Bodyguard. Babysitter. Chauffer. Not what I thought I’d be doing with my life. Especially not for a spoiled Hollywood actress on location in Miami Beach. But triple pay and carrying a gun had its advantages. I’d shove away paparazzi and screaming fans for a lot less. The Marines trained me to be Force Recon—intimidation and crowd control was child’s play compared to four tours. This assignment … was child’s play compared to four tours. This assignment should’ve been easy money.
But the doe-eyed starlet with the perfect smile dragged me down her rabbit hole. Living for the spotlight, she leaked the ultimate scandal. I warned her making headlines wasn’t in my job description, but she kept smiling for the cameras.
Now she was going to find out just how scandalous a bodyguard could be.
*SCANDALOUS is the first 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
SMAMELESS – Shade’s story
more
To be honest, I was hesitant in starting, Scandalous (The Alpha Bodyguard, book#1). Not because I thought it wouldn’t live up to my expectations, but because I knew it would surpass them.
You see, Sybil Bartel knows how to craft alphas. Her heroes are a reader’s wet dream. They’re what women (and some men) conjure in their deepest, darkest fantasies. Bartel’s heroes are unapologetic, uncompromising, and so freaking hot, they need to come with some form of signage—a warning label will do.
So, when faced with Scandalous, I was like, “Sybil can’t pen a more alpha, alpha. It’s not possible. Wait, is it possible? Sweet baby Jesus, the woman’s going to kill me.”
And she did.
From the very first line, Falcon ‘Tank’ Gunther owned the narrative. Heck, he owned my ovaries. The dialogue, the imagery, the sex—holy Hades, the sex! Smokin’ hot doesn’t begin to describe it. And Audrina is the perfect heroine, the perfect blend of sass and chaos to bring a man like Tank to his knees.
I’m still recovering from this book. It’s going to take me a long time to recover from this mother of all book hangovers. Maybe Sybil Bartel needs to start a support group? You know, Alpha Addiction Anonymous or something? Lord knows, nothing but book #2 in the Alpha Bodyguard Series is going to help.
Bring on Reckless.
I loved Scandalous by Sybil Bartel. Tank was one of my favorite characters. And I mean who wouldn’t love a book that starts off with a bodyguard rescuing their charge who is naked on the beach while pretending to row them to shore. I seriously binged the whole series in a week and I can’t wait for the next book to come out!
Loved it!
Wonderful read.
Too much swearing!
Loved it! I
This book was fast pace and very entertaining
Absolutely loved the story
At first I thought this book was going be an overly steamy, possibly plotless series of scenarios. I’ve run across some of those… seldom finished. However the character building and story line in this book are outstanding, even with plenty of ‘steamy’. A truly great read!
Tank could not have been a better name for this man! He didn’t come quietly and he certainly left an impression. This book showed both sides of Drina beautifully, she’s not what people think, and that’s the truth about most of us. I absolutely love Sybil and recommend her books at LEAST once a day!
Tank & Audrina are A Perfect Fit!! – A Must Read!!!
I absolutely adore Sybil Bartel’s work!!! Her books are smart, steamy and intriguing!! Did I mention they are hysterically funny too? She is one of my favorites especially when it comes to her smooth, seamless flow and her spectacular world building skills. There hasn’t been a book that she has written that I haven’t loved. Scandalous is no exception. I was hooked from the very first page and I didn’t put it down until I was finished that evening. From the first sentence that came out of Tank’s mouth, I knew he was going to be a fantastic character. I’m thankful to the author for giving us such a strong female lead in Audrina. She has an adorable quirk that was unexpected and charming. He has made some strange lifestyle choices that are also unexpected but heartbreaking. On the surface, the two couldn’t be more different but after you peel back the layers, you realize that they fit together perfectly. This is an amazing story that was beautifully written.
While this book and most of Sybil Bartel’s can be read as a stand-alone, all of the books intersect in one way or another with this incredible world she has created in her previous books. This usually includes appearances from some of our most beloved characters. Because of this, every time I open a new Sybil Bartel book, it feels like coming home again and I mean that in the best way possible! Tank and Audrina are already characters that I look forward to coming home to visit again in future books. I highly recommend this book as well as all books by this author!!!!
