Cami Checketts

Action, romance & a touch of faith in Cami Checketts’ new novella, The Christmas Connection. It’s the sixth book in the Seaside Cove series, & this bodyguard, he falls first & hard, sweet romance kept me quickly turning the pages. Part romance/part romantic suspense, I was intrigued by River’s & Juliette’s journey to happily ever after.

Juliette Belle’s a successful, independent businesswoman. She escaped from an abusive marriage only to now be plagued by a threatening stalker. show more While she’s in Switzerland, a top notch security firm’s hired to protect her.

For former special ops lieutenant River Gunnell, it’s love at first sight. He’s impressed by the confident, beautiful, redhead who teasingly rebuffs him at every turn. He wants more than anything to explore the obvious chemistry between them, but first he has to convince her he’s safe.

I enjoyed this nonstop action, passionate kisses only, bodyguard romance. Love at first sight is hard to make believable, but Cami did it & convinced me that these two are perfect for each other despite their differences. I loved all those close proximity situations especially when he visits her Seaside Cove home. The Christmas setting made it all the more romantic despite a relentless stalker.

There’s also a touch a faith & a depth that gradually drew me in. River lost his father at a young age & with his dangerous career he’s reluctant to have a family. He sees Juliette’s success & independence as huge plus if he was ever killed on the job. But even though Juliette’s obviously strong & independent, she really longs for children & family. Despite the searing attraction between them, they have to reconcile their differences for their relationship to work.

The mysterious stalker really kept me on edge as the threats escalate. Just when things seem finally resolved, there’s a surprising twist. Definitely recommend if you enjoy a quick read, romantic suspense. I received an advanced copy from the author with no expectation of a positive review, but also purchase in Kindle Unlimited. All opinions are completely my own & provided voluntarily. 3.5-4 stars. show less

So, the fact that they've known each other since childhood makes the time frame for this romance palatable to me but the fact that they don't communicate well with each other makes me a bit leery.

Clay seems to have loved Mar from afar for a long time, which makes it plausible that he'd jump when her father calls and says she's in danger. And yes, we know as readers, that the "she's only a job" isn't going to hold for long. I don't understand why it took Clay so long to ask her why she never show more responded to his attempt to ask her to prom. I can understand why as a teen, and feeling rejected, he might not have approached her about it, but to go years?

I both like and dislike their teasing of each other. Sometimes I think the teasing was used to hide things that they should discuss and that I didn't like. But there were times that it was used to ease a tense moment, and I do think couples can have some teasing in their relationships and have it show that they are comfortable with each other.

I have a hard time believing that Clay could set up a security system but never think to look for tracking devices or bugs. I mean even Mar realizes someone could track her via her cell phone and has it off.

I liked the twist in who it was that was really doing the threatening. show less

First of all, I read this in a day. I love a book that pulls me in and keeps me to the end. There came a point when I had to put the book down and take my daughter to the dentist. No worries, right? All I had to do was drive and then I could read again in the waiting room. Her appointment took seven minutes. Seven stinking minutes!

The worst part was I had reached the point where all the players were in motion and I was just waiting to see how it fell into place. That was the LONGEST drive show more home ever.

This book had a nice mystery, loveable and believable characters with great voice. I loved how real Cassidy was. Her sense of humor and off the wall bluntness had me smiling the whole time. And the end of the 10K race? OMGosh I couldn't stop laughing. It was just a great story that let me slip out of my life and into someone elses. That's why I read.

Bonus points for the following:

Making me WANT to start running again. I loved how Checketts used Cassidy's training for the marathon to show us how strong and determined (stubborn) she could be. Cassidy grows stronger in more ways than one as she pushes herself harder than ever before.
Brilliant plot twist with Dr. Tattoo (totally dreamy dude). I don't want to spoil anything, but LOVED it. Early on I had a very definite idea of which side he would be on, but wow there was still a great surprise in store for me and Cassidy. Can you say CONFLICT baby?
All the great nicknames Cassidy had for the other characters. I'm so bad with names that I do this same thing! I only wish she had told Detective Shine what his name meant. show less

First of all, I read this in a day. I love a book that pulls me in and keeps me to the end. There came a point when I had to put the book down and take my daughter to the dentist. No worries, right? All I had to do was drive and then I could read again in the waiting room. Her appointment took seven minutes. Seven stinking minutes!

The worst part was I had reached the point where all the players were in motion and I was just waiting to see how it fell into place. That was the LONGEST drive show more home ever.

This book had a nice mystery, loveable and believable characters with great voice. I loved how real Cassidy was. Her sense of humor and off the wall bluntness had me smiling the whole time. And the end of the 10K race? OMGosh I couldn't stop laughing. It was just a great story that let me slip out of my life and into someone elses. That's why I read.

Bonus points for the following:

Making me WANT to start running again. I loved how Checketts used Cassidy's training for the marathon to show us how strong and determined (stubborn) she could be. Cassidy grows stronger in more ways than one as she pushes herself harder than ever before.
Brilliant plot twist with Dr. Tattoo (totally dreamy dude). I don't want to spoil anything, but LOVED it. Early on I had a very definite idea of which side he would be on, but wow there was still a great surprise in store for me and Cassidy. Can you say CONFLICT baby?
All the great nicknames Cassidy had for the other characters. I'm so bad with names that I do this same thing! I only wish she had told Detective Shine what his name meant. show less