Copy received from Escape Publishing via Netgalley for an honest review.

I have previously read Jenny Schwartz's novel It's Love, Dude and enjoyed it, so when I got the chance to read Hero Duty I took it, especially as Brodie is the brother of Zane from It's Love Dude.

This was a sweet, cute, romance - with a tinge of darkness to it (but not much)

Brodie, ex military, protective. Who wouldn't want him to be their "emotional bodyguard"? OK, yeah it is a stupid title, but I could completely understand what Jessica needed from him.

Jessica, OMG she has been so downtrodden by those who are supposed to love her, you can't help but feel sorry for her. How she hadn't completely emotionally broken down was beyond me.

There was that zing of attraction between the two from the beginning but they didn't jump straight into bed, so we got that build up of tension between them

What I loved was how Brodie encouraged her to stand up to people, and loved watching Jessica break those chains and watch her become the strong woman we know is hiding behind all the fear. When she lets it rip - man you hear the dragon roar, her chest expand with pride as she finally realises her full potential.

There is so much backstabbing, deception. It was hard to know how to trust. Goes to show that people will do anything for money and power!

I really liked the retro feel to the cover of Hero Duty. And I enjoyed that this was for the most part set in my home town of Sydney, so I could mentally picture the place they were visiting.

I am becoming a bit of a fan of Ms Schwartz's work, and look forward to reading more in the future.