GRR Reviews Enemy Inside (The Captive Series Book 1) by Penelope Marshall

Enemy Inside started off with an intriguing premise, and a creepy but weird triangle that was slowly developing. But the way ending was handled made NOT A LICK OF SENSE.

Kenzie St. Claire had the perfect life, lots of money, doting parents... Until her parents failed to come home... They were found slain in the park, no suspects. She became afraid of the outside, and became a recluse, except for occasional voyeuring with her binoculars against her neighbors, including the hot NFL QB Ty next door. When what seems to be a stalker appeared outside, she hired a bodyguard... Zander Smith, ex-SEAL, thought he'd rather be doing executive protection, not protecting a girl who's too scared to go outside. When Ty came calling, wanting to date her, AND her bodyguard Zander took an interest to her, Kenzie thought she's in paradise, with two men hot for her, but when she witnessed Ty stuffing a body into his car trunk... is she crazy? Or was the enemy closer than she realized?

SPOILER AHEAD

I NEED TO EXPLAIN THE ENDING

At the end, the author pulled "but it's all a dream" gambit. The timeline was walked back. She had basically imagined the next several years where she lived alone. There was no ex-SEAL bodyguard (who seems to have forgotten how to fight any way). And wait, Zander turned out to be a doctor, except... how did an ex-SEAL get a medical degree? Then the author compounded the error by having the Navy recall Zander to service, except he's discharged again after only 2 months?!? Did the author actually do any research? A re-up is for two YEARS!!!!!

Adding together the stupid ending, and the liberty taken with the facts, this book really made not a lick of sense. It feels the author had written herself into a corner and had to rely on this stupid cliche to get herself out or had to turn in a book on a deadline and her editor fell asleep at her job and forgot to hire a fact-checker.

Category: Romantic suspense

Primary Plot: Reclusive women whose parents were killed hired a bodyguard who fell for her, while her hunky neighbor also vied for her, then she thought she saw her neighbor stuff a body into trunk of a car...

Tropes: stalker, bodyguard, orphan, protector, woman in peril, SEAL

Overall Rating:  1/5