Finding Layla: McIntyre Security Protectors - Book 1

Jason & Layla: Trigger Warning (straight from the author): This book contains themes of mental illness related to auditory hallucinations, anxiety, low self-esteem, and self-harm. Please be advised if you might find these topics troubling. This story starts off on the trenches if hell. Layla has been kidnapped and is being held hostage. There's a small time jump to the present and now she's safe or so it appears. Her very wealthy family is replacing her bodyguard with somebody from McIntyre Security team. Jason is chosen, mostly for his medical skills as a further EMT. because of Layla's medical conditions, he seems to be there more as a babysitter as he spends most of his time monitoring her sugar levels and making sure she doesn't self harm. The story is a slow burn. So Layla suffers from auditory hallucinations which is technical verbiage for homegirl hears voices... We really just one. Essentially this is the voice we all have but her voice is very damaging to get mental stability. I didn't like that this was the whole reason for having a bodyguard. The only danger outside of the prologue was the danger to oneself and to me it's something that didn't need a bodyguard. It's not my jam for this particular trope of romance books but it was ok. Now there are some paparazzi moments but that's pretty much it. What I did love was that the book behind all the health stuff was about learning to trust again. Trusting those that are not immediate family. Layla has to learn to trust Jason, a virtual stranger with her while being which causes them to develop more of a friendship into something more. Layla was very much sheltered growing up so she's insecure and inexperienced in many things outside of school. I also liked that Jason takes on the challenge to combat whatever obscene thing that Layla's inner voice says to her. Story is on. I'm just hoping the next book is less about health and more about needing security.

This was a little bit of a subdued story for a McIntyre Security book. It was a bit tough to have this type of female character & mental concerns work in to a bodyguard story line & love story. The author did a good job but just a different subject matter, she was an inexperienced & young character. It was a bit easy on the security portion with only the guy at college as a security "threat". I felt a lot of the keeping her safe was really her personal story to overcome her own inner demons to find her way out in to the world. Just interesting subject matter & bodyguard story. It was goid, just different than the other McIntyre bodyguard stories. Little tame for me.

This book packs a powerful punch. Layla is stronger than she realizes. In spite of Type 1 diabetes and auditory hallucinations, she maintains good grades in college. I admire her so much. Jason enters her life during the dark days after her kidnapping. Love how their relationship develops. April Wilson has done it again.

April is hands down one of the top authors I recommend to anyone in search of a great writer, and her McIntyre Family Series is one I return to and re-read regularly. I LOVE that she is back on the action track with more stories like this one. You still get the great interaction and overlap with the previous characters and family members which gives readers a “home” with instant affinity. Excellent job on the authors part getting into the detail of how to manage diabetes and mental health healing. There isn’t a woman anywhere that won’t adore Jason and how he works to expand his existing medic skills to meet the moment. I also loved that the characters where evolved enough to be truly supportive of each other (including the parents) as situations and observations changed along both the relationship and healing pathway. My only frustration with this series that also came up in other books, is that Shane and Jake McIntyre who lead a very high level security company from security systems to surveillance to close personal protection details for very wealthy individuals, would NEVER put a member of their security team nor their client at risk by having only one bodyguard. Layla is a billionaire currently being stalked by paparazzi and everyone with a cell phone camera. She is also a feature ongoing news story following an abduction; and has brutal schizophrenia and type 1 diabetes. A threat assessment done by the McIntyres would have taken this into consideration and there would have been a minimum of two bodyguards, likely with a third mobile in a vehicle for response and extraction from any public place for months until things calmed down. It wouldn’t have mattered if the client didn’t want it. The team would have added the extra bodyguards to blend. Because any confrontation (including the one in the book), would instantly lead to zero protection for the client while the bodyguard was engaged in the fight, and a disastrous outcome. This made no sense in the Jonah Locke & Lia storyline previously as well. Yep, I know this is a romance novel and to most irrelevant. But since I work in the security field, do threat assessments, and personally have travelled with a bodyguard of my own, I point it out because it’s an easy fix going forward for accuracy.

Amazing book!! There are books that I will re-read this is one of them.. My heart hurt for Layla (for who never read it, have tissue ready) but also soooo excited for her at the same time.. Jason the protector came right in fixed Layla's upside down world, my heart even hurt for him :( but they worked it out and both got what they wanted!! April, thank you for writing such a amazing book!!!

Loved it actually loved the whole series & the spin off also cant wait for the next ones to cone out

I’m torn between giving this 3 stars or 2 stars.This is the first book in April’s new series - McIntyre Protectors series featuring Jason whom we’ve briefly met in two other books and Layla, who we met in Tyler and Ian’s series.After reading this, this is the first time I’m walking away from one of April’s novels confused as to what the plot is. Aside from the fact that Layla is the daughter of a very wealthy family, there’s really nothing that stands out as to why she needs a 24/7 bodyguard.I went into this thinking that maybe Jason would be protecting Layla from the people who ran the h*man tr*fficking ring that she was rescued from at the end of Tyler’s second book. But this feels more like a book about self discovery as Layla has kind of lived a very sheltered life due to her mental health and her diabetes.April does a phenomenal job writing about Layla’s struggles with her auditory hallucinations. But I didn’t really buy the chemistry between the two. I struggled hard to finish this. And the ending to this book was so abrupt. It feels like April kind of rushed through finishing this.

As always this is another great book in the series! I would definitely recommend to my friends, these books are perfect for those romance protector lovers out there

There is a hfn ending in this opening novel but I strongly believe we will meet Jason and Layla and their developing relationship in other books in the series. I really liked both characters as they are real and Jason is so very kind and caring. Layla is just a vulnerable and damaged woman who has been through so much and just wants to lead a normal life. Great read!!