This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

I ended up really liking this book. I have had a copy of this book for over a year and I have to say that I am a little upset with myself for letting this one get lost in pile. I thought that this was a really well done romantic suspense that kept completely entertained. This was one of those books that was easy to spend hours with at a time. I am so glad that I finally decided to pick up this book.

I tend to love second chance romances so Jax and Megan's story was really appealing to me. This pair had a brief but life changing encounter five years ago. Both of their lives have changed dramatically since their time together and they have not even spoken since the last time they were together. During their years apart, Megan has become a music star and Jax is running a security firm after serving in the military. As soon as Jax hears that Megan might be in trouble, he goes straight to her to offer aid. 

I really liked how this book was laid out. We learn about their history together slowly throughout the book and I really was just as interested in learning how they met as I was seeing them together in the present. It took a bit of time to learn about their initial meeting but it was worth the wait. Let's just say these two started off in a very unforgettable manner. The story set in the present is pretty exciting since Megan is in quite a bit of danger because of a stalker that may be turning violent.

I loved these two together. I think that they were great together in the past as well as in the present. They had so much chemistry with each other and seemed to be able to be what the other needed. There are few times when Jax oversteps his authority and Megan lets him know it right away. There are a few moments that I felt like Jax was acting a bit like an idiot but things end up working out.

The story was pretty exciting. I really did like the mystery of the stalker and was always waiting for the next big thing to happen. There were a few things that really came as complete surprises in this story but one aspect of the overall mystery was pretty easy to figure out. Even though I had a pretty good idea who the culprit might be, I still had a great time watching everything play out.

I thought that Dara Rosenberg did a great job with this book. I think that this is the first time that I have had a chance to listen to Ms. Rosenberg's narration and I was very impressed. She did a great job with all of the characters and was able to bring a lot of emotion to the story. I did find the narration to be a little slow at the normal speed but once I increased the speed to 1.25, I had no issues with the audio. I wouldn't hesitate to listen to this narrator again in the future.

I would recommend this book to others. I found this book to be a perfect blend of excitement, romance, and great characters. I couldn't help but root for Jax and Megan to safely find their way to a happily ever after together. This was the first book by Sidney Halston that I have had the chance to read and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from the library via Hoopla.

Initial Thoughts
I ended up really liking this book. Jax and Megan had a lot of great chemistry and I liked their story from the past just as much as their present. Jax did act like a fool from time to time in the present but Megan was able to deal with him quite nicely. I was able to guess the culprit long before they were revealed but I still had a really great time with the story. This was my first time listening to Dara Rosenberg and I thought she did a fantastic job with the story.

Rocco was a rom/com king mostly known for his looks but he has landed a serious role that will revive or break his career. Rocco was to play the lead in El Traficante the true story of Gabriel Mendoza - Columbia’s infamous drug lord- hated by many but idolized by more. Paul Allen was Rocco’s agent and best friend. Paul told rocco he was lucky to get the part and to do as the contract said or the studio would find someone else that would for the role. The studio wanted Rocco to have a bodyguard and there was an appointment for Rocco to be at Iron Clad Security- ICS- next week. Paul was always the calm, cool, and collected guy whereas Rocco was temperamental and quick acting. Joey and Jax were co-partners of ICB and Annie is Joey’s sister who ran the office for the two men. But being behind a desk was slowly eating at Annie’s soul as she wanted to be in the field. Annie and Joey had a very high IQ and handled most of the IT related jobs. Annie was capable of doing both if they would just give her a chance. Eight years in the army had toughened Annie up not that she hadn’t already been tough with four older brothers.No one knew of Annie’s nightmares or self loathing. She hadn’t been fast enough the first time she drew her weapon to kill and seven year old Yagena an afghan little girl had died in Annie’s arms. No nightmares or anything would bring back Derek who died across the street from her or Yagana .  Joey could sit in his office every day all day as he loved coding but Annie needed the mental and physical challenge that came with fieldwork. It was what Annie was used to. It was what she was good at. Annie was a secret fan of Rocco’s and she did her research. Recently Rocco had been named by Most Eligible Bachelor and The Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine. Rocco had dated just about every woman in Hollywood. The Arrogant playboy wouldn’t mess up her concentration that had happened once and she wouldn’t bear the loss and humiliation ever again. Rocco was hit with lust the minute he saw Annie. Annie got mad at Rocco’s attitude and flipped him and then she quit. After Annie left Rocco told Jax and Joey that Annie was who he wanted as his bodyguard. Annie’s best friend  and roommate was Zander/Zan . Annie acted on on impulse, anger, and pent up frustration and Rocco had taken the brunt of her anger and rocco didn’t deserve it even if he had been to too cocky for his own good and he could sue Annie. Then Joey called and said the studio hired ICS but Rocco stipulated she be his bodyguard. But Annie was to play Rocco’s girlfriend for the next four months. Rocco and Paul were like brothers as the had grown up in the same foster care and only with the grace of God and luck Rocco had been spotted by a modeling agency at the mall and at seventeen and Rocco’s career took off from there. Rocco had never met a woman he wanted more than Annie.

