Misty P. (prokopmisty) reviewed on 5/13/2007 + 40 more book reviews

Three months after she took office, Caroline Winters lost her husband Justin in a tragic plane crash. Now, three months later, Caroline struggles to deal with her loss while performing her duties as President of the United States. All while fighting a cut-throat campaign by her own vice-president to prove her unfit for office so that he can assume the presidency. A campaign that appears to be working, since even her senior advisor is advising her to take a temporary medical leave of absence. If only she had proof of the phone calls with Justin's voice or the letter she received from him. Surely she can't be imagining all of this...can she? Is it possible that her grief really has her mind playing tricks on her as everyone else believes? Just as she prepares to take the leave of absence, her world once again turns upside down when her husband is found alive in a Mexico City hospital. He's lost a good bit of his memory, but Caroline doesn't care. She's just happy to have a second chance to repair some of the problems in their marriage. It doesn't take long for Caroline to realize that Justin has changed since the accident, and not just due to his memory loss. Not surprising, really. A close brush with death would probably make a lot of people reassess their lives and priorities. Part of her longs to fling herself into her husband's arms and enjoy their newfound intimacy, but another part of her holds back. What if she lets down her guard and gives herself completely and he regains his memory? Will things revert back to the way they were before? It's a risk Caroline isn't sure she should take, for she might not survive emotionally if she loses him again. Of course, if someone has his or her way, she might not survive at all. Someone wants Caroline out of the way, and not just out of the White House -- dead. It appears that person is someone in her own inner circle. Someone she trusts completely. But who? Is it her senior advisor, Rupert, the man she views almost like a father? One of her secret service agents? Or worse, her own husband?

When I awarded JOHN DOE ON HER DOORSTEP, the first book in The Enforcers series, a Perfect 10 last month, I never expected that this book would not only equal the last one, but surpass it. Yet that's exactly what Ms. Webb has accomplished in the second book, EXECUTIVE BODYGUARD. Therefore, I find myself -- who rarely awards more than four or five Perfect 10's in an entire year -- in the unique position of awarding well deserved back to back Perfect 10's.

As with JOHN DOE ON HER DOORSTEP, EXECUTIVE BODYGUARD gets high marks for delivering a tightly paced series romance with the feel of a longer single title. An emotion-grabbing contemporary romance with nail biting suspense and the watch-your-back intensity of a political thriller, EXECUTIVE BODYGUARD has all the ingredients in first-rate fiction of any genre -- but it's a romance, which, for me, makes it even better.

Caroline's efforts to balance her personal life with her presidential duties is realistically portrayed. She understands the importance of her position as the first woman to hold the office and knows that her performance will affect other women's ability to compete in future elections. The pressure on her to succeed in what is essentially a man's arena is enormous. Readers will not find it difficult to empathize with her and will therefore pull for her all the way. Readers will also love the hero. As much as I'd like to gush, I can't really say too much about him for fear of giving things away. Those who have read JOHN DOE ON HER DOORSTEP (if you haven't, go grab a copy now!) will have gotten a glimpse of him there. As wonderful a hero as Adam proved then, this hero stands out even more. His determination to protect Caroline, coupled with his desire to be the man she needs, but believes he can never be, melted my heart.

EXECUTIVE BODYGUARD moves at a quick, but steady pace; with each turn of the page, the suspense builds along with the sexual tension and the emotional connection between the hero and heroine. Secondary characters are well written and add to the mystery because, like Caroline, the reader doesn't know whom to trust.

Though EXECUTIVE BODYGUARD stands well on its own, you won't want to miss the first book in this outstanding series. Once you've finished both books, you'll be itching to get your hands on the final book in the trilogy, MAN OF HER DREAMS, which should be on bookstore shelves soon. A fabulous book by an author destined for future NYT Bestseller lists, don't miss EXECUTIVE BODYGUARD.

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