I love the Richardson Sisters series I feel like any reader could connect to one or more of the sisters. Their family bond is like no other I imagine If I had sisters we may be this way. I loved the hate/love relationship between Yolanda and Charles but their connection was undeniable.

This was a DNF for me. For one, I despised the main character. She was bratty and stubborn. Second, I hate books that will just suddenly throw in there "It was three months later and this character was now engaged." I get she may be in another book but that is beyond annoying for the current book. There needs to be development of this actual character in this time. Anyway, did not finish.

Open Your Heart by Cheris Hodges is the third book in her Richardson Sisters series. This is third-born sister, Yolanda’s story.

Yolanda is totally frustrated with her bodyguard, Charles. He’s gorgeous, but she really doesn’t want him around unless he’s willing to succumb to her attempts at seduction. Charles is intrigued by the beautiful Yolanda, but he doesn’t mix business with pleasure.

Cheris Hodges maintains the continuity in this third installment of the series. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as invested in Yolanda’s story as I was with the previous books, so it was only 3 out of 5 stars for me, though the writing is still excellent. I recommend it to anyone interested in contemporary romance.

My thanks to Kensington Books, Dafina, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.

This was the first book I've read by author Cheris Hodges. I enjoyed both the suspense and making sure she remained safe as well as the fight the main characters found themselves in trying to resist love. Sometimes the things we need most comes in unexpected ways. I look forward to reading other books by this author. Thank you Netgalley and publisher Dafina for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

I enjoyed this book smooch. It started with a great hook and kept you going with propulsive action until the end. Cherish Hodges crafted a lovely story with two strong characters who grew in their journey in a natural way as they confronted the the dire circumstances in front of them.

There’s nothing like a good story that employs the Protector/Guardian trope, and talented writer, Cheris Hodges, pens that good story highlighting Yolanda Richardson, boutique owner, and Charles Morris, personal bodyguard. Yolanda is a member of the Richardson family of Charleston, South Carolina. Her sisters, Alex, Robin, and Nina, and father, Sheldon play important roles in Yolanda’s life and this story. The sisters are a tight-knit quartet who are constantly in each other’s business, but love each other fiercely. You might remember Robin from the first installment of this series, WON’T GO HOME WITHOUT YOU.
If you want an entertaining summer read with romance, family drama, murder and mayhem, I strongly recommend OPEN YOUR HEART by Cheris Hodges. You can thank me later.

It was okay but perhaps a little uneven in the telling so that parts of it dragged and then other parts like the resolution felt a little rushed and easily resolved after all the building up of tension. This is the 3rd book in The Richardson Sisters series. This edition features fiery, strong personality fashion entrepreneur, Yolanda, who witnesses a murder outside her shop and is targeted by the bad guys. Her father hires Chuck Morris (yes play on name sounds is well-acknowledged in the book), a bodyguard with a painful past to protect her. But sparks fly, and Yolanda’s personality mean that she’s never been good at taking orders even when they’re for her own good.

I kind of struggled with this romance a bit. On the surface it had a lot of elements I like- strong female lead that is no pushover, supportive family relationships, a good amount of spice, romantic suspense. But I didn’t particularly like Yolanda (or her elder sister, Alex, as characters)- the endless bickering with her older sister grated and was to me, childish, exhausting to read and somewhat out of touch with the fact that her literal life was in danger and she had bigger fish to fry. I couldn’t really understand why she thought hiding the truth about the danger she was in from her family was protecting them- if anything because she insisted on frequent proximity to them, she was endangering them. I think this book circled around a lot of chat about the potential danger without delivering any actual danger. Yolanda’s relationship with Chuck felt at times a little forced- like something she had to talk him into or like something he wasn’t that into. Something about this didn’t work too well for me- it could be my mood as I read, or it could be the book itself, or even a combination of both. This wasn’t a home run for me. I am however intrigued by Book 2 in the series with quiet sister, Robin’s story and so I definitely plan to go back and check that out. Overall, I might see out this series just to complete the sisters’ books, but this wasn’t necessarily my favourite romantic suspense novel.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have been waiting for this book, ever since the first two books have hinted about what this one would be, and it did not disappoint. The book reads as a stand alone, but I personally suggest you read the first two books,which will give the story a little more clarity in some instances. I loved the banter between the two characters. Especially Charles. I think he's just become my newest book boyfriend. And the sisters are just as crazy as ever, but I also loved their relationship. I can't wait for Alex's story.

Open Your Heart by Cheris Hodges was a great read. I included it in the weekly and monthly roundups for my blog and social media platforms.

Thank you Netgalley and Kingston books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a free review.

This is the first book by Cheris Hodges and in this series that I have read. I am not sure that I will be going back to read the other two. This series follows the Richardson sisters that together own a historical Bed and Breakfast in Charleston SC. This particular one follows sister Yolanda.

Yolanda finds herself hiding from a crime that she witnessed, and Charles Norris, being a bodyguard, is charged with keeping her alive until they catch the killer. Yolanda does not want to involve the police but she doesn't make Charles's job protecting her easy. She fights him every step of the way all while trying to get him to admit that he has feelings for her.

