Review: The Executive Officer's Wife by Lila Munroe

The Executive Officer’s Wife by Lila Munroe

Publisher: The Wild Horse Press
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Heat Rating: 2

Blurb

Meet Libby Calhoun, the independent strong-willed daughter of a Marine Corps sniper. She's learned to take care of herself over the years, and after one failed marriage she isn't looking for love, a husband, or children.

Golden-eyed Chase Wayland isn't looking for love either. The former Marine turned private bodyguard learned his lesson from a deceptive ex-wife. Trust isn't something he easily gives in to. Then Libby happens.
Living under the same roof for what could be months won't be easy when their mutual attraction threatens to disrupt the strictly business policy they both adhere to.



Denise’s Review

Sometimes books can surprise you even when you weren’t looking to be surprised. This happened to me upon picking up The Executive Officer’s Wife. I chose this novel for the usual reasons: the synopsis intrigued me and I love a good power struggle between two hardheaded characters. Based on my experience with this press, I expected the book to be good, but I wasn’t quite prepared for just HOW good it was.

Strong characters are the cornerstone of any truly excellent novel and this book is no exception. You have Libby Calhoun, daughter of an MIA Marines Corps sniper and survivor of one bad marriage. She is accustomed to being on her own due to her father’s occupation, therefore doesn’t take to being manhandled or controlled. What really impressed me about Libby’s characterization wasn’t her willingness to rebel or object to the necessary precautions to keep her safe, rather her willingness to accept those precautions as necessary. She doesn’t kowtow to what she’s told nor does she blatantly ignore the threat against her life. It was a fabulous middle ground that appropriately acknowledged the balance most people face in their every day interactions, and even though the circumstances might have been mitigating, the reaction to them was not over the top.

The hero, Chase Wayland, was another surprise. Like Libby, he’d left behind a mess of a former marriage and was reluctant to open himself up to another woman, especially one he was assigned to view as a job. However, the drama and tension separating them never seemed outrageous or melodramatic. Their interactions were well-paced and sometimes hot as all hell; other times, sweet and realistic. I truly believed their relationship.

The only reasons I’m not giving The Executive Officer’s Wife a 5-Tea Cup rating, stands at the at-times rushed transitions and the head-hopping. I’m not a fan of head-hopping, and even though I loved the story, it was a distraction I couldn’t ignore.

If you’re looking for a good, solid read with strong characterizations and a lot of heart, you won’t want to miss The Executive Officer’s Wife.

4 Tea Cups!