LynneC’s review of Her Man in Manhattan by Trish Wylie
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Kiss 19 Mar 13

This is another entry in the Kiss line, and this one reads like a refugee from the Intrigue or Romantic Suspense line. It’s a bodyguard story, one of my favorite tropes, but this one didn’t do it for me, I’m afraid.

Miranda is the daughter of the mayor of New York, who is currently running for another term in office and considering moving up to governorship. The political game is a family business, and Miranda is wholly concerned with the campaign, attending public affairs and so on. A bit like the Duchess of Cambridge, it occurred to me.
Tyler is her bodyguard, pulled off an important drugs case to look after Miranda. He’s a cop, not a professional bodyguard.

Would the authorities put a non-specialist on the case like this? Or would the mayor employ a trained bodyguard? I don’t know, but it just seemed unlikely to me. And would Tyler take time off to go on to his previous case? Also, he is her only. He drives the car as well. Do they do that? Because a bodyguard can’t keep his eyes on the road and watch for shooters. The whole setup just seemed wrong, if not improbable. He treats Miranda badly for most of the book, more like a package than a person, and has a maddeningly superior air. I don’t like Tyler.

Miranda wants to be treated like an adult. She wants her own life. Except she keeps behaving like a spoiled brat. She’s got her previous bodyguards fired by giving them the slip, and she goes to nightclubs and other places. And part way through the book she says “I’m done” and reveals the existence of siblings, who weren’t mentioned earlier. So if she hates it so much, why not go earlier? I kept waiting for the Big Secret to come out, the reason Tyler is assigned to watch her, but it doesn’t happen.

There is some flirting and a kiss early on, but for those of you looking for action, there is none. Quite a bit of sexual tension, and the banter is amusing, so those of you who prefer the kisses-only read, you might enjoy this.

There are a few things that irritate me. This might be an old title revamped, because Miranda has a BlackBerry. Later on, this gem occurred:

‘You have a photographic memory?’
‘The term is didactic’

No, it’s not. And what does that have to do with the plot or anything else? It comes out of nowhere and has nothing to do with anything. “Didactic” means “instructive.” I think the word is “eidetic.” Could it be a Spellcheck mistake? No, because my Spellcheck doesn’t pop that one up for me.

I’ve enjoyed Trish Wylie’s books in the past, but this one doesn’t really come together for me. The plot meanders, never quite settles on what it wants to be. The possible existence of a stalker is touched on, abandoned, and picked up again. There are a lot of threads like that, things that don’t lead anywhere, and declarations that aren’t followed through. At one point she’s followed everywhere and yet she can go, undisguised, on the Staten Island Ferry and be kissed by her bodyguard and it doesn’t appear in the media somewhere?

And the whole Kiss line. I get that they’re trying to be “modern,” but the concept is muddled and doesn’t work. On one hand you get a book with sex and heavy hints of BDSM and kink, and then you get this, with no sex scenes and a light touch that doesn’t seem to work with some others.

Grade: D

Summary:

Up close and personal—with her bodyguard!

It seems mayor’s daughter Miranda Kravitz has scored herself a new and very dreamy bodyguard! Apparently the fireworks between them are scorching, but will this tabloid darling really be willing to give up her newfound taste for freedom—no matter how gorgeous Tyler Brannigan is?

Rumor has it Brannigan hates playing by the rules and has used up all his strikes with the NYPD vice squad. So now this cop’s paying his dues with a temporary assignment as babysitter. If anyone can keep this Manhattan princess in check, surely it’s this tough-guy detective? Hopefully handcuffs won’t be necessary!

Read an excerpt.