This book was okay. Some series you can pick up a book that is not the first and be okay. But this series is not one. I felt that I needed to have read books 1 & 2 in order to fully appreciate the book. The sisters are so involved in each others lives that I struggled to connect fully with the story. I felt like I was walking in in the middle of a family discussion and asked to give my opinion without anyone telling me the back story.

This was my first book by this author, and I had a good time. This is a bodyguard falls in love with his charge trope, and it's a trope I really enjoyed. Though this book was on the slower side with the romance, I enjoyed the journey.
I will definitely be trying more from this author. And the previous books within the series too.

I’m a big fan of Cheris Hodges, I love her writing style. “Open Your Heart” is book 3 in the Richardson Sisters series. Love the characters, family drama, camaraderie between the sisters, togetherness, sexy, steamy hot sexy scenes. The bond that the 4 Richardson shared was unremarkable. They fussed and argued but they were thick as thieves and always there for each other no matter what. Alexandria was the mother hen and the sisters needed that.

Charles did not mince words with Yolanda the camaraderie between the two was oh so good, what he said went even though Yolanda always gave him a hard time. He was smitten with her the first time he saw her. They were so good together and he kept Yolanda grounded and got her to understand how serious things were with keeping her safe. I so loved how comfortable Yolanda became with Charles was around but she was also terrified but tried her best to handle everything.

Next up is Alexandria, “Can’t Hide Love” her journey to love. I would love read book about Madison and Sarah. Hopefully it’s in the making.

Thank You Netgalley and Dafina for giving the opportunity to read this ARC of "Open Your Heart".

This book definitely gave me The Bodyguard vibes from the start. I'll admit that I had a hard time pushing through this, partially because the plot of the crime almost overpowered the romance story. I couldn't tell which one was the focal point. I wish we had more character development between Chuck and Yolanda, and their banter was just a tad frustrating. Also, the climax was very underwhelming.

4 stars just for the bodyguard's name. LOLLL

Listen, I enjoyed the heck out of this book. I like to go into some books blind and with the Richardson sisters, I feel like I never know what kind of experience I am going to get. This book was so much more than romance- there was a bit of intrigue and suspense in there, which is also my catnip. Super well done story line. I also enjoyed the bit of slow burn between Yolanda and... Charles... LOL.
I really needed her sisters to mind their business- they grown! We also got a sneak peek at the next book and I'm already ready. Let's go!

Stylish boutique owner Yolanda Richardson has a problem. Make that a major, possibly life ending, problem. While staying late one night, she happened to witness a murder. Terrified out of her mind, she makes the decision not to go to the police. After all, the police don't have the best track record with keeping their witnesses alive. And it doesn't help that she's Black. No, she's going to keep her mouth shut. But her silence hasn't stopped threatening letters from showing up. At her wits end, she flees to her family where her father hires takes matters into his hands, hiring her a bodyguard.

Charles "Chuck" Morris is very good at his job. Or at least he's good at his job when he doesn't let his emotions take control. The last time that happened tragedy struck and he's never going to let that happen again. His job is to keep Yolanda safe no matter what. But it doesn't help that she's the sexiest woman he's ever seen.

This job is going to be tougher than he thought.

---

I really loved the idea of this book. I've had a thing for bodyguard falls for protectee.ever since I saw The Bodyguard oh so long ago. However I didn't love the execution. The story took a long time to build up steam and I felt a bit lost at parts since apparently some of the relevant action took place in previous books. I found the story choppy. Coming to starts and stops before zipping along only to crash to screaming halt again. It didn't land for me.

I also had a lot of difficulty liking the hero and heroine. While I completely understood Yolanda's reasoning for not going to the police, I didn't understand her complete unwillingness to take even the most basic of instructions from Chuck. After all he's the expert, his job is to keep her alive. Maybe listen to him. It was super frustrating since she fell into TSTL territory a few too many times for my tastes. I also didn't like how jealous and possessive she was toward him, especially when they weren't even romantically involved yet. Jealousy is never sexy and I really wish that authors would stop using it as a shorthand to show attraction. As for Chuck, I was also frustrated with him. He gave in too easily and he was too easily distracted from his duty by his lust for Yolanda. And because he and Yolanda were always fighting but not actually communicating, the romance didn't really land for me either. Other than lust, I couldn't really the characters working together long-term.

It may seem like I hated this book, but it had its good qualities too. I loved the relationship between the Richardson sisters. I loved seeing Black women being successful, ambitious, and awesome. I really loved the villains. Like I really liked them. The antagonists were some of the best characters in this book and also some of the best antagonists I've read recently.

I feel like I probably would have liked this book more if I'd read the previous books, but since this book can't really stand on its own and because I didn't love the leads this book gets.

Two Stars

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley

REVIEW: BRENDA LARNELL

There’s nothing like a good story that employs the Protector/Guardian trope, and talented writer, Cheris Hodges, pens that good story highlighting Yolanda Richardson, boutique owner, and Charles Morris, personal bodyguard. Yolanda is a member of the Richardson family of Charleston, South Carolina. Her sisters, Alex, Robin, and Nina, and father, Sheldon play important roles in Yolanda’s life and this story. The sisters are a tight-knit quartet who are constantly in each other’s business but love each other fiercely. You might remember Robin from the first installment of this series, WON’T GO HOME WITHOUT YOU.

