The Anatomy of Love: the Prequel, the Main Event, and the rollicking Epilogue... Katherine Center has delivered the full package!
Star Wars - move over!
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Okay, so I'm exaggerating a bit here, but we do see Hannah emerge from the chrysalis that she has been frozen in ever since her father left and her mother retreated into drugs and alcohol to escape the wreckage of her life.

Hannah has no room for romance: she stays busy so that she doesn't have time to dwell on how empty - how devoid - her life is of that four letter word: LOVE. (along with companionship and true friends.)

Hell literally breaks loose in the very first chapter of this novel. My advice? Hold on tight because you are in for a very bumpy ride: Hannah Brooks and Jack Stapleton are a match made in.... well, TEXAS!

I roared with laughter as these two irrepressible lunatics were forced to masquerade as lovers while staying at the Stapleton family ranch - in an effort to pull the wool over the eyes of Jack's seriously ill mother. I loved the entire Stapleton clan, as well as the corral of rescued circus horses. There were so many fascinating side stories that you never had time to catch your breath or get bored.

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At some point, the lines get blurred and these two madcaps often forget that the relationship isn't real.
Meryl Streep makes a cameo appearance, along with a set of steak knives and a precocious four year old!

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And that BIG KISSING SCENE..... IT WAS SO WORTH THE WAIT!!!

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I truly needed with wonderful, hilarious, hopelessly romantic birds' eye view of the epic love story between a much stalked and beleaguered movie star and his pint-sized bodyguard. I loved it and never wanted their story to end. 5out of 5 well-deserved stars! Highly, highly recommended if you need a good laugh.... or ten!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Netgalley and Katherine Center for the ARC.

This was really cute! I really liked both of the main characters, Jack and Hannah, and the concept of fake dating as a bodyguard/movie star was really fun. I have read some Katherine Center books in the past and found them incredibly cheesy, but this one was different! There was a lot more substance, and the real "romance" part didn't come in until more towards the end, so it didn't feel cheesy at all.

All in all, I really liked this one as a cute romance, and would definitely recommend for a light, fun read!

This is not your typical fake relationship book. It was is refreshing to read a different style of a fake relationship book. Hannah is a bodyguard and was hired to protect a famous actor, Jack, from a stalker. The story takes a turn when Hannah needs to pretend to be Jack's girlfriend and was invited to stay with him and his family for a whole month. There were a lot of cute moments throughout the book and I couldn't put this book down. When the threat of the stalker is over, Jack goes back to his normal life but more danger hits and Hannah is there to save him.

I went into this book blind- I requested it on NetGalley just because it was Catherine Center. Nothing else mattered. I loved it. When I realized the “bodyguard” was a female… I thought “hell yes!” This was such a quick read read that had a little bit of everything in it! Loved all the characters so much! Highly recommend this one!

So here’s what Katherine Center does. She gives you a strong woman, romance, comedy, and life lessons all in one. It’s impossible to read one of her books without having smiled, laughed, and learned something. And she does this effortlessly.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this. I am probably one of Katherine Center’s biggest fans, and this book is another example of why. I absolutely loved it. She has a way of writing that makes it feels like she is someone I have known forever. The writing takes you through the story, and makes you feel what the character is feeling. She makes me laugh out loud when I am reading, her characters are just honest and feel just like real people, people I am sad to say goodbye to when I finish the book. I can’t recommend this enough for anyone that just wants a bit of an escape.

The Bodyguard was a fun and quick read. I really enjoyed the gender reversal and general concept of this book.

At the end of the day, my largest issue with the book was that I wanted more! I felt like we jumped from crush to love very quickly, where there might have been so many more opportunities for Hannah (and me) to fall in love further with the characters. Also, while at first I adored the way in which the main character's interior dialogue was written, and felt like an instant friend, I found it to get a little grating over the course of the book, with many of the same phrases used over and over again. I also found that the very easy going nature of the writing and storyline didn't allow for me to get as emotional or serious through the more high intensity plot moments, another aspect that I wish I could have experienced.

Overall, I felt like this potential of this book was substantial but couldn't deliver the emotional attachment I'd be looking for.

4.5 stars
I started this book this morning, and stayed up till 1 am to finish it. I. COULD. NOT. PUT. IT. DOWN. What a fantastic, fun, sweet read! I will definitely be recommending this to friends.

I loved the narration of this book! It was like hearing a story from a friend. I am a huge fan of Katherine Venter and this was one of my favourite reads of the year! Definitely recommend. TW: some domestic violence, mental health issues.

LOVED LOVED LOVED!!! I finished this book in a matter of hours. It was so good I couldn’t put it down. Compared to the two other books I read by Center, this was more of a romance than a women’s fiction. Still, there were emotional moments, laugh out loud moments, and suspenseful moments.

What I loved:
-The important of family and forgiveness
-Similar to Things You Save in a Fire (one of my all time favorite books), we get to see another women in a predominantly male profession and watch her kick ass
-The fake dating trope
-The banter and chemistry between Hannah and Jack
-The vivid descriptions of life on the Texas ranch
-The epilogue, which was one of the best I’ve read in a while with so much closure and happiness

Honestly, I can’t think of anything I didn’t like. I literally was not ready to say goodbye to Hannah, Jack, Glenn, Connie and the rest of the supporting characters. My heart is so full!

Thank you so much St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

So. Much. Fun. Who doesn't love a good fake-dating-turned-romance, especially with the added fun of a tough-as-nails female bodyguard and a moviestar?!

Hannah Brooks is an unsuspecting of a professional bodyguard as you could ever get, and her newest assignment is Hollywood's heartthrob -- but there's a catch. Since his mother has recently fallen ill and he doesn't want her to know he's in danger, Hannah has to pass as his girlfriend back at home rather than his security detail.

