Seth Lang of Special Activities Division CIA is not thrilled with how his latest operation was rewarded: Seth will be acting as bodyguard to the interim US general consul in Munich. To kill time in Berlin before flying to Munich, Seth goes to a club where he immediately connects with a man, which leads to a brief one-nighter. Or so Seth thought: his anonymous tryst is the Mr. Fine he must guard.

I had liked the first two installments of the Tough Love series, but I loved GUARDING MR. FINE! I had been intrigued by Seth upon his first appearance, and he is even better than I had hoped: he is half-Chinese and bisexual, but forget any stereotypes about either, Ms. Dimon just doesn't go there. Seth is a fabulously fascinating character; he's very focused on his job, prone to temper fits and yet very cool. Rick Fine looks perfect. He looks like he never does anything wrong, never cracks under pressure, but he's also hiding a crushing secret from Seth. Needless to say, GUARDING MR. FINE being a romance, Seth and Rick get together for more than their one night, because no way could they avoid the combustible chemistry they share, and I was overjoyed that the conflict they experience has nothing to do with the fact that they are lovers, but everything to do with how they see how the mission must proceed: Rick is in fact also CIA, but in a different division, and they must find out if the former consul general was killed or if he did commit suicide.

I find same sex romances stylistically challenging, as there is no opposition between he/she, and Ms. Dimon did a splendid job in GUARDING MR. FINE. It's only when I thought about it afterwards, that I remember it could be an issue: the writing is so smooth, I never noticed. And whereas I had found the sex lacking in the earlier books, in GUARDING MR. FINE, it crackles! The romance feels real at all times, and while the road is bumpy, it is naturally so because of the characters and the situation they find themselves in. The story is tightly-plotted and very exciting, the pace is very brisk, the writing suits Rick and Seth to a tee; I loved it all! And I do hope Ms. Dimon has something in the future for the charismatic Alec Drummond and his brothers, because I'm in!