Ethan Cooke Security and their bodyguard team return
to action in Deceiving Bella – book eleven
in Cate Beauman’s Bodyguards of L.A.
County series.
With
over 7700 reviews and a 4.4 rating for the entire series, see why the Bodyguards of L.A. County is a
multi-award winning series.
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reading the books in order is preferred, it is not necessary. Each title features brand new primary
characters and limited overlapping secondary characters. Don’t hesitate to jump right in!
Reed McKinley is more than ready to forget the past.
His seven-year stint as an NYPD detective nearly got him killed. His wounds
have healed and he’s starting over as Ethan Cooke Security’s latest recruit.
With sixty-hour workweeks and little time to himself, the last thing on his
mind is a relationship. Then he bumps into the gorgeous woman next door.
Reed and Bella become fast friends. Before long, Reed
discovers that Bella is keeping dangerous secrets. Bella may have the answers
to decades-old questions he’s been searching for. Reed will risk it all to
uncover the truth, but he soon realizes that the deeper he digs, the direr the
consequences.
About the author:
Cate makes
her home in North Carolina with her husband, two boys, and their St. Bernards,
Bear and Jack. Currently Cate is working on her twelfth full length romantic
suspense novel.
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My Review:
I'd be lying if I said that this book didn't surprise me at every turn of the page. (Actually swipe of the touchscreen, but you get the emotion). The story has every possible element to infuse it with cliffhangers: buried pasts coming back to haunt, old relations getting revived and new ones being assessed, there's mafia, there's brutality, there's strife for justice and then there's a resurrection of normality.
The author is done a brilliant job, and the book is flawless in that the characters are well-etched, the plot is finely tuned, and the expressions are raw and real. The reading is seamless, and effortless, and that is one indication of the effort that has gone into writing it.
The title, as intriguing it is, makes sense early on in the plot, and the story is unique, unlike any I have read before. A breath of fresh crime-fiction, if you will. Never once was it fanciful, unrealistic or over-the-top. The characters didn't unreasonably turn a new leaf for the sake of a plot twist, and the revelations were life-like.
I especially loved the dyanamics that the different characters shared with each other: everything was intense, whether the shared history, or the multiple identities, or the tension.
The pace of the novel is the kind that keeps the reader on their toes.
The author has such a command over the plot and her expressions, that she manages to say a lot by just narrating the stry, leaving bread crumbs as food for thought, for the readers to contemplate. And that is refreshing, because now a days a lot of books over-do expressions, and bog down the plot.
Here the plot is a champion, and the expressions lead this champion to arenas that spike the intrigue of the reader.
Definitely a recommendation for ya' all, and definitely a signal for me to hop on to more of the author's works.
Read an excerpt from Deceiving Bella:
Should we get started?” Bella gestured to the kitchen.
“After you.”
She walked in front of Reed, hurrying to the table to pull out a chair. “Does this work?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.” He sat down.
She immediately draped him with the black cover, wanting to get to his hair while it was still wet. “So, what are we doing here, exactly?”
“Just a cleanup, especially on my neck.”
“Sure.” She grabbed the sheers and took her place by his side, sliding her fingers though his short hair and stopped. “Oops.”
His shoulders tensed. “What?”
“Just kidding. A little haircutting humor.”
He tilted his head up, meeting her eyes. “A comedian.”
She laughed as he smiled. “I haven’t even started cutting yet.” She gave him a bump. “Try to relax. I promise you’re in good hands.”
“Chop away.”
“Thanks.” She combed her fingers through his hair once more, using small snips to freshen up his look. Silent seconds ticked by as she breathed in the masculine scent that was Reed. He didn’t seem to wear cologne or use any fancy shampoos, but he smelled good just the same. “So, how was your day?”
“Not too shabby.”
She worked her way around his head, finding his cut a breeze to clean up. He easily could have gone another week without any problems. “What did you do?”
“Worked a little. Boxed.”
“Fascinating.”
“I could make up something about stopping a bank robbery in progress or rescuing a cat from a tree.”
She smiled. “The truth is fine, thanks.”
“What about you?”
“It was pretty much a normal day at the office—a second-session tattoo removal, a microdermabrasion, two stretch mark reductions, the usual stuff.”
“What’s the tattoo of? The one you’re taking off?”
“A woman’s name. Genevieve. The relationship didn’t work out.”
He winced. “Ouch.”
“Triple ouch. Tattoo removal is not a pain-free procedure, nor is it cheap—and he went pretty ornate with Genevieve. Hopefully next time he’ll pick a woman with a shorter name or abstain from getting himself tatted up altogether.”
He laughed.
She grinned, loving that sound. Did he have any idea how gorgeous he was when he smiled like that? She picked up the clippers off the table and let her knees rest against his as she leaned in and gently lifted his chin, evening out his sideburns. She swallowed, feeling his breath on her skin and his eyes studying her face. Licking her lips, she met his gaze. “You better hope I get this part right, or you’ll have to tilt your head for the next four days.”
He sent her another one of his pulse-pounding smiles. “You’ll have to help me decide if I should lean more to the left or right.”
Oh, this cutie had the potential to be trouble. Her eyes darted to his mouth mere inches from hers as his five o’clock shadow tormented her sensitized fingers. She took a step back and a steadying breath. It was a good thing they were just friends—currently the only relationship status she was interested in.
Did you enjoy the excerpt? You can read the first chapter on my website, www.catebeauman.com, or you can finish the whole book with the links below!
