Title/Author: Finding Lyla (The Bodyguards Of L.A. County #10) / Cate Beauman
Genre: Romance / Thriller
Publisher: Createspace
Date of publish: January 2016
Pages: 452
Book Links: Amazon Finding Lyla: Book Ten In The Bodyguards Of L.A. County Series (Volume 10) / Goodreads / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Riffle / Smashwords

About The Book:

Finding Lyla (The Bodyguards Of L.A. County #10)

Principal Dancer Lyla Markovik-Avery is always on the go. Grueling practices and endless performances rule her busy days—and things are about to get more hectic. Russia is rolling out the red carpet for their beloved star, despite the string of violent terrorist attacks that have rocked the nation.

Bodyguard Collin Michaels’ life is falling apart. His long-time relationship recently ended. He’s trying to start over, but that’s easier said than done. Luckily, Collin has a new assignment on the horizon: keeping a beautiful ballerina safe for the next three weeks.

Collin finds comfort in Lyla’s easy friendship, but that all changes after a night out on the town. Simple feelings become complicated—something Collin can’t afford, especially when tragedy strikes and Collin realizes Lyla’s caught in the middle of a dangerous plot for revenge.

Collin and Lyla are forced to flee. They need to reach the border before it’s too late, but the odds are stacked against them in a country that wants them dead. With time running out, Collin formulates a risky plan that might be their only chance of making it out alive

Excerpt:

Collin settled beneath the covers on his temporary bed as the dim glow of city lights radiated through the windows. He reached out, grabbing the remote off the coffee table he’d pushed off to the side, and flipped through several channels, stopping on SportsCenter. Scores and updates ticked by on the bottom of the screen, and he moved on, not all that interested in hockey stats.

He stopped again when the live footage from Saint Petersburg, Russia caught his attention. With the volume on mute, he searched for the closed caption button and sat up, reading the news report while the station switched back and forth between the newscaster and images of the police surrounding a trolleybus in the middle of a downtown street. The reporter spoke of a bomb discovered during the busy morning rush hour, mere miles from the plaza where dozens had been killed on New Year’s Eve. Luckily a citizen had been paying attention, and the explosive device had been deactivated, stopping another disaster.

Early reports were suggesting that the same rebel group responsible for the December thirty-first bombing, Chechen Freedom, had attempted to strike again. The news segment switched to snippets of the video released weeks ago, shortly after the slaughter of innocent civilians, where the masked men promised more violence in retaliation for The Federation killing one of their leaders. The man pointed at the camera, vowing to continue with his plans to destroy Russia until the regime relented and gave the Chechens back their country.

Sighing, Collin rubbed at his jaw. Why did he feel like he was walking into a losing situation? Everyday there was something new going on over there. If it wasn’t bomb threats and anti-American rallies, it was anti-Putin demonstrations outside the Kremlin walls, which often ended with tear gas and riot gear. And he and Lyla were only hours away from their late-afternoon flight.

The issues in Saint Petersburg weren’t necessarily one of his concerns. The city was a good nine hours away from their destination. It was the possibility of terrorist attacks in Moscow and Russia’s discord with the United States in general that had him on edge. The fact that Lyla was a dual citizen of two countries at odds had the potential to work for her…or very much against her. Only time would tell which way things were going to go, and they would be along for the ride while they waited to figure it out.

My Review:

The daughter of Russia’s favorite Prima Ballerina and an American Diplomat Lyla often finds herself caught between the expectations of others and what she wants for herself, but never never dares to even think about.

US/Russia relations are always in the news and that makes great canvas for this story. Lyla is constantly being torn between making it alright for everyone else and keeping her own sanity. She allows herself to be talked into performing in Moscow, despite her father trying to convince her that it too dangerous. Enter Collin Michaels. At the request of Lyla’s father, Collin will be traveling to Russia providing protection, undercover as her boyfriend. Being in such close quarters with her, he begins to realize that there is more to Lyla than meets the eye and while she will bend over backwards for everyone else, she doesn’t give her care a second thought. His natural inclination to protect kicks in and he finds himself falling for her.

When terrorists strike, it becomes a race between Collin finding a way to get Lyla home before those who would use her for their own twisted get hold of her.

***

I whined in my last review for this series that there didn’t seem to be ‘quite’ enough action in the story. I certainly can’t say this about Finding Lyla. This story showcased the bodyguard in protection mode that has made this series so great from the beginning. From riots to foot chases to an icy showdown, Collin’s escape and evade background comes in handy in more ways than one. Along the way he and Lyla make some heat of their own as they learn that they are probably exactly what the other needs.

The end was sweet if a little quick. Obviously when Lyla sets her mind she moves full speed ahead.This story is completely focused on the would be lovers. Secondary characters, while still extremely well written, don’t drive and enhance the story as much as in past books. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding in the moments when Lyla “found” herself, because like Collin I spent most of the book wondering why she didn’t see how others were always her focus and it wasn’t really fair. This story is dynamic, alternating between the whirlwind of celebrity and danger, and the idyllic of passion and friendship. It is terrifically balanced.

I have enjoyed each of the installments of this series I have read and I really need to get my hands on the other six. It has been a pleasure being a part of the blog tour.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Other Reviews of Body Guards of L.A. County:

My Review- Falling For Sarah: Book 2
Book Links: Amazon- Falling For Sarah: Book Two In The Bodyguards Of L.A. County Series / Goodreads / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords / Riffle

My Review- Justice for Abby: Book 6
Book Links: Amazon Justice For Abby: Book Six In The Bodyguards Of L.A. County Series/ Goodreads / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords / Riffle

My Review- Saving Sophie: Book 7
Book Links: Amazon- Saving Sophie: Book Seven In The Bodyguards Of L.A. County Series / Goodreads / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords / Riffle

About the Author:

International bestselling author Cate Beauman is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense series, The Bodyguards of L.A. County. Her novels have been nominated for the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, National Indie Excellence Award, Golden Quill Award, Writers Touch Award, and have been named Readers Favorite Five Star books. In 2015, JUSTICE FOR ABBY was selected as the Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Gold Medalist, while SAVING SOPHIE took the Silver Medal. SAVING SOPHIE was also selected as the 2015 Readers Crown Award winner for Romantic Suspense and FALLING FOR SARAH received the silver medal for the 2014 Readers’ Favorite Awards.

Cate makes her home in North Carolina with her husband, two boys, and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack. Currently Cate is working on Deceiving Bella, the eleventh novel in her popular Bodyguards series.

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