This undercover mission was clear… until one life-altering moment changed everything. Carly Valentine never expected that she would have to pretend to be someone’s girlfriend, but when Ivan Mostek’s visit to Kansas City enrages his fiercest enemies, it’s the only way to keep him safe. Suddenly, the experienced cop is faced with a mission like none she has ever trained for. One in which fake … One in which fake feelings could turn into something all too real.
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A tough and competent leading lady, a woman comfortable in her own skin, who knows her capabilities and is proud of them is extremely appealing to me. I adored, admired, and respected Carly Valentine, and everything she stood for.
The story is a fast-paced thriller with political touches and small kingdom in upheaval.
I loved the intensified suspense, and the romance developing between the secretive hero and the potent heroine. Yet the political speech in the prologue with ‘make Lukinburg great again’ quotes put a burden on my mind regarding the hero, an obstacle he needed to overcome to get me on his side.
I enjoyed the tight family ties Carly has with her father and brothers. The back and forth between the siblings was entertaining and while it was a lot of jokes and banter, there was an element of protectiveness and shielding their sister from trouble and heartbreak that was endearing.
Ivan Mostek, the hero, was a gentle and kindhearted man with a touch of geekiness mixed with extreme capableness on many fronts. He was likable and good-natured, he had secrets and responsibilities that he was sworn to, and he hopelessly, helplessly, and completely fell for the force to be reckoned with,
Carly Valentine, who impressed him with her professional tactics from the first moment they met.
I always enjoy Julie Miller’s stories, the strong characters she creates and the balance between action, suspense, and romance in the smoothly flowing tales. Through her stories, I have fallen for Kansas City and the skilled police officer who protect the town.
~ Four Spoons
“Personal Protection” by Julie Miller has KCPD officer, Carly Valentine, going undercover as the fake girlfriend to Prince Ivan Mostek, who is visiting Kansas City to build relations between the city and his country. The two need to uncover who is sending threats to the Prince.
What starts out as make-believe turns real as both Carly and Ivan admit their attraction and then, finally, their feelings toward each other.
In “Personal Protection”, Ms. Miller deftly drops clues that allow the reader to figure out pieces of the puzzle as she writes a satisfying, suspenseful read.
I love Julie Miller’s books. They consistently manage to suck me in and keep me enthralled from start to finish. That said, this one has quickly become one of my favorites, with the unlikely pairing of a royal prince and an undercover cop. Ivan recently took over leadership of his country after the former regime was finally overthrown, ending decades of brutal leadership. Ivan is committed to bringing prosperity back to his country, but someone is equally determined to stop the changes he tries to implement. When a bomb derails his plans for an economic summit in his country, Ivan moves his talks to Kansas City. Ivan suspects that someone inside his circle is behind the attacks, and meets privately with the head of KCPD to request some unusual help. He would like to borrow an undercover cop who can expose the traitor. The catch is that he wants a female who can play the part of his girlfriend while conducting the investigation.
I liked both Carly and Ivan. Carly is a kick-ass undercover cop. She is in her element when she is on the street, helping to keep her city safe. She also has a close relationship with her father and brothers. What she doesn’t have is much confidence in herself in social situations, where she always feels awkward. Ivan is a great guy. He feels very strongly about his duty to his country and has given up a lot to fulfill his new role. He is kind, often sweet, and has an endearing geekiness that occasionally makes an appearance. He also has no problem asserting his authority when he needs to.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Carly and Ivan. They first met in an elevator at the police station when she was bringing in a criminal. Ivan was impressed with how the relatively small woman handled the perp’s attitude and attempted escape, and thought that she was exactly what he needed. It was funny to see her reaction to his request. Even more fun were the reactions of her father and brothers when her “date” showed up at her house. It’s clear that not only are there intense sparks between Carly and Ivan, there is also an unexpected connection. I loved Ivan’s strength and support when her brother ends up in the hospital and seeing Carly lean on that strength. I also enjoyed seeing the push and pull between them as Carly asserts herself as his bodyguard, and Ivan wants to protect her. As they worked together to find out who is behind the threats and attacks, the attraction and feelings between them grow stronger. I ached for Carly as she realized her feelings and that there was no chance of a future for them. Ivan, too, had fallen for Carly, but obstacles were keeping them apart. I loved the ending as an unexpected twist changed everything. Ivan’s big moment at the end was fantastic as he finally got his wish of being loved for himself.
