nearly choked on her orange juice and she felt her face redden.


Margo gets all embarrassed when Striker mentions tampons because apparently we're reading about a group of 7th graders.

"You listened in on my conversation?" she accused.
"Damn right."
Furious beyond belief, she crossed the room to stand in front of him. "How dare you!" she screamed almost at the top of her lungs.


This occurs early on in the book and this is when I first knew we were in trouble. Her bodyguard has her phone tapped because a hitman is hunting down everyone in the courtroom and killing them. Three people have been murdered at this point. She screams like a toddler about it. GROW UP, MARGO.

Typically [Margo] was fairly easy to get along with unless someone tried getting into her business.


This is said shortly after she has interrogated Striker about his criminal history, as well as his brother's rape and suicide. SHUT UP, MARGO.

Striker doesn't have any major flaws, but he's boring af. He has the personality of a boulder and is constantly getting erections. It's a problem that I wish he'd have the courtesy to keep to himself.

Since he’d become Margo’s protector, getting an erection was one of his prominent pastimes.


I was not exaggerating.

Next problem are the endless number of side characters. There are so many worthless characters introduced in this story and many of them also have stupid fucking names. (There's a guard named Quasar, and I bet he's going to have a terrible book all his own later in the series. I can't hardly wait.)

Many of them are somehow involved in Striker's complicated backstory, but play no actual role in the plot. It's something to do with the murder of a cop?¿? By a bunch of other dirty cops????¿?¿¿¿? And the sole lawyer who helped to put them away???¿¿??¿¿¿¿¿¿???? WHO CARES? If they ain't relevant to the story being told, stop bringing them up! There were so many instances where I had to stop and flip back through the book, because some rando who had been mentioned earlier (but never appeared) was being brought back up into the conversation. The story as it is drags on for too long and chopping out some of these background characters and their diverging stories would help to streamline things.

The gag-worthy romance. Oh god. This love story is built up using the most overused cliches possible. Right from the moment Margo spies Striker through the peephole, she feels ~*~*~*DESIRE*~*~*~. It happens just like that. No build-up. No reasoning for the attraction beyond that he's so hot.

We spend the next third of the book hearing them both talk about how much they want the other in the most trite ways possible. She's "gorgeous" and "sexy." He's "muscled" and "can fill out a pair of jeans." I swear, you can see the lines where Jackson copied and pasted the same bland, boring adjectives into the text. The whole thing is about as subtle as a child smashing Barbie and Ken's faces together for a kiss.

The writing somehow gets worse once things start heating up. And it heats up with the snap of a finger. They go from constantly bitching to banging in like a day. Please skim these quality lines of prose that I was forced to read with both my two eyes:

Her taste was a total erection builder.


Striker's erections have better characterization than he does.

And when he took the pad of his thumb and rubbed a turgid nipple, she said his name again.


"Turgid nipple." Have you ever in your life read anything as ugly and unsexy as this phrase?

Her navel was a cutie as well.


*sighs*

Those womanly folds were plump, ready to be divided and conquered.


What the ever-loving, actual fuck? I DON'T WANT TO READ THAT.

Her breath caught when she saw the size of his erection. Holy cow!


Bart Simpson was surprised by its size, as well.

As bad as the romance is, the mystery/thriller part of the book is s00000o much worse. As I mentioned, there are three— wait! I forgot one!—four (!!!) different, unrelated people trying to murder Margo.


WHO: Erick (or Eddie?) Murphy, the main baddie. WHY: He's a gangster who's got a hit on everyone involved in the trial that put him away.
WHO: Liz, her uncle's ex-girlfriend. WHY: She blames Margo for breaking up her relationship and ruining her plans to marry rich. (She is the most sympathetic character in the story.)
WHO: Freddie, her ex-boyfriend's ex-college roommate. WHY: He's mad because he committed a felony prank against Margo and as punishment, is forced to make a $100,000 donation to a charity. Classic revenge tale.
WHO: Claudine, one of Margo's boutique clients. WHY: Beats the shit out of me.


I pictured Erick (or Eddie .... I'm not going back to check) as Dr. Evil because he is literally that over-the-top. There are multiple instances in the book where he says something ~evil~ then cackles ominously. And honestly? I was here for it. He was such a ham; it was great. The one star I'm forced to give this book is going to him.

Freddie, the ex-boyfriend's ex-college roommate, is just fucking unnecessary. First off, there are too many murderers running around this story to begin with. What makes this worse is that the book spends the entirety of its first half building up what a pain-in-the-ass the ex-boyfriend is. You keep expecting him to come back and do something. Instead, he just drops out of the narrative. The ex wasn't a red herring, because the switch is done too badly. It's just more junk clogging up this story.

Claudine shows up with a gun in the last 20 pages of the book. I can't tell you more about her motivation because I honestly don't know. Maybe she hated Margo as much as I do. In that case, I love her, too.

Ughhhhhhhhhh .... I've run out of steam. This book is just bad. It's my first Brenda Jackson title and it has me nervous to try any of the others. I'm not that picky of a reader, I swear.

