Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Model Bodyguard 
SERIES: Haven Investigations #2
AUTHOR: Lissa Kasey
NARRATOR: Brian Hutchison
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
RELEASE DATE: January 4, 2018
LENGTH: 9 hours, 47 minutes
BLURB:
Things are going well for androgynous model Ollie Petroskovic, ex-Marine Kade Alme, and their business, Haven Investigations, until rock star Jacob Elias shows up in need of their services…and trouble follows.
Jacob is a playboy with a serious penchant for kink, slaves, and sex toys. He’s also Ollie’s ex – and all that implies. With the media exploiting his personal life, a stalker sending blood-soaked “gifts”, a bumbling security team, and a family he can’t trust as far as he could throw them, Jacob is in desperate need of a bodyguard for his latest tour, and Kade can’t refuse.
While Kade deals with new doubts about his partnership with Ollie and struggles with reminders of his war injuries, Jacob’s stalker escalates from blackmail and threats to murder. As Kade and Ollie work to keep Jacob safe and find the culprit behind the attack, a web of family secrets, lies, and abuse slowly emerges, leading up to a final confrontation that they might not walk away from – and that will have lasting repercussions for Kade and his relationship with Ollie.
REVIEW:
The first book, Model Citizen was narrated by Mike Pohlable. I loved that book and I loved Mike’s narration I loved how he really captured Ollie. So going into this book I was a bit sceptical and wary to the change in narrator. That was until I realized that the first book was told entirely from Ollie’s POV and this one was all Kade, so it really does fit to have two different narrators for the books.
This book kicks off with a flashback to Kade in the hospital, healing from wounds he’d gotten during the war, just finding out about his best friend Nathan’s death, wondering and worrying about Ollie. We also get a glimmer of his home life and family. And it’s far from a good one. We also find out that Kade might not be as stable as he might seem.
In the present things are moving forward, seemingly smoothly, with Kade and Ollie. The business is making a profit and Ollie is taking on a few modelling gigs. That all changes when another of Ollie’s ex boyfriends shows up demanding help with a stalker. To say that neither Ollie nor Kade is thrilled with Jacob turning up is to put it mildly and they refuse to help him – until threats are getting real and Jacob’s life might just be at stake. What they unravel is a family that doesn’t seem to care for another, it’s full of secrets, blackmail and maybe even murder.
Jacob was far from my favourite person in this book. He was on my shit list from the moment he entered this book and that never really changed all that much – ok so I’ll admit to thawing a bit towards him at the end. I also believe there is a chance for him to make amends in future books to come – if given the chance that is.
While Jacob might not be a favourite of mine, there are so many other great characters that I enjoy. The family Ollie and Kade has created is a good one. They are always there with a helping hand, words of wisdom or a kick in the behind. The relationship between Kade and Ollie also solidifies, but at the same time I also feel that it is a bit imbalanced, that everyone is just a little bit too protective of Ollie.
The thing with expectations can be good or bad. From the way the first book ended, I expected more Nathan, more discussions around his death, more investigation to find answers. But he was hardly ever mentioned in anything but in passing. Not that it was bad or made the story lacking, I just expected some more answers in this book. Maybe we’ll get answers in future books?
Like I said in the beginning of this review, I was a bit wary of Brian Hutchison narrating this book. But that only lasted a couple of minutes (reading blurbs before starting a book would be helpful at times). Then I really enjoyed it. He was a good fit for Kade’s character and captured the essence of the book. However, there was at least one part where the narrator moved around a bit as the sound became a bit distorted, but that’s just a minor thing as it was only for a moment.
I really enjoy this series, and I really hope the other two books will be made into audios as well. I’d recommend this book (series) to anyone looking for a good suspense novel, but for the sake of your own sanity, do have book 3 ready to go before finishing this one, because that cliffhanger…
RATING: 
BUY LINKS: