Bodyguard. Protector. Security Detail. I wasn’t supposed to join the Marines and serve three tours. I’d been groomed to be another kind of warrior. Since I could walk, I’d been primed to take over the family business. Build the real estate empire bigger, ruthlessly fight my way to the top—make everyone richer. Instead, I’d enlisted. Wanting to protect my country, not a bank account, I’d turned my … Wanting to protect my country, not a bank account, I’d turned my back on the family business and gave the Marines eight years. Now I was a bodyguard for the best personal security firm in the business, and life was perfectly uncomplicated… Until an innocent redhead smiled at me and destroyed everything.
Now she was about to find out how ruthless a bodyguard could be.
*RUTHLESS is the fourth standalone book in the Alpha Bodyguard Series.
The Alpha Bodyguard Series
SCANDALOUS – Tank’s story
MERCILESS – Collins’s story
RECKLESS – Tyler’s story
RUTHLESS – Sawyer’s story
FEARLESS – Ty’s story
CALLOUS – Preston’s story
RELENTLESS – Thomas’s story
SHAMELESS – Shade’s story
more
Readers talk about book boyfriends, a LOT, but man, oh MAN! I would do almost ANYTHING to have Sawyer as a actual boyfriend.
. . . . sigh . . . .
The author has an absolutely awesome stable of Alpha Heroes & I am not shy to admit I love them ALL (although until Sawyer, Jared was my #1 man, but now Jared is my #1.5 man) but Sawyer . . . . I suppose everyone has certain things that just hit their buttons & Sawyer sooooo does. He just soooo does!!
And it isn’t that he’s fabulously wealthy, it’s his calm, his low key but INTENSE personality, his drive to be a better man, to have his life mean more than running a financial empire, to do something with his life that helps humanity. It’s his ability to react calmly & decisively in an life & death situation, how he holds to his beliefs & principles, his Alpha persona & his absolute control. And his looks don’t hurt either: muscled, tall, perfect posture, long strong legs, handsome.
And then there’s the skittish, clumsy, klutzy, nervous Genevieve who for some unknown reason, as far as Sawyer is concerned, attracts his interest & focus. Perhaps it is how she seems to need someone who is able to guide & control her (not in a ~controlling sense per se~), calm her down, slow her up & catch everything she drops before it shatters or breaks.
And Genevieve is VERY attracted to Sawyer, so much so he makes her even more nervous, more klutzy, more babbly than she is ordinarily. Plus she just knows he is too perfect, too handsome, too muscular, too powerful & controlled to ever notice or be interested in her . . . .
The author does a STELLAR job in fleshing out Sawyer & Genevieve, as well as their chaotic attempts to enter into a relationship. The reader gets peeks into both of their thoughts, gets to see how wrong they both are in their assumptions of the other & their (mis)understanding of circumstances & motivations.
The author also does an excellent job in showing how Sawyer is drawn to Genevieve (IMO) because of her nervous & physically clumsy ways: he seems to inherently realize she would benefit from firm but loving guidance & yes, some externally provided control, & he wants to provide it for her. IMO Sawyer is like a dangerous, powerful & protective sheepdog that NEEDS to care & protect those needing his strength & protection.
But there are secrets that cause feelings of outrage, betrayal, anger that assault them both & fracture a delicate blossoming relationship into shards. Not to mention danger & potential death.
All I can say is, although I have read ALL the author’s books (& loved them), RUTHLESS truly hit virtually ALL my buttons for a hot & wonderful romance. I identified so much with Genevieve & Sawyer would be my IDEAL as a boyfriend, lover & mate. I was completely captivated for the entire book, smiling, laughing, hoping, worried & sad as Sawyer & Genevieve’s story played out.
I HIGHLY recommend this one for people who want a romance with a lot of emotional ups & downs, an awesome Alpha, a sweet heroine who has more steel in her then advertised & a little HOT & INTENSE sex.
(I am going back to reread RUTHLESS now . . . .)
I loved this book. The writing was excellent. The story keeps you interested and the characters are exciting and intriguing. Couldn’t put it down.
good beach read
Hot Alpha male story with an interesting plot.
I enjoyed the story tremendously it kept me interested. The characters are very entertaining.
Sawyer is everything you never knew you needed. Genevieve, she is something else. Rambles and clumsy when she is nervous, which is basically the whole book. But, it’s done so perfect. Sybil makes you fall in love with her characters without even realizing it. This book was perfectly written. If you aren’t into alpha males, just read this and it will change your mind. Sawyer has his own passed that gets in his way. Genevieve has someone from her passed she’s not ready to let go of. They fight their own battles, but realize they need a little more Will Sawyer be able to forgive Genevieve and let it go?