Yolanda witnesses a murder, and she believes that the best thing for her to do is to keep quiet, but that strategy doesn’t work. The killer is aware that she saw what happened and threatens Yolanda who flees to South Carolina. As she attempts to protect her sisters and father by distancing herself from them, Yolanda finds herself between the proverbial “rock and a hard place”. There is literally no place to run or hide. Enter Charles “Chuck” Morris. You’ll get that when you read the story. Sheldon, Yolanda’s father, hires him to protect Yolanda when he finally discovers that her life is in danger. Of course, Yolanda doesn’t like it at all. Taking orders and following someone else’s directions does not sit well with Miss Independent, “I can take care of myself”, Yolanda Richardson. Not to mention, the growing attraction that is brewing between her and her protector. Charles has to handle Yolanda, the chemistry brewing between them, her sisters, his past, the killer and the man he hired to kill Yolanda. Yeah, he has his hands full! The story flows well, and it becomes a page-turner as the plot thickens with unexpected twists and turns. Good job, Cheris!

The side characters, Yolanda’s sisters, have their own little drama going on. There’s a pending wedding (Nina) a pending divorce (Robin), and Alex being Alex. However, their support of their sister is priceless. I love a good villain, and this story has two! Boo-Hiss two times. The author did a great job tying up loose ends, and the HEA is epic!

If you want an entertaining summer read with romance, family drama, murder and mayhem, I strongly recommend OPEN YOUR HEART by Cheris Hodges. You can thank me later.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

Open Your Heart is the third book in the Richardson Sisters series. It can be read as a standalone, but I really enjoyed the previous two and would recommend them.

Unfortunately, this one was great in theory, but not so much in execution. I did like the overall setup, and while the situation Yolanda is in, being pursued by a killer after being witness to a crime is a bit intense, especially in comparison to the more lighthearted (comparatively) tone of the prior books, I enjoyed the high-stakes situation that ended up bringing her and Charles together, even if it did feel a bit improbable at times.

I continue to like the subtle role the sisters play in each others’ books, with them meddling with each other’s love lives and giving each love interest a hard time.

But I did want more from the romance itself. I guess it’s kind of a slow-burn, with Charles fighting his attraction due to events from his past. But I was never fully invested, which is sad, as the external circumstances at play would typically make the romance burn brighter. Add to this the somewhat choppy pacing, where it simultaneously feels short and unfulfilling, yet also like it dragged, and I found myself rather underwhelmed.

That’s not to say another reader won’t enjoy it, as there are elements that I enjoyed about it, and the things that I didn’t are largely a matter of taste.

So, while I like the optics of this book, it just didn't work for me.

this story honestly read as choppy. I just felt like for all thirty-two chapters and three hundred and something pages later…what as this? I love the idea of this story, but the execution didn’t pan out and honestly, it just didn’t read well. Even with Yolanda being as annoying as she was, I could have coped if the story felt more fleshed out and this romance? Listen, I wasn’t invested in it at all. I wanted more of them on page, and I got her family which is fine but we ain’t here for all dat!

I will not say do not read this. This may not have been of story of my liking but you? Go for it.

*Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Open Your Heart is book three in Cheris Hodges’ Richardson Sisters series. This installment finds Yolanda Richardson hiding from a crime she witnessed and bodyguard Charles Norris has the task of keeping her alive until the killer is caught. There is instant attraction between these two and Charles is fighting it because of past events. Yolanda is resistant to involve the police and fights Chuck every step while trying to get him to admit his feelings toward her. Throw in the events with her sister’s upcoming nuptials and her older sisters wanting answers on the true nature of Chuck’s relationship with Yolanda. As the story evolves and the killers are revealed, Chuck races to ensure Yolanda’s safety before he and she can fully pursue their feelings. Will they catch the killer in time, readers will have to purchase a copy to learn the outcome.

Overall, this was an ok read. This book ran concurrently with the first two books and at times I felt Yolanda was too stubborn and too involved with her siblings lives to fully deal with her feelings for Chuck. As fearless and tough she portrayed with her family, she was scared to go to the police to report what she witnessed. I don’t feel Yolanda and Chuck really explored their feelings with the travelling back and forth to the family establishment and Yolanda fighting Chuck at every turn and finally the references to events in the prior installments. Again, I still feel the Richardson sisters were a bit extreme with their protectiveness but realize this was how they displayed their love. I would recommend this series.

Note: I received an advance copy from Netgalley

Open Your Heart is a wonderful romance wrapped in a mystery. Yolanda Richardson, the lead character witnesses a murder and how she tries to handle it leaves the reader continually guessing, wondering whether she will stay safe and keep her family safe or will disaster strike. Enter Charles Morris to protect her and more hijinks ensue. Open Your Heart is a great addition to the Richardson series of books by Cheris Hodges.