His to Keep

by Mink

A bodyguard’s work is never done, especially when you’re protecting a girl like Cara. For months she’s teased me, showing me glimpses of skin and flaunting her innocence. I’m a hard man, one who has a job to do. Bringing down Cara’s father and his crime syndicate is why I’m here.
It should be the only reason I’m here.
It’s not.
I’m here for Cara, and I’ve wanted her since the day I was first assigned to her protection detail. Claiming her was never an option, not when my plans always ended with her father’s death.
But the more I see of the sheltered girl with the innocent eyes, the more I think she belongs by my side. Even if it goes against my family’s plans, I intend to make Cara my bride and my queen.
And if anyone gets in the way of my love for Cara? Well, as I said, I’m a hard man, one who doesn’t mind getting blood on his hands for the woman he loves.

MINK's Note: A new year, a new kitty, and so much brand new love!

Genres: Romance, Novella, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Short Stories, Smut, Forbidden Romance

Unknown Binding

First published February 1, 2021

Reviews

[Ｄｒｅｙ · Rating 2 out of 5]

*no pun intended*
This was a wonderful book. Glad my first 'MINK' didn't disappoint!

[Darlene I read WAY to many books · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

Bodyguards romance but is he really a Bodyguard lol.

Cillian is the Bodyguard for Cara but he has some hidden agenda behind why he's there as for Cara shes a sassy girl who loves to push Cillians buttons and is dreading the day her "new husband" comes to get her as a part of a deal to unit families. This is where things get messy and lots of sexual tension.

Cillian is very push/pull with Cara since he has a job to do and he hates seeing Cara upset when her "evil" step family toss insults at her and want her gone. And when the truth comes out Cara doesn't care she still loves Cillian and stand by him no matter what he does.

Slight ow/om drama (the step sis and her finance who doesn't want her), No cheating, slight secondary character, drama, sexy times, virgin gal and no manwhore

Recommend-yes/maybe
Cover-⭐⭐⭐
Heat level-🌶🌶🌶

Slowinsta
Pinning
Push away from H
Violence
No condom
Hea
Epilogue

[Serena Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bien pero no era uno de esos libros de MINK que no podía dejar




•Mi opinión puede contener Spoilers

•Esta destinada a ser un descargo personal no para que alguien más lea pero si lo haces y te ofende, me disculpo porque sé lo que es que te guste un libro y otros lo critiquen




His to keep de MINK

Argumento:

El trabajo de un guardaespaldas nunca termina, especialmente cuando proteges a una chica como Cara.

Durante meses me
provocó, mostrándome destellos de piel y haciendo alarde de su inocencia. Soy un hombre duro, uno que tiene un trabajo que
hacer. Derribar al padre de Cara y a su sindicato del crimen es la razón por la que estoy aquí.

Debería ser la única razón por la que estoy aquí.

No lo es.

Estoy aquí por Cara y la he deseado desde el día en que me asignaron por primera vez a su destacamento de protección.

Reclamarla nunca fue una opción, no cuando mis planes siempre terminaban con la muerte de su padre.

Pero cuanto más veo a la chica sobreprotegida con ojos inocentes, más creo que pertenece a mi lado. Incluso si va en contra de los planes de mi familia, tengo la intención de convertir a Cara en mi novia y mi reina.

¿Y si alguien se interpone en mi amor por Cara? Bueno, como dije, soy un hombre duro, al que no le importa mancharse las manos de sangre por la mujer que ama.





Mí humilde opinión:

Una historia breve llena de mafiosos y traiciones!

Este librito de MINK estuvo bien, tuvo intriga y algo de acción, si bien es una lectura corta sentí que las cosas parecían nunca llegaban a su punto y luego se resolvió de una patada.

No puedo decir que tuvo dulzura o pasión exactamente. Lujuria nada más. Me faltó más, realmente no sentí el amor que se profesaban.

Cara era una heroína débil al comienzo, sentí que era una niñita rica caprichosa y llorona con un matrimonio arreglado pero luego cambia de la nada convirtiéndose en una asesina. Me gustó su evolución y que defendiera lo que quería pero todo sucedió de manera abrupta. Creí que no estaba leyendo el mismo personaje.

Cillian me gustó, era nieto de un mafioso Irlandés que tenía su propio plan de tomar el legado de otro cuando se infiltró como guardaespaldas. Lo apoye en todo momento. Era protector con Cara y todo lo que quería al final era mantenerla a salvo.

El epílogo estuvo bien y me gustaría la historia de Sean, el hermano de Cillian.

Fue solo un 'bueno' para mí pero no de mis favoritos.

