Oh that was good. Not at all what I thought I was going to be reading, but still absolutely brilliant, even if it does end on a tiny bit of a cliffie.

That was expected, given it's book one in a new trilogy from the writer of one of my absolutely favourite urban fantasy/paranormal series The Darkest Court. but even so I was like noooooooo, I need book two now!

It's not a relationship cliffie, but related to the overall book arc which will run through the series and concerns an utterly delicious kind of political (small P not modern politics but political manoeuvring between specific business leaders of a particular persuasion).

On the face of it, things start as a fairly typical bodyguard/protectee kind of narrative, throw in a bit of antagonism, secrets and behind the scenes plotting and you could be forgiven for thinking you're going to be reading a traditional suspense.

But no, it rapidly becomes clear there's something going on that isn't quite normal and that's as much as I will say about the paranormal/supernatural element of the tale.

It draws from Romanian culture, a very specific part of which I've not really seen been the focus of many fiction books apart from Rachel Mead's epic tales of good versus evil. (And that's the biggest hint you're going to get :D )

And as the plot unwinds, it's clear that Atlas and Christian have a connection, one they're both fighting big time as the tensions mount.

The feeling of dread which hangs over them as Atlas gets mired into a family dispute which has more layers and twists than he could ever have imagined is real.

The pacing is superb. I read this in one go in a few hours and never felt like any of it was filler. My feelings for the main pairing swapped and changed, same with the secondary characters which surround them, on a regular basis.

I couldn't tell where the plot was going, only that something was being hidden. When it becomes obvious what that is, you get a definite Eureka! moment.

Cannot wait for more as I love M.A. Grant's world-building and writing!

But one thing I will say, I don't think the cover does this book any favours at all.

With a Blurb which is also fairly non-descriptive, I think the publishers are missing a trick for readers to get more of a feeling about the book's subject.

I thoroughly enjoyed Prince of Air and Darkness by M.A. Grant, so when I saw this one pop up on NetGalley, I had to try for it. I was very happy when I was approved and it made it’s way to the top of my tbr.

Rare Vigilance is an easy read, it has a simple plot and the romance levels are a lot more gentle than I have been reading lately and there isn’t any smut, but I still enjoyed it. It did take me a little bit to get into, but once there were whiffs of angsty feels, I became invested.

Atlas is an easy character to adore. He has been through hell, he suffers from ptsd, anxiety and migraines, yet he gets the job done. His role as a bodyguard isn’t something that he enjoys, but it pays the bills. He especially doesn’t like his latest charge, the spoilt son of a local, rich business man. I enjoyed Atlas’s character progression.

I shouldn’t compare, but I will, I didn’t think it was as good as her first series. It was a little simple and predictable, but it was still and a decent read. I liked the vampire element, the way they function and there is lots of potential. I think the characters and world building in The Prince of Air and Darkness series were more fleshed out and had more depth.

I will admit I hated the ending and I think the cover needs to be redone. If it wasn’t for me already knowing the author, I wouldn’t have looked twice at the book. Will I read the next book? Probably. There are many unanswered questions that I would like the answers to. If you are looking for a slow burn paranormal romance with lots of potential then give Rare Vigilance a try.

Oh, let me count the ways that I love this book! I LOVE THIS BOOK! It's compelling, emotional, suspenseful and so very engaging. I would recommend buying it immediately!

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

M. A. Grant’s Rare Vigilance hit a real sweet spot for me: it’s a paranormal romance between the bratty but secretly compassionate wealthy heir to a finance throne & the gruff bodyguard who resents his charge...at least for a little while.

Bodyguard Atlas Kinkaid doesn’t talk about why he was involuntarily discharged from the armed forces. Regularly stricken with migraines, Atlas is just trying to get by.

But then his sister & boss Bea puts an opportunity in front of him: working his preferred hours & guarding the son of the most famous businessperson in their community. His protectee is Cristian Salva. (Whom I imagined as a Theo James type 🤩. Prob not necessary info for this review ).

But despite his attraction for Cristian, things happen & Atlas finds himself with BIG stressful decisions to make.

Rare Vigilance is a fun ride that kicks off what I think will be a series focusing on the same couple. There’s some kissing, one scene where things go further, & a cliffhanger.

Grant sets up things for this couple well—Atlas’s efforts to resist Cristian & the way he tests his control are delightful—& it was an escape to sit inside this world for a while. I won’t ruin the PNR aspect of the book but I love how it plays out amidst a story of capitalism & power & how it’s complicated by Atlas’s awareness that working class people (& maybe others too) are suffering.

There are some aspects of this book that don’t feel thoroughly developed to me—I wanted more subtlety & clarity in the transition of Atlas’s feelings toward Cristian, for example—but I’m really excited to have discovered this author & to read her backlist!

