Skip to main content

Review: Safeguard (Speakeasy Taproom #9) by Stephanie Rose

SAFEGUARD BY STEPHANIE ROSE
Release Date: September 2, 2021


Amazon: https://geni.us/AmazonSafeguard
Audio → https://geni.us/AudibleSafeguard
Add to Goodreads → http://bit.ly/3oEp7rw
Series Page → https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/speakeasy-taproom/

Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs

About the Book
The worst kind of heartache is the kind you can’t walk away from.

Jilted. Living in a glorified closet. The world’s worst bar waitress. I just need to keep a roof over my head and make tuition payments until I can finish graduate school. Then my real life will start. But right now, long nights at the Speakeasy have me burning the candle at both ends and the wax melting all over my fingers.

When a bar manager offers me a job taking care of his adorable five-year-old daughter, it seems like the perfect solution. I get a quiet place to study. Matteo gets a reliable sitter.

There should be no complications. Except that I like my new boss a little too much. His gorgeous dark eyes humble me, and the long talks we share fill me up inside. I can’t possibly fall for him.

But the undeniable pull between us leads to a scorching kiss I can’t ignore or forget, and suddenly I’ve fallen for them both, father and daughter.

And now three hearts are at stake.

Excerpt
“This was great. Thank you for dinner and for ice cream.” Melanie’s mouth stretched into a tight smile as she reached for her bag.
“You don’t have to go. Stay. I’ll switch the movie to something we both haven’t seen a hundred times.”
“Yes, I do.” Her arms dropped to her sides. “If I stay—” she trailed off when I framed her face.
“If you stay, what are you afraid of?” I ran my thumbs back and forth over her cheekbones. Her full bottom lip quivered as she took in a shaky breath.
“Everything.” She clenched her eyes shut and grabbed my wrists.
“This is probably a bad idea,” I confessed, so close to her lips I could almost taste her.
“The worst,” she agreed with a breathless whisper.
I wasn’t sure who went in first, but before I knew it, my mouth was slanted over hers. I ran my tongue along the seam of her lips, pushing inside her mouth when it opened on a whimper. She looped her arms around my neck, my body shaking against hers as I forced myself to go slow. She felt too good, tasted too good. With Melanie in my arms, all of my control and reason evaporated.
She broke the kiss, both of us panting as I kept my hands on her waist. I studied her face for a reaction. I wanted her so much that my vision was hazy, but I was letting her take the lead.
Melanie pressed her hands against my chest, drifting them down my torso until she hooked her fingers into the belt loops at my waist.
“What do you want, Melanie? Tell me.”
She straightened, flicking her eyes to mine before grabbing the back of my head and pulling me in for a sloppy, mindless kiss. I kept my lips on hers as I backed her against the wall, dragging my lips down her neck and running my tongue along her throat. I sifted my fingers into her hair, weaving them around a fistful to tilt her head back.
“Look at me,” I whispered.
She met my gaze with hooded eyes and swollen lips, and she never looked more beautiful.
“What I want is you, and I’m sick of denying it.”


MY REVIEW
Matteo has devoted his life to his daughter Lauren since her mother up and left them years ago. He's just going through the motions then a gorgeous woman walks into his bar and his life and nothing is the same again.


Melanie really needs a job to help her get through school when she meets a gorgeous man (her new boss) and his adorable daughter, Lauren. It soon becomes clear she's not really fit for the job of waitress, but she is more than fit for the job of nanny to Lauren. There's an obvious attraction between them, but more importantly, a connection is forged. For the first time in a long time, Matteo's letting a woman into his life and heart. But what will Melanie (and Matteo) do when his past comes back to haunt him, the past he hasn't really dealt with?


I loved Safeguard. It's low on drama, and high on heart. Matteo is so sweet, such a devoted dad, which that alone made him downright swoony. Melanie is equally sweet, and perfect for Matteo and Lauren, who is the big scene stealer, stole the whole show actually. Their emotional and physical connections are intense, and I couldn't help but fall in love with M & M and their most adorable little girl.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review Blitz: The Challenge by Penelope Ward

Title: The Challenge: A Single Dad Romance Author: Penelope Ward Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance Tropes: Single Dad, Second Chance, Forced Proximity Friends to Lovers, Small Town, Found Family Release Date: August 30, 2026 BLURB From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new, STANDALONE contemporary romance… Nothing says welcome home like accidentally moving in with your first heartbreak…and his little girl. Coming back to my small Wyoming hometown was supposed to be temporary. I only planned to stay long enough to help my ailing mother and sort through the mess of my family’s old belongings. Instead, I somehow ended up living in Evan Ricci’s house. The single dad now owned a bunch of properties and one of them was the place I’d rented. He’d taken it off the market and moved in before I got there. I just never got the memo. Unfortunately, there was no other place in town available, so Evan let me stay. Evan—the guy my parents took in years a...

You TV series

Wow, hubby and I watched You on Lifetime last night. It was creepy and suspenseful. Hubby likened it to Dexter , and I have to agree. Penn Badgley was on point - creepy, stalkery, but fascinating. I didn't think too much of Elizabeth Lail's acting, but I'm not sure if it was just that her character was bland, or if it was truly bad acting. Can't wait for next week!

Review / Release Blitz: Because You're Mine by S.A. Clayton

NEW RELEASE Release Date: February 21 Buy Here Quinn can’t see a way out of this mess. Her uncle just passed away, leaving her his struggling pub and she’s fighting to keep her head above water. The only bright spot of her days is when Wes comes in. Wes, the boy that she had a crush on in high school and who just moved back to town. When Wes asks her out, she wonders if she can really handle a new relationship on top of everything else on her plate. Wes can’t stay away. He just got back to town and has been stopping by Quinn’s pub every night for a chance to see the feisty woman that he’s always had a crush on. When he sees how stressed she is, all he wants to do is help, but Quinn turns him down. When Wes goes behind her back to help, will Quinn be able to forgive him or will Wes lose the girl of his dreams? MY REVIEW Quinn doesn't know why her old high school crush, Wes, keeps hanging out at her bar every night, but she does know it's not because ...