Desperate Girls by Laura Griffin

​ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Publication date: 08/07/2018
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No

My list of go-to romantic suspense authors is really, really small. There’s only a few that I can count on to write stories that don’t irk the crap out of me and set off my bullshit meter every few pages. But Laura Griffin has yet to ever let me down with one of her books, and that includes her most recent release, Desperate Girls.  

Here’s what I loved:

1. It’s a bodyguard romance. I ADORE a good bodyguard romance.
2. Brynn, the heroine, is tough, smart, and great at her job. There’s a fair amount of competence porn here, and I can never get enough of that in my romance reads.
3. Brynn doesn’t really see the need for a bodyguard and bristles at the hero’s intrusion in her life (as is law with romance heroines who are assigned bodyguards against their wishes), but she doesn’t go out of her way to pout, stomp her feet, or make Eric’s job unbearable. She acts like an adult, not a stereotypical TSTL romantic suspense heroine, and for that, I’m really grateful (and pleased).
4. Erik is alpha without being a complete alphahole. He’s got a job to do, and he’ll do it forcefully if necessary, but he’s not a jerk to Brynn. He respects her and the job she has to do. He’s good book boyfriend material.
5. There’s a twist at the end I didn’t see coming. It’s REALLY hard to surprise me, so anytime and author can throw a twist at me that I don’t see coming a mile away, I give them kudos. So...kudos.
6. This is one of those romance reads that even non-romance readers can enjoy. There’s action, there’s suspense, there’s courtroom drama, and there’s romance. What’s not to love?
7. I enjoyed the 3rd person, dual narrative. I love hearing from the hero’s POV in romance. 1st person from the heroine’s perspective only is never as fulfilling for me.         

If you forced me at gunpoint to nitpick something about the story, I guess I’d say that I don’t understand the title. It doesn’t really seem to fit what was going on in the story. But other than that...yeah, no, I don’t really have any notable nitpicks. (Weird, right?)

Long-story-short: Laura Griffin is a must-read for romantic suspense fans who like their heroines super smart and their heroes super competent, protective, and not alphaholish.

Full disclosure: I received an ARC from the author at no charge. Sorry I didn’t post the review on release day!!

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
No rehab needed. This one’s clean and sober.

Other reading suggestions
My favorite book by this author is still Untraceable but the entire Tracers series is fantastic. Give it a read! You won’t be disappointed. ​

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