Pawn (Ironclad Bodyguards 1) Reviewed

a review of Pawn (Ironclad Bodyguards 1) by wickedgoodreads

WOW! Where do I start with this one.... I LOVED IT!
Pawn is the story of Sam (Salim) Knight - a hot, hunk of bodyguard assigned by Ironclad to guard Grace Ann Frasier, a Chess grandmaster who is in the finals of the Chess World Championships. She is the first female to ever reach this level and the games are being played in Dubai, a city in the UAE, and her opponent is an Arab man (can I say that? is that PC? the author uses the word in the book a lot so I used it but it still makes me feel weird... oh well, moving on).
Grace was playing a tournament in Russia when she was the victim of a horrible assault. Three men broke into her room and beat her as well as did other things that I wont mention. For this reason, the State Department has determined that she needs protection for this ultimate tournament. Sam is hired to protect her while she practices and travels. The story picks up here.
I wont give away any spoilers but this was one almighty good book. The character development was flawless. I loved who I was supposed to love (Grace, Sam, Zeke) and hated who I was supposed to hate (Fredrik.. you MFer). The author clearly accentuated all of Grace's quirks, her doubts and her fears. She seemed like a real person to me. She behaved as a real person would behave and not so much as a book character. Sam and the other characters were not as developed as she was but then it was her book and not theirs.
The storyline was also well developed and flowed along seamlessly. I was never tempted to skim or skip pages. Up until the very end I was left questioning exactly how the matches were going to conclude and how/if the relationship was going to end up.
This was my first book by Molly/Annabel Joseph but it certainly wont be my last. She is an exceptionally talented writer and I am looking forward to reading more of the Ironclad Bodyguards series.
Thank you Ms. Joseph and Novel Reviewers for the opportunity to read/review this book!
I give Pawn (Ironclad Bodyguards 1) 5*****wickedgoodstars -asw

My first review - what a GREAT book!!