Her One and Only by Becky Wade

Her One and Only by Becky Wade

I’ve long been a Becky Wade fan—from her first CBA title. 

Let’s begin with the summary:

Gray Fowler, star NFL tight end, is being pursued by a stalker, so his team hires a protection agency to keep Gray under the watch of a bodyguard at all times. When Gray meets Dru Porter, an agent assigned to him, he's indignant. How can an attractive young female half his size possibly protect him?

But Dru's a former Marine, an expert markswoman, and a black belt. She's also ferociously determined to uncover the identity of Gray's stalker. And she's just as determined to avoid any kind of romantic attachment between herself and the rugged football player with the mysterious past. But the closer they get to finding the stalker, the closer they grow to each other. As the danger rises, can Dru and Gray entrust their hearts—and their lives—to one another?

And now, my review:

The premise of this story threw me—a female working as a bodyguard for a pro football player. Now, granted we each have our own skills, and the author made the case for a female soldier early on, but I had a hard time engaging my suspension of disbelief. That said, once I got past that, I was able to get into the story. Later in the story the heroine earned my respect as a body guard. I liked that the author showed us her competence, more than simply telling us her qualification. 

The hero was not likable in the opening chapters. He was believable, but not likable. I felt we didn’t get enough of his history in order to sympathize with him early in the story. I also found us focusing too much on the couple’s physical attraction/chemistry in the opening chapters. This was hollow because there wasn’t any warmth between them yet. 

Still, the author’s storytelling kept me hooked and as the story warmed up, so did the reading experience. I did, however, have recurring trouble with the heroine’s name: Dru. I kept hearing the word as Drew in my head—not an instinctively female protag’s name. 

I enjoyed the author’s sense of humor. 

One of the themes is trust. Another was belonging. Each character’s future depended on the other character having success in one of these areas so s/he could have success in hers/his. I liked this element as a conflict. 

The tie-in to the movie The Bodyguard with a twist was enjoyable. Once I believed in her, I liked the idea of the heroine saving the hero. He didn’t lack strength in this story’s scenario, only skills to protect himself like a bodyguard would. So, we had a strong hero and a strong heroine. 

Another theme was an attempt to escape the past. Both of the main characters had reason to desire an escape. First they’ll have to face their pasts, then they’ll have to let go—another theme.

Bonus:

I really enjoy the behind-the-scenes cover shoots for Bethany/Revel/Baker book covers. Check out the video here. If I'm not mistaken, the author (Becky Wade) is providing the makeup for the model in the opening footage. These two models are husband and wife, which makes it more fun!