The Bodyguard Affair

Lea (The Catch) tugs at readers’ heartstrings with this sweet fake-dating romance. Andi Zeigler and Nolan Crosby have a meet-awkward in a bar bathroom the same night that Andi learns her ex-boyfriend and her best friend are now dating. Heartbroken and lonely, Andi asks Nolan to go home with her, an encounter that turns from steamy to sweet as they abandon their hook up to chat. Three years later, however, Andi, now the personal assistant to the Canadian prime minister’s wife, is reintroduced to Nolan, the PM’s temporary bodyguard. When the tabloids print speculation that Andi is the PM’s mistress, Andi and Nolan’s employers encourage them to fake a relationship for the media as damage control. Nolan agrees because he’s still drawn to Andi and wants to get to know her better. He’s also the only person who knows about her side hustle as a pseudonymous, self-published romance author, a secret that could add fuel to the scandal if her identity were leaked. As Andi and Nolan work together to weather the media storm, Nolan helps Andi come out of her anxious shell and Andi helps him support his mother, who has Alzheimer’s. It’s an endearing partnership, and Lea is skilled at balancing heavy moments with light humor. Readers will have no trouble rooting for these two. (Dec.)