The suspense of the story was great and kept me glued to the pages from beginning to end. From the prologue and the attempted assassination to the final confrontation, I was wholly invested in trying to figure out who had it in for Ivan. Was it his head of security, Filip, who had the most opportunities and was often overzealous in his actions? Perhaps his chief of staff, Galina, whose fiancé died in that first attempt, and who always knows where Ivan will be at any time? Or perhaps Danya, Ivan’s bodyguard, who has some serious attitude problems? Then there was Ivan’s best friend, Aleks. Do his flirtatious and lighthearted ways hide something darker? Not knowing who they could trust made things much harder for Carly and Ivan. As written threats appeared out of nowhere and attacks escalated the closer they came to the embassy ball, Carly and Ivan had to depend on each other. They made a fantastic team. The final confrontation had me on the edge of my seat as the assassin made their final play. Unexpected revelations changed some of the dynamics, and kick-ass Carly got in the last licks.
I am a sucker for royalty stories. Add in falling for a commoner and I couldn’t be happier. The blurb tells us a female cop was going undercover as a girlfriend to keep a man safe from his enemies. Suspense and romance sounded good to me. But when I realized he was actually a European prince, I couldn’t read fast enough.
Carly was an incredible cop. She was used to going undercover and did it often, but pretending to be a prince’s girlfriend was not going to be easy. Having grown up with her father and 2 brothers, she didn’t have girly experience. They were a close family who took care of each other. She looked after them and they were very protective of her. I loved how the men grilled the prince to see if he was good enough for her. But someone in the prince’s entourage wanted him dead and she was going to make sure that didn’t happen. She could be his fake girlfriend and do her job at the same time. I loved Ivan. He was a great guy. Strong and protective of everyone he cared for. Not what you’d expect from a prince who was working so hard to make his country great again. It wasn’t long before their feelings became real. But Carly knew this job was only for a week, then Ivan would be going back home. So she accepted that she would get her heart broken.
This was a fabulous read with all kinds of great suspense and had me flipping through page after page. If you like strong female characters and royal romance, I recommend this book.
Personal Protection was the perfect mix of action and romance! Carly’s rough edges played beautifully to the smoother ones of her leading man and I liked the contrast of honesty and deception that played out between the two.
6-18-2019– Just finished reading Julie Miller’s Personal Protection book and loved it! I am an amateur reviewer so I hope I can do it justice without giving away the plot. Unlike her other books, the hero was from another country and didn’t understand American slang. That was funny. My heart went out to Carly, the heroine, as she was not a girly girl but a tough police woman. The killer wasn’t who I thought it was and the reasons for the killings weren’t what I thought, either. I don’t want to give anything away, you need to read the book. You won’t be disappointed and will really like it. I recommend this book to all of you.
First off, let me say I’m a real Julie Miller fan. I’m pretty sure I’ve read 90% of her romantic suspense she has penned for Harlequin Intrigue. I think she gets the perfect blend of action, romance, and suspense with intelligent, real characters. Personal Protection is a great action romance with 2 terrific characters. 5 stars!
Carly Valentine is a cop, tough and not the least bit girly girl. (Think Vic from Longmire. In fact, I picture Katee Sackhoff as the perfect Carly). She’s tasked with playing girlfriend to a visiting Prince Ivan from a small Balkan country that recently threw out their corrupt government and restored their constitutional monarchy. Ivan has death threats and recently survived a bomb attack that injured his faithful bodyguard, Aleksander.
Akeks is the only member of his team Ivan trusts & he suspects an inside job on the recent attack & ongoing death threats. But Ivan is a man of many talents, surprising for a prince and Carly is fascinated with him. The attraction is mutual. They work well together.
I think Carly and her Prince will remain among my favorite Julie Miller couples behind Capt Michael Cutler & Jillian (Takedown) and Gina Galvan & Mike Cutler, Jr from (Kansas City Cop.) Carly is a terrific character and Ivan is every bit her equal. No spoilers. Just get ready for an unputdownable romantic suspense.
Great cameos and Walk-Ons from previous characters.
ARC provided by the author.