Title: The Prince and His Bedeviled Bodyguard
Author: Charlie Cochet
Series: Paranormal Princes #1
Genre: M/M Romance, Paranormal, Shifters
Audiobook Release Date: December 26, 2019
Narrator: Greg Boudreaux
ebook Release Date: September 19, 2019
Audio Publisher: Coffee and Chaos Productions LLC
Prince Owin
Being a fierce predator—not at all adorable, despite my graceful stature—the last thing I needed was a bodyguard. Especially a wolf shifter, whose presence alone was an insult to my princely principles. As Prince of the Ocelot Shifters, I prided myself on my infallible feline instincts, uncompromisable dignity, and flawless fashion sense. If having a canine follow me around at all times wasn’t bad enough, I now faced the most important moment of my entire life. The time had come to prove I was worthy of my crown. If only I could find a way to get rid of the pesky bodyguard.
Grimmwolf
When the King of All Shifters asked me to guard Prince Owin, I admit I had no idea what to expect. Cat shifters tend to be a little intense, not to mention kinda cranky. Owin was no exception, though he seemed crankier than most. Being his bodyguard was proving to be one of the greatest challenges of my life—but not nearly as great as convincing him there was something special between us. When Owin is faced with a perilous quest to prove his worth, I was determined to keep him safe, even if the same couldn’t be said of my heart.
I really don't think I can say anymore than I did in my original ebook review to the story itself. Even only a few months since that original read and I still loved the book just as much. The adrenaline rush I get from reading a book the first time may not have been there having only been a few months but knowing what was coming didn't take away from the awesomeness either. I still want to whack Owin upside the head a few times and I still marvel at Grimmwolf's knack for positivity considering he's dealing with Owin. The Prince and His Bedeviled Bodyguard is still simply put: old fashioned fun and that's not an easy thing to do in a shifter tale so I tip my hat to Charlie Cochet's ability for meshing paranormal, romance, and humor.
As for the narration, well Greg Boudreaux just makes the world of Paranormal Princes come alive. As I said above, I still wanted to whack Owin upside the head and Greg's narration made me feel if I had a frying pan handy I could just reach out and swing😉. His portrayals may not have exactly matched what was in my head when I originally read the story last fall but honestly I can't imagine anyone doing a better job.
Original ebook Review October 2019:
Charlie Cochet has done it again! Are there authors who might do the whole scary side of shifter stories better? Sure, but personally I have not a read an author who is better at blending paranormal, romance, AND humor than Cochet. The Prince and His Bedeviled Bodyguard is an A-Freakin'-Mazing introduction to her new series, Paranormal Princes. The danger and angsty levels are pretty low but the meshing of paranormal and rom-com is . . . well . . . heavenly, I can't think of a better word other than perhaps old fashion fun!
Owin and Grimmwolf are about as mismatched as you can get: a spoiled prince cat shifter and a dedicated but carefree bodyguard wolf and yet you know where the pair will end up(and that's not a spoiler because this story is about the journey getting there not the destination😉). Knowing where they'll end up doesn't make you not want to whack Owin upside the head a time or two though or better yet throw a bucket of water on him(we all know how much cats hate getting wet despite how much time they spend cleaning themselves😉). How Grimmwolf can be so positive and smiley when he's around Owin all the time is beyond me, I guess he's better than I. Are they enemies? No but I certainly wouldn't call them friends in the beginning, at least from Owin's viewpoint. Watching them together is magical though and for a story that made me laugh so much I just couldn't put it down any more than I could a heart-pounding nailbiter, that's how addictive this pair is and I look forward to seeing more of the Paranormal Princes and what makes them all tick.
As I stated above The Prince and His Bedeviled Bodyguard is a beautifully scripted paranormal rom-com, okay you might not find it on the Hallmark channel but if it was I can promise you I would be watching the channel a lot more. Humor isn't exactly the first thing that comes to mind when talking paranormal shifter stories but it definitely fits here. Shifting, romance, fantasy, humor, fairytale, friendship - it's all here making this gem an all around heartwarming fun experience.
RATING:
“What the—” Grimm dropped the orb, and we both jumped back. To my utter disbelief, it spread upward and sideways until it was roughly the size of a large doorway, a forest appearing inside. “Hmm. What do you know? A portal that will take us where we want to go.”
