I had hoped it there would be more of a suspense plot to "Guarding Mr. Fine". I like romances that are slow burns and while this one had several lovely moments of romance and sweetness, this was very much on the erotic side. I particularly liked the scenes of Seth realizing and then showing Rick how deeply he felt about their connection because he couldn't say it. That was well done. As to the suspense plot, the culprit was fairly noticeable and I wondered why this person wasn't more obviously suspected from the beginning, however, this was good for what it was. A nice romance/erotic book with a spy plot thrown in for color.

I reviewed this book as part of my 2016 Author discoveries post:

Mrfine_250 (1)HelenKay Dimon is a romantic suspense legend, but because I generally avoid books with buff Navy SEALs on the covers and if I am honest most romantic suspense, I had never read one of her novels till this year. I tried several, including some of her older M/F rom suspense novels but the series that made me a fan is her new M/M romance series from Loveswept, Tough Love, featuring deadly dangerous men secretly saving the world. The team dynamics are fantastic and the supporting casts full and entertaining. The romances were full of competence porn featuring witty bickering couples great at their jobs but terrible at feelings.

This is my first book by HelenKay Dimon and I must say I am quite impressed. The plot is spectacular, full of intrigue, mystery, and espionage, and the characters are complex, well developed and real. They really draw you right into the story and you just can't help but become invested in their lives. This book hooked me from the start and kept me riveted to the very last page. The pace is steady and never boring. Overall, I found the book to be provocative and gripping and romantic and absorbing and sexy and completely compelling. If you love romantic thrillers, this is the book for you!

Loved, loved, loved!! This is a super sexy M/M romance that once I started reading I couldn't put down. It's filled with action, suspense, and some seriously sexy moments between Seth and Rick. Rick is in Germany to look into the sudden death of the previous Consulate, Seth is there to protect Rick. An assignment he's not originally too thrilled with but once he sees who exactly he's babysitting Seth is all in! Both these characters are swoon-worthy and the excitement of the story makes this a book you don't want to miss. I highly recommend it.

I have a song that keeps popping in my head whenever I think about the newest addition to the Tough Love series.
"Oh Mickey
You're so fine
You're so fine
You blow my mind
Hey Mickey!
Hey Mickey!"

Unfortunately Mr. Fine is not named Mickey but he is fine! And so is Mr. Wonderful, Seth Lang. OMG

I have a serious crush on these two guys. Not only are they completely HOT, but this story brings in so many of the arenas I love to read about; Special ops, some suspense and thrills, and seriously hot sex. Seth is a god... OMG I unabashedly fell for him. YUMMM

I love the sexy banter between the two. Dry wit and sarcastic too! Love it! The two men balance each other well and you can feel the heat coming off the pages in waves. The protective nature of Seth is endearing and you know these two are perfect for each other. That is, if they can make it through some pretty big secrets.

HelenKay Dimon is a true craftsmen of the written word and knows how to create characters and situations that are true to life, realistic, and all encompassing. Plus, she gives us a freaking hot read loaded with suspense and thrills that are captivating. This is a book you never want to end. Sigh...

Now bring on the next in the series and fast! I do not want to wait for more.
BTW. This is a complete standalone!

I liked this book, but not as much as the last, so I'd give it 3.5 stars, not quite to the 4 level as the previous book in the series. I really like reading HelenKay Dimon books and rarely find myself disappointed. Although this one didn't live up to the same standards where the thrilling action is concerned, I still found it an enjoyable read.

Seth is an agent for the CIA's SAD division and he's in Munich to act as bodyguard to Rick, the U.S. consul general...or so he thinks. Turns out Rick is CIA himself, although a desk jockey, or nerd as Seth loved to call him. Rick is investigating the alleged suicide of the last U.S. consul general since clues left behind make his death seem suspicious. Vaccines have gone missing and in their place, they suspect weapons are being transported illegally. Seth is there to make sure Rick doesn't get killed in the process. Rick is also harboring a secret from Seth and this secret nearly costs them their relationship in the end. Of course, they get their HEA in the end, but not without some heartache and betrayal beforehand.

There was instant attraction between the Rick & Seth when they met before the Munich assignment (without knowing who each other was, of course). I really loved the interactions between the men - it seemed very real and believable. Seth turned out to have a pretty soft side when it came to Rick and he was actually sweet. Rick may have been the hot glasses-wearing nerd, but he knew how to protect himself and didn't let Seth run over him.