I loved this story. It was a great and fun read. I loved the plot and pace. To make a woman the bodyguard of a male movie star was great. I enjoyed the alpha vive between Rocco and Annie. The back and forth. I felt bad that Annie had been traumatized while in the Army and lost so much. I loved how Rocco was  really down to earth in his real life. I also loved how Annie filled the loneliness in Rocco and Rocco in her. This was just an all around great story and great romance. I snickered at times and choked up at times. Especially at Joey and his big brother protectiveness. I loved Rocco and Annie together. I also loved Rocco and Paul’s relationship. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this story and I highly recommend.

Make Me Stay - Sidney Halston

Make Me Stay is book 2 in the series but you can read it first if you wish. The story starts before the events in book 1 and end after the events in book 1. Make me Stay is divided into 2 parts.

I'm on the fence about this book really. Part one is how "June" and Matt meet and start dating. Now, it was pretty obvious to me what she was doing, but in case its not obvious to others or to people who haven't read it yet She is an undercover cop working to expose club Panic, owned by Matt, Nick, and their father. Again, book 1 starts after this has happened, so it was interesting to see a bit of how it all went down! But seriously, she was so bad at being undercover!!! Matt and June have a bit of an unconventional relationship because she travels a great deal for work, and he is in Ft. Lauderdale during the week working as an attorney. But, they try to spend their weekends together in Miami. June and Matt grow close and then she is gone.

Part 2 starts long after she disappeared. Matt spent months searching for her with a PI. He is now working at Panic full time. Then, one day, out of the blue, he sees her on the street in Miami. But she is going by Zara. Then he sees her on the news and puts it all together. She tried to talk to him and explain but he was, rightfully so, pissed.

Then the book got strange for me. June is attacked and ends up with amnesia. Not my favorite trope to be honest, but I think what bothered me most about June in this case was what she did and didn't remember. Like she remembers everything up to about 10 years ago but forgot she has Crohn's? Matt has to tell the doctors about her disease; if she remembered everything up to 10 years ago, she would have known that. It was just little things like that about her memory that were irritating.

Matt's struggle was very believable. This is a woman he loved, then found out about her betrayal, and now is torn. He knows he still has feelings for her, but he is still so hurt by her actions. But, now she is beaten and suffering and he feels obligated to help. Its very easy to empathize with Matt-caught between wanting to be a good person and wanting to still lick your wounds and save yourself.

Make Me Stay was up and down for me. I would like it, then not like it. It was hot and cold, yes and no, in and out, up and down (you know, basically a Katy Perry song!). Overall, the book is a lot of things and the plot is not what I expected. For better or worse, I finished it. I would put it down, but then pick it back up to see if it got better. I really enjoyed book one, Pull Me Close, so I might have been tougher on this installment because of the amazing characters in book 1.

 

• POV: dual 1st
• Tears: no
• Trope: amnesia, second chance
• Triggers: none
• Series/Standalone: stand alone within an interconnected series
• Cliffhanger: no
• HEA: yes

...then you will probably like Make Me Stay!

 
See full review on The Book Disciple

Kiss Marry Kill - Sidney Halston 3.5 stars
Body guard to a pop star, second chance romance.
Good beginning to the series but it was a bit of a slow read for me. While I liked Jax and Megan, I didn't LOVE them.

This was my first read by the author and I can say that I wasn't disappointed. Kiss, Marry, Kill was a roller coaster ride to the finish and it was worth the ride. This was a tale of missed opportunity, getting even and the author did well with the romantic and heartbreaking aspects of the book. The pairing of the two leading characters was well executed with Jax (male lead) the injured ex - Marine who is determined to keep the love he once lost safe and Megan (female lead) is determined not to let him go again. Kiss, Marry, Kill isn't the simple boy meets girl, comes to her rescue, have a brief wonderful time together and then fade into the background kind of story. It happily keeps the reader guessing about who the bad guy really is and how will the hero really save the day. The dynamic with all the characters is well put together and it is easy to see this series continuing with success.

Thank you to author and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.