Review: Plot derailed
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 07 17, 2013
#May contain spoilers#A hot bodyguard protecting an even hotter actor who discovers he's now attracted to men? Sounded like a story right up my alley. And while the sex scenes are hot, the overall plot seemed to revolve around not the main characters, but one secondary character who acts as a matchmaking yenta for the guys. Now, I do not mind strong female characters in my m/m romances, in fact I adore them; but Bethany, the character in this book wasn't just a matchmaking yenta, she was a Mary Sue. Coming from fanfiction-land I can spot a Sue a mile away and Bethany was a grade A example.For those of you don't know what a Mary Sue is, here's the definition from Urban Dictionary: "A female character who is so perfect that she is annoying. Mary-Sues are characters who are usually extraordinarily gorgeous, amazingly talented, unusually powerful, and exceedingly attractive..." Bethany was perfect. So much so, that each of the guys in this book lust over her for page upon page that I thought it was actually a menage book and not a m/m book. I wanted more Liev and Chris lusting after one another rather than Bethany. When I read a romance, whether it's m/f or m/m, I'm in it for THAT couple, not the secondary characters. And unfortunately for "Guarded Desires," Bethany overtook Chris and Liev in the storyline department and the main characters never recovered, in my opinion.I wish I could rate Lexxie Couper's first m/m novel higher, but I just can't.(Note: for m/m readers who don't like a girl in a sex scene with their guys, there is one scene with all three in the room. I consider it a m/f/m scene, but other readers may not).