I’d been looking forward to the release of this book so much. Sybil Bartel’s books never disappoint. After taking over baby sitting duties, or protection for the woman he believes is just another spoilt Hollywood celebrity, Tank begins to discover there is more to Audrina than he first thought. She’s tired of a lifestyle that doesn’t allow her to be herself, but merely a product of what her agent and everyone around her expects her to be. She might have made a lot of money from her career, but she’s really got nothing to show for it, other than to make those around her who manipulate and control her, very wealthy too.
She likes Tank once she gets to know him better, but he doesn’t do relationships. He doesn’t even kiss a woman. Sex is on his terms only and it’s never more than a one time deal. Still, it’s hard to fight the attraction between him and Audrina, despite the fact he does everything he can to push her away. She likes him though. He’s different to everyone else in her life. He seems interested in what she wants. Protecting her and her feelings. Not letting others take advantage of her. Something that’s been happening to her for years.
But when something happens that puts Tank’s career at risk, he is furious with her, and she runs away. When he finally finds her, he discovers things about her past which helps him understand her better. It makes him want to protect her.
No one writes alpha men quite like this author, and Tank is probably the most alpha of all her book men. I loved Tank and Audrina. It was a great story, a great book and I couldn’t put it down. Can’t wait for the next book in this series.
I think Tank needs a stronger word than Alpha!
Audrina is a movie star staying in Miami. Tank is the bodyguard to takes over watching her, when Audrina starts acting strange. I wasn’t a fan of Audrina when she’s first introduced to us. It’s seemed Hollywood has done a few weird things to her. Tank isn’t impressed by her either. Who knew finding out the truth about Audrina would turn into them falling in love?
I’ve read every book by Sybil, but she keeps getting better and better. I swoon over every male character. Every female makes it seem like it’s possible to have a man like that!
Tank is a closed off mountain of a bodyguard who has no place for a woman in his life, just temporarily in his bed. Audrina has no one that truly cares about her, just parasites that feed off of her celebrity. When things spin out of control, Tank steps in to take control of the situation and Audrina. When Audrina panics and puts Tank in the spotlight, he doesn’t react well. What do you do when you find something you didn’t even know was missing? Where do you turn when you are so utterly alone?
I have been a fan of Sybil Bartel for only a short time but I am completely committed to this lady and her work. I don’t think that my description or review will do this phenomenal story justice but I’m going to give it my best. Tank likes control but doesn’t imagine having any woman permanent in his life. Audrina craves someone who wants her, just her. She wants to be important to someone and build her life around them. These two have a hole in their souls that I couldn’t help but feel the ache. The loneliness and sadness combined with the explosive chemistry was mesmerizing. I had to put the book down at one point and walk away to let my emotions settle. Scandalous is a powerful, passionate romance that I will never forget! 10 stars for the talented Sybil Bartel’s Scandalous!
Sexy, scrumptious and very very alpha, Tank will make your toes curl and your spine tingle in a deliciously thrilling way!! He meets his match in feisty, strong willed Audrina. Buckle up for a hot, scintillating read that will have you wanting more, more, more!!!
So…I’ve been really struggling to read during 2020. This time last year I read around ten books a month. I tore through books like a…like a motherfu**ing romance reader. Then covid happened and it was like a switch flipped. I could not read.
Then this book happened. I can’t say it was the best thing I’ve ever read because it wasn’t. But it was FAR from the worst. I think it was the unpredictability that kept me turning page. The writer can write. That’s not up for debate. She has a straight-forward prose style that doesn’t ever get in her own way. And her characters are…well, they’re definitely characters.
***Mild Spoilers below ***
What did I love? I loved Tank…Falcon Gunther. I think she calls him masculine and dominant at least twice a page. He constantly wanted to spank the FMC (but he never does), and he’s got a mouth on him…at least internally. He’s borderline monosyllabic in actual dialogue, though when he talks he’s worth listening to.
