She’s his bodyguard. Nothing more.
Until it starts to snow.
Drama King, an all-new swoony, hilarious, opposites attract standalone holiday romp from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid, is now available!
Stuck with her off-limits, taciturn, hunky movie star client during a sudden snowstorm on Christmas Eve, an extremely capable and highly professional bodyguard must keep him alive and warm without letting the tension building between them get too hot.
Bathsheba (Beth) Ryan can’t thank her best friend enough for helping her land the job of her dreams. After being relegated to second-string security for politicians in DC, being hired as an undercover personal security specialist by a giant Hollywood studio is exactly the kind of action she’s always wanted.
Until she meets her first assignment.
Cyrus Malcom can’t thank his agent enough for arranging a blind date with seemingly the woman of his dreams. After spending the past several years playing all the parts and climbing all the ladders, the lonely mega movie star finds himself actually enjoying a night on the town for the first time in ages when he meets the gorgeous, funny, and genuine Ryaine O’Rourke.
Until she shows up at his studio meeting the next day with a completely different name.
A world-wide press tour and too many late-night parties later, Beth simply needs to get through a short, one-day visit during the Christmas holiday, and then she’ll be free of Cyrus Malcom’s confusing hot looks and cold shoulders for good.
But just as they leave the airport, it starts to snow . . .
‘Drama King’ is the second book in the Three Kings Series, is a full-length, contemporary romantic comedy, and can be read as a complete standalone.
Grab your copy today!
Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/dramaking
Apple Books: http://bit.ly/3TIhWy5
Nook: http://bit.ly/3EgK2uD
Kobo: http://bit.ly/3AkdRJz
Google Play: http://bit.ly/3tyUybt
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/3GiKkDX
Keep reading for a look inside Drama King!
“Do you want to listen to music?” I asked softly. “Or talk radio?”
“No, thank you,” he said shortly, shifting in his seat again while he kept on staring and frowning out the window. “You’ll need to take a right when you get to Old Whiskey Road.”
“You don’t want to go through downtown Alenbach?”
“No. I’ve seen it before.” His response was uncharacteristically irritable.
Fighting a bout of nerves, I considered my next question, or whether I should ask a question.
One popped in my head and I wondered if it was too personal. But you know what? I decided, to heck with it. I wouldn’t see Cyrus again after today, not in any meaningful way. If he clammed up, so be it. I had nothing to lose.
I waited another mile or so, then asked, “Do you miss it?”
—at the exact same time he demanded, “Why did you pick me up?”
Stiffening at the hostility in his tone, I redoubled my efforts to focus on the road and responded calmly, “I was already here and the studio asked.”
I got the sense he was waiting for me to continue. When I didn’t, he asked, “That’s it? There’s no other reason?”
Chewing on my bottom lip, my thoughts drifted to the watch in my pocket. “What other reason would there be?” I hedged, testing the wiper controls to see if it had a higher setting. It didn’t. I felt like we were creeping along at this point and we’d be lucky to make it before nightfall.
His eyes still on me, he grumbled something I missed, then asked, “Do I miss what?”
I considered saying, Nothing, forget it, but my reasoning for asking the question was still sound.
“Do you miss Texas? Do you miss being close to your momma and all these wide-open spaces? The culture out here?” I went back to chewing my bottom lip, feeling unaccountably nervous. Carefully, I slowed the car and turned onto Old Whiskey Road. This was the bypass road for Alenbach, which was still some thirty miles ahead.
The snow seemed to thicken while I waited for him to answer. We traveled another mile and I glanced at Cyrus, our eyes connecting for the first time since he’d arrived at the Austin airport.
I absorbed the shock of it, breathed through it. Meanwhile, he stared at me, some combination of puzzled and stunned.
Braving another quick look, I asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I believe that’s the first time you’ve asked me a personal question directly.”
Gripping the steering wheel tighter, I struggled with how to respond, and eventually blurted, “That can’t be true.”
“It is. What do you know about me?” The question sounded like an accusation. “We worked together for four months and not once—not once—did you make any effort to know me. Why is that?”
A hot, spiky feeling pressed uncomfortably outward against my skin. The truth was, I knew more than I wanted to admit. “I—I know plenty.”
“Really? How? Are you a mind reader? What am I thinking right now?”
