Guardian Angel by Patricia Wilson

Guardian Angel by Patricia Wilson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I thought this was a cute book. Ben is clearly bonkers over Tara, although she doesn't realize it. He does his best to play it cool like he isn't crazy about her, but I know better! It takes Tara a little longer to get a clue, but it was good reading seeing her realize that Ben loved her.



I also liked that Tara is a valued employee with an important job. She's not just arm candy. She isn't just the future mistress/wife material (who is temporarily employed just long enough to meet and snag the hero). And even though Ben is her employee and he pays for her mom's surgery, it's not like she's the oh so over-utilized Harlequin Presents downtrodden heroine. She is actually very skilled and reputable in her field, and when she looks for another job, she pretty much has it sown up. I did a fist-pump at that!



I think that the aspect that really won me over is the sweet relationship between Ben and Tara, how they take care of each other. Their relationship transcends employee/employer, and Tara is valued on all levels by Ben. Things get a bit angsty when Ben seems to reject Tara in a private moment and Tara's emotions and self-esteem spiral out of control as a result, but I could accept his explanation. I liked his show of jealousy towards the end.



Some readers won't like how the fact the guy Tara is dating strangles her enough to give her bruises, and instead of getting put in prison, he gets sent off to Brazil. I think he should have been arrested for it, even if it was a heat of passion reaction to finding out that Tara was at Ben's flat (innocently in this case).



I tend to associate Patricia Wilson with uber-alpha, borderline jerky heroes, but Ben definitely isn't a jerk. He's actually a nurturer, a sweet guy, with a very soft heart, although he does his best to hide it under a tough, bossy, businesslike facade. That kind of hero never fails to make me smile.







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