4 ⭐️. Release date: 6/22.

Wow, this new supernatural M.A. Grant story was really exciting and action-packed every step of the way.

I'd previously read and thoroughly enjoyed Grant's "The Darkest Court", an M/M series about Queen Mab's three Fae prince sons, and if the remainder of this series keeps up with this first book, I may end up liking this series even more than its predecessor.

Set in modern-day, upstate New York, Atlas Kinkaid, a former Marine, took a bodyguard job to protect Cristian Slava, the arrogant son of a wealthy businessman.

I really enjoyed the first parts of the story, where Christian had resigned himself to the need for a bodyguard/babysitter, but was bound and determined to do everything within his power to make that person's job... hellish.

At the end of his military career, Atlas and his platoon had been attacked by a "monster" in Romania, with him being the only survivor, but what I especially liked about this story was that, when confronted by the same type of "monster" here in the states, that eventually led to Atlas and Christian finally forging a bond. Most definitely not immediately, but eventually.

As I don't want to be "That Spoilery Bitch", those are about the only plot details that I'm comfortable detailing out at this point, but I will add that alongside all of the near-constant action, the romance wasn't entirely left behind in the dust, achieving a nice balance, so two thumbs-up there.

I'd rate this book at around 4.5 stars and whole-heartedly recommend it to any M.A. Grant fans or those who enjoy faster-paced, but not rushed, supernatural stories.

In case some of you are super-curious, and hadn't already heard or figured it out yet, the main supernatural creatures in this story are (view spoiler).

I'll without a doubt be reading *ALL* of the books in this series!

I got to read the NetGalley ARC, this is my honest review.

I can't believe anyone got me to enjoy a vampire book. Not just that, but I will definitely be reading the series, as well.

Choosing to stay with Atlas as POV character while he figures out what he's walked into is brilliant. The tension is terrifically handled as Atlas (former Marine, now bodyguard) confronts inner and outer demons, and while the arc is common when we have to face our wrong assumptions, the way the author shows us his path is entirely satisfying. This one ends in peril without a HFN, but I found it satisfying and would like to have the next book now, please.

Quote:
Alone together, Cristian’s silence reminded Atlas of the stillness that came after removing body armor , when the skin and muscles remember to move differently, when common sense warns to approach the surrounding world with a bit more caution.

Romance between tough competent body guard and their client? I'm in and should probably be embarrassed about how many of this genre I've read.

Rare Vigilance is a slow burn closed door style romance with a fake mystery element.

Loved that there was some representation for PTSD for former military (I am not qualified to talk about the accuracy of the representation, but I thought it was nice it was acknowledged).

My only downside is that I didn't love how Christian came across as immature and childish when he should be super old. It made him feel too much like the body guards naive client stock character when that just isn't true nor is it suitable for a vampire.

I have received an ARC of this book by NetGalley, and Carina Press and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review. The Pub date of the book is June 22th. This review will be posted on my Goodreads, Facebook page and Instagram.
I must confess that the beginning of this book exasperated me a lot. First Christian and then Atlas ... one at a time and in different ways. Then, I started to get into the story itself and to understand the reason for my irritation and started to gain more of my interest and attention. I thought it was going to be a book that I would have to read out of hate, but that changed, and I ended up enjoying it a lot and getting curious and interested in these two characters and why things happened that way.
The author's writing is addictive and did not bother me. I especially liked Atlas's sister, Bea. Too much - and will not tell you more.
The genre itself, Paranormal / Vampires, is not something I am used to reading, so it took me a long time to get into the story and I think I will have to reread some parts to understand some of the things that I think have escaped to me, but in general, I liked it and I was curious about what awaits us in the next books. Yes, because the author finished the book on a cliffhanger. And a powerful one. Like: what the fuck?
In short, a good story and one I want to continue to follow to find out how the whole problem is going to unfold.

I have been impatient to read "Rare Vigilance" since M.A. Grant first announced it and when I saw this on Netgalley... well, I RAN online and requestest it: a bodyguard-client relationship PLUS vampires? I knew I was going to love it, same as I loved her previous trilogy, "The Darkest Court".

"Rare Vigilance" was truly surprising though. It's plot is fairly straightforward, with a small-town, small-world kind of vibe that I think goes really well with a vampire tale. Atlas Kinkaid, former Marine with a dark and trauma-riddled past, current employee of a bodyguard agency, Whitethorn, is hired to be the bodyguard to Cristian Slava, the bratty and entitled heir to Scarsdale most notorious businessman. But not everything is as it seems, and Atlas will soon have to deal with his past in order to survive (and keep his charge alive).

