First of all, thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review. (This review can also be found on my blog https://bookswhitme.wordpress.com/?p=3738)

Content Warnings: plot/characters that heavily revolve around PTSD and anxiety due to traumatic child abuse and manipulation, kidnapping, and war experiences; sexual situations, blackmail, invasions of privacy

Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this book to be released??? DO YOU KNOW?! Well let me tell you, I’ve been waiting since September. That was when I had the pleasure of reading the first book in the Modern Love series, The Right Swipe. I absolutely adored that book and when I heard that we were getting a follow-up that focused on the silent partner in Rhiannon’s company, I knew we were in for a good time. Thankfully, Alisha did not disappoint.

Katrina is a pretty mysterious character. She’s a reclusive investor who took the money her late husband left her and used it to build herself quite the investment empire. No one really knows who she is and that’s on purpose. Katrina used to live her life in the spotlight as a model at the insistence of her controlling father. Since leaving both that career and her father behind, she’s moved into the shadows, valuing her privacy and close friendships more than anything. So imagine her horror when that privacy is ripped away from her at one of the few places she feels safe.

After a therapy session in the back of her favorite cafe, Katrina sticks around to have a coffee and get some recreational reading in. Enter a mysterious stranger who asks to share her table due to the crowded nature of the coffee shop. Harmless right? That’s what Katrina thinks, especially since she’s trying to open herself to new things and working on getting through her PTSD, anxiety disorder and panic attacks. Unfortunately though, what was actually a simple interaction between strangers becomes the next viral sensation when a woman at the table next to her takes a picture of Katrina and the stranger and posts it on Twitter for the world to see. Suddenly the privacy that Katrina has worked so hard for is being threatened and her world seems to be spiraling. To top it all off, she’s wrestling with the less than professional feelings that she’s developed for her bodyguard Jas, who has been protecting her since she was married years ago. She’s certain he doesn’t return her affections, but suddenly she must rely on Jas once again to protect her and help her through all of this. Unknown to Katrina, Jas has his own things happening as well. As a war veteran whose military career ended in tragedy, Jas is not used to sharing his feelings. He certainly can’t share the feelings he has for his boss Katrina. No it’s best he just pushes those aside because it’s never going to happen right? His first instinct is to protect Katrina, but what happens when his professional and personal past both begin to come back to haunt him all while he’s trying protect the one person he can’t get close to?

Does that wet your whistle enough? I hope so, because that’s all you’re going to get from me! If you want to know what happens, you’ll have to pick up the book yourself. What I will tell you is that this book was so good. I experienced all the feelings okay. The slow burn/unrequited love in this book was so delicious like. GIVE ME MORE!!!

First of all, I love a bodyguard romance, especially when it’s not super creepy or misogynistic. Jas is all things sweet and protective and just a huge teddy bear that I want nothing more than to love and cuddle on. I really appreciated the fact that the focus wasn’t just on how invested he was in Katrina, but we also get to see his struggles and investment in his family and mental health as well. Jas may be a simple man, but he has a complex history and I loved getting a chance to explore that.

Katrina was such a sweetheart. Her optimism and trust in people is unmatched and uncanny. Honestly, I couldn’t believe she had such a golden heart, especially considering everything she’d been through. Throughout the entire book, she’s making breakthroughs and they aren’t isn’t, but they’re definitely real. Even up until the last moment, she’s still learning about herself and how her behaviors are connected to her past. Honestly, she and Jas are perfect for each other. They can’t fix one another’s problems, but they can work through them together.

One of the biggest things that I enjoyed about this book besides the characters, was how Alisha handled the topics of PTSD and anxiety. I can’t speak from personal experience, but I think it was handled very well. Neither of these things is one size fits all and both Katrina and Jas experience them in very real and very different ways. While they both stem from their personal experiences, they don’t manifest the same and they certainly don’t approach them the same. Katrina is in therapy, while Jas has a hard time expressing himself or even putting into words what he’s experiencing. They both grow and develop and there’s no magic fix in the end, just progress.

I just honestly hope ya’ll pick up this book and give it a try when it gets released on April 21st. I mean don’t you want to feel all the feelings???? Of course you do.