What can I say? Another brilliant book by this author. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump lately. Despite a huge TBR list, I’ve struggled to find something to hold my interest, but this book broke my reading drought. I’ve encountered Sawyer in other books by this author and he’s a hard man. Doesn’t trust women so easily and wants nothing to do with his past, although he’s from a billionaire family. Genevieve is an events planner who can’t control her own life. She’s clumsy, talks too much and seems a little bit crazy. The opposite of what Sawyer would normally like, but he is drawn to her, as she is to him. When they are caught up in a car jacking, things get dangerous really quickly. Sawyer finds out that Genevieve hasn’t been entirely truthful with him and he’s angry. The author never fails to write books that are action packed. Edge of the seat kind of action. Sexy alpha men too. They are a hot and sexy read. Loved catching up with characters from other books and I’m excited to meet new ones that I hope get their own books one day. Overall, loved this. Couldn’t put it down.
Be still my heart! This book is so much more than you can expect from a love story between a bodyguard and a redhead woman that i just love together and to say that i don’t know who to choose as my favourite from these books and characters it’s the hardest thing to do really. The story carries on from the previous book when we met Genevieve as Calandra’s personal assistant and Sawyer is one of the Luna and Associates security firm. As always, the author has created a story where the former military men are in charge always and taking care of the woman in their life as well of the people around them is their to go every day in every situation. When a dinner invitation goes wrong and unexpected situation comes up, almost everyone is there to help and protect, like a big family that will always protect and help. Sawyer is swoony, he’s s much of alpha as he is attentive and protector of the woman who messed his world with just a smile. He loves what he does and what he becomes and hates his inheritance. Genevieve had a hard life and when she is in front of him, she’s messy and never stops talking. But she is also strong and goes toe to toe with him for what she wants and what she believes I loved that we get to see more of the other characters that are always there and my God, Talon made me laugh so hard that i will reread for the 5th time his book for sure. There are some new faces, new characters that hopefully will have their books as well in the future because OMG that Preston guy !!! And Trigger !!!! A story full of action, suspense, lust and love, exactly what you need and want from a great book.
While providing security for a client at a party Sawyer comes in close contact with a sexy redhead that invades his space and rattles his core. There is just something about this feisty woman that makes him want to know more. So, he invites her to dinner, thinking he’ll have his chance to get all the answers he is craving, but their night goes a little array when they become victims of a carjacking. From that moment on Sawyer takes it upon himself to appoint himself as her personal guardian, even though she doesn’t seem to want the bossy bodyguard around. But her life is in danger and he isn’t about to take any chances with her security, so she is forced to let him into her life, and before long her heart too!
Ruthless is an action packed, dramatic, and uber sexy tale that will have you teetering on the edge of your seat the whole way through. From the very first page these two had my full attention, between the sparks swirling around them, and the danger lurking, I just couldn’t pry my eyes from the words. I loved this pairing, they initially seemed like an unlikely couple, but little by little as layers were peeled away I began to see that they might just work out perfectly. They had palpable chemistry, and they brought an unexpected tenderness to the pages, it was such a beautiful love story to watch unfold. I think it is safe to say Sawyer will become a favorite of romance readers, his alpha tendencies run bone deep, but he also comes with an unexpected side that’ll steal your heart, he had mine in a matter of minutes! I highly recommend you meet this couple, their story comes brimming with everything to leave your toes curled and heart thoroughly squeezed!
Sybil Bartel never ceases to amaze with her Alpha stories.
Sawyer and Genevieve’s story is totally unexpected and something you never see coming. Action packed, drama worthy and chemistry that’s is off the charts…. this book doesn’t disappoint and leaves you wanting more.
Sawyer Savatier is the definition and alpha and he lives up to a certain standard. His expectations are high and when he meets Genevieve it all goes out the window. I loved the h and her sassy, spunky ways.
Sybil did not disappoint at all and I can’t wait to read more of her alpha hero books.
I intended to just *start* Ruthless last night, but Sawyer and Genevieve drew me in too quickly and I ended up not being able to put it down. Ruthless is the perfect balance of action and suspense and love story, and an excellent addition to the Alpha Bodyguard series. I’ve really enjoyed the way the stories are standalones that continue to build on each other, and loved how much Talon we got to see this time!
Both Sawyer and Genevieve have some internal battles going on, and it leads to plenty of external conflict, but the story’s crafted in such a way that it’s all really… reasonable, despite the drama of it. There’s a decent amount of gang violence, but Sybil Bartel does a wonderful job being descriptive enough to make it “real” without providing too much detail so that you get distracted and can’t move on.
The steam is perfectly paced and highly enjoyable in a D/s-but-without-an-official-contract way. However, the lack of set expectations leads to some misunderstandings and drives some of the drama.