The book was so focused on their relationship that the action unfortunately took a backseat. It was pretty easy to figure out who the bad guy was pretty quickly, but of course there were some characters placed in the book to cause doubt. Alec was a mystery and I still didn't quite understand his role in all of it besides providing info on occasion (I hope he gets a book though...) - he received a whole lot of hype but I was left wondering what made him such a big asset and key character to this story. I wasn't on edge reading the book this time like I have been for other HelenKay Dimon books and that was the biggest letdown.

Despite the lack of thrilling suspense, I still enjoyed this read. Both characters were wonderful and I really felt like I connected with them. Their relationship was actually believable, which was a welcome change. They faced real relationship woes and I think it's something a lot of us can relate to at some point in our lives.

For the most part, I liked this book. I liked Rick Fine, kinda like Seth Lang, like the sexual chemistry between them and loved the whodunit mystery of the diplomat who committed suicide and the shipments of vaccines being messed with. The book itself was a very quick read and the plot was fairly simple.

It’s just that, well, I wish Seth was a bit more likeable. The entire book, he came across as a jerk. A huge jerk who couldn’t face his feelings for Rick until almost the end of the book. I know a lot of bad stuff happened in his life but Rick’s own early years were worse than Seth’s and he wasn’t a jerk.

Speaking of Rick, while I did like him and loved how open he was with Seth and how he didn’t flip out when Seth told him that he was bisexual, I did kinda want to kick him for keeping that huge secret from Seth. I actually sided with Seth when Seth flipped out after being told. That was a HUGE thing and forget what Helena said….Seth should have been told sooner.

The sexual chemistry was unbelievable between the two of them and it literally lit the pages on fire. I did find it kinda ironic that their first meeting turned into what was supposed to be a one night stand in a back office of a discotheque. I did giggle when they met (call me weird). Talk about an awkward first meeting. To be honest, I thought it was more awkward for Seth then it was for Rick.

I did like the mystery/action aspect of the book, even though I did figure out who was behind everything about halfway through the book. But the author did a great job of throwing several red herrings out there so I really wasn’t sure until the climax of the book.

The end of the book was your typical HEA. Well, after Seth had his freak out (which again, I don’t blame him one bit). Then it was a typical HEA.

How many stars will I give Guarding Mr Fine? 3

Why: While I loved the story and the romance (well, I would really say it was lustmance….lol), I couldn’t get over Seth’s attitude. To be honest, it turned what could have been some sweet moments into well, him being a jerk, and that ruined the book. He needed to get rid of the chip on his shoulder sooner in the book, other than almost at the end.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age Range: Adult

Why: Explicit sex, language and violence

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

This is far from a bad read, because HelenKay Dimon does the cloak and dagger business all too well. The setup itself should have been intriguing: a mysterious death, an ongoing investigation and an insider doing illegal jobs that clearly has dire consequences. Personally, I found the story hard to get into because I didn’t quite know the direction it was heading in and most of the time, it was as though I was taking round and round for a joyride without knowing what would happen next. But this is on me and not a reflection on Dimon’s solid writing.

In fact, I think Dimon does M/M romance with quite a bit of nuance and subtlety, cataloguing the interactions between men differently as when she writes men/women romances—and these are differences that I definitely look out for and appreciate. Seth and Rick did make a believable pair as a result, and I liked the start of the book very much, but the action and the multiple dangling threads of the story lost me close to the halfway mark.

Unfortunatelty I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would..

First of all, let me say that the cover is great so congrats for that! It was the first thing thing that drew me to the book.
Then I read the blurb and I liked that too. I thought it would be about two tough guys attracted to each other and trying to fight it. You know, slow-burn romance and brooding characters, butting heads all the time because they're tough guys and don't want to give in to their attraction because it's unprofessional.

But that wasn't the case. In the first two chapters they hooked up in a bar, but that was ok as they didn't know who the other was yet. The problem for me started when they met in Munich and knew they were supposed to be protector and protectee. They didn't even last 48 hours! They started sleeping together from the get go, weren't even trying to keep up pretences. Seth was supposed to be the bodyguard and he kept saying that it's dangerous to lower his guard as there had been <spoiler> attempts to kill Rick </spoiler> but we never saw him staying professional. They were military men but had to self control. I couldn't get past that. And we are not talking about months on end trying to resist each other. No, we are talking about A WEEK! It wasn't even that they slipped at a weak moment or something. They slept every night in the same bed from the start and the whole consulate knew them to be a couple. Come on! It was supposed to be a dangerous situation where they didn't know who was the enemy. They knew it was someone in the building but didn't know who. They were letting their hormones dictate their actions.