[Fiona Fog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mink shows yet again how to serve up an over the top Alpha who’ll do anything to get his forever.

Cillian’s job is to protect Cara the daughter of a mafia boss, keep her pure until her wedding for her future husband. But keeping his hands and his mouth off her his killing him!

She’ll tempt him, tease him until he claims what’s his.

It’s a yes from me!

[♡Tonya♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mafia story

-no cheating
-no ow/om drama
-hero pushed heroine away for a while
-virgin heroine/ no info on hero
-safe- no others after meeting
-epilogue 10 years later

[lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Steamy and funny , he is her bodyguard but with Hidden agenda, she comes from a shitty family, they fell in love and got their HEA 🙈 epilogue was cute

[Lynn Thinking out loud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes!!! Great read. A lot of on the edge of your seat stuff happening. Will they get caught? What happens if they do before the plan comes to fruition?
Read and find out. My nerves are on edge now. But a good on edge.

[Corandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Karen_Lee_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

His to Keep
MINK

His to Keep is approximately 98 pages long and if it is; MINK has packed a lot of story into those pages.

Cillian McDonnell’s job is to keep Cara McKibbon safe, secure and protect her “innocence” of course Cillian has feelings for Cara, so he has to control them for the time being.

Cara McKibbon is being “sold” to a member of the Aristocracy, he father wants a lady in the family and the money the Lord Sutcliffe is willing to pay for her.

Using one word that MINK uses is this book describes much of what we read “asshattery”. Who is on whose side, who can be trusted, will Cillian keep her safe, is she safe from Cillian? All good questions and between the bits of humor, the deceit the double-crossing and everything else that happens MINK gives readers a bit of a mini-epic!

It was short, it totally held my attention and it was an enjoyable read. If your looking for a novella that is short but packed with story and action, I would suggest His to Keep.

[Oriana Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow I freaking loved this story😍😍😍 It was sizzling hit, steamy a bit forbidden, but oh so sweet and romantic. Totally safe as well👍👍 I loved how devoted and obssessed Cillian was and how he couldn't help himself around Cara. Sweet story about mafia life and what it entails....👍👍

[Sissy's Romance Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

His to Keep by Mink is the story of Cillian and Cara. Cillian is guarding Cara but is also has another reason for being there. Cillian knew from the first look that Cara would be his and more important that the job he needs to do. Quick Hot Read.

[Kristy Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick fun read. And by fun I mean Alpha, and murder and the Irish mob.

Cillian is ordered to protect Cara. Not just keep her alive but protect her virtue. She is the mob princess that is set to marry into an English family. What Cara doesn’t know as she falls in love with her bodyguard is that Cillian is not just her bodyguard, he’s also there to take her family down, by any means necessary.

Cillian is super protective of Cara and I loved getting a glimpse into their life in the future at the end. It was a perfect ending.

[Rmqbookqueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hers to Keep😍
Cara & Cillian had me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading! Their chemistry and the tension they had was off the charts, I loved the steamy scenes, and how they got their HEA by sticking by each other’s sides. Cara was just as badass as Cillian and she proved just how much of a Queen she was. Hers to Keep was an amazing Irish crime family story & I can’t wait for more like it.
Extra info: safe, only with each other, lots of family drama, HEA, epilogue 10 years out!

[Jami · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Cillian is there on a mission, but he didn’t know that would contain Cara. He’s loyal to his family, but now that includes Cara and he will do everything he can to protect her.

Safe read
h virgin
H-celibate since he met her but didn’t give all MW vibes
No om drama
Slight ow drama came from h’s stepsister. H was never with her.
Cute epilogue 10 years later

[Lightening · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a sucker for bodyguard romances. There’s just something about forbidden love stories. His to Keep is forbidden love, secrets, and all the steam! It’s a quick, steamy read that might just leave you blushing.

[Annie Wizel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would have to give this book a 5 out of 5-star rating. This author never fails when it comes to reading her books. I liked this book so much that I read it in a day even though I knew it was short. I love the story, the main male and female characters, and everything in between. I know this review is short but not much more I want to say besides that I recommend this book and author.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cillian and Cara

Cara has been playing a dangerous game with Cillian. Cillian can’t wait any longer to have her. It’s quite the “red wedding “. Cara is a worthy partner. Steamy and adventurous. Great epilogues.

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many characters to keep up with.
Not a good one from Mink imo.

[Liz [reads books] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good! Nice twist at the end! That's what bumped it up from 4 stars to 5. Really enjoyed it.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dare I say someone was inspired by some of those delicious Bodyguard TikToks??

I think this book had a lot of amazing potential. It wasn't my favorite of Mink.

