4/5 stars!

this was such a refreshing and fun read!

She’s got his back.
Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than somebody who could kill you with a wine bottle opener. Or a ballpoint pen. Or a dinner napkin. But the truth is, she’s an Executive Protection Agent (aka "bodyguard"), and she just got hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker.

He’s got her heart.
Jack Stapleton’s a household name—captured by paparazzi on beaches the world over, famous for, among other things, rising out of the waves in all manner of clingy board shorts and glistening like a Roman deity. But a few years back, in the wake of a family tragedy, he dropped from the public eye and went off the grid.

They’ve got a secret.
When Jack’s mom gets sick, he comes home to the family’s Texas ranch to help out. Only one catch: He doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker. Or the bodyguard thing. And so Hannah—against her will and her better judgment—finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend as a cover. Even though her ex, like a jerk, says no one will believe it.

What could possibly go wrong???
Hannah hardly believes it, herself. But the more time she spends with Jack, the more real it all starts to seem. And there lies the heartbreak. Because it’s easy for Hannah to protect Jack. But protecting her own, long-neglected heart? That’s the hardest thing she’s ever done.

This was such a fun and cute romance! When I saw that the book was about a female Executive Protection Agent (AKA a bodyguard) and an actor, I knew I had to read it (especially after I saw it also included fake-dating).

Hannah was such a strong character and I really loved her, Her fears and insecurities felt real and relatable. Jay is dealing with his own issues and trauma from his past, and I really liked seeing his interactions with his family.

I was a little disappointed by the ending and the second half of Hannah and Jack's relationship, but overall this was a very enjoyable book and I had lots of fun reading it.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine center did it again! I’ve never not loved one of her books and this one was no different. Highly highly recommend.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy!

THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK.
To say I was blown away is an understatement. It has ALL THE THINGS. Cheating, heartbreak, Hollywood, stalking, love, family feuding/bonding and SO MUCH MORE.

Executive protection agent, Hannah Brooks, has just experienced a huge betrayal. And on top of that, has just been given an ‘undercover’ assignment where she has to pose as a reclusive movie stars (Jack Stapleton) girlfriend, so as not to alert is sick mother and family as to the threats being made against him.

Hannah and Jack quickly get secluded to Jack’s family ranch as his mother goes through cancer treatments. Their guise as a couple becomes more and more believable by the day as they grow closer in the confined area. Because well… it is becoming more and more real for both of them. Once real-life hits, things go awry.

Following Hannah and Jack on this journey was such a rollercoaster! I highly recommend for romance/action lovers!!

I absolutely loved this book! Hannah is a bodyguard that gets hired to protect Jack, a famous actor, from a stalker as Jack moves to Texas to spend time with his sick mother. In order to prevent his family from finding out about Jack's threat, Hannah pretends to be Jack's girlfriend and moves in with him and his family to protect them. This was such a unique concept and a twist on a traditional bodyguard romance. Hannah and Jack were both very likable and made the book such a fun read. I will definitely be reading future books by this author!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

The Bodyguard

Well, as you can probably guess from the synopsis alone, this book is a whirlwind. I mean a tiny, female bodyguard protecting a big, male movie star? I’ll read that, yes.

From the start we get to see the vulnerability in our heroine, Hannah, who is going through a very traumatic phase of her life when she gets assigned as the main security guard of huge celebrity Jack Stapleton, who is going through his own share of depression.

I think the fact that they were both in very sensible and vulnerable times of their lives it was easy to create a bond. But Jack’s an actor, and Hannah is trained to never let feelings enter the picture, so is their connection even real?

I liked The Bodyguard, for a book that gives the impression of a total comic relief, it was actually pretty full of dark, sad moments. It ended up being more serious than I initially thought, but it also had a bunch of funny moments and one-liners, mostly from Hannah.

I did think it was a little too instalove for me, and even all that sweetness in the epilogue at the end was maybe a little too much for me. (I can’t believe I am typing this because I guess I never thought there was anything close to “too-romantic” for me, but here we are). Also, maybe the side characters were a little too underdeveloped for my taste, mostly Jack’s family, and Hannah’s best friend who all felt written too much for convenience.

But anyhow, I did enjoy the story at the end, and finished it in a surprisingly quick record time after a long reading slump, so I am glad I got to pick it up.

I kept putting off reading <i>The Bodyguard</i> simply because I wanted to save it! I am a fan of Katherine Center and was really looking forward to this one. Sadly, it just did not work for me. Instead of staying up all night turning pages, it ended up being a chore to read rather than a joy.

The overall premise was interesting and had me hooked in advance. As far as the main characters, I really liked Jake - definitely not your usual handsome superstar. But Hannah was a disappointment. She just seemed to be going through the motions as far as her professional as well as personal life. To top it all off, I did not feel their chemistry which pretty much pulled the rug out from under the whole story.

