I absolutely loved this novel about Hannah, who works as a bodyguard to actor Jack. More than just an entertaining rom-com, as is the case with most Katherine Center books, this is also an exploration of some deeper issues, including grief and loss, and it even includes a bit of thriller-like suspense. I was fully invested in the main characters' relationship as well as in Jack's family, and I eagerly rode their emotional rollercoaster into the wee hours of the morning to reach the hard-won happy ending. This is now tied with Things You Save in a Fire as my favorite Katherine Center book.

🎶 And I…..will always love youooooo I…. 🎶

Now that I’ve dated myself with yet another old song lyric, let’s talk about the latest Katherine Center novel, The Bodyguard.

In Center’s latest, we are taken back to the straight up rom coms I grew up with. Early on we meet Hannah Brooks, a no nonsense bodyguard who is itching for a big assignment to sink her teeth into. Hannah isn’t what you’d picture when you think of the word protection, making this the precise reason she’s so good at what she does. Unceremoniously being dumped by her co-worker boyfriend only adds to her frustration. Then she gets her latest assignment- guarding big time movie star, Jack Stapleton.

When we meet Jack we quickly learn he’s a man who doesn’t think he needs protecting, much less by a woman. After Hannah puts him in his place though (quite literally, I might add) he changes his tune. Jack is in town while visiting his sick mother, all while trying to keep a low profile. He doesn’t want anyone, especially his family, knowing there is any threat of danger. This is how the crazy scheme of having Hannah pose as his girlfriend is hatched. With Hannah in tow, Jack returns to his family’s ranch where secrets are revealed, relationships are rocked, and hearts are on the line- making much more than bodies needing guarding.

While this is very reminiscent of the classic rom com films, it also reminded me of the recently released novel, Nora Goes Off Script. Also, a few books I’ve read lately have given off strong While You Were Sleeping vibes. The Bodyguard even had a moment that had to be directly influenced by one of my favorite lines in the film. (“ I got very attached to you…to me?”)

However, when watching (or reading) stories like this I sometimes have to fight the rationale side of my brain. For example, there’s a scene early on where they arrive on the farm and a bunch of cows crowd their car, freaking city slicker, Hannah, out. It’s not so much that she had a reaction, even the bravest of people have their phobias, but that the cows were able to “sneak up” on someone who pride’s themselves in anticipating someone’s next move made that moment laughable, but not probable.

All nit picking aside, Katherine Center is one of best contemporary fiction authors we have today. Her latest release is sure to be another hit for the popular writer who successfully disarms her readers time after time with heartfelt story telling. Make no mistake, The Bodyguard is the gatekeeper of summer releases.

This is an emotional, compulsively readable story that Katherine Center fans will adore and new followers will love. It's got lots of instrospection, light drama, and a fun cast of supporting characters. I found it hard to connect with many of them, and didn't love the way the main character was conveniently dumbed down when needed to further the plot. I also didn't enjoy some of the stylistic choices in telling the story, so this was, for many reasons, rated a little lower than other KC novels that I've read. However, it was still very enjoyable and I'm looking forward to what she writes next! Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance digital copy!

This goes quickly to the top of my favorite reads of 2022! It was a bit of a slow start for me, but man oh man did it redeem itself. I love a slow burn that’s also funny. I found myself laughing out loud several times and I grinned my way through the final chapters. Fake dating is always one of my favorite tropes, and this one did not disappoint. Even though it’s a romance, it did not stop there. Well-developed characters, grief, and strong (yet tense) family connections were all present. Overall, a fabulous book. I’m a first time reader of the author, and now I want to read everything of hers that I can get my hands on.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of "The Bodyguard" by Katherine Center, which is releasing on July 19th, 2022!

The book tells the story of Hannah, who works as a bodyguard to protect others. Many are skeptical at first due to the fact that she's a woman of shorter stature, which is not typically how bodyguards are portrayed. But I will say that after reading this novel, she is pretty damn badass.

Her world comes crashing down when her mother passes away and her boyfriend dumps her. Her boss Glenn wants her to take time off and grieve, but she's unsure of how to do so. Eventually, she is given a new assignment - to protect the famous actor Jack Stapleton.

This novel was written with hilarity, intensity, and so much more. It fully deserves it's 5-star rating!

I have yet to read a Katherine Center book I didn’t love! I will say this book is way different than the others I’ve read of hers. This one is less about one main characters journey to self discovery/recovery and more alone the lines of ROMCOM. This new style of hers fits really well with all the ROMCOM coming out. I have zero bad things to say about this books. She stayed true to her characters personality’s, developed them well, built them together well, and didn’t have any missteps.

This is a slow burn, take dating, fade to black trope. Has a strong female character who is a bodyguard protecting a famous man. The premise itself is already funny for me. Katherine does great banter! Lots of dialogue so you aren’t stuck in annoying monologues. Do I wish Katherine wrote spice, yes! Are her books still so great without it? Also yes!

I have no doubt you’ll enjoy this book there is no huge emotional downshift. So it stays light. Love it.

Hannah Brooks is 5-foot-5 and is the last person you'd believe is a bodyguard. But she's the top female agent at her firm and loves working undercover and traveling all over the world. She's been unlucky in love having just been dumped by Robby, her fellow agent. The two become rivals for a big promotion when Glenn, their boss, gives Hannah the local assignment of protecting sexiest-man-alive actor Jack Stapleton, who is in the Houston area to visit his ill mother. If she handles this high-profile client well, Hannah will be a lock to head the company's London office. In order to not worry his family that he has a stalker, Jack pretends that Hannah is his girlfriend, and she is embraced as a refreshing change from his normal parade of models and starlets. And Hannah finds herself enjoying being surrounded by Jack's family. And Jack has turned out to be very different than she expected.

The always joyful Katherine Center has created a sweet, heartwarming story that will keep you smiling throughout. The Bodyguard will make you swoon and hope for a happily ever after. When it's time for a break from heavier reads, consider adding this enjoyable, feel-good book to your list.

Just so so good! What a fun book and relationship between the main characters! Love the role reversal in this one. I enjoyed all of the characters and it was funny! This is my first Katherine Center book and I can't wait to read more!

Thank you NetGalley and Katherine Center!

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center was so funny and cute. It was a role reversal where the main character, Hannah, is the bodyguard for a famous actor. I could not put it down and I can’t wait to read Katherine Center’s other books!

If you LOVE Katherine Center's other books, you will LOVE LOVE this one!! Highly recommend this book to Center fans everywhere!

This was unlike any other romance I've read before! It was cute, funny, and unexpected.

What I loved:
– Texas ranch backdrop
– Female bodyguard protecting a famous & swoony actor
– Fake dating
– Slow-burn, adorable romance that was closed door

What I didn't love:
– Author's choice to have the MC speak directly to the reader like a conversation (it pulled me out of the story)
– MC's tendency to complain about her job ten pages after saying how much she loves her job
– Some plot points threw me for a loop, like the book was trying too hard to be silly in a serious situation

Overall, I thought it was a fun and enjoyable read. It did toe the line of being too much for me at first—too much complaining, too much silliness, too much awkward speaking to the reader, but the cute romance made up for it.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 5
Overall: 4

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

Trigger/Content Warnings: stalker, car accident death, gun violence threat, suicide threat

First off thank you for letting me read your book. I was so excited to read this and it definitely didn't disappoint. I love that the woman was the bodyguard and protecting the man for once. I've never read a book like that and I appreciate that so much. Hannah was so relatable the struggle she had with work and taking a break, trying to balance in her life I understand completely. I laughed out loud so many times.

I just reviewed The Bodyguard by Katherine Center. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Title: The Bodyguard
Author: Katherine Center
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5

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.

I loved this so much! The voice is excellent, and I was laughing at Hannah’s antics and thoughts—especially her reaction to the cow. Pretty sure I actually snorted at that point. This was sweet, and funny, and just so much fun to read! I highly recommend it!

Katherine Center is a bestselling author. The Bodyguard is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

What wasn't to love about Hannah and Jack? Hannah is a bodyguard and she is assigned to protect Jack who is a famous movie star currently on a break from Hollywood after the death of his brother a few years ago. Hannah's job is the priority in her life. Her father left when she was young, her mother recently passed (but they weren't that close), boyfriend broke up with her the night after her mother's funeral and she didn't get to go on a job to Madrid. Hannah never gets involved with her the people she is protecting but Jack is different. I really enjoyed this story.

