I laughed, I gasped, I got mad, I was surprised and I cried. I can’t believe the emotion this book brought out in me. I loved it so much and I related to Hannah in a way I never connected to a character in a book. I felt like I was her experiencing the things she did. I felt like I knew each character because the author made them real people to me. The story was unique and well written. I have loved every book written by Katherine Center. Add this to your book shelf you won’t be disappointed.

"I feel like I've been lost all my life until now- and somehow with you I'm just...found."


Katherine Center just does something to me. She has a way with words and what she writes just...works. With other authors it could seem cheesy, but she is perfect.

My all time favorite trope is celebrity/regular person - and I also love fake dating tropes so this book was meant for me. Add in the fact that I grew up in Texas and had a farm, and I was HOOKED.

I think this is such a creative spin on both of those tropes, though. A female bodyguard!! Yes, please.

I loved Hannah and her fear of being unlovable. I swooned over Jack Stapleton and his crooked glasses and broken heart. And together they were just wonderful. Like being home. It was such a privilege to see Hannah fall in love with his family and let her guard down.

This book was adorable.




Thank you to St. Martins for an advance copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

This new novel by Katherine Center is a fantastic romantic read with depth and heart. I loved reading Hannah and Jack's story. As movie star, Jack is threatens by a stalker and Hannah is assigned his case and must present herself to his family as his girlfriend. Hannah is an expert bodyguard, with a broken heart and a desire to figure out what love for herself and others truly is. Taking on the challenge of guarding a movie star, Hannah finds out that people aren't always as they seem and how important connection with other can be. I'm a huge fan of Center and she is a must read author for me. This new book took all the things I love about her books and added a little more rom-com vibes than ever before, but also held true to her serious, introspective moments for the reader. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This author does not disappoint. I was so so excited when I saw that I was able to read an advanced copy of this book. Wow! I absolutely loved it. I have recommended it to all of my friends. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

Fun, romantic story. Typical Katherine Center although I felt this was slightly more cheesy. My favorites by her are Things You Save In A Fire and Walk Away.

Hannah Brooks is one of the best Executive Protection Agents (aka Bodyguards) around. She's dedicated to her job and loves the company she works for. But after the sudden death of her mother, instead of taking time off, Hannah wants to jump right back into the grind. Doubly so as a potential promotion is hanging in the air between Hannah and a fellow agent. Hannah's latest assignment has her guarding superstar Jack Stapleton.

Jack Stapleton left fame behind a few years ago after a family tragedy. Now, he's back in Texas after his mother falls ill. With the studios betting on a comeback, they're still quite invested in Jack, and due to some over-zealous stalkers in his past, they can't be too careful. Enter Hannah as Jack's bodyguard. Trying to keep his stalker, and need for a bodyguard, a secret, Jack asks Hannah to pose as his girlfriend.

What starts out as a simple job, ends up helping both Jack and Hannah heal in ways they didn't know they needed.

I'm not typically one to read an arc so far in advance, but I'll always jump to read what Katherine Center puts out.

From the onset, I felt like The Bodyguard was going to be different than what I've previously read from Katherine Center. In a way it is, I felt like it was a lot more comedic. You almost feel like with a title like The Bodyguard you're going to get something in the realm of superhero. At least that's how I initially felt when I read the title. And if I'm being honest, Hannah is very superhero-like. One of the elements that can always be counted on from a Katherine Center book is a strong central heroine. Whether trying to make it in a man's profession, pushing themselves past physical trauma, or standing up for and fighting for what they believe, they're all strong women. From her job, we know Hannah is strong. In this instance, it's the vulnerability that she needs to work on. Knowing that it's ok to grieve or not know how to grieve. Accepting that she doesn't have to be perfect always.

I loved the bonding that happens between Jack and Hannah. It's slight animosity at first, but they just naturally click with one another. Neither of them lets the other get away with their hand ups which, in Jack's case, is especially refreshing as he's typically surrounded by people who are only around to do what he wants. In that way, Hannah ends up helping Jack heal and helping his family heal as sometimes only a person coming into a situation with a different perspective can.

Seeing Jack and Hannah slowly work their way towards each other is near magical. I really enjoyed this one, and I look forward to revisiting it closer to publication. Katherine Center is an auto-read for me on a normal day, if you've new to her as an author, hurry now and pick up everything she's ever written.

*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine Center is a "must read" author for me, and I was delighted to grab an early copy of The Bodyguard. Center does not disappoint with a book that I know is going to be on beach blankets and in book clubs this summer.

I loved the way Center swapped archaic gender norms by making petite Hannah Brooks the bodyguard and uber-famous Jack Stapleton the one needing protection = proving that looks can be deceiving and that biases should be challenged.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Movie star Jack Stapleton needs protection from a stalker when he comes home to be with his mom after her surgery. Enter Hannah Brooks, an unlikely bodyguard. To keep Jack's family safe, they pretend Hannah is his girlfriend. The fake dating trope but with a good looking movie star who may or may not be acting when he's with Hannah.

Too many staccato-like sentences, but an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Adored this book!!! It was funny, heartbreaking, silly and sweet! Jack was such an incredible hero that there wasn’t a single thing that I disliked about him! Hannah was so much more than she let people see. Her line of work forced her to be closed off and guarded, but when those walls came down and she allowed herself to feel, her character was incredible! The two together was so hilarious and heart warming. They truly saw each other for who they were, not the roles they played.

The storyline around Jack’s brother Drew absolutely broke my heart!!!! It packed a gut punch right up until the end of the book!

I sped through this read because it was JUST THAT GOOD! I love that Center’s books are emotionally gripping and you barely even notice the lack of romantic / bedroom scenes! The chemistry between the characters was a slow burn and on another level of tension! So much angst!

I also liked the unique way the author told the story at times, almost as a reflection of past events from Hannah’s POV. The ending was incredible and wrapped up this adventure so nicely!

I have read and loved all of Katherine Center's books, so when I saw the premise of her newest book, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. The main character, Hannah, is a female bodyguard, and I loved the behind-the-scenes details about her job. The story was a little predictable, so this is a perfect comfort read with a great mix of humor and romance. It's a must-read for fans of Katherine Center.

4.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“ Love is something you do. Love is something you generate.”

I so needed this book in my life! I don’t think I have laughed out loud so much while loving everything about this book.

Jack and Hannah have so much chemistry that it oozes off the pages. Both characters are interesting alone but together is a dynamic that isn’t seen often. All the feels, all the laughter, love, and warmth we have come to expect from this author and she definitely does not disappoint!

This is a must read!! I am so glad I did and you won’t want to miss this book!

A huge thank you to St. Martin’s press for the opportunity to read this amazing book. My review and opinions are my own.

4.5 stars
Ahhh, I want to rave on and on about this book and point out every moment I loved, but if I do that we're going to be here forever, so let me try to sum up the vibe of this book. This book has every trope I love (famous love interest, guy falls first, bodyguard romance, grumpy sunshine, nice/sweet heroes, nightmares, one bed, fake dating), it's also a really good friends to lovers slow burn, and there are a ton of adorable moments between the main characters, but that's not even what makes the book so great. What makes this book so damn enjoyable is simply the author's writing style. Yes, I loved all the tropes in this book, and am shocked the author managed to include so many I love, but it never felt like the were forced into the story. They were simply extra positive elements that were casually incorporated into the story, whereas the characters and their connection was the highlight. Even when they were just first meeting and everything was platonic, the main characters had such a great dynamic, it really built the foundation for their relationship (as should be the case for any good romance). My only complaint was the pacing. I wish the characters met a bit sooner so we had a bit more time to see the relationship develop, but the non romantic plot moved at a very natural pace so still overall it was really good. Despite the character's sad histories, this is a super upbeat romance with enough popular tropes and such loveable main characters, I can't see it not becoming popular. I definitely recommend picking it up when it comes out. I'll probably buy it just so I can own a physical copy (yes, it was that good).
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Basically: Hannah is an executive protection agent, aka, a bodyguard. She doesn't look like a stereotypical bodyguard, but could totally take you down. She's assigned to protect Jack Stapleton, a megastar actor against his middle aged stalker.
Jack's mom is sick, and he doesn't want his family to find out he has a stalker. He asks Hannah to pretend to be his girlfriend as a cover.

This has lots of romantic tropes people love like fake dating, just one bed, and forced proximity.

My Thoughts: This was such a fun read. I appreciated the uniqueness of Hannah's job and thought it was really cool and different! I liked the characters development, especially in how Hannah saw herself throughout the story. Loved the setting, and I loved the family relationship and dynamic. This was really well paced, and felt like a natural romance! At one point, I was really hoping to see more of Hannah's skills come out and was happy they eventually did. Other than a couple of F words thrown in, this is a romance you can recommend to your mom.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a contemporary romance that was sweet without sex. There was just a bit of language. Hannah is a bodyguard to a famous actor, Jack. They end up falling in love. Well written that moved at a great pace! I finished this in one day. I'll definitely be looking for more from this author!

3 Stars.

The Bodyguard is my first Katherine Center book, however my friend has been telling me to read Happiness for Beginners for ages. Now, after reading the Bodyguard, I'm not sure if Katherine Center's writing style is for me. I've read some other reviews and the Bodyguard is supposedly more romantic than Center's previous works, which doesn't bode well for me considering I found the romance severely underwhelming.

The Bodyguard had all the potential to be a five star read, however, the writing style hindered the book. I am not a fan of books that tell rather than show, and this story had major TELLING and not as much showing. Also, when I found scenes to get interesting, Center would stop and shift to..."and then the next day..." or just move on to the next scene. It's like we got to the tipping point but never quite made it over the hump. Sighs.

The Bodyguard had all I wanted in a romance: fake dating, suspense, slow burn, and an alpha guy. Yet, the story falls flat. I found Hannah, the main character, to be extremely annoying. She was constantly negative and it drove me nuts.

There wasn't any suspense in the story. Nothing to keep me interested.

I don't know. I finished this book last week and my feelings toward it are neutral. It was good enough to finish, but not good enough to remember.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

Hannah is put on "desk duty" after the death of her mother. She wants nothing more than to escape. She desperately wants to go on location anywhere to get over her co-worker, ex boyfriend. When she is put on a new high-profile case, she must remain in Texas to do her job.
Sprinkled in the story throughout is kindness, hope, and forgiveness. The process of dealing with grief and living again after loss was very moving. I loved Hannah's inner dialogue and laughed so much at the banter with Jack. One of my favorite messages from the book is to see the best in others and bring attention to that best part is you.This is a very sweet, uplifting, funny, and charming story that is just so joyful!! I also loved that the story is set on a Texas ranch that was inspired by Katherine's own grandparents' ranch!

This publishes July 19. Thank you to @smpromance and @stmartinspress for my advanced copy! Go read her entire backlist if you haven't yet while you wait for this one to come out!

A movie star with a heart of gold and a body I wasn't expecting ...
It's such a thrill that Katherine Centre has written an unpredictable story about a-typical MCs. After reading about a million books thus far, it's hard to get surprised by a novel, harder still to fall completely in love with the story and the characters. And yet, Center has done it again ... made me laugh and cry and gasp in surprise.
Hands down one of my favorite reads this year.

The Bodyguard is my new favorite Katherine Center book! This book was the feel good story I didn’t know I needed. I smiled, laughed and fell in love with all the characters. Highly recommend!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I just finished a book a week before Christmas. On the day that I hosted my family's side.
And it's not due out until July 2022. Here are a few of my highlights from the book:
1 - Her beautiful description of his parents, never having witnessed it before.
2 - Discovering the love of feeling and giving a hug.
3 - I want to do Thanksgiving like the Stapletons someday.
4 - Of being cherished. She longed for the impossible and then appreciated it when it did happen.
5 - Jack's when you are not around I miss you speech.
6 - Hannah having faith in herself and following through.
7 - Needing a pocket at an important time but woman somehow don't deserve to have pockets.
8 - Poor guy when he says "I just hate myself for not being loved."
9 - Her description of being kissed.
Thank you #netgalley and #stmartinspress

I haven’t been reading as much as I like lately, but this sweet gem of a romance sprinkled with kindness, hope, and forgiveness has shown me what I’ve been missing in my life. I always look forward to reading Katherine Center’s books because they have a way of showing you that things are never as bad as you think they are.