There were places where Katherine Center reminded me of why I like her work – a bit of humor as well as some very touching moments including at least one where I teared up despite reading in a public space. Just because this one didn’t live up to expectations – Center will stay on my radar.

What a perfect romcom of a book. I thought the two main characters had excellent chemistry and the whole book was humorous and really entertaining.

Hannah is an Executive Protection Agent who travels the world protecting the elite. Her clients are usually wealthy but under the radar, so her assignment to protect Hollywood superstar Jack Stapleton from a stalker fan while he visits his sick mom on their Texas ranch is out of her comfort zone. Jack doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker, so he asks Hannah to pretend to be his girlfriend, and she reluctantly agrees.

This, of course, is a romance, and it’s fairly predictable. But this may just be the Katherine Center novel I’ve enjoyed the most. I loved Hannah and Jack’s relationship and how they just enjoyed one another. The banter doesn’t try too hard to be clever; they just frequently burst out laughing at one another about things that weren’t objectively funny, but were to them. It was such a realistic portrayal of the weird little worlds we build inside of our close relationships and it was so much fun to read.

Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protection Agent - aka Bodyguard - going through a bit of a rough patch in her personal life when she gets assigned to guard one of the most famous actors in Hollywood while he tries to unnoticed in Houston and around his family ranch in Katy, TX. But things don’t exactly go according to plan…

This book was so good, I loved it! Forced proximity and fake dating, heck yes! Pick it up and settle in because it gets better and better right up until the perfect end.

I absolutely adored this book. I listened to this via audiobook while reading the ebook. I loved the characters, Hannah and Jack were too cute, and Robby can go to hell. Also, I loved Doghouse, he wasn't mentioned much, but when he was, I smiled. I laughed. I was excited. I felt for Hannah at times, and I was so excited for her at others. The story all in all just made me happy, and I will be checking out more of Center's work as I couldn't devour this one quick enough.

I loved this book! Katherine Center is always one of my favorites, but this one was her funniest, lightest, and most charming yet. I was delighted by how she flipped the bodyguard trope on its head.

This book was interesting and very well-written. I would likely want to read more from this author and will recommend this to friends.

I LOVED this book. It was fun and different and THANK GOD that Toledo was brought back around because I spent the whole book wondering how weird it was that it was such a big deal and then got dropped.

I will say though- there is zero chance that Houston had a direct flight to Toledo. Nowhere has a direct flight to Toledo.

I loved all the characters. I loved it all. I loved the POV and telling the story way after the fact. It was just really fun and I wish that family would adopt me too.

#thebodyguard #katherinecenter #netgalley

Hannah’s a bodyguard and Jack’s a famous actor who left the limelight after an accident took the life of his brother. He’s been estranged from his family, but his mother is sick so he comes home to help her. His third brother doesn’t want him around and his celebrity stalker wants him too much. Hannah poses as his girlfriend when they are with his family. All the while Hannah and Jack are getting closer. Jack has a lot to work through with his family and Hannah has a vile ex who is also a co-worker working Jack’s case.

Katherine’s writing is so beautiful. I loved the banter between Jack and Hannah, the surprises along the way, and the happy ending. A new favorite for sure!

I am thankful for the electronic copy of the book that I received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I purchased the audible version on my own.

The Bodyguard- Katherine Center
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was just what I needed to get over the last two star books I read. It had everything I love about a romance. Kept my interest and I didn’t want to stop reading it. It was a tad predictable but that didn’t bother me. I love a good fake dating storyline.

This story was so darn cute!

I loved this gender-swapped Body guard tale. Typically in bodyguard tropes the male is the bodyguard rescuing a lady damsel, but I enjoyed this spin on the trope!

I’m a sucker for Celebrity trope romances as well, I loved Jack’s family and I loved that we had some tension and things to work out and life for the celebrity wasn’t rainbows and sunshine.

There wasn’t spice, but the story was cute and I so enjoyed the strong female protagonist and sweet male MC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Punlisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is my second Katherine Center book and I was reminded again why I absolutely love her books! The witty banter, the romance, the character development, and her writing style all make for wonderful books! She will continue to be an automatic purchase author for me. While I did really enjoy this book, I do feel like some elements to it weren't necessary for the overall story. I enjoyed them still, but I can also see where they could be taken out and not affect the overall book. All in all, a great read! Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Katherine Center for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

What’s not to love in a romance with a savvy smart heroine, a moody celebrity hero, a forced stay at his parents' ranch, and a fake relationship trope (because she needs to offer him protection).

This was a delightful, meaningful read about giving and accepting love. It left me with that warm and gooey feeling after I finished reading.

One of those books I wish I could start all over again, open the page and read from scratch, just to repeat the experience! Short take: great heroine, fantastic read.

3.5 stars —

The Bodyguard is a fun and cute story. The storyline seemed a bit predictable but the personalities of the characters kept it interesting. The author made quick work of making sure you felt compassion towards the characters. It was an easy read for those of us who love the fake dating trope.