I absolutely adored both of the main characters. Atlas stole my heart from the start: I actually swooned during some scenes and I loved how sure of his abilities he was, his protective and stubborn (and commanding) streak, how he didn't let anything or anybody step on him or dictate his life, but he also had a vulnerable and scared side and his insecurity made him even more endearing. Cristian, on the other hand, didn't win me over until I was halfway through the book, but now, I'm confident I would die for him. He showed some really surprising (and lovely and gentle) sides that completely undid me: I'm kind of sorry we didn't get his POV, I would have loved to read his thoughts and feelings.
Their relationship was wonderful and completely compelling: the bratty and entitled MC that is slowly, but surely, undone by the other MCs protectiveness and competence? I WAS HOOKED. This first book doesn't have much romance and kissing: it is the first book in a trilogy, so I kind of expected that. But the potential, OH BOY. I'm so so so curious to see what will happen and how their relationship will evolve. M.A. Grant dropped some really delicious hints to what he miiiight expect (I hope they were hints at least) with them and their out-of-this-world chemistry.
I didn't appreciate a couple of things (mainly, the Big Secret and/or Misunderstanding ™) but hopefully the next book will address these issues.
I also absolutely loved Bea (I'm so looking forward to seeing more of her) and Cristian's gang of friends.

This book is out in June, and if you love vampires and paranormal adventures, secret organizations and family wars, and MCs who are prickly and stubborn, but oh so protective of one another, YOU HAVE TO GO AND BUY IT. You won't regret it.

Great beginning of a series. This title combines two classic romance tropes - vampires and bodyguards - to great effect.

4* A great intro to this author, this new world of vamps and strigoi and stuff that's not quite as it seems.

I tried this author's first trilogy but couldn't get into it, though I admired her voice, and when I saw this up for an ARC, I jumped at the chance, and it turned out to be an excellent intro to her.

The tale seems to be set in our time in the US, but I couldn't quite be certain of this, as the author was deliberately vague about descriptions, and a main side character, Bea, the sister of one of the leads, Atlas Kincaid, seemed to be keeping secrets that were hinted at quite a bit (the talk about wealth, danger, secrecy, doing business after dark) and yet Atlas didn't clock. Maybe she kept things from him due to his health issues and his PTSD, and maybe she's more than meets the eye, and more involved than she's let on, as at the end of the tale, she makes an appearance when I'd have expected someone entirely different, someone far more of an insider. So, maybe she was? We won't know for some time to come it seems, as books 2 and 3 don't have blurbs yet, and all I was able to find out is that the series will be a trilogy. This book ended on a cliffhanger, and I'm not normally a fan of those, and with this book being as good as it is, I half wish I'd waited until she'd at least published the first two, because patience isn't one of my strong points and I need more. Now.

So, whilst I clocked what Cristian and his father were, I wasn't sure that Bea didn't know - or maybe was avoiding a conversation about knowing - and how Atlas didn't figure out what was happening, especially with what we get told about his past, his PTSD, his scarring and his near loss of life. But, I was happy to go with the flow, as both leads were interesting, both had secrets, and both had decent agendas, even if Atlas's was a more selfish (but not nastily so) one.

This is a slow tale, and a slow-burn romance, but there's UST from pretty much the moment the leads meet, though neither will admit to it. We're privy to Atlas's thoughts and admissions from Cristian when it becomes clear that he has to trust Atlas with what he gets up to and with his agenda, on top of trusting him as his bodyguard, and whilst there was a feel of 'little boy spoilt' the author kept it adult enough that I didn't dislike Cristian, who was far from the spoilt young man that he first appeared to be. I liked that they spent a long time not trusting the other, then had to learn to trust each other, then were forced to work together before they admitted to being attracted to each other. There was very little sex here, and what there was was entirely in keeping with the leads the author described and with the pace and plot of her tale.

I'm not sure I was OK with Atlas's initial - betrayal? - that he had more than one opportunity to come clean over, but didn't, not even when he put his employer, Cristian's dad, and everyone one in Cristian's home in danger. I couldn't figure out why Cristian stopped him from admitting anything, not that I'm sure Atlas wouldn't have tried to save his own back to some degree. The betrayal was seemingly for the right reasons at the start, then it became clear there were lies and half lies and obfuscation, followed by threats to everyone, and actual loss of life and danger, and I didn't really see how someone with a conscience wouldn't come clean, especially when trusted with the lives of the persons he'd been about to betray.

No doubt all will become clear in the next book, and no doubt the leads will have a distancing, because when it comes out, how much forgiveness will Cristian and his father show? I'm impatient to find out about Bea's involvement, and whether others close to Cristian, especially one who seems to be keeping secrets, are also against him and his father. For now, I'll have to be satisfied with a reread. This felt in some ways like a grown-up's version of the YA Morganville Vampire series, and I can't wait to read more.

