Guarded Passion by Bonnie Dee
- By Bonnie Dee
- Editions: ebook
- Published: February 25th 2015
- Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
- Source: NetGalley
- In a Flutter: When two brow beaten people get their chance at love
A struggling single mother.
Rianna Cutter strips to survive. It’s the best paying gig for a young woman with little education and puts a roof over her child’s head and food on the table. Working toward a better life for her son, she has no time or energy for love.
A tough criminal businessman.
Jonah Wyatt is ready to make a big change, moving away from his successful pot growing business into a legitimate enterprise. He’s all business all the time and has no interest in finding love he doubts even exists.
Could love be more unexpected?
Their first interaction has all the romance of a business transaction, but from that rough beginning, Rianna and Jonah tentatively reach out to one another. As their barriers dissolve, the awakening of new love is threatened by family drama.
~ Goodreads
Review
World Building: This story was set in Sawville, Kentucky. A little off the beaten path town that no one really moves to unless they kind of have to. A lot of the story took place at Rianna’s trailer and Jonah’s house out in the middle of nowhere. The town was sort of backwoods and a place where everyone knows everyone’s buisness. Towards the end of the story though, the setting changed to Lexington, Kentucky for a few of the ending chapters.
Characters: Oh man I loved these characters! Each one was unique in their own right but at the same time almost completely the same. Rianna is a hard working mama trying make the best possible situation for her and her son. Jonah is a reformed criminal…sort of. They both were thrust into the caregiving roll at a young age. Rianna taking care of her son and Jonah taking care of his brothers. They are deep down good stock people who cherish family, love, and home. They are ridiculously responsible and made the best out of the situations that they were in.
Plot: The story was set a slow and steady pace and I truly liked that. Rianna and Jonah’s relationship blossomed in a completely natural way and wasn’t forced or rushed. One story arc was their relationship and the other arc was their relationships with their own families. Honestly I found this type of plot really refreshing. Instead of having angst about past lovers or cheating, it was about dealing with your family and coming to terms with the past as well as finding a way to let love in.
Writing: The story was told in first person points of view as well as dual points of view of Rianna and Jonah. This was the third book in the Wyatt Brothers series and definitely could be read as a standalone. There are snippets of Jonah’s brothers within the story but this novel is really just focused on Rianna and Jonah’s relationship. I did not read the other books in the series but I didn’t feel like I was at a loss or disconnect because of it.
Curb Appeal: The covers were cool. I love when the hero is on the cover and I could definitely see Jonah being that man. I also looked up the other books in the series and they all follow the same theme and I like when an author takes that approach. The blurb definitely held true to the story and really piqued my interest on both Jonah and Rianna’s characterizations.
Ultimately: This was a sweet story of two people finally coming to grips with the past and letting love in. It’s slow going but not overly drawn out. The characters make you love them because of all of the hardships they have went through and you can’t help but want them to have a happily ever after. If you’re looking for tale that is easily devoured and isn’t overly angsty like most other New Adult novels come and check this out!
