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On Guard
By: Kels and Denise Stone
Publication Date: April 9, 2025
Published By: Between the Sheets Publishing
471 pages
Find It On: Amazon | Goodreads
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Bad boy Olympian Dante Hastings has been suspended from competing in fencing for a year. Now, he’s working on a movie, a modern day Robyn Hood, where he’s an actor but also helps with the sword fighting scenes. His co-star and leading lady is none other than Hollywood starlet Reese Sinclair, the girl next door. She has already judged him before she even meets him. But more than that, she needs this movie to work; she doesn’t only want to do rom-coms anymore. She knows that Dante could bring her down, but he could also help her too. They make an agreement to help each other. That’s when edges become blurred. Through the bickering, they realized they aren’t as difference as they thought they were.
I was so excited to read this book because I read the first one in The Hastings series, Close Knit, and I absolutely loved it. This one is a little different than that one, but it’s still amazing. I think I expected this one to be more like that one, but this book gave us a FMC, Reese, who was strong and brave. We see her grow and really become herself, and really become comfortable with herself throughout this book. It was empowering to read. I think Reese has now become one of my favorite FMCs. She’s real, she’s authentic. You feel her internal struggle.
I loved the change in Dante that Reese brings about in him, but not on purpose. She wasn’t aware that she was bringing about this change. But his internal decisions because of his feelings and vulnerability were chefs kiss! Also, his connection to Em while coaching her was also really amazing. The connection that he has there, his understanding of her, it was awesome.
There was some definite spice in this book, but it was oh so good and it felt natural. I also really loved some of his self restraint when it came to Reese. He very much put her first in all kinds of ways. He was a gentlemen with her in all the ways that it mattered, in and out of the bedroom. He really was such a sweetheart at the core. And reading about fencing was very different than any other sports romance! I’d say romance readers should definitely read this one.
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