My breath wanted to hitch. I wouldn’t let it. I tried to focus on my irritation, not this strange sense that I’d let him down.
“Go ahead,” he demanded. “Tell me what I’m thinking.”
Glancing at him, I saw a deeply furrowed brow, glinting narrowed eyes, mouth tugged down at the corners, jaw set. Cyrus looked more like his character Asmodeus than himself—a beautiful, surly, smoldering fallen angel instead of a happy-go-lucky sweetheart with too much energy and charisma.
“Well?” Cyrus pushed.
“Well, obviously you’re angry with me.”
“That’s right, I’m angry.”
“Fine. Be angry then!” I yelled.
“I don’t want to be angry with you!” he shouted back. “I want to be the opposite of—oh shit”—he braced his arm against the dash—“Stop!”
I saw the deer right before Cyrus did. It was huge. Despite my frazzled state of mind and his insistence that I do so, I did not stop. I didn’t swerve either, though every instinct screamed at me to yank the wheel to the right.
Did you know deer kill more people than any other animal? Snakes and sharks have nothing on Bambi. Some people think they’re cute, I blame Disney for that. They’re not cute, they’re dumb. If you’re unfortunate enough to see them in the road, stop only if it’s convenient and you spot them from a distance and it’s not a winter hellscape outside.
But since this one appeared like a serial killer in a snowy slasher flick, I didn’t stop. I pressed gently on the brakes, slowed, and braced for impact. It came with a forceful, bone-shaking boom. Airbags deployed, filling my face and vision. The jolt of it caused my foot to press harder on the brake—rookie mistake, I should’ve removed my foot—and that’s when the shit hit the fan.
Add DRAMA KING to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/3GmfERZ
Review:
3.5 stars
***
This was a pretty good book, although not quite as good as book one in the series for me. Drama King is the second book in the Three Kings series and is Cyrus and Beth/Bathsheba's book. It can be read as a standalone. Beth occasionally does a favor for her friend Ryaine, a famous actress who she went to college with and who she looks just like. She poses as Ryaine on her blind dates and vets them for her. But when Beth goes on a blind date with Cyrus, posing as Ryaine, things go awry. Cyrus is a movie star and he happens to be from Beth's hometown and was her older sister's prom date. Beth happens to be on some hefty prescription meds for a rash and one glass of wine knocks her off her feet. When she meets Cyrus, he doesn't recognize her as Beth and she's too messed up to properly explain who she is believably. Still Cyrus is intrigued by her and does the gentlemanly thing of seeing her home safely. He wants to see her again... only he doesn't expect it to be the next day when he is introduced to his new security detail. Beth is a security specialist who is hired as part of a team to guard him, when some crazed fans of his new superhero movie get out of hand. They got off on the wrong foot and now they are spending most of their time together. Cyrus is off-limits and Beth is professional to a fault so nothing can happen between them. But it all comes to a head when they get snowed in together during a snowstorm on Christmas.
This book reminded me a lot of Pride and Prejudice, even though I don't think it was supposed to, maybe because I watched the movie recently. The characters could be frustrating in their actions at times. Beth was the more Darcy-like to me, although Cyrus was a sweetheart and not like either protagonist. It also reminded me of P and P because in that book the couple gets together at the very end. But I liked the story, even if it was a little slow at times. Cyrus didn't actually do any acting or working, beyond some press interviews, but I still liked the Hollywood setting. He was a likeable, sweet guy. Beth was more complicated to me. I didn't quite like her as much as Cyrus. I felt they both could have communicated better, as they act like they don't really like each other for much of the book. Still, I enjoyed the book in general. It kept my attention and had some sweet and lighter moments to temper the serious ones.
Overall, this was an entertaining romance. I was happy Cyrus and Beth got together and were happy. I am enjoying this series and I will continue to read anything Ms. Reid writes. I am already looking forward to Alaric's book next Christmas as well.
Meet Penny Reid Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she writes kissing books. Penny is an obsessive knitter and manages the #OwnVoices-focused mentorship incubator / publishing imprint, Smartypants Romance. She lives in Seattle Washington with her husband, three kids, and dog named Hazel.
Connect with Penny
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PennyReidWriter/
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lakzsD
Twitter: @ReidRomance
Mailing List: http://pennyreid.ninja/newsletter/
Website: www.pennyreid.ninja
