Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Rule #1: Don’t become a bodyguard to the kid you used to bully.

Mason: In my defense, I didn’t know it was that kid. I barely remember high school. But Kai Jacinto remembers everything.

Rule #2: Don’t let him pretend he doesn’t need you.

Kai’s got a stalker. He’s already been attacked—twice—but he still acts like this is just a mild inconvenience. He’s rich, arrogant, and pushes my buttons like he’s trying to set off a bomb. Unfortunately for both of us, I don’t walk away from the job.

Rule #3: Don’t get distracted by how gorgeous he is.

I’m straight. Allegedly. But Kai’s grown into a man I can’t ignore—brilliant, funny, and hotter than sin, straightness be damned. And the more I see of the beautiful, fragile man he’s become, the more determined I am to keep him safe.

Rule #4: Don’t let him know you’ve fallen.

I’ve been through war zones, gun fights, and more ambushes than I can count, but nothing prepared me for the mess Kai’s made of my heart. He’s mine to protect. Mine to crave. Mine to ruin if I’m not careful.

But I’ll burn the world down before I let anyone touch him again. And I’ll break every damn rule I’ve got, just to make him mine.

Rival for Rent is book 1 in the Heartbreakers Anonymous series. It’s an enemies to lovers, bully to bodyguard, bisexual awakening romance with high heat, forced proximity, and opposites attract energy.

Book Review

I was engaged in this story from the beginning, immediately caught up in the rivalry between Kai and his new bodyguard, Mason. There was certainly no love lost between the two as Kai was like a prickly hedgehog around Mason, and Mason only wanted to fulfill his role of bodyguard as his sister’s agency employee. But once it was evident that Kai was truly in danger, Mason was all in for protection and Kai reluctantly accepted.

 

Unlike Mason, who has no recollection of his behavior toward Kai in high school, Kai remembers his bully very well, still carries a stellar resentment, and wants no part of his help now. No way is Kai going to let him into his home, his life, his heart. This is an opposites-attract, enemies-to-lovers, bisexual awakening romance, and I enjoyed most of their story, but I had an issue with the mystery and with Kai’s personal commitment to changing behaviors.

 

As for the resolution of the mystery stalker: Mason supposedly placed a tracker on the shoe of said stalker when he surprised the guy in front of Kai’s home. But there’s no on-page placement of the tracker shown and, based on the actions in the scene, it’s unlikely he’d have been able to do that. The tracker then stays dormant for ten days, until suddenly moving again. And the explanation for this at the end of the story struck me as unrealistic. Said another way, I just didn’t buy it. I’m a detail-oriented person and minutiae like this that makes me stop to think through the logic can pull me down a rabbit hole and out of the story.

 

As for Kai, and his behavior when texting Mason late in the story, his stated intent did not match his previous expressed commitment to have “learned his lesson.” What he thought about doing via text seemed too close to his past behavior, which was identified as the cause of his being stalked. Granted this was not exactly the same, but both were similar enough to send up red flags before my eyes. Sadly, this distraction made me stop in amazement mid-page because it was so foolish.

 

So, although I appreciated the plot excitement of the stalker and the push-pull of a developing relationship between the former bully/ bodyguard and his smart, wealthy former high school victim, the two issues I noted were so off-putting to me that they impacted my overall enjoyment of the story. I recognize not everyone is like me with getting bogged down in details so many people will enjoy this story immensely.

 

I recommend this romance because the writing was well-paced and the characters well-developed and the love-hate trope was well-done. And, of course, there’s the cherry on top… their HEA.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book was provided by theauthor via GRRT for the purpoase of a review.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 368 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	30-May-2025
Price	$5.99 ebook, $18.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Rival-Rent-Heartbreakers-Book-1-ebook/dp/B0F7GNRFB2