S.E.X. Review~ The Soldier and the Bodyguard by RJ Scott

GLBTQ, MM, 
Trope: Hurt Comfort, Best Friends to Lovers, PTSD, Brain Injury, Peril, Found Family
Released: 17 June 2022
Publisher: Love Lane Books
Series: Ellery Mountain
Length: 60,000 words
Cover Design: Meredith Russell

Excerpt 

The lie in the mirror was that I couldn't see the bullet fragments in my head. Only machines could see the damage, but I knew what was in there, and I scratched near the scar, which itched like fuck.

“Hey, don't do that,” Adrian murmured and laced our fingers together so he could tug me away from worrying at the skin. He’d have been horrified if I’d told him I had this idea that, if I scratched hard enough and then tilted my head, the fragments would fall out. 

I did that in my dreams, but I’d also discussed it in my chats with my therapist, who told me it was understandable to feel as if I could reach into my brain and pick out the metal.

Understandable. Reasonable.

“Sorry.” 

Adrian squeezed my hand. “It's okay; I'm just jealous that you have a wicked scar for the ladies.”

I glanced at him. “And the men.”

He nodded and I wish I knew what he was thinking, but Adrian had this inscrutable way about him. Or maybe it was that my brain wasn't working enough to try to read his thoughts the way I'd always been able to do before. My doctor likened this challenging part of my recovery to face-blindness, saying that the part of my brain that understood expressions was damaged.

“Yep, all the men, too,” Adrian corrected himself in his usual upbeat breezy fashion, then pulled me away from the mirror and sat me in the chair. I couldn't tie my hair back on my own, but he knew that, and already had the thin leather he twined in my damp curls to tame them. “Ready for a shave?” He picked up the shaver, but I shook my head. “You're gonna grow a beard, JC? For real?” He was teasing me because that was what Adrian did. He pulled me out of the dark times, and he laughed with me, and at me, and he made me remember I was still alive.

I wish I weren't alive. I would give anything for Taylor or Asti to be here instead of me.

“It hurts,” I admitted, and as soon as I said it, I wanted to take back the words because Adrian dropped to a crouch in front of me.

“What hurts?” he asked with urgency.

“The… thing,” I patted my cheek, but my hand was shaking, and I dropped it immediately.

“Your head hurts?”

“No.” Yes.

JC and Adrian were a wonderfully refreshing addition to the Ellery Mountain series by RJ Scott. The Soldier and the Bodyguard hit all the marks. Lots of mystery and intrigue, and an abundance of love.

There were so many things I loved about the story building in this tale. The veterans at the center and the community they created. The infusion of all time favorite Sanctuary operates. But the pinnacle was the love between JC and Adrian. Usually in a storyline the slow burn is so slow, that I lose interest. Ms. Scott created their love from the start and then allowed it to flourish to love/sensuality. It enhanced the story and told of the friendship, through good and bad, with a lifelong commitment in the end.

Ups and downs, twists and turns, The Soldier and the Bodyguard hit every mark. You need not read the entire series to understand this book, but if you are looking for sexy men with strong characteristics and large hearts, Ellery Mountain series was worth the read.

Definite S.E.X.

A five handcuff review

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2022 ©Evelise Archer All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental. No portion of this work may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the author.