That being said lets move on to their bosses. They were playing matchmakers! They had a dead body, a killer in the consulate and a situation with missing cargo but their first priority was to find them a boyfriend? I DON'T GET IT!

Now let's go to the secret past that linked Seth and Rick together. I thought it was completely unneseccary for it to excist. Its only purpose was to create drama so that we could have the <spoiler> customary split around the end of the book </spoiler>.

I guess it's clear that I'm not a fan of this book but there where things that I liked in it and I want to mention them.

What kept my attention and interest was the mystery about who the killer was. I couldn't figure it out. They all acted weird at some point and had something to hide, the point was to find who had the darkest secret of all. I really enjoyed the mystery in this book!

Another plus were the secondary characters. Nathan and Alec were my favorite! Nathan was fun and a truly likeable character. I wish he had a bigger role in the book.
Alec on the other hand was a mystery. He was a powerful and confident man. He knew he had the upper hand and didn't let anything phase him. Any plans for a book for him?

Even though this book wasn't for me (it was way too insta-relationship for me to enjoy it) and can't really recommend it I liked the writing style of the author and I would read books from her in the future when the blurb interests me.

<b> ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. </b>

I just could not connect with this novel. I found my interest was pulled off the page and it didn't engage me, I didn't care for the situation or the two MC's.

Interesting read, I will have a review posted on ibooks on release week!

I enjoyed this book. The author was new for me and I would read more from her. I would recommend this to a friend.

Please note: This review will also be posted on my blog www.myfictionnook.com closer to publication date.


This book is another crazy sexy, thrilling addition to the Tough Love series. Seth was an integral secondary characters in the first two books, and I fell hard for his biting wit and brilliant mind (no, seriously, intelligence is so fucking sexy).

As predicted, Guarding Mr. Fine is stupidly hot. Seth and Rick go at it hard and fast, first as strangers, later as friends.

Seth, who's allergic to relationships and commitment, cannot stay away from Rick. There's just something about the man—with his geeky glasses, confidence, rockhard bod, and scratchy beard—that turns Seth into an uninhibited sex god.

Rick is posing as a consulate general in Munich; he suspects his predecessor didn't commit suicide but was offed. Seth is sent in to protect Rick and help in the investigation, which is wrapped up in some shady shipments and illegal weapons.

I loved the banter between Seth and Rick. Every argument ends in explosive sex, especially when Seth gets jealous (which he totally does when faced with Rick's former lover).

"They lay there, with Rick on top of him . . . Rick trailed a line of kisses up Seth's throat before turning his head and resting it against Seth's chest again. "This position makes it harder for you to get up and run to the couch."

The jackass. "You're hysterical. I need to shower, but I'm not moving."

Thank God . . . "You do realize this means you're agreeing to cuddle."

"That's a stupid word . . . I'll agree to spoon, but if you tell anyone I said that I'll deny it.""

Rick loves it when Seth owns him. He's just worried that once he reveals his full past, Seth will leave. He's not completely off the mark, either.

I did not like Seth's reaction at the end; it seemed a little out of character. Fortunately, he comes to his senses, with a little help from his boss and Nathan playing devil's advocate.

Unlike book 2, which continued the plot set up in book 1, Guarding Mr. Fine CAN be read as a standalone. I enjoyed the mystery, although I guessed the "bad guy" almost immediately, despite the many red herrings.

I hope this isn't the last book in the series. I already have my heart set on the next MC.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The romance between the 2 characters surprised them both but it was enjoyable to watch them take the fall. I liked the surly-ness of Seth. He was gruff , sarcastic and totally fell for the nerd in Rick.
Rick wasn't your average desk jockey. He was well trained operative and knew how to give as he got.
This pair truly worked well as a couple in and outside the bedroom.
The storyline was interesting but I found it a but I found it a bit difficult to follow at times.

I received a copy for a honest review.

Guarding Mr. Fine was a great story. I really like this series. The characters are unique and each book in the series is a stand alone yet they have ongoing character connections. Seth started out as a minor character in Mr. and Mr. Smith but he finally got his own story and what a story. The Mr. Fine that he is guarding is the very fine Rick. I don't want to give away too much of the story line but it takes place at the American embassy in Munich and revolves around the suicide of a state employee. I have now read all three books in this series and this might be my favorite because of Seth. He is such a grumpy soul that I wanted him to find and embrace his HEA which he finally does with a lot of grumbling on his part!