How cross would the king be with me if I accidentally pushed Grimm off a cliff? Or left him with the Cù Sìth? Not like he didn’t have plenty of wolf shifters. What was one less in the grand scheme of things?
Grimm narrowed his eyes at me. “You’re not leaving me behind.”
How did he do that? “Are you sure you’re not a seer wolf?”
Grimm didn’t look impressed. “You’re right. I’m a seer. My curse is that I’m limited to visions of you being a jerk.”
I opened my mouth to respond, then thought better of it. “Can we just go?”
“As you wish, Your Highness.” He bowed and motioned for me to go ahead. Clearly, he thought I was an idiot.
“What if it’s a trap and I step through and burst into flames? You go first.”
“Your generosity knows no bounds, my liege. Fine. I’ll go first, but if I meet my demise, my blood is on your hands.”
I shrugged. “I’ll get over it.”
“So mean.” He shook his head at me and stepped through. On the other side, he turned and held his arms out. “See? All good. Wait….” He gasped and clutched at his chest. “What’s happening to me? It burns!”
“Grimm?” My heart lurched in my chest, and I stepped up to the portal.
“I can’t,” he gasped, falling to his knees. “I can’t….”
“Can’t what!” Oh my Goddess, oh my Goddess. I never expected him to actually burst into flames! I flailed around feeling utterly helpless. “What do I do? Is it flames? Are you bursting into flames?” I frantically looked around. “I don’t see a fire extinguisher!” Not that I knew how to use one. I’d just have to toss it at him and hope he could do it himself.
“I can’t….” He gasped for breath. “I can’t… believe you fell for that,” he said with a laugh.
“I’m going to kill you!” I darted into the portal, ignoring his laughter as he took off, his long legs putting him out of my reach in a heartbeat. “I hate you!”
“Admit it! You were worried about me,” he called out from across the field.
“Worried you’d die and I wouldn’t be able to pry the magic purse off your cold, dead, dog-smelling corpse!”
“It’s a satchel!”
How cross would the king be with me if I accidentally pushed Grimm off a cliff? Or left him with the Cù Sìth? Not like he didn’t have plenty of wolf shifters. What was one less in the grand scheme of things?
Grimm narrowed his eyes at me. “You’re not leaving me behind.”
How did he do that? “Are you sure you’re not a seer wolf?”
Grimm didn’t look impressed. “You’re right. I’m a seer. My curse is that I’m limited to visions of you being a jerk.”
I opened my mouth to respond, then thought better of it. “Can we just go?”
“As you wish, Your Highness.” He bowed and motioned for me to go ahead. Clearly, he thought I was an idiot.
“What if it’s a trap and I step through and burst into flames? You go first.”
“Your generosity knows no bounds, my liege. Fine. I’ll go first, but if I meet my demise, my blood is on your hands.”I shrugged. “I’ll get over it.”
“So mean.” He shook his head at me and stepped through. On the other side, he turned and held his arms out. “See? All good. Wait….” He gasped and clutched at his chest. “What’s happening to me? It burns!”
“Grimm?” My heart lurched in my chest, and I stepped up to the portal.
“I can’t,” he gasped, falling to his knees. “I can’t….”
“Can’t what!” Oh my Goddess, oh my Goddess. I never expected him to actually burst into flames! I flailed around feeling utterly helpless. “What do I do? Is it flames? Are you bursting into flames?” I frantically looked around. “I don’t see a fire extinguisher!” Not that I knew how to use one. I’d just have to toss it at him and hope he could do it himself.
“I can’t….” He gasped for breath. “I can’t… believe you fell for that,” he said with a laugh.
“I’m going to kill you!” I darted into the portal, ignoring his laughter as he took off, his long legs putting him out of my reach in a heartbeat. “I hate you!”
“Admit it! You were worried about me,” he called out from across the field.
“Worried you’d die and I wouldn’t be able to pry the magic purse off your cold, dead, dog-smelling corpse!”
“It’s a satchel!”
Charlie Cochet is the international bestselling author of the THIRDS series. Born in Cuba and raised in the US, Charlie enjoys the best of both worlds, from her daily Cuban latte to her passion for classic rock.
Currently residing in Central Florida, Charlie is at the beck and call of a rascally Doxiepoo bent on world domination. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found devouring a book, releasing her creativity through art, or binge watching a new TV series. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from readers.
Charlie Cochet
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EMAIL: charlie@charliecochet.com
Greg Boudreaux(Narrator)
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