Stay away. Stay far, far away.
Profile Image for Mysti.
1,937 reviews232 followers
January 2, 2023
This is the story of Stryker (ex-con turned bodyguard-ish) and Margo (rich girl, former juror needing protection). I loved the plot. We've obviously read plenty of books where a bodyguard was needed, but this one had the juror twist. It had great promise, but then fell flat. First, I hate stupid women. Margo was on a jury that just convicted a crime lord whom during his sentencing promised to kill everyone that helped convict him. After the first 3 people are killed, including the judge, Margo is like "why do I need a bodyguard?!" Girlfriend. How dumb can you possibly be?! Another thing I hate in fics is when they interrupt the sexy scenes. You can almost always count on one interruption in all books. For whatever reason, authors find this entertaining. What I couldn't deal with was starting a sexy scene which is interrupted by a ringing phone, then a few chapters later starting another sexy scene to again be interrupted by a ringing phone. Sorry.
At 20% I didn't really want to finish. It was getting really boring. Nothing was happening. Kept repeating the reasons why they shouldn't be together and why she needed protection. Stryker honestly wasn't very striking. There was nothing that exuded sexy or alpha. When he tells her that he better not meet her ex because he'll "pulverize" him I just had to roll my eyes. At 46% when they finally hook up, it's so goofy that I laughed.

I'm going to give this 2-stars because after suffering through some truly awful books, I realize that the ones that, even though I don't like 100%, still deserve more stars than the ones I hate.
Profile Image for *Dawn.
656 reviews23 followers
April 10, 2019
Argh. Plotline okay but the delivery was a stinker.

Wealthy socialite sits on a jury which convicts the crimelord defendant. He threatens to have everyone in the room killed within 72 hours of each other until he is released from jail. Bodyguard is hired to protect her. Bodyguard is an ex-con who works with a team of other ex-cons to be "Protectors". (Um, I don't think that could happen in real life, could it, due to civil disabilities and the prohibition of them owning guns and ammunition? Hmm. Maybe some states allow it. Moving on.)

They are soooooo physically attractive and attracted to each other. WHY does he feel the need to keep staring at her lips? WHY does he zone out when he sees her stretch or walk across the room? He's never felt that way before. WHY is he so SEXY? (Who knows, lady, but high-five.) WHY does she feel so safe around him? She's never relied on a man before. She doesn't need to rely on a man. WHY can't they control their lust for each other? WHY is it all they think about, especially when there is a killer targeting her and it's his job to protect her? WHY? WHY? WHY? Ugh. I can't count the number of times statements like these were said throughout the book. Ad nauseum. That's how many.
Profile Image for KBeautiful1.
690 reviews67 followers
January 9, 2020
BOOOOMMMMM!!!! Striker is that DUDE!!!!!

Lamar "Striker" Jennings is introduced in the Granger series. A protege of Shep Granger, Striker and his friends have a protection agency. Striker is called on to protect a jury when the defendant has his assassin go on a killing spree after being found guilty.

Margo Connolly is a wedding dress designer who happened to be on the jury of a notorious mobster, after he is found guilty, Margo's once quiet life has been upheaved in more ways than one. Striker is quiet and deadly, and as far as she is concerned she is going to stay far away and let the man do his job. But Margo finds herself in unfamiliar territory as she sees anybody who was in that courtroom that day being murdered ruthlessly, she has to put her very life into the hands of Striker but she also sees herself wanting to put something else in his hands as well.

Striker is a loner, great tragedy and loss have taught him to never get close, get the job done and move on. Women were great but nothing permanent and he always made sure to convey that. But Margo's vulnerability and strength are a wonder to him, he told her he would protect her with his very life but who is going to protect his heart from her. Striker is falling fast, all of the things he would never allow himself to dream or feel are crashing down on him, the need to make himself distant is great but at the same time, he needs her to be a part of him, and he a part of her.

Striker and Margo race against time to stay 20 steps ahead of the killer but as everyone is being killed around them, they are wondering will they be next or will they come out victorious and will their hearts be intact or will it be shattered?

Another fantastic story written by the fabulous author Brenda Jackson and I am looking forward to reading Quasar Patterson and Stonewall Courson's stories in the Protector series.

Well Until My Next Review...Ciao!
Profile Image for Cat E..
Author 3 books58 followers
April 3, 2017
This was amazing heroine and hero book. Striker started off as an asshole but you really felt with him after hearing his life experiences. Margo was a no shit taker woman. These two together oh man! And those sex scenes especially the finger g-spot. A definite must try lol. Overall, this book was great and I am looking forward to reading about Quasar and Randi story the most. Great job Brenda Jackson <3
Profile Image for Becca Reads A Lot.
285 reviews150 followers
February 9, 2017
It was intriguing.
It was also a lot.
Coco Chanel says take a piece of jewelry off when you leave the house.
This story needed a lot of jewelry to take off.
However, it was never dull. I just couldn't keep in the vibe of the story.
I love an over protective body guard.
LOVE IT!!
But, I struggled with this one.
It was just too many moving parts.

*arc in exchange for honest review*
Profile Image for Turtleberry Turtleberry.
Author 46 books45 followers
September 2, 2024
Striker and Margo's story was a wild ride. He was tasked with protecting her from an assassin. Their attraction was instant and it didn't take long for things to heat up between them. Didn't take long for them to fall in love. I hung on every word as he tried to keep her safe and the authorities tried to catch the assassin.
This was such a good book.
Profile Image for Jamie.
962 reviews
July 2, 2018
Interesting story with lots of twists and always something going on. Guessing that some of the characters are from other series, but don't need to have read them to enjoy this first book in a new series.
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