There is a hard line between lust and love, and this one certainly felt a lot more lusty with hints of love.

Cara says that Cillian is her best friend, and I know that she was very sheltered, but it didn't feel that way.

I did enjoy the way Cara grew at the end and stood up for Cillian in a few ways. She found who should she could actually be.

5⭐️ Reread Favorite
4⭐️ Absolutely loved it
3⭐️ Complaints but kept me entertained
2⭐️ Characters or major plot issues
1⭐️ More than majors issues
Updated review scale April 2021

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. The hero, Cillian, got on my nerves with the push/pull stuff. I prefer my heroes to go after their woman and not drag her along which he definitely did to Cara in the beginning. I never warmed up to him. Cara was fine though but her character was so inconsistent that it was kind of jarring. This was full of family drama and the ending was nuts and OTT but it was fun and I really liked the writing style. I'll definitely read more by MINK.

[I'm Fine, Just Tired · Rating 2 out of 5]

His to Keep

HERO /HEROINE Cillian is undercover at a fellow irish mafia boss’ home. He’s watching over the boss’ daughter to keep her safe and virginal for marriage. Except, he intends to keep her for himself.
Cara is engaged to be married to a Lord but she only has eyes for her bodyguard.

REPRESENTATION

OVERALL THOUGHTS Cara has some balls. She’s flouncing around topless, in her undies, and a lot of the time naked to catch the eye of Cillian. And of course, he doesn’t react other than in anger, which makes her sad but the girl is putting in the work to stand out as more than a job to him. She’s got spirit, that's for sure.

Cillina tries his hardest but he just can’t stay away from cutesy Cara.


WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE It was a bit average for a Mink book. The smut was eh, nothing stood out or was overly funny.

FAVORITE QUOTES: She’s awfully judgy for a girl who sleeps with her own brother. lololololol

SAFETY

AGE:

SEXUAL HISTORY: Cara is a virgin and Cillian is not.

CONDOMS: No

HEAT LEVEL: 3/5 meeeeeh

PUSH/PULL: Cillian pulls away from Cara

SEPARATION: no

CHEATING: no

OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: OW: Lotsa women hit on Cillian. OM: Cara is engaged to be married to another man but she doesn’t want to.

SEX SCENE WITH OW/OM: no

ABUSE: parental abuse

POSSIBLE PET PEEVES/TRIGGERS

HEA/HFN: HEAepilogue 10 years later, they have three kids and a possible fourth on the way.

[Zanyalis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here we are with “the protective falls in love with her bodyguard” story with steamy sex scene and content.

*There are mentions of blood, death by bullets, and stabbing.*


Cara is our MC, and she's a badass! I couldn't get enough of how strong of a character she was. She follows through with her dad’s wishes of her marrying, pushing against the people who dislike her and even going her way of putting them in their places. Cara knows what she wants; she's trying to seduce her bodyguard and is confident she will be able to do it.

She doesn't want her first time to be with her husband, and that's all she can think before her wedding. Cara knows as well that she's in love, infatuated, and irrevocably needy of our hero. But so are the woman in her house that hate her guts.

Thankfully we don't have to deal with our hero paying attention to anybody but Cara. We have Cillian, our possessive, over the top protective hero. He’s there to protect Cara, but that's just his disguise for family revenge that's taking place soon. At the same time, posing for the daughter’s boss mob’s bodyguard, he falls in love with Cara. He can't have her, though; he’ll fight resistant and remember why he's there. But how will he handle thinking someone else will have her when she's constantly parading for him. He knows Cara is his and will not stop at hurting anybody until he can have her and his revenge.

[hottie men · Rating 3 out of 5]

His To Keep is the story of Cara and Cillian.

Tropes:
Princess x bodyguard
He's on a secret mission
Insta love
Obsessed jealous hot overprotective alpha
Hot innocent plus size I think, heroine
HEA and good epilogue

