Review: Along Came Trouble by Ruthie Knox

Title: Along Came Trouble by Ruthie Knox
Camelot Series Book Two
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Imprint: Loveswept
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 377 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Ruthie Knox’s Camelot series continues in this sizzling eBook original novel, featuring two headstrong souls who bump heads—and bodies—as temptation and lust bring nothing but delicious trouble.

An accomplished lawyer and driven single mother, Ellen Callahan isn’t looking for any help. She’s doing just fine on her own. So Ellen’s more than a little peeved when her brother, an international pop star, hires a security guard to protect her from a prying press that will stop at nothing to dig up dirt on him. But when the tanned and toned Caleb Clark shows up at her door, Ellen might just have to plead the fifth.

Back home after a deployment in Iraq and looking for work as a civilian, Caleb signs on as Ellen’s bodyguard. After combat in the hot desert sun, this job should be a breeze. But guarding the willful beauty is harder than he imagined—and Caleb can’t resist the temptation to mix business with pleasure. With their desires growing more undeniable by the day, Ellen and Caleb give in to an evening of steamy passion. But will they ever be able to share more than just a one-night stand?

Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: How to Misbehave, Flirting with Disaster, and About Last Night.

The Review:

Two words immediately come to mind when I think about Along Came Trouble. Scorching hot.

In this second installment of Ruthie Knox’s fabulous Camelot series, the sparks fly right from Ellen Callahan and Caleb Clark’s first meeting. Not all the sparks are from their intense attraction though. Caleb has his work cut out for him when the stubborn single mother fights him every step of the way when he tries to protect her from the media frenzy surrounding her pop star brother Jamie and her next door neighbor Carly.

Ellen Callahan has a lot of emotional baggage from a childhood spent being overshadowed by her gorgeous and talented brother and a disastrous marriage to an alcoholic philanderer. Her strengths eventually become her greatest weakness as her overwhelming fear of losing her hard won independence overrides her common sense when she is dealing with Caleb. I liked her, but her staunch refusal to accept Caleb’s security recommendations made me want to shake some much needed sense into her.

Caleb has a lot on his plate between trying to establish a new business and help out his family, but he deftly balances both his professional and personal life. He never gets frustrated with Ellen nor does he lose his patience with her. Instead, he devises a strategy to get past her defenses and he successfully outmaneuvers a master negotiator. He concedes a few points to Ellen, but he stands his ground when he needs to.

Caleb and Ellen are on opposite ends of the relationship spectrum. Ellen is more than happy to indulge in a no strings attached affair while Caleb is ready for a committed relationship. This part of the storyline is a refreshing change of pace from the usual romance novel formula and added to the story’s charm.

I also really enjoyed the secondary romance between Carly and Jamie. Because of his fame, Jamie really has not had to work for anything in his life. Everyone caters to his every whim and at first, he comes across as pretty shallow. Carly is in love with him, but she makes him work his way back into her life. At first, Jamie has no idea how to fix their relationship, but he soon comes up with a pretty ingenious plan to win her back.

If you have never read a Ruthie Knox novel, then you are in for a real treat with Along Came Trouble. It is a highly entertaining romance with a unique storyline. The characters are delightfully imperfect but immensely appealing and each of them undergoes a great deal of growth. The sex scenes between Caleb and Ellen are intense and incredibly sensual.

If you are a fan of contemporary romances, you will love this captivating romance.