This book started off strong and then started to drag. There were almost TOO many issues to deal with. It was hard for me to care about the 50 different obstacles they faced. I thought their chemistry and dialogue was very fun though.

Zac Edwards is Britain’s hottest new actor— he is rich, talented, and exceptionally charming. Seemingly, his only problem in life is he’s being stalked.
Kat Parker, seemly immune to Zac’s charm, is the new sight he has his eyes set on.
The fact she is his newly assigned bodyguard only ups the stakes— can Zac break through Kat’s walls? Can Kat stay professional and collected around her new client?

Up Close & Personal was a slow-burning, will-they-won’t-they romance. With a twist on the plot of the movie, They Bodyguard, you go into it knowing loosely what to expect. I loved the banter and chemistry between the to main characters, Kat and Zac, they hit it off right from the start. Their burn was a tad too slow for me though, I wish they had given in a bit sooner.
I did, however, really enjoy that Kat was a no non-sense, tough chick that worked hard & was proud of herself in a male-dominant career field. Any doubt that Zac may or may not have had, she shut down quickly.

I’m giving this one 3⭐️’s because at times it felt like there was TOO much drama— any any every horrible situation there could be, it had. (kidnapping, rehab, family drama, etc). It was a bit much at times and I was hoping for more forbidden romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was an ok read for me. It had some suspense some action some heartbreak and heartache. I don't know the main characters were a little whiney to me? It wasn't a bad read at all but just ok for me! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

This is a gender reversed version of the bodyguard. But it's much more than that. Lots of romance... a little mystery, angst and humour mixed in. The characters are great and their relationship works really well despite all obstacles... Great book!

Thanks to Netgalley the chance to read for an honest review.

There was a lot of potential with this book, but it felt flat when Kat and Zac began having the same argument over and over. There was an instant attraction and their chemistry simmered, but everything else felt shallow. I also hate instant love, and that's what we had here. Also, the love scenes left a lot to be desired, but hey, they at least practiced safe sex. I wanted more, but I wasn't entirely put off by the book. That major spoiler for the show The Bodyguard with Richard Madden, however, was not a good look, and the editors need to fix that before it goes to print

When Zac Edwards starts to receive creepy lipstick stained messages from an unknown source around his home and work, he feels worried. As a famous actor, tons of people recognize the handsome movie star. His production company decides that Zac is at risk and needs protection. Bring in Kat Parker, former member of the army, and bodyguard. Zac and Kat first meet in what seems like a coincidental run it-before Zac finds out that Kat has been hired to protect him. Zac is shocked-especially since he had his eyes on Kat from the first moment she spilled her drink on him. As Kat begins her bodyguard duties, both her and Zac quickly realize there is a lot more to their relationship than simply protection.

I would rate this book 1.5. I can't give it a 1 because I still skimmed quickly through the book to see it through. I wasn't taken from it right from the beginning, I finally gave up reading it closely around 15%. Honestly, I was super into the premise of this book, a different kind of story, but ran into so many problems. The story and characters never interested me. There wasn't enough backstory from the beginning and the secrets along the way were too drawn out and anticlimactic. I didn't like the lack of characters and the side plot with Kat's family. I thought the romance between Kat and Zac was extremely lacking. He was drawn to her right from the beginning-but why? It was just never expanded on in a way that bought me. I found Zac cheesy and unlikeable. Kat was a good character, but their relationship was awkward and the way they spoke to each other just came off as odd. The premise of the book is that Zac needs protection from the person leaving the lipstick notes-but then the story just goes off in a different direction. Sadly, this book wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

Kathryn Freeman, a popular Goodreads author of contemporary and romance books.

This story is about a famous British actor, Zac Edwards (which sounds a lot like Zac Efron), who is hot, talented, rich, and sends all the women wild. Except for one… Kat, supposed to be the bodyguard of Zac, finds herself in a challenging situation. Does she withstand the ‘green eyes that not only captivate but also ensnare a woman’ and his ‘quirky smile that sends shivers to places which should not be mentioned’?

Kat is displayed as the strong ex-army female who doesn’t need anyone, who is tough but also needs a hug now and then. Kat is in charge of the security of Zac Edwards, who has a dangerous stalker. From their first meeting, which involved the spilling of champagne, there has been chemistry whose existence they cannot deny. Zac Edwards, the rising famous actor who does not only have a secret that brings others in danger, falls immediately in love with the clumsy female with dark brown eyes that melt his heart.

This book is not only romantic but also incredibly funny (so funny that I laughed-out-loud in the middle of the night). Moreover, it shows how everyone feels insecure from time to time and need some human contact.

I read this book while being in a slump. Initially, I did not feel like reading such a cliché book which has been written so many times before, but I was wrong. This book is the perfect read when you want just that; a nice and funny romantic book, easy to read and making you all giggly while imagining what the beautiful dark, green eyes and quirky smile of Zac Edwards would do to you.

I really enjoyed this story!!

I thought that it was fast paced with plenty of content and lots going on. It was action and romance combined and just what I look for in a book! The characters gelled together really well and I loved their interaction too.

It is 5 stars from me for this series, I thoroughly enjoyed the story from start to finish - very highly recommended!!

4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kathryn Freeman seems to have answered my literary prayers by creating a beautiful and sweet love story between a film star and his bodyguard.
Zac Edwards, a British actor, is the latest heartthrob of the film industry. He is sexy and talented and apparently is now in need of a bodyguard to protect him from a stalker who is getting a bit too close. Enter Kat Parker. After 12 years in the army and 3 years being a bodyguard doing private security, Kat is assigned Zac as her new client. But before they can even be introduced properly as client and bodyguard, Zac is already head over heels for Kat.

This was such a fun read with some heart-stopping and anxious moments. This. story had it all: sizzling romance, sweetness, family love, secrets, twists and turns... the whole nine!

The characters of Zac and Kat felt hauntingly real. At times I found myself so ridiculously annoyed that they weren't communicating properly about their feelings, thus causing unnecessary drama in their beautiful romance; which then made me realise that this is exactly that kind of thing that happens in real life. Both Zac and Kat have a strong character arc within the novel and learn to grow not only together as a couple but also as individuals in their own right.

Up Close and Personal felt like a bit of a modern fairy tale, Zac Edwards definitely reminded me of a fairytale Princess with an amazing personality who is trapped inside the fame attached to his name and Kat Parker is the strong, fierce lady who saves the lost and broken prince.

Definitely a great read for someone in the need of a pick me up, Up Close and Personal will not disappoint.

A very cute rom-com with likeable characters with a story that wasn't too far fetched. This was just a tad underwhelming and a bit predictable to me especially after finishing The Happy Ever Playlist, that should have been read a long time ago. Perhaps I will feel differently if I reread this at a later date, but I am moving on to something else.

Good writing, good characters and a decent story; but predictable ending once you get to to halfway point.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and One More Chapter for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 6/12/20

I absolutely loved the first chapter of this book. The way Kat and Zac met was a very perfect rom-com meet-cute. And that was probably the best part of the book. After that things started going down and down and down. For once, I never really bought their relationship. They just didn't fit together, or the way they were written, didn't fit. I didn't like that some serious subjects (like mental health, addiction, PTSD, abusive parent) were only used as a plot device. There when you need them and then, pooh, they are gone. It was a cheap shot and I didn't appreciate it.

A fun rom-com with a bit of drama! I enjoyed the concept of female body-guard protecting a male movie star. The chemistry between the two was enjoyable but at times it was hard to understand what they liked about each other aside from. being attracted to each other. Overall a fun read with stalking, steam, and secrets!
Netgalley provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Argh I wanted to love this book more than I originally thought before reading but it was such a let down . I thought Kat was highly irritating through most of the book with her constant bickering over the pettiest things, tho I felt bad for her for what happened in the past and thought she did a great job taking her niece Debs under her wing I just couldn’t bring myself to like her. Zac was alright I thought he was a bit irritating in some places but much more likeable then Kat. The plot with Zac being stalked was highly rushed and in the end was just dumped on the reader after the constant investigation happening all for a shooting storyline and I thought that was a bit pointless. I just found myself bored through most of the book which was a shame.

Thanks to NetGallery and One More Chapter publishing for allowing me the opportunity to receive a free E-Arc of this book in exchange of an honest review. All these thoughts and opinions are my own.
First off I want to say I am a huge fan of Kathryn Freeman ever since I read another one of her books "The New Guy." So when I saw I had an opportunity to read another book by her, I jumped at the chance to read her next book. While this book had all the making of a fabulous book, I thought this book fell short. I love the premise of the story: A female bodyguard protecting an famous male actor/ the forbidden aspect of a protector/protectee romance. I also found it was a fresh idea to make the roles reverse, where the woman is protecting the man instead of the common roles readers usually see when reading within this troupe. What fell short me when it came to this story, however, was the characters as a whole. Kat Parker was written to project strength and confidence when it came to her professionalism and abilities to protect and secure her assignment, but throughout this book, she was constantly second guessing and doubting herself. While the reveal about her past helped make those aspects understandable to a certain point, it left me feeling Kat was just whinny and causing her to questions the actions of all the men in her life as trying to help/protect her just because she was a woman. When really none of other characters really voiced and/or showed, through actions or words, that to be the case.
Zach, while very charming and thoughtful, held back from Kat essential information, which caused a major issue later on. While I know this was supposed to be a big plot reveal as the climate of the story came to a head, I also found this troubling. First, because when working for a security company, Max and Kat were able to know all about his "family" and other personal details about Zach's life, but they did not do a simple background check and find out the holes within his "story?" I also found Zach was too heavy handed, at times, towards sharing his feelings with Kat, even when she tried to tell him it was not the time or place because of the threat to his safety. I think pursuing someone is fine, letting your feelings known is fine as well. But when someone, who supposed to protect your life with theirs, repeated tells you "No or please don't pursue me due to the nature of their relationship," I get annoyed. I know it is supposed to be all alpha-male and sweet, but I just felt he pushed her into something she was not ready to commit to at that time, and then got annoyed with her when she would not reciprocate the feelings back. Overall, I did not really feel the chemistry in their relationship. I believed it was based on Kat turned Zach down that he was attracted to her and not really for any other reason. I thought this because of his lack of respect for her job by not trusting her to do her job including not sharing important details of his past ,as well as getting jealous of Kat's and Max's relationship when Zach had barley met her.
Overall, I had high expectations going into this book, but this book fell somewhat short for me. This in no wise means I will never read another book by this author, on the contrary, I look forward to reading more books by this author! This review may seem overly critical, but I can't help but share my thoughts and feelings about the books I read especially when they are by authors I look forward to reading.