He is there as a spy to kill Cara's father as revenge I think. Not to fall in love but he does and he's nothing more than her bodyguard as she's betrothed to Lord Charles. He's not going to let that happen. He satisfies her with his tongue for the time being. On the night before her wedding, her father is killed mysteriously but not by Cillian. He's killed by Conor who was in love with Cara's stepsister, Maria, and Maria was sleeping with her stepdad who is Cara's father. So they all end up dying due to Cillian killing Conor and him accidentally killing Cara's evil stepmother and Cara killed Maria for trying to ruin everything. Cillian's grandfather, Drake is furious with him because he took the former Lord's house as his and also is marrying the evil Lord's daughter, Cara who is an angel. The personality change of his grandfather is actually so surprising. Sean is a weird fuck but all in all he's quite carefree. The epilogue was amazing and I loved it. Them going to a horserace and having a good time and their kids, Hunter, Aida, and Cristina giving Sean a run for his money in a good game of monopoly.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I kind of loved this story. It was a short but entertaining mafia lite romance. There is some mafia-style violence but not too much. The characters were interesting and likable for the most part. The best part about that is that the characters I didn't like are dealt with, so win-win! Cara was so sweet, innocent (but not so innocent with how she was with Cillian), and sheltered. Cillian was protective, strong (emotionally and physically), and very take charge. Cara and Cillian have been attracted to each other since they met when he became her bodyguard. He has been fighting it. Cara has been trying to encourage him to take action on their mutual attraction. There is some drama and some ewww moments (most of which get cleared up). The twists and turns were quite enjoyable. I loved how much they loved each other. Cara became brave and secure in herself thanks to her love of Cillian. Cillian got Cara and her love that settled him a bit. I loved their happy ever after. I recommend reading this book.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

His to Keep is a mesmerizing and exciting addition to the Mink library. Everything I love about her writing is highlighted in this story. You not only get a strong alpha male, but you also find a strong and stubborn female who challenges him every step of the way. Neither will be denied, and neither will be left to the whims of those around them. They are in this together or not at all, and I looked in wonder, anticipation, and delight the entire time.

Mink never fails to deliver on her fabulous signature adventures. This time, we find ourselves back in the world of her ruthless yet passionate mafia. Two families are vying for control of an empire, and yet the one who can bring it all down or solidify it together is lost to the daughter he is assigned to protect. This is a modern day Romeo and Juliet with a much more delicious twist. Don't want to dive in and find out what happens to this tenacious and amazing couple.

[**Elle**Bee**Double U** · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a while since I just absolutely adored something that MINK released. His to Keep however, was an absolute delight to read!

For Cara and Cillian any kind of feelings between the two of them is forbidden. After all Cillian is tasked with protecting Cara, and his newest protection also includes ensuring she's untouched and ready for her groom. Besides, Cillian isn't only there to protect Cara. His family has a bone to settle with her father and plan to bring him down.

However, there's just not any way Cillian can resist Cara. From the moment he laid eyes on her he felt a stirring of feelings, and the months of teasing she's done has only pushed him closer to claiming something that is too good for him. But will Cara be able to forgive Cillian for his role in taking down her father? Or even for the lies that have been told??

**I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book**

[Viv “BookVixen” Gutierrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A safe mafia romance!! This is a trope that mink excels at and she outdid herself this time!

This was an epic read, with a so much steam and tension and yearning, I was at the edge of my seat the whole way thru.

I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, but let’s just say that our hero is a total bad ass, which makes him perfect for our heroine who is also pretty bad ass without losing her feminine power.

There is some OM drama, as the heroine is facing an arranged marriage, but nada happens between them AT ALL. The hero was deliciously OTT and psycho about seeing the OM get to close to his woman.

Hero’s past isn’t mentioned but he doesn’t come off as a manskank, so that’s awesome. heroine is completely untouched by anyone other than the hero, so he gets the bond and connection of claiming all her firsts❤️❤️❤️❤️
OM drama but no OW, h’s family is mafia so kinda abusive emotionally. No sexual or physical abuse. No cheating of any kind. HEA with epilogue.

[Babel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little story is both fun and deadly. I always love when this author mixes naughty insta-love with a side of extra sweet possessive and a lot of dark action.

It's a forbidden romance between Cara, daughter of the big bad mafia boss, and Cillian, a ruthless bodyguard with secret plans. I had a lot of fun with the teasing and the naked innocence and the poor man who tries to resist the temptation while trying to protect the lady of his dreams from all the monsters around her.

We get to know the mafia compound, the crazy family, and Cillian's thoughts of destruction and possession. It's hot and entertaining. Especially when the Shakesperian tragedy strikes towards the end and there's an explosion of action, crime and bad deeds. Passion abounds too! Very entertaining.

[Harim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it is safe to say that it has been a damn minute since I devoured and enjoyed a Mink book. Back when she first came to the writing scene, I remember I could not get enough of her books, she was that fantastic and amazing.

And this.. This.. Oh my goodness THANK YOU,MINK!

I absolutely loved this story. It was everything
My state was somewhat similar to this throughout reading it.



I fell in love with Cillian from the first word and I am so beyond grateful I got the ARC. I had the best time in a long while.
Perfection.
It was so reminiscent of her initial releases writing style and I instantly fell in the flow.

ARC received for review