I’ve had a string of really good books lately and this one is at the top! It’s the perfect beach read and my absolute favorite @katherinecenter book I’ve read! Hannah is a bodyguard who is hired to keep watch over Jack, a Hollywood heartthrob who has stepped out of the limelight as of late. It’s funny and endearing and I did not want it to end. It’s got that “slow burn” element and a whole cast of characters that are so different from one another and feel like real people. Can I suggest that this would make a great movie? Highly recommend this one - run and grab it when it releases in July! Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC!

Fake relationship, forced proximity AND one bed trope. The perfect combination! This book did a wonderful job of being a classic rom-com while also adding some different elements. I loved that the heroine was not some damsel in distress that needed saving. I thought that the book did a good job of addressing different reactions that people have to losing a loved one. I definitely look forward to reading more from this author!
Thank you St. Martins Press for the eARC through netgalley!

The BodyGuard Review

This book was alright. I enjoyed the plot more than the writing though. The writing style wasn’t my favorite but I do love a forced -proximity fake dating trope.

I do think that the romance aspect almost did not feel like the main purpose of the writing, it didn’t quite feel like a women’s fiction but I just feel like the romance was not prioritized in the way I would expect.

There was also a bit of woman on woman conflict, which I am not the biggest fan of. Alex was super sweet and loving though, and I liked that there was a bit of a foudn family type trope. BUT the book did make me literally laugh out loud, and I did read it all in one day because I was so into it— so the rest may just be me being a little nit-picky tbh.

I do think it could have benefited from Dual POV, and I know I usually think that but I think it even more here LOL

Read For
- Fake Dating
- Forced Proximity
- Bodyguard trope (with a female bodyguard)
- Nightmare trope
- A little found family
- A bit of mystery/action

Overall, this was an interesting read and I would definitely recommend it to people who like Katherine Center’s writing or tend to like second person writing styles.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins for the opportunity to review. All thoughts are my own!

Thank you to netgalley & the publisher for providing me with an ARC - All opnions are my own and were not infuenced

This book was amazing!! I normally read super slow on my kindle but I blew right through this one! The storyline was so put together and well written and I felt so connected to all the characters. Hannah is one of the best heroines I have seen and I love that she is so strong and independent despite all her loses. Also a female bodygaurd?? YES PLEASE. Jack and Hannah's relationship was so cute and very slowburn (at least physically) but their chemistry was amazing from the start. The only reason its 4 stars and not 5 is because I didn't feel the most satisfied with the ending. I would have loved to see more scenes of the two of them as an official couple! I still loved the book and would highly reccomend!

Loved this book!! Such a fun read, funny, lovable, witty book. Highly recommend!

Thanks to netgalley for the advanced copy

first of all, i loved the premise of this book with there being a female bodyguard. the role reversal of the traditional trope was so well done. this book does cover some heavy parts of the characters lives, but does a great job of incorporating light moments. the pacing of this book was also something that was really done. the way the relationship between hannah and jack progressed felt so natural. also i loved jack's mom. she added such a nice layer to the story.

This book definitely pulled me out of a reading slump. Very quick read but well written and engaging. The female lead is a hair underdeveloped but not so much that you don’t relate to her and her experiences. There were a few laugh out loud moments that caught me off guard.

Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protection Agent (aka a Bodyguard). She's a woman that's 5'6" and could be confused with a nanny but has no issue flipping a huge man over her back and inflicting injury if needed. She's also fresh off of the death of her mom, her boyfriend dumping her the day after the funeral, and her best {work} friend hooking up with the BF within a month of the dumping.

Jack Stapleton is a Hollywood star that has gone off grid for the last two years and is coming back due to familial obligations. He carries a lot of baggage with him that no one understands.

No one until Hannah Brooks is saddled with him as her principal protection detail. Can they both act the part? Or can they both let their true feelings show past the ability to act?

This book brought tears to my eyes. Katherine Center writes the interactions so sweetly. It is also a page turner, I did NOT want to set this book down. This book is{will be} published in July 2022 and I'm already waiting for her next release!


Thank you St. Martin's Press for the eARC through NetGalley.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of The Bodyguard by Katherine Center. I discovered Katherine Center last year and now she is one of my top fav authors. Her characters are *chef's kiss--real, likable, and memorable. The Bodyguard is no exception! I loved the concept of a female, bad ass, bodyguard.. The romance was slow and a bit slim, but the relationship building between friends and family was the highlight. Super great for those romance lovers who don't want all the "spice." Overall, it was a five star read for me!

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

Hannah Brooks is a small but mighty, badass bodyguard. Her goals are clear: protect her client by whatever means necessary, protect her heart by keeping others at a distance.
When Hannah’s mom passes away and her boyfriend dumps her, Hannah wants nothing more than to dive right back into the thing she does best: work.

Hannah’s latest assignment is providing executive protection for the ridiculously dreamy actor Jack Stapleton. After the Stapleton family was touched by tragedy a few years back, Jack’s been off-grid. Now returning to his parents’ ranch home to help take care of his ill mother, Jack reluctantly accepts personal protection…with a catch. Jack doesn’t want his family to worry about stalkers and other possible threats and therefore requests that Hannah pose as his girlfriend for the duration of the job.

As Jack sells their relationship to his parents and rival brother, it becomes difficult for Hannah to distinguish what’s real. She finds herself, against her better judgement, letting down her guard and showing/experiencing/processing emotion that others rarely see.

There’s so much more to the plot of The Bodyguard, but I won’t spoil anything! I found this novel to be Center’s funniest - I laughed at the banter, especially between Hannah and Jack, but also Hannah sharing information with the audience/reader. It really felt like she was talking right to us, which made it feel even more intimate.

I also cried. One big hiccuping sob actually. There are some moments that are just that perfect 🧷

I loved Jack, Hannah, Connie and Doc. I hope you will too!

I loved everything about this book. From beginning to end. It was so much fun! Everything you’ e come to expect from a Katherine Center book. Five huge stars.

This is my first Katherine Center novel, and it was great!

The Bodyguard flips the traditional bodyguard romance trope on its side. The "let's keep this professional" bodyguard is the female lead, Hannah Brooks. The charming client is reclusive movie star Jack Stapleton. Unfortunately, Hannah finds her boundaries between her personal and professional lives tested when she has to fake date Jack, who doesn't want his family to know that he needs a bodyguard.

Hannah and Jack had a really cute dynamic! I loved how the fake dating worked its way into the plot and how quickly the lines between real and fake blurred. Honestly, I can see this being made into a cute romcom movie.

Also I loved Jack's family. His parents stole a few pages here and there. Jack and Hank's sibling dynamic was interesting to see.

All in all, I really liked The Bodyguard! Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC!

TW: drowning, gun use, stalking, death of a parent, nightmares/ptsd

Two years ago, one week after the world shut down due to a weird virus called Covid, I saw people were receiving ARCs of Katherine Center’s newest book. I had never heard of NetGalley, but I signed up on a whim and managed to get a copy of What You Wish For, which ended up being the most perfect first (of many) quarantine books. And, here I am, two years later receiving Katherine’s newest new book. If she writes it, I’ll read it. No questions asked.

The Bodyguard was a bit different than Katherine’s past novels, but I loved it and I think I may have a new favorite book boyfriend - Jack Stapleton. I loved the concept of a female bodyguard and having a strong female lead, just like Hannah. She and Jack have great chemistry, and I love the way Katherine writes her people. They're just so real.

You’ll love this book if you love: romances that you can recommend to your mother (only kissing, but still great chemistry), fake dating, heartfelt characters, and books that leave you feeling just so happy.

Overall, this is a great Katherine book. It’s not my favorite of hers, but definitely a solid read for a week at the beach.

Lastly, I want to send my thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts!

I have previously loved and enjoyed Katherine Centre’s work and I have always loved and enjoyed them. So, yes, i went into it with high expectations and didn’t come out disappointed. It was very clean contemporary romance. It served sunshine-grumpy trope. However, the WMC was the real grump in it haha. I I loved how raw, flawed and authentic-self Hannah and jack are portrayed. I loved their sweet romance and the banter. However, I didn’t saw that plot twist coming. So, in a nutshell, it’s a full 5 stars read for me.