This is surprisingly only my second time reading Katherine Center. I really enjoyed ‘Things You Save in A Fire” for its perfect balance of easy, fast-paced, rom-com with a valuable lesson. ‘The Bodyguard’ was also just that.

Hannah Brooks is the most unassuming Executive Protection Agent (aka a bodyguard) you will ever meet which is exactly why she gets hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his unhinged super-fan, corgi-loving stalker.

This comes as the perfect distraction since her coworker and boyfriend recently broke up with her. However, Jack doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker so he asks Hannah to pretend to be his girlfriend as a cover. But Hannah and Jack couldn’t have more opposite personalities and lifestyles which means chaos will be incoming.

If you enjoy stories with …

✨fake dating tropes
✨the blend of romance and comedy
✨difficult family relationships
✨wholesome life lessons

Then this is a great addition to your shelf! I am a sucker for fake dating and this did not disappoint. Even the aspects that were predictable were still a joy to watch unravel. But I will say there were some plot twists I did not see coming.

I loved any messaging around discovering self-worth, self-love and forgiveness which were explored through both characters.

“People loving you for your best qualities is not the same as people loving you despite your worst”

The epilogue also wrapped everything together I was left feeling very satisfied with the ending. This was such a fun cute read.

It was such a fun story with a badass main female character. I enjoyed the writing, the plot and the characters. The characters were very relatable and at times laugh out loud funny. The chemistry between Hannah and Jack was amazing. Their relationship was a slow burn but I was rooting for them, and I loved seeing their relationship evolve. It was such a unique plot with Hannah being a bodyguard, and the ending was perfect. I think this one would make a great movie!

A huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exhange for my honest review.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center was such a fun romance novel! Hannah is a bodyguard hired to protect Jack Stapleton, the superstar actor because he has a stalker. I listened to the audiobook, and I could not stop listening! The narrator did a great job giving voice to these characters. I love Hannah and Jack so much! Everything Katherine Center writes is a must-read. Consider her an auto-buy author!

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio, for my gifted copies.

A new favorite Katherine Center book??? Maybe!!!

Center can do absolutely no wrong in my mind, but THIS BOOK! I’m still smiling at the thought. Definitely the heaviest romance I’ve read from her by far, which you know I am HERE FOR!! And, still she manages to spin in her trademark women’s fiction.

🌺Bodyguard/celebrity romance
🌼Forced proximity
🌸Opposites attract
🌷Great Texas ranch setting
🌻Sweet family and interesting side characters

I absolutely LOVED these two characters together. I could have read 300 more pages about Jack and Hannah. Their chemistry and banter was absolute perfection for me. Jack. WHAT A GUY! He was swoonalicious!!!! And I loved that Hannah was the bodyguard, she was such a bad ass, but we got to see her hidden vulnerable side which was just so special.

Here are some words that came to mind while reading::
Heartwarming•Lovely•Sweet•Feel-good•banter •SWOON•I LOVE JACK STAPLETON!!

I loved everything about it and can’t think of a single thing I would change ♥️

Hannah's life at the moment is rough and she just wants to escape into work. Her mother recently died and her boyfriend broke up with her. She works for an elite security company and reluctantly takes a job of providing security for Jack, at the moment the hottest thing in Hollywood. What a fun, laugh out loud read despite it's predictability. A perfect summer, vacay or anytime read.

Katherine Center does it again! Whether you're an existing fan of this author's books or this is the first book you pick up by Center, I guarantee it will win you right over. This was the perfect romance and journey of self-discovery and I was here for every last second of it. The premise is simple but the story oh so rich! A famous actor is signed up to have a bodyguard he didn't ask for and the bodyguard is about to throw the towel in completely on her career if she cannot land the job she wants to be given by her boss. Let's just say, staying around to cover this famous actor was not what she was hoping for.

The characters here were absolute dynamite and so incredibly well-written. I loved coming alongside them and how real they became to me throughout the story. Who they were felt genuine and. so alongside that, I felt their connection to be genuine as well and it was so well explored.

I laughed, I swooned, I smiled my way through this book and couldn't put it down! The characters situations, struggles, and growth were so perfectly developed throughout. Not to mention that the story itself felt so fresh and unique. Center does such an incredible job at storytelling and hooking her readers, and that's exactly what happened here.

I just absