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When Duty and Love Conflict and Coincide: 3 Sapphic Bodyguard Romances

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There are few dynamics more swoon-worthy to me than a bodyguard romance: all of the pining of star-crossed lovers constantly at each other’s side, intense trust and protection, and often some sort of courtly intrigue. To make this sort of relationship work, the characters must be achingly careful and ultimately go through a drastic status quo change, which makes these stories compelling to me. Their genre can vary, so today, I’m doing a lightning round of reviews of three bodyguard romances: one sci-fi, one historical fantasy, and one contemporary.

Glorious Day by Skye Kilaen

Glorious Day cover

My most recent read was Skye Kilaen’s Glorious Day, a low heat sci-fi romance novella. Elsenna Hazen used to be the princess’s bodyguard, until two years ago, when they shared a kiss in the gardens. Since then, she has failed to forget her hopeless love, but she has focused on feeding information to a revolutionary group trying to topple the tyrannical king. Meanwhile, the princess’s life is being controlled by ableist caretakers. She must keep up the facade that she is helpless in order to survive her political situation, but Elsenna knows her better than that. When the princess reassigns her as her bodyguard, their romance rekindles while the revolution comes to a head.

This story is ultimately about being willing to fight—for one’s beliefs, one’s love, and one’s self. Due to her own role in a corrupt system, as well as the danger she has put herself in by betraying it, Elsenna considers her life and conscience forfeit. In order to not see her love as hopeless, she has to be able to imagine a future for herself. I enjoyed the arc for the princess (who is referred to with various titles and names over time, which had a significance I liked) and the role she ends up playing, as well as how this is gradually revealed through Elsenna’s perspective.

Considering this book was under 100 pages, I didn’t expect in-depth worldbuilding, and I liked the balance of plot and relationship development. That being said, though the writing was clear and polished, I would have appreciated more description. I often knew little about the character’s surroundings, which feels like a missed opportunity, given that this is set in a sci-fi monarchy featuring both high-tech equipment and extravagant ballrooms.

I recommend this book to those looking for a fast-paced read with a good balance of star-crossed romance and political maneuvering. 

You can find in-depth content warnings on the author’s website.

Daughter of Mystery by Heather Rose Jones

Daughter of Mystery cover

Earlier this year, I read Daughter of Mystery by Heather Rose Jones. This book takes place in an alternate regency setting with a magic system based in divine rituals. When Margarit Sovitre gains an unexpected inheritance, it includes a fortune but not a title, making her a target for the new baron. To remain safe, she has to rely on Barbara, a bodyguard included in the terms of the inheritance. They develop a slow burn romance while trying to navigate their new lives, which may be wrapped up in more layers of conspiracy than they realize.

Given that Barbara has been included in Margarit’s inheritance as if she were an object, there is obviously quite a large power differential that must be addressed, so the slow burn is appropriate as the characters have a lot to navigate. I appreciated the respect and care they showed for each other, and the way they were able to bond over their interests and abilities, as they both study the divine rituals despite others’ opposition. Both characters appealed to me for their wits, drive, and heart—and it’s hard to resist a lady with a sword.

I had been highly anticipating trying the Alpennia series, as I am a fan of unusual genre combinations, and the mix of historical fantasy, romance, and mystery that this promised seemed right up my alley. Unfortunately, I found myself wanting more of all of these elements. While I enjoyed the beginning and ending, the middle dragged a little for me because some of the plot elements promised in the official synopsis (re: royal conspiracies and the divine rituals) aren’t developed until late in the story. Instead, there is a lot of focus on the restrictions women faced in this time period, especially within the social politics of high society. This obviously isn’t a criticism, but rather a matter of personal expectations. If this sort of story appeals to you, and you want to read one with a sapphic romance and a touch of fantasy, I recommend this book. Personally, I was invested in enough characters, including the two who star in the second book, that I am interested in continuing in the series.

One of my main content warnings unfortunately comes with an additional caveat. There is an instance in this book of attempted sexual assault and incest that, while taken seriously in the moment, is brushed aside later to a degree that I found uncomfortable. I would have preferred this element to be followed up differently.

In addition to the already mentioned elements, this book contains brief instances of homophobia and violence.

How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole

the cover of How to Find a Princess

Though I read it in a past year, I can’t write about this trope without including one of my favorite contemporary romances, How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole. Though it is the second book in the Runaway Royals series, I understood and enjoyed it as a standalone. This is an Anastasia retelling about Makeda Hicks, whose life has been run by her mother’s obsession with the idea that Makeda is secretly the princess of a fictitious country. Makeda thus tries to avoid the whole business, even—especially—when Beznaria Chetchevaliere, an investigator from the World Federation of Monarchies, shows up to convince her to make the trek to Ibarania to prove she is the true heir. 

This book is, in a word, entertaining. I was drawn instantly to Bez, who subverts the concept of the stoic bodyguard by being eccentric, dramatic, and chaotic. Makeda is such a people pleaser that it ruined her latest relationship, but she finds herself bucking against Bez’s attempts to tell her how to live her life, managing to be just as stubborn as this whirlwind of a woman as she learns how to prioritize her own wants. Their push and pull as they grow to understand each other and become partners was the highlight of the book for me. I liked the emphasis on the idea that you can’t fix someone else; you can only try to be your best selves together, one step at a time. 

If you’re someone whose tastes lead more toward the fantastical but who is interested in trying more contemporary romance, I recommend this book, as its at times outright whacky circumstances, along with the bodyguard element, give it that edge of surreality. I also appreciated the inclusion of Bez’s neurodivergence and of sapphic Black love. 

I’ll continue to keep my eyes peeled for other bodyguard romances, and I hope that at least one of these three options suits everyone else who loves this trope.

Love and Rebellion: We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

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We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia cover

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We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia is a young adult novel that follows teenager Daniela as she navigates becoming one of the wives to a vicious up-and-coming young man while simultaneously becoming a secret member of the rebel group La Voz that undermines him and those like him on his way to the top. The girls at the Medio School for Girls are trained for five years to either be perfect Primeras or Segundas. Every rich, distinguished young man gets assigned two wives at the Medio School’s graduation ceremony: one Primera, to be his equal and his defender, and one Segunda, to bear his children and support him emotionally. In Medio, this is considered the norm. Though the privileged claim that this is a decree by the Sun God who himself chose two wives to stand opposite each other, Dani, the best Primera the Medio School for Girls has ever produced, soon finds out the truth: that the rich and powerful will use whatever they can to get and keep what they want, no matter the cost to those less privileged who live on the other side of the wall.

The world Mejia builds is so detailed and expansive. The book opens with a prologue detailing the story of how the Sun God attained his two wives through a fight with his brother the Salt God, and at the end of it, you find out that this is the introduction to the rulebook that the girls at the school have to follow. After that, each chapter opens with a different rule for Primeras from the Medio School for Girls Handbook, 14th edition. Each rule applies to the chapter in which it appears, and the reader gets to watch as Dani starts to bend them or use them in ways the Medio School never would have approved of the more she gets involved with La Voz. As it turns out, a lot of her Primera training makes her a good spy. She is quiet, determined, able to hide her emotions, and knows how to look someone over for weaknesses. As Sota, the leader of La Voz, says at one point, Dani is “a hundred shades of a girl.” She knows how to hide her true emotions and layer another emotion or façade on top of it that she wants other people to see. She’s been able to keep her real pedigree a secret for years by becoming the best Primera she can be. She has to be the best; her parents risked everything to get her onto this side of the wall that separates the powerful from the weak. Her identification papers are fake, and she has been able to get by until the night of her graduation when Sota comes into the Medio School for Girls and starts Dani on the path to becoming more than a Primera or a girl trying to live a life only her parents wanted for her.

Dani’s growing relationship with Carmen, the Segunda to the man Dani marries, is another strong point of the book. The novel’s first chapters paint a picture of Carmen and Dani’s tumultuous relationship as girls who were almost friends until Carmen chose to be her bully instead, and I read that and immediately thought, Yep, that’s the love interest. I couldn’t wait to see how things would change for them, and Mejia did not disappoint. There’s a sweet quote later in the book from Carmen to Dani that had me texting my friend because it hit so well. They are two girls in a bad situation finding comfort in each other. Even when Dani isn’t sure who she can trust or who knows the truth about her, she decides to trust Carmen. Anyone who reads sapphic literature would be able to see Dani’s repressed feelings miles before she figures them out herself. Carmen knows she likes girls and tells Dani a whole story about how she figured it out in her youth, but liking anybody is new for Dani, since Primeras aren’t supposed to care about things like love or lust. Those emotions are saved for the Segundas, so even kissing is new for Dani. She waxes poetic several times about Carmen’s kisses, and it’s so sweet every time.

My only real criticism of the book is with their husband, Mateo. He is very one-dimensional. There’s no such thing as a redeeming quality to be found in the guy. He’s controlling, he doesn’t believe in letting his Primera do what she spent her teen years perfecting for the day she would become a wife, and he plays a central role in getting Dani’s ex-roommate arrested as a sympathizer to the resistance. You’re not supposed to like him, not even for a second. From his first entrance in the book, Dani dislikes how he treats her, and it just gets worse from there. This fell flat for me a couple times, simply because he’s supposed to be this suave rich boy intent on becoming president someday. A man trying to reach that level and be elected by his people would probably have a few qualities worth voting for, but Mateo simply doesn’t. He’s a villain, and that’s all he is. I wish he’d been given the opportunity to grow a little bit as a character, even if that growth was backwards, but he’s the same at the start of the book as he is at the end of it. Carmen and Dani both change so much, but Mateo is static. I guess it makes the decision Dani comes to about officially joining the rebellion more black and white, but I would have loved to see Mateo slowly slip into the person Dani knows him to be instead of Mateo being insufferable and awful from the jump.

Despite that, I’m really glad I read this book again. I remembered liking it a lot the first time I read it years ago but had forgotten too much to jump into the sequel. Everything I did remember still hit, and everything I didn’t made me love the book more and more. Mejia captured me from the first page, and I read the entire novel in a day. Her world is so vivid, and I cared about Dani and Carmen almost immediately. I have the sequel, We Unleash the Merciless Storm, on my desk right now and am looking forward to diving headlong into it. I’m desperate to know how things turn out for Dani and Carmen after the heart wrenching reveal at the end of We Set the Dark on Fire, and I’m so excited to see where Mejia takes them.

Trigger warnings for: death, a graphic depiction of Dani getting burned, and violence.

An Emotional Demon Hunter Romance: The Fall That Saved Us by Tamara Jerée

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The Fall That Saved Us cover

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Tamara Jerée’s The Fall That Saved Us centers around Cassiel, a former demon hunter who has left her abusive family behind in favor of a quiet life in a little bookshop she now runs. When a succubus named Avitue shows up one day, the two fall into a dangerous albeit passionate love affair that threatens both of their places in the world.

Despite such high stakes, this is a deeply personal book. In fact, when I think about this book, the word that jumps to mind is affectionate. This book had so much affection for its characters and their journeys, and it made it so easy for me to share that affection. While this book felt really heavy at the beginning, due to all of the religious trauma Cassiel was working through (and boy does this book do religious trauma really well!), by the end I was left feeling lighter. The relationships certainly helped with that, but even more so was the book’s emphasis on being kind, both to yourself and to others.

As for the relationships, I don’t only mean the romantic relationship between Cassiel and Avitue, though of course that is the main one. Cassiel’s friendship with her neighbor Ana, a witch who runs a nearby cafe and who gently but firmly encourages Cassiel to open up about her past when she’s ready, was a particular light. Likewise, the more complicated relationship with Zuriel, the sister who stayed behind, will likely resonate with many readers who come from difficult family situations.

Something I really appreciated with Cassiel and Avitue’s romance was the honesty. With a setup like this one, I find I expect a lot of secrecy and drama of the “how can I trust you!” variety. To my delight, however, Avitue was clear almost from the beginning about who she was, why she was here, and what each of them was risking by being together. This allowed the focus to remain on the actual building of a relationship, and it also made room for much more interesting conversations about how people deserve to be treated and what kind of future there is for a mostly-mortal and an immortal demon.

The only criticism I had was the pacing felt a bit off at the beginning, almost like things were being skipped over or time was moving weirdly or something I could never quite put my finger on. However, I didn’t notice that as an issue in the second half. While some might say the final conflict wrapped up rather quickly, that’s a feature for me rather than a bug, and honestly, I do think that choice ultimately served the book better as a whole. This is very much a character-driven book, and a drawn-out battle would almost feel like a detraction from a story that should center on Cassiel’s internal journey.

I am certainly planning on checking out Tamara Jerée’s next book, and if they ever wrote another book in this world (maybe about Zuriel and/or Ana), I would read it without hesitation. Though I would suggest  taking care if one struggles with religious themes, I heartily recommend Tamara Jerée’s The Fall That Saved Us.