One small gripe: a pet peeve of mine is using “dominant” or “alpha” to describe the hero and his actions unnecessarily-if he’s already doing something clearly badass, the adjective is just redundant and gets tiring. That happens enough to be noticeable, but not so much that you can’t just gloss over it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Another amazing book by Sybil. Bold, full of action, gripping, emotional and it sure was hot! You just can’t go wrong with one of her books and it was so good I didn’t want to put it down.
A very unlikely pair these two are and yet they complete each other so well, giving the other exactly what they need. So much raw between the two as they struggle, fight and try to let their pasts go as they come to terms with what their future is. Together it’s explosive and nothing is stopping them as they boldly play and game of push and pull until each of them finds the true meaning of family. Family is what you make, not what your born into and these two will figure this out. It’s amazing, it’s beautiful and it was a fabulous book.
You will love it, will love all the other characters and the fun, the wit, along with so many spectacular moments.
I loved the story of Sawyer and Genevieve!!
I enjoyed this newest book in The Alpha Bodyguard Series. Sawyer is the quiet and intense bodyguard who meets his opposite in Genevieve. We first met her as the assistant to Calandra in Reckless. She is always talking and has a nervous energy. Sawyer is very dominant and he knows what he wants. When they come under fire will they be able to forge a life together or will circumstances keep them from finding what they might become? I so could not stand Sawyer’s family but wish I would have seen a little more of what went on there. We are introduced to a couple of new bodyguards in this one that are very intriguing. This author always leaves me wanting more.
Sawyer needs control, his life revolves around it. So why does the walking, talking disaster named Genevieve tempt him like no other. Genevieve is so attracted to Sawyer but knows that a man like him, perfection from head to toe isn’t for her. When circumstances spiral out of control, she has to stay in his condo and the pull between them quickly blows up in their faces. Will they be able to make it through this alive and together?
Sybil Bartel is hands down a flipping genius with words! Every time she puts out a book, I devour it and declare it the best book ever. Then she puts out her next one and she doesn’t raise the bar, she obliterates it. Sawyer is an amazing alpha-hole, so intense and sexy that it should be against the law. Genevieve is sweet and soft but underneath there is such strength and I adore her! These two need each other so much, it hurt. My only complaint is that I wish Ruthless was longer; I wanted to spend more time with these two. If you like consuming stories that take over your life and mind, you need to get everything this amazing lady has written! Ten stars for Sybil Bartel’s Ruthless!
5 stars for Sybil Bartel & her Ruthless alpha! Check out my full review here: https://sincityromancereads.blogspot.com/2019/03/ruthless-by-sybil-bartel.html
Another drool worthy master piece by the Queen of Alphas. Obviously Sawyer did not disappoint. Except that maybe, he’s not real and waiting in my bed for me, ugh the audacity! This book had it all. Plot, character development, conflict, romance, grit, redemption. I don’t know how many of us have to tell you, but you simply can NOT go wrong with a book by Bartel. Once you’re caught in the wave, you simply develop gills, because there is no going back.
This is one of those books where I would love to just gush all over the place about it but I know that isn’t constructive. So, I’m gonna try to contain myself and just say that I loved it and why I loved it. #1 reason is Sawyer.
As a reader, I’m really into the alpha heroes, but not just any alpha will do. For lack of a better way to describe it, I like a man’s man. The kind that are big, tough and scary but also very protective of woman. I like when they feel it’s their job to take care of the women in their life.
This author does a really good job in this. Her heroes are former military men who still think as if they are in the military. They watch out for danger at all times, they are very protective of civilians, and they have this need to be in control. They are bossy and they are in charge.
What tips the scale over with these guys is the body language with the women. They open doors for their women. They buckle their seatbelts. They pull their chairs out for them. The focus that they put on the women in their life is very compelling. This is what you are going to get with Sawyer.
As for Genevieve, she’s a bit of a mess. I loved this pairing because Sawyer is in so much control and then there is Genevieve who keeps dropping things and talks a mile a minute. She needs Sawyer in her life, badly!
This wouldn’t be a bodyguard series if the heroine wasn’t in danger so you get the suspense of Sawyer having to do everything he can to protect her. This also leads up to former heroes showing up as side characters. I love that. I always want to see more of my favorites and they are all my favorites!
We got introduced to two new bodyguards and I can not wait to get their story!
This started out pretty charming and with a tried and true trope I am ashamed to love: the big, strong, silent type falls for the madcap heroine (manic pixie dream girl) as long as the h isn’t too cutesy.
The romance degenerated pretty quickly as the heroine’s half-baked lies and wishy-washiness in the face of the very black and white, by the numbers hero started to pile up. Is she married or not? Did she ask for the divorce or did her worthless husband? Do I care? Not any more which is unfortunate as it had a promising start.
No depth