I Did Not Finish this novel. The writing wasn’t my style and made it difficult to get though. I could not relate to the main character which also made it tough to continue.

Up Close and Personal takes a new twist on an old favorite movie The Bodyguard . The author has taken the very basic concepts from the movie and put their own twists on the plot and characters. This was an easy to read modern contemporary romance book. A great escape from reality and an easy enjoyable read. I enjoyed the banter at times, but overall found the book to just be ok.

I found the chemistry to be lacking throughout the book between the 2 main characters. It was also a little slow in areas, which I don't mind if there is good payoff in the end. Since the plot was based around a popular movie, it was predictable. I do sometimes enjoy going into books with a predictable ending. Sometimes you just need to know how a book ends and can't emotionally handle any surprises. This definitely fits that bill.

I was provided an ARC of the book from NetGalley for not cost to me for my review.

Up Close and Personal is a new romantic comedy by Kathryn Freeman. The story is about Zac, a famous actor who has a stalker following him. Instead of hiring the typical muscle bound dude, he gets Kat a young woman who takes her new role very seriously. Sparks fly almost immediately with these two, but will straight laced Kat fall for the charming Zac?

This was my first book from this author and I was excited to find another rom-com writer. I found her style engaging and the characters were well developed. The pacing was pretty good and her ability to write funny banter was excellent. Until the book turned into something darker.

Out of no where the fun and light rom-com turned oddly dark as we started learning about Kat's PTSD and her time in the army. This sudden shift in tone really pulled me out of the book, and I found that all the quick progress I had made reading the book suddenly came to a screeching halt. Then we learn that Zac has his own secrets and all of this extra drama and angst felt inauthentic to the beginning of the story.

In general I love NA romances and especially ones set in England as I'm a big fan of British TV and movies. However, this book just didn't quite hit the mark for me. There were some pop culture references that really lock this book in a certain time period, and I'm never a big fan of that. Never the less, I did enjoy myself reading this book and am giving it 3 stars. I would have loved to see more of the light hearted tone follow through the entire book, but I think the heavier story line may be popular with other readers.

It starts off super predictable and over the to flirtatious right off the bat and I can tell it's an opposites attract trope. The story feels stale, including the characters and story setup, by just four chapters. In the novella, it finally starts picking up steam around page 70 after the slow exposition. It's a bunch of unreleased sexual tension and that's primarily the book. Zac's past is finally revealed at the end and this rawness is what I wanted from the beginning, it's just a shame it took too long to get there. Then, story moves super fast and feels like a rush to complete the hallmarks of a HEA before the final pages left, but that feels forced. It's super mushy and ehh I just couldn't get into it. Yes, Kat is badass but so dumb when it comes to love and all the fierceness goes out the window. It was fine, just fine.

The book jumps straight into the storyline, no messing about! I love the element of mystery which flow through this book, really adds something extra.

The language which Kathryn uses all the way through is so real and believable. There wasn’t a moment where the book didn’t flow, it was incredibly easy to read.

I was incredibly invested in both the main characters equally and both had very cleverly woven back stories which seeped our every now and again to peak interest!

Zac is an actor in need of a bodyguard after receiving some threats. Kat is a close protection officer, assigned to protect him. Freeman takes the bodyguard trope and flips it on it's side by making Kat the protector and Zac the protectee.

This was a cute rom-com type book, with an instant connection. Both Kat and Zac are instantly attracted to each other upon first meeting, but Kat wants to stay professional. I like how both Kat and Zac have hidden aspects of their past and how we get a glimpse into how this formed who they are as people moving into this romance. This slow burn and development just makes it all the better.

The plot felt a little forced at times, but I really felt for Zac and Kat with some of their back story. I liked the witty banter back and forth between the two main characters and it was easy to get lost in. With this being a forbidden romance, there was a lot of build up to the first kiss, but that made the anticipation leading up to it worth it.

This is a typical romance in many ways, but did a good job of putting in some deeper topics as well. Up Close and Personal was a delightfully entertaining story that was a quick paced romantic read. 3/5 stars

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.