Customer Reviews

The Bodyguard

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

In her fourth published book, Ms. French stays true to her style with this gritty action-romance. Her characters are always deftly drawn and appealing, the story lines provocative.

Natasha Chamberlain - Nattie to her friends - is a young woman with many skills. With efficiency and a quick mind, she's kept Investigative Services, Inc. in Knoxville Tennessee running smoothly for three years. In her off hours she plays soccer with a go-for-the-jugular mentality.
Both on and off the soccer field, Nattie can dish it out as well as take it. She has a feisty way about her, and a hair trigger temper. Nattie has two goals in life: to become a crack investigator and to climb her sexy and mysterious boss like a tree.

Jonce Striker is the founder of I.S.I. He's a man blessed with intimidating size and power, of Cherokee lineage, who keeps his secret past to himself. Nattie has had a crush on him for three years but never dared to make her feelings known. When he agrees to let her guard a wealthy client, the fur begins to fly.

Roger Valentine is a nerdy billionaire who hires I.S.I. to protect him when his life is threatened. Roger is seriously lacking in social skills. When this lonely, isolated man with an overbearing mother meets up with Nattie and her colleagues, his life is changed in more ways than one. His bodyguards soon become the friends and family Roger never had, and their friendship humanizes a once nerdy recluse.

The action is intense as the bodyguards track more than one evil doer out to kill Roger. Nattie's courage under fire, coupled with her zany personality, both impresses and infuriates her boss, adding humor to the mix. And the simmering sexual chemistry between Striker and Nattie finally ignites with mixed results for all concerned. Can they keep their mind on business long enough to save Roger's life?

The Bodyguard is a fun read, complete with sometimes frightening action, sizzling romance, and very human characters. You'll love the good guys and hate the bad guys. And the ending will come as a surprise.

Yes, "be prepared" is the operating phrase for The Bodyguard by Christy Tillery French. Early twenties something, Natasha Chamberlain, is a wild and crazy girl, similar to Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, but more extreme...is that possible??? Anyway, Natasha has been working at an agency whose raison d'etre is to protect the lives, behinds and resources of various and sundry individuals, some of whom may be of questionable character.

When the story opens, Natasha is the office manager of the agency, wears suits to work, a subdued hairstyle, and glasses. Then, one day, she is called upon to serve as a bodyguard for the very good friend of one of the agency owners. After that, all hell breaks loose. Her superiors do not tell Natasha that her services are only intended for one evening, for a glamorous dinner where the object of the protection, one Roger Valentine, is to be the honoree and who needs protection from someone who has threatened to kill him. Well, Natasha proceeds to make a real mess of things at the dinner, but has the presence of mind to have Roger sign an agreement (before attending the dinner) that he will require her body guarding services until the individual who's threatened him is discovered. So when her bosses attempt to relieve her of her bodyguard duties and put her back at a desk, she explains, as only she can do...belligerently...that she has no intention of returning to office manager duty and shows them the signed document.

You will need a great deal of energy to keep up with Natasha's antics and the patience required of Jonce Striker, one of her bosses (and the guy who makes Natasha's heart go thump-thump), as they attempt to protect Roger. A romance develops between Natasha and Striker, Natasha fights with her mother (constantly) and the agency's two primary bodyguards, Bigun and Pit, provide additional comic relief, as if any more is needed. This book is fast moving, full of spitfire dialogue, and oozes tantalizing escapades. Have fun with it!

Carolyn Rowe Hill

A friend recommended this author to me, and I am so glad she did. I love French's work. Each book she has written so far is totally different from the others, yet each one is a fast, thoroughly entertaining read.

The premise for "The Bodyguard" is fabulous - a novice woman bodyguard who manages to bungle her way through an investigation; a woman who is fiercely independent, confident in her abilities, and overprotective of those she cares for. Natasha Chamberlain is hired to guard millionaire Roger Valentine, a man who lives a secluded lifestyle. While guarding Roger, Natasha convinces him to make changes in his appearance and mansion, sensitively helping Roger to overcome his self-isolation. Along the way, she keeps bungling attempts by an extortionist to collect money from Roger while driving her boss, Jonce Striker, crazy. The sexual chemistry between Natasha and Striker builds until it explodes. The frustrated reactions Striker has to her zany attempts to perform her duties are such fun to read.

As with all French's books, this one moves at a fast pace and kept me so thoroughly engrossed, I didn't want to put it down. So happy to see this is the first in a series, which I hope will continue for many books.

Readers who like Lori Foster, Linda Howard, Janet Evanovich, Sue Grafton, etc. will truly enjoy French. She's on my must-read list now.

The book is funny, some of the characters are off-the-wall, the mystery is a good one, the romance one that sizzles for most of the book, and the writing style of the author such that the action keeps coming, holding interest until the very end.

Natasha Chamberlain's young age and impulsive nature, as well as her spunk, are fun to read. It's obvious there will be growth with the character, since this is the first book in the series and Natasha's first job as bodyguard. Jonce Striker is hot, Roger Valentine a real sweetie, and the gruesome twosome, Pit and Bigun, the best.

