Counterpoint: MM Romantic Suspense (The Guardians Book 2)

Dominic St. Clair is a music conductor in the last part of his life. He knows he's made mistakes in his past, but when someone sends a warning shot through the window of his salon while he's in the middle of practicing, he knows they mean business, and he knows why they did it. Thiago Reyes thinks his new assignment will be just like all his other protection assignments. Move in, protect the target and go back to New York until his next assignment. He never gets too emotionally involved with his charges or the people around him. However, he doesn't factor in a strong attraction to his target's personal assistant, or an old man set in his ways who refuses to follow orders and do what's necessary to keep him safe. Luca Moreau loves his job as Dominic St. Clair's personal assistant. He loves his boss like family too, but he knows something is missing. So when the bodyguard sent from the The Guardians security company is dark and gorgeous, if a little uptight, he has to decide if he wants to pursue the man or ignore the attraction all together. After all, he doesn't even know if the man is gay. When the sniper shot is fired through the window of Dominic's salon during practice, he knows it's the beginning of something dangerous. Someone has him in his sights, so he does what's necessary to protect himself and those in his household, even if he has no intention of changing anything about his life in the process. Thiago figures out pretty quickly that Dominic does what he…

This publication is part of a series featuring a security firm specializing in discreet protection for high-profile individuals. In this installment, noted New Orleans conductor Dominic St. Clair becomes the target of threats prior to an anniversary performance honoring the city's resilience following Hurricane Katrina, which left the city battered and besieged. The threat, delivered through a handwritten funeral march secretly placed within his residence while he was there, and reinforced by a bullet shattered through a window of his imposing St. Charles mansion. Conductor Dominic suspects the perpetrator to be another conductor who believes that Dominic appropriated credit for a performance held after Katrina several decades ago, seeking retribution. The gunshot prompts him to seek assistance and protective services from “The Guardians,” an organization providing specialized security for distinguished persons. Author Declan Rhodes offers an immersive perspective on the concert preparations, capturing the rhythm of the city and the tension of an imminent threat against Conductor Dominic. Rhodes vividly depicts the auditory and sensory environment of New Orleans—its culinary traditions, musical culture, and contextual details of history and ballistics—complemented by a compelling narrative that explores relationships and an unfolding romance within the framework of his thriller. Luca Moreau, Dominic's dependable and devoted personal assistant, is perceptive to the subtle…

Great plot, both M/M romance and murder mystery, but the scene was wonderful New Orleans at its most appealing! This native Loyisianian was beautifully reminded of that wonderfiul city, its people, and its culture. Loved the characters and enjoyed viditing NOLA!

Declan Rhodes is one of my go-to authors, you can never go wrong with one of his books. This second book in his new Guardians series features Thiago, a member of the Guardians Protection Service, in New Orleans in response to a possible threat to the life of Dominic, a well-known symphony conductor. Dominic will be leading a concert to celebrate an event from 2006 after Katrina, and it is thought there is a connection between a gunshot through a window and the concert. Luca runs Dominic’s household and is an extremely observant man, aside from having a vast knowledge of most areas of Dominic’s life. As threats escalate, it becomes more obvious that the threat is probably from one or more people close to Dominic in his professional capacity. As Thiago and Luca work together, with input from Dominic, two other members of Thiago’s team, and peripheral characters, they close in with a plan to thwart whatever may be coming—at least they hope that is how it will work. As an unexpected “complication(?)”, Thiago and Luca are attracted to each other, but Thiago’s go-bag is always packed, ready to go at the end of the assignment, so whether there will be much beyond a casual relationship between them remains to be seen. Very mild spicy scenes for them. This book has intrigue, a mystery to solve, festering old resentments, betrayals by trusted members of Dominic’s circle, interesting and engaging characters, and great world-building for culture of New Orleans and behind the scenes at…

A 72 year old beloved conductor is rehearsing for his final concert when something disturbs his rituals. No one sent him a note with cut out letters but the threat is just as real, and he is afraid. So is his housemate, PA and major domo Luca Moreau. After seven years looking after Dominic St Claire, he knows his house as well as he knows his boss and there is something sinister happening. A phone call to Guardians in Seattle sends former Army Ranger Thiago Reyes to St Clair to deal with the threats and whoever is sending them. Working closely with Luca, Thiago soon realises that he brings insight to the investigation that Thiago would never gain on his own, a counterpoint. Counterpoint is book 2 of the Guardians series of Romantic Suspense. The writing is superb as always but the magnificence of New Orleans breathes a significantly different life to the story. You can taste the pralines in the air and see the splendid courtyards. HI drama without a lot of debilitating angst. But it is especially the people of that city that decorate the romance with a happy ending. Guardians is also a spinoff of his First In Line series. Although Counterpoint of all of the releases has less crossover characters than the other books, I would recommend starting with Book 1, First Watch. Bravo Declan, this one is many, many stars. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.