This book is lighthearted, funny, and so, so sweet. Jack has a heart of gold and I loved the subplots of Hannah's relationships with coworkers and Jack's relationships with his siblings. Katherine Center is a gem!

Many thanks to Katherine Center, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this ARC!

I really, really, really loved this book! Why?
It is a light, romantic, happy story that had the best characters that I adored!
It is a perfect read at any time.
Hannah is a tiny, petite woman who believe it or not is a bodyguard.
A bodyguard that could kill you if she needed to! I wouldn't mess with her!
Her newest mission is to protect her client, who just happens to be a famous person. Will people realize who he is? Can she do it? Will he ever trust her?

'I will not go into more detail, but definitely do yourself the favor of taking a seat, reading, laughing and just enjoying this novel.
I highly recommend it!!

"Love is something you do. Love is something you generate. And loving other people really does turn out, in the end to be a genuine way of loving yourself."

Okay, Katherine Center’s books are just so damn good! I absolutely loved The Bodyguard! Everything about it was a slow burn and her writing style is just so so entertaining. Hannah Brooks, an ordinary looking petite woman, is a bodyguard for a highly sought after protection company. Her job: protect Hollywood actor, Jack Stapleton, oh and travel with him to his family’s Texas ranch, oh and pretend to be his girlfriend while there to be his protection …. All the makings of a great story! Jack and Hannah’s relationship was all the feels, I just loved their banter and the way Hannah opened up to Jack and how he did to her as well.

This is such a great book, 5 stars!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

"And, in the end, do you ever truly know for sure if you’re lovable?" Sharing the journey with Hannah as she struggles to find the answer to this question was a true experience. From the very first page, the reader is drawn into this story -- I literally didn't stop until the last page (at 4:30 am!). Anger, sadness, betrayal, fear, humor, love, and happiness -- The Bodyguard has it all! Katherine Center has outdone herself once again with extremely relatable characters that you'll both love and hate, a storyline that is almost unbelievable yet so very real, and a plot with a few twists and turns that you might not expect. It's definitely my new favorite of hers, and I couldn't recommend it more!

Another TOTAL hit from Center! I have been a big fan of her previous books, so I anxiously picked this one up. Her previous books have been a bit sad, so I did not know what to expect. But this one was all joyful and beautiful romance and so believable! I want to reread it again right now and I am very sad that it is over. I adored this romance and I would recommend it to any romance reader. I absolutely adored this book. Katherine Center can do no wrong. I'm so relieved that she will continue to be one of my favorite authors. Thank goodness.

Katherine Center does it again. I read this in one sitting and loved every word. The banter was wonderful. I love a flawed character and applaud the evolution (and lack thereof) due to societal pressures. I could picture this as it happened and it would make a great movie. It's a wonderful read and Jack, oh, Jack!

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy, as a fan of Katherine Center, I was excited to get an early read!

Just as other Center books, this one did not disappoint! We follow Hannah Brooks, a private security agent. She works for Glenn's small company in Texas, and has been intertwined with a fellow agent, Robby. Robby dumped her the night of her mothers unexpected death/funeral and she finds out he had been hooking up with another coworker, Hannah's best friend. Hannah was so angry, pushing her mothers death to the side and wanted to work, immediately. Though she did not get the assignment she was expecting. She got a local assignment to a celebrity in hiding. The assignment involves her posing as a girlfriend, to his family and ends up having to live at the family farm to ensure his safety from a stalker. We follow the business dynamics amongst the two that quickly crosses an emotional line all while keeping him out of the public eye. A very fun read!

It took me a bit to warm up to Hannah, but once I did I found this just as relatable and engaging as Center's other books.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a bit ambivalent about this latest novel by Katherine Center. She is one of my favorite authors based on two of her previous works – How to Walk Away and Things You Save in a Fire. The Bodyguard didn’t live up to my expectations in comparison. While it does address some serious issues about love, family, grief and loss, it reads more as a rom-com novel.

Hannah Brooks is a tough, competent Executive Protection Agent (bodyguard) whose world implodes when she loses her mother, her boyfriend and her best friend in a short span of time. All she wants to do is escape on an assignment out of Texas, but instead she is assigned as the primary guarding Jack Stapleton, a reclusive, wildly popular, handsome film star. To compound her dilemma, she has a mild crush on the actor based on his film roles that threatens to undermine her professional responsibilities.

Stapleton has returned home from a self-imposed exile to care for his mother who has been diagnosed with cancer. His need for protection is based on a low level threat – a middle-aged stalker who knits him personalized sweaters and wants to have his baby. Jack’s homecoming is complicated by his estranged relationship with his family related to the death of his younger brother in a car accident. Hannah and Jack pose as boyfriend and girlfriend at the Stapleton ranch and predictably, they begin to have genuine feelings for each other.

As I mentioned above, this storyline seems to be a departure from the author’s characteristic style. All the elements of her previous books are there (namely, easy, clever banter between the main characters, significant emotional issues and character development/growth), but the emphasis felt off. There is a superficiality that was unexpected. However, the last few chapters did offer some redeeming ideas about love and relationships.

While this book was not as enjoyable as previous titles, I still look forward to the next Katherine Center offering.
My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

Wow... what an addictive book!
I blame Katherine Center for my lack of sleep last night. I don't know how she does it, but she's made some very sad, serious issues, hopeful. That life will go on, if you can choose to be happy and make the most of what you have.
I really loved Jack, and his and Hannah's interactions. I enjoyed every minute of them getting to know each other.
It definitely felt different to other novels written by the author, but that just shows how talented she is.