Incredible and maybe the best contempary romance I've read. The characters were sweet ad incredible, but at the same time just so deeply complex. I feel that the lead female Main character was just heartbreakingly realistic while the male main character just was so incredibly sweet. I think after reading this, romance needs more sweet male leads and more hardened female leads. I will absolutely purchase when this releases! Thank you so so much to NetGalley and the publisher :)

Oh my actual adorable-ness. In a crowd of cheesy, poorly-written, trope-filled rom-com beach reads, "The Bodyguard" stands head and shoulders above the rest of its genre neighbors. Does it have tropes?? Honey, it does! This is "Win A Date With Tad Hamilton" meets "The Wedding Date" meets "Miss Congeniality", but Katherine Center manages to make it all work, and in such a charming, artfully-done way that I didn't even realize it was happening until I was tearing up over the final pages. This book hits all the good notes, with humor, sincerity and just enough suspense. THIS is your beach read for 2022!

Hannah Brooks' life is at a crisis point: her boyfriend has dumped her, she's a mess, and her boss has consigned her to desk work instead doing what she loves--field work as a bodyguard. The saving grace is that she has a chance at the ideal assignment...if she takes a less-than-attractive job to prove herself worthy. All she has to do is to lead the team protecting Jack Stapleton (Hollywood hero and golden boy) from a middle-aged stalker. But complications ensue when Hannah has to pose as Jack's girlfriend to keep his family from worrying about his safety, and she actually ends up liking him.

Not only did I love the story, but I loved how the writing matched the speed of the protagonist's personality and intensity. And I loved how Jack was a feel-good, too-good-to-be-true kind of guy who helps save a girl (who's a complete mess)...and how she saves him in return. It has all the good feels and no open-door romance. It was just what my cynical heart needed and I absolutely recommend it.

Trigger alert: abuse, drowning

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley and the publisher

Katherine center does it again! I literally could not put this down! Somehow she made “plain and ordinary” to be a good thing. Really enjoyed this book from
Start to satisfyingly detailed finish

Katherine Center does it again - and delivers a “right book at the right time” for me. After reading a very heavy and important non fiction work, I was desperately craving a counterbalance and jumped ahead in hopes that The Bodyguard might do the trick. Mission Accomplished! Not since Center’s portrayal of Cassie in Things You Save in a Fire, have I been so enamored with a strong, fun female protagonist.

Hannah Brooks is the bodyguard (Executive Protection Agent) and has been hired to protect famous actor Jack Stapleton. Once again, this author has a wonderful cadence to revealing the backstory while moving the plot forward and I was hooked from the first chapter. The agency itself adds a great sub plot, with some of the best one-liners delivered by the man in charge Glenn Schultz.
Out July 19th, I highly encourage those in need of an entertaining, feel-good read to add it to their summer list!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an ARC of this book! I’ve willingly read and reviewed it. All opinions are my own.

I have to admit, I’ve avoided Katherine Center’s books because, even though I’ve heard nothing but great things, I wasn’t sure I was up to the heavy topics she writes. However, when I read the synopsis for THE BODYGUARD, I was convinced that this would be the perfect starting point for Center’s work and it absolutely was.

If I had to sum up this book in a few words it would be this: THE BODYGUARD is the romantic comedy storyline Sandra Bullock’s FBI agent and Miss Congeniality title winner, Gracie Hart, deserved.

After losing and burying her mother, getting dumped by her boyfriend for her best friend, AND her boss forcing her to take bereavement leave, all in a matter of days, Hannah, an executive protection agent, is tasked with guarding two-time Sexiest Man Alive/A-list actor Jack Stapleton from a corgi-breeding, Jack’s-face-on-sweater-knitting, nude-sending, wannabe mother of his children stalker while he’s home to be with his family as his mother undergoes cancer treatment.

THE BODYGUARD, within pages, had me not only giggling and totally swooning for Jack Stapleton, but also falling completely in love with these outrageously entertaining characters. I loved this book. It was hilarious, heartwarming AND heartbreaking, and the steady growth of affection between Hannah and Jack was so absolutely perfect that I immediately want to reread just to experience it all again.