I also loved the open. Tank, bodyguard extraordinaire, rocks up on a lark to find out what the fuss is for his bodyguard coworker who’s struggling with a batshit errant client. Audrina, the it-chick of LA. She’s laced out, running naked on Miami beach, and the bodyguard cannot get a handle on her. The media gets involved, and Tank, who really just wanted to go to sleep, ends up with a steaming red mess on his hands. And she is a mess. She’s braying like a donkey, and crying that she’s drowning, she’s shrieking that their boat is sinking, masturbating, barking…literally barking…like a dog. So…it’s a hell of an open. And honestly, it kept getting better from there for a while. Though, i rolled my eyes a few times.
I also love the hurt comfort element of it all. Tank’s not a nice or easy person. He’s blunt, honest, harsh and uncompromising. He also has mild dom tendencies and I kept wondering when he’d quit threatening to spank her and just do it already…cuz that was distracting for me. She’d have been fine with him spanking her. I think.
Anway, what didn’t I love…Audrina. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t dislike Audrina. She’d had a rough go of it, and she was simultaneously spoiled and reckless and also broken and desperate. What irked me a bit was the desperate. There are multiple scenes of her begging him to have sex with her and him saying no. And it doesn’t end there. Her response to him saying no, is to get naked, shout, berate, threaten? At one point he says he won’t have sex with her and he won’t respond to her until she eats her food, so she gets naked, straddles his plate…like spread-eagles it right over his food and proceeds to shove her lo mein into her mouth barehanded. Like an animal. I didn’t make that up. It happened.
That was a first for me in a romance.
Tank loved it though. For some reason. He kept bringing it up like that little display of comingled desperation and lunacy was proof of bravery. I don’t quite get it. Use a fork? It was right there.
Also…the first time they made the sex… Dude’s big. Okay… but like dude’s SO big that his peen got caught inside her? Like wedged in there and wouldn’t come out. So i don’t know if he’s got like an omegaverse style wolf man part or if human peen can actually do this. But that was kinda wild. Also…then he orgasms her straight into convulsions which trigger a panic attack. Maybe that sounds less ridiculous as i write it out. Audrina was dramatic AF. So maybe that plays through. IDK. It reads like it was just some kind of supernova of an orgasm. Maybe I’ve just been doing sex wrong. Who knows?
Anywho, I wish the characters used reusable water bottles, but that’s a mild gripe.
The ending was solid-ish. Some secrets came up. Some angst happened.
The single best thing about this book though is how sweet Tank is at comforting Audrina. He’s like this big grumpy beast, but he’s so insanely in tune with her batshit emotions that by the end I was all in. Spread-eagle animal snarfing lo mein and wolf shlong to boot.
I won’t lie, I’m probably going to look for more just to see what other offkilt stuff she can cook up
total Alpha Male “Hola” and x military.
I wanted to sing “What a man What a Man What a really big Man Yes indeed” lol
I wouldnt say this is the best book ive ever read but I actually enjoyed it
Tank was so brutally honest to himself in regards to what he wanted with Women
He was what we refer to as a Wombat “Eats roots and leaves”
Well he hit the Smorgasboard when it came to Audrina.
This was steamy, off the charts……then we got into why Audrina behaved the way she did and Tank wanted, needed and against everything he thought he stood for in the Love em and Leave em behaviour, he eanted to Protect Audrina.
I actually am looking forward to reading AB Book 2. This was a great read I could pick up where I left off and get straight back into my read.
So glad I had a marine for a short time not only in this book but in life 🙂
For the first part of this book I was thinking this might be a 3 star read for me, but things changed. I really did enjoy this book as I do everything by Sybil Bartel. Tank was definitely very alpha and Audrina had moments of naivety, but others of such strength. She new what she wanted and when push came to shove regarding her career she did what she needed to do. Tank thought he knew what he wanted in life, but Audrina snuck in and started to change things. I would have liked a little more of Tank’s background though. Overall a very good read. It was also nice to hear from André, and see a little of Talon. I love cameos from other books/series.
Loved it!
Very good book. Read it. You won’t be disappointed..