I look forward to reading the books to follow in this series.

I laughed my way through "The Bodyguard" and along the way fell in love with the characters. Natasha Chamberlain is Southern, impulsive and zany, with a backbone of steel and secret desire for her boss, the mysterious Jonce Striker. Roger is a self-isolating millionaire who blooms under Natasha's wing while falling in love with her. Pit and Bigun are hilarious - straight men to Natasha's pranks. Stevie, Natasha's mom, a woman suffering a perimenopausal crisis, is extremely funny and a real concern for Natasha, who does not know the woman her mom is becoming. It was fun "watching" Striker first become aware of Natasha through her madcap antics, then try to deal with her out-of-control behavior, then become attracted to her.

I read the author's note that this was the first in the Bodyguard series and I couldn't be happier. I look forward to reading more about the antics of Natasha and all the funny characters surrounding her. Plus, I can't wait to see what happens with her and Striker.

Any Evanovich or Grafton fan will love this one!

I read this book in one day and loved it all the way through. Natasha Chamberalin is young, beautiful, and zany and approaches life "full-speed ahead". She's independent, gutsy, and not afraid to stand up to her boss, Jonce Striker, a man whose mysterious background and personality others find intimidating. Natasha reluctantly agrees to accept the bodyguard position, but once she begins to guard Roger, a reclusive millionaire, she charges ahead with zest. Along the way, she manages to involve herself and Roger in side-splitting, laugh-out-loud situations.

Readers who love books by Janet Evanovich, Sue Grafton, Linda Howard and others of this genre will love French. Her style is wonderfully fresh and comedic, and her ability to move the story forward at a quick pace while keeping her reader entertained is fabulous. This author is on my must-read list.

Cool read!

I loved this book! Especially the relationship between Natasha and her mom, who is undergoing a perimenopausal crisis. Natasha wants a mommy but Stevie, who doesn't want to be a mom anymore, drastically changes her appearance and even buys a gun. While Natasha is trying to deal with her mom's severe changes, she's also guarding Roger, a multimillionaire whose life has been threatened, while trying not to let her boss, Striker, become aware of her secret passion for him.

There are so many hilarious chapters in this book. I love the athleticism shown by Natasha as well as her toughness when dealing with people trying to harm others (or dogs). Or just lecherous guys in a bar.

Great book. French is a refreshing voice in a genre that at times reads so much alike, it's hard telling which author wrote what. She writes at a quick pace, the dialogue is snappy and witty, and the situations Natasha manages to get herself into are laughable to the extreme. Another reviewer called her a Souhern Evanovich. Yeah, that and more!

Beautifully fresh faced with uninhibited innocence, Natasha wants to shake up the world. Natasha, a.k.a. Nattie and Dudette, is scrambling for excitement and meaning in her life when she is given an opportunity to act as a bodyguard. Since Natasha is not one to pass a problem on, she jumps in with unabashed passion. Natasha is the kind of gal that would play chicken with a guy whose strapping his foot to the gas pedal. She is gutsy and blind to danger. She also turns every setback into an occasion to learn and grow. Natasha does and says what so many of us would love to.

Natasha, in protecting wealthy Roger Valentine, takes on the likes of a "gun toting computer nerd" with creative intuition and gusto while learning the ropes of being a bodyguard. There is a lot of humor with Natasha and many tender spots like the one where she rescues a Weimeraner named Brutus. She is a true humanitarian and the reader finds,when introduced to her mother, that Nattie is an acorn that didn't fall far from the tree.

The Bodyguard is a four dimensional captivating suspense luring the reader to believe they have solved the case. The author, writing in a lightening bolt style of energy, shocks the reader with a striking surprising twist. This is definitely a story filled with chuckles, tears, true to life details and a must know what happens next story line.

The Bodyguard is the fourth offering and the first series by talented author Christy Tillery French. The book is written in a seductively enchanting and charming style woven with a blend of humor and delicacy which makes it a "must read".

This is the first book I've read by Christy Tillery French and will definitely not be the last. "The Bodyguard" is full of quirky Southern characters with dialogue to match. Natasha is feisty and full of spit and vinegar, ready to take on anyone who gets in the way of fulfilling her job duties as a bodyguard.

Someone is threatening to kill computer genius Roger Valentine unless he hands over a million dollars. Jonce Striker, founder of Investigative Services, Inc., actually thinks there's not much danger involved with this case and hires Natasha to help guard Roger. After Natasha bungles three attempts by the extortionist, Striker's all for firing her, but his attraction to her coupled with the fact that Roger insists on Natasha staying on as his bodyguard puts an end to that. After Roger and Natasha are fired at while playing golf, the case turns serious.

Settle in for awhile when you read this book because you won't want to put it down. There's a lot of humor mixed with a little romance and plenty of mystery which left me stumped. Great book. I'm ordering French's others and look forward to reading this series.

This book was full of action that will keep you on the edge. Christy Tillery French shows us some very well written imagination!!