Book Review: Protection for Hire by Camy Tang

Happy Friday, friends! I hope you have fabulous plans for the weekend that involve reading lots of great books! Today, in our latest book review, I’m looking at a romantic suspense by author Camy Tang, whose books I’ve been wanting to read for a long time.

About the Book

Tessa Lancaster’s skills first earned her a position as an enforcer in her Uncle Teruo’s Japanese Mafia gang. Then they landed her in prison for a crime she didn’t commit. Now, three months after her release, Tessa’s abilities have gained her a job as bodyguard for wealthy socialite Elizabeth St. Amant and her three-year-old son.

But there’s a problem or two … or three …. There’s Elizabeth’s abusive husband whose relentless pursuit goes deeper than mere vengeance. There’s Uncle Teruo, who doesn’t understand why Tessa’s new faith as a Christian prevents her from returning to the yakuza. And then there’s Elizabeth’s lawyer, Charles Britton, who Tessa doesn’t know is the one who ensured that she did maximum time behind bars.

Now Tessa and Charles must work together in order to protect their client, while new truths emerge and circumstances spiral to a deadly fever pitch. Factor in both Tessa’s and Charles’s families and you’ve got some wild dynamics—and an action-packed, romantic read as Tessa and Charles discover the reality of being made new in Christ.

GOODREADS | AMAZON

My Thoughts

This may have been my first read by Camy Tang but it won’t be my last! Well-defined and layered (sometimes hilarious) characters, romance, humor, faith, cultural diversity, and smartly-plotted suspense (with martial arts!) all come together for a truly entertaining and compelling reading experience.

Tessa’s life is complicated, to say the least. It was already complicated before she went to prison while ‘taking one for the team’ for her beloved uncle’s yakuza (Japanese mafia gang). But in prison she decided to follow Jesus and while she knows she’s been made new she’s struggling to adapt to the drastic changes she has made and the uphill battle she faces in a family that doesn’t understand her decision. I really loved Tang’s portrayal of Tessa’s journey. It’s never preachy, but it is an authentic look at what it means to follow Jesus as a new believer whose family is not at all supportive of the transformation – and what being made new in Jesus really means.

Tessa’s and Charles’ families are wonderfully wacky and are sure to leave a smile on your face! Elizabeth is hilarious too, even though her story is sobering and all too common, and there were many moments that I laughed out loud at something one of these characters said or did. Even Tessa and Charles’ meet-cute is hysterical – it’s not every day that … well… you’ll just have to read it for yourself 😉 On top of the humor and heart, this story is also action-packed with a few surprising twists and an intriguing blend of cultures.

If you love diverse characters, grinning from ear-to-ear, and staying completely immersed in a story’s action and suspense, then you really must go grab a copy of Protection for Hire (and its sequel) today!

About the Author

Camy writes Christian contemporary romance and romantic suspense as Camy Tang and Regency romance as USA Today bestselling author Camille Elliot. She grew up in Hawaii but now lives in northern California with her engineer husband and rambunctious dog. She graduated from Stanford University in psychology with a focus on biology, but for nine years she worked as a biologist researcher.

Then God guided her path in a completely different direction and now she’s writing full time, using her original psychology degree as she creates the characters in her novels. In her free time, she’s a staff worker for her church youth group and leads one of her church’s Sunday worship teams. She also loves to knit, spin wool into yarn, and is training to (very slowly) run a marathon.

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