Book Review — Rules of Protection by Alison Bliss

“Honey, you may have the face of an angel, but that halo of yours is awfully crooked.”

• Buy RULES OF PROTECTION (Kindle)
• Buy RULES OF PROTECTION (Paperback)

Oh my gosh, guys!! This book was SO MUCH FUN!!! I was in the mood for something light-hearted and this totally hit the spot — a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy with a dash of suspense mixed in!

The story focuses on a romance between a seriously sassy heroine who unluckily witnesses a mob crime one night and is placed in Witness Protection, and the badass Special Agent assigned to protect her.

The hilarious banter started right from the start! When she first meets Jake at the bar, she has no idea who he is but the sparks immediately start to fly…

“You think I turn heads?”

“Sweetheart, a man would have to be blind or stupid not to look.” He smiled again… “Definitely a looker, but that makes you trouble. I don’t need the unwanted attention you crave.”

“I’d swear there’s an insult somewhere in there.”

But when he rescues her from the murder scene she witnessed, he expects someone a little more grateful, but instead she fights him tooth and nail every step of the way. This was no damsel in distress! However, when he fully impresses upon her the danger of her situation, she begrudgingly decides to accept his help.

“We can give you a new identity and put you in a safe house.”

“You mean the Witness Protection Program?”

“That’s the one.”

“Nuh-uh! No freaking way!”

His steely gaze fixed on me, and his jaw tightened…. “Three other witnesses have died in the past year. You want to be number four?”

“Should’ve put them in the program.”

“We did.”

She may have accepted his help, but ohhh my, this girl gave him soooooo much trouble every single step of the way!!! The way their personalities bounced off each other kept a permanent smile on my face!!!

“I want to see your badge.”

“What?”

“You heard me. How do I know you are who you say you are?”

… He held it up for me to get a closer look.

“Could be a fake,” I told him with a shrug.

… a vein popped out of Jake’s temple.

And it aaaaaaall gets even more complicated when the location to their safe house is compromised prompting Jake to take matters into his own hands and take her way off grid, into the forest, to hide…

“Hold on, I’m lost…”

“I could tell you where to go.”

I swear, these two couldn’t go even five minutes without bickering. Emily literally had a snappy comeback for everything (much to Jake’s intense frustration) and when she wasn’t sassing him out loud, her inner monologue kept me smiling and laughing non-stop!! Jake certainly had his hands full!

Jake flashed a grin. “I love the sound you make when you’re silent.”

Now, throw in loads of sexual tension and a forbidden romance (because remember, as a Special Agent, he’s not allowed to fall for his witness) and you have the recipe for a seriously fun love-hate relationship!!

“You’re prolonging this because afraid of being *that* guy.”

“Which guy?”

“You know, the one who falls for the witness who gets killed.”

“Damn it, Emily. I’m responsible for your safety.”

“Then wear a condom!”

“Jesus,” he said, breathing out hard. “I was right before. You definitely have multiple personalities.”

My eyes narrowed. “Yeah, well maybe I do, and none of them like you!”

All in all, this book was awesome!! I’d say the first 60% was more “pure, HILARIOUS fun” (honestly, the funniest stuff I’ve read since Wallbanger) and the last 40% was a little more “drama-focused” (there’s trouble with an ex-girlfriend, a wild boar, a few other things, and of course the bad guys). In an ideal world, I’d have preferred that the book had been “funny” the whole way through but I still loved it.

There are some things that are absolutely more than a little over-the-top but they totally didn’t bother me because this is meant to be light-hearted, entertaining fiction!! Like, yes suuuure in real life, a woman who was literally hiding to save her life would probably not have given the guy protecting her that much trouble. But this wouldn’t have been a fun book if she just sat there and did what she was told. And let me tell you, some of her antics had me in stitches. I was laughing SO hard that I’d have to take a breather before going back. Then I’d start reading again and burst out laughing two lines later. Like I said, FUN!!

If you like any of the quotes I’ve posted, then definitely give this book a try because those are just a tiny fraction of the hilarity in this story!! I’d highly recommend this for anyone looking for a witty, well-written romance with great banter and loads of sexual tension that is guaranteed to make you smile 😀

Rating: 4.5 stars. Standalone, with epilogue.

• Buy RULES OF PROTECTION (Kindle)
• Buy RULES OF PROTECTION (Paperback)

_____________________________

Both standalones (different couples).
Click covers to purchase.