ARC courtesy of HARLEQUIN Carina Press and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

Ever since reading The Darkest Court series by this author, I’ve been eagerly anticipating a new release, when this one was announced, it went straight onto my 2021 priority shelf. So it’s no surprise that as soon as I was accepted for an eARC, I binged the whole thing in an evening.

I loved the writing style and the characters, I normally don’t love slow burn romance but I loved this one!

Possible spoiler in the next paragraph!
I wish we got to see Cristian's POV as well, but Atlas was a great main character regardless. One thing I didn’t love was the miscommunication/ the fact that Atlas was withholding super important information from Cristian, he had ample opportunity to come clean and never does.

Overall, I really enjoyed this, I can’t wait for book 2, especially after that cliffhanger!

I am over the moon with how much I enjoyed this book!

It had the elements of sci-fi, monsters living among us, myths and legends and an mm romance?? This book has got it all!!

After I finished I needed the rest of the series, you can't leave me hanging like that!! I need to know!! Plus I'm so excited to see how the relationship between Cristian and Atlas progresses. Also, how cool is the name Atlas? Love it.

I'm a huge fan and I can't wait for the rest of this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press for the earc in return for an honest review.

omg excellent

twists on vampires

great couple, slow burn

Wowzers

I feel like anything I say beyond WOW will not make sense yet. I’ll be back to add more. Because WOW.

How dare Marion Audrey Grant have the audacity to give me an arc of Rare Vigilance knowing it will be AGES before I can read book 2. I'm so upset. And I can't prove it but I think she did it on purpose. 😔🤣

“Choice, Mr. Kinkaid, is the cornerstone of my world. Without it, there is nothing . No family, no loyalty, no respect.”

I was hesitant to start Rare Vigilance. Not because I didn't think I wouldn't like it. (I do. I do. I do.) Or that it wouldn't be amazing. (IT IS.) But I was scared that it couldn't and wouldn't live up to the expectations of the piece of my soul that belongs The Darkest Court. How could anything top that. And it didn't, or it didn't have to, because now I have a whole new little corner of it just for this series. M.A. Grant's books are apparently my horcruxes now. *shrug*

It was so interesting to see the transition from Fae lore to Vampire lore. As was The Darkest Court, Rare Vigilance is well written, well researched, and very much character driven. Grant writes some of my favorite characters. She takes these broken souls and somehow leads them to each other in a complicated messy beautiful way. She makes you care about them and their choices and their fate. She makes them relatable.

In Rare Vigilance we have Atlas (one of my favorite names) Kinkaid who is still figuring out how to live after being discharged from the military following an attack where he was the only the survivor. His sister sets him up on a security job and his charge is no other than the sarcastic stubborn partier Christian Slava. Filled with secrets and betrayals, they soon have to learn to work together to defeat a common enemy.

“Is that all it takes? Is telling you the truth all it takes to get you to look at me like that?” he asked, courageous in a way Atlas would never know. He took a cautious step forward, sliding so, so easily into Atlas’s space, and tilted his head up, his lips a breath away. Waiting. Giving Atlas the chance to move, to flee, or to surrender and close the distance between them.
“How am I looking at you?” Atlas asked, desperate to keep his head and not do something foolish.
“Like I’m finally worth the risk.”

Feeling more and more like Alice in some demented Wonderland, Atlas pressed forward.




*** Thank you so much to M.A. Grant, Carina Press, and Netgalley for allowing me to experience pain in the form of this book shaped story. All opinions are my own. Quotes are subject to change. ***

First in a new exciting trilogy this story is one part paranormal vampires, one part slow burn romance, and one part detective thriller. I really cannot wait to see where MA Grant takes us next for book 2!

I absolutely loved the Darkest Court series by M.A. Grant, particularly Prince of Air and Darkness, so I have been hanging out for her latest paranormal series, #WhitethornAgency, starting off with this gem of a first book, Rare Vigilance.

Honestly, at first I wasn't sure about this book, purely based on the cover art and the name (and if it was up to me I'd probably change one or both) but in any event, don't let either of those things put you off (if you're like me😁) because Rare Vigilance is GOOOOD😍.

Our two MCs are Alex Kincaid, former marine turned security agent, and Cristian Slava, son of a somewhat infamous business man. Both are lethally attractive, multi-layered, intriguing characters, and there is a shed-load of tension between the two from the get-go 🔥🔥🔥.

Missing persons, dodgy night clubs, strange animal-type attacks, mysterious bonds and an underlying war brewing between families, and we're set up for a great series.

Without giving too much away, it quickly becomes apparent that one of our MCs isn't exactly what he seems to be, and so we have that yummy blend of one human MC, and one not so much...and lots of angsty, slow-burn enemies-something else that M.A. Grant does so well😈.

Rare Vigilance is up on #NetGalley (highly recommended, so check it out ASAP!) and I was lucky enough to get an ARC. This is my honest review.

All the stars ✨✨✨✨✨.