Secrets for Seducing a Royal Bodyguard

The Renegade Royals, Book 1

By: Vanessa Kelly

Narrated by: Veida Dehmlow

Accomplished spy Aden St. George prefers to stay away from the frivolous ton, especially after the way his mother was used by the Prince Regent. But his latest mission compels him to guard unconventional, vibrant Lady Vivien Shaw. Rescuing her from kidnappers was easy. Resisting her beauty is not. Duty demands he keep an eye on her, and naturally, his lips soon follow. For someone who views entanglements as a weakness, this is pure, delicious folly. Though grateful for Aden's help, Vivien has secrets she must keep hidden. Yet with her abductors still at large, she needs Aden's protection almost as much as she craves his touch.

©2014 Vanessa Kelly (P)2014 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Kelly combines diverting dialogue, delightful surprises, and finely tuned pacing to make this a winner." ( Publishers Weekly, Starred Review)

Painful

What did you like best about Secrets for Seducing a Royal Bodyguard? What did you like least?

I have listened to only four hours of this book, and I'm sorry, I just cannot go on! I really, really like Veida Dehmlow, but even she couldn't make this enjoyable. I'm not certain I can adequately describe the tedium. For every moment of dialogue there was at least 3-5 minutes of inner contemplation, and most of this centered on how badly the character had been treated by a family member but how much the character cherished the family member anyway. Or how the hero was instantly taken with the heroine (or vice versa) and how unsettling the feeling was. The hero and heroine are often unsettled, and amidst all this inner turmoil, they're busy gazing at each other's lips or observing social proprieties..and all of this while escaping kidnappers. There was so much thinking after each spoken sentence that I'd forget what was said to get the person thinking. I thought that after the first few chapters there would be more dialogue and less explanation of the situation through inner reflection, but I finally gave up hope. I didn't like any of the characters, but especially the heroine, who was the epitome of stupidity.

What could Vanessa Kelly have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

She could've gotten someone else to write it for her. It was a decent premise...maybe she could've just provided an outline.

Which scene was your favorite?

I never got to one I liked.

Was Secrets for Seducing a Royal Bodyguard worth the listening time?

No!

Tedious & confusing

This story really needed an editor. If some of the over indulgent writing was cut out, then it could have been a better book. The premise was good and starting with a kidnapping & rescue was great. It went downhill after the second chapter. Nothing about the heroine made sense. She was a "strong doormat" , but this happens a lot in regency romances...where the smart heroine does stupid things.
At a dinner party, the heroine trips twice. She can't even keep on her feet. She tries to "help" her family by spoiling and coddling them. What a great idea, just keep gambling to help people with a gambling problem. This is where the story is confusing. I am half way through, but really can't continue as there is nothing here.
The narrator was okay, but could not do a Russian accent to save her life. It sound like a cross between Italian & Spanish. The producers should have found someone that could do the required accents for the story.
I like description, but this book had some of the most tedious details, that did not move the story forward, but just slowed it to a crawl. Thank goodness it is part of the Romance package, so I can just move on to another book.

Returning this one

Echoing other reviewers here…the accents are poorly done, the plot slow and tedious, and other than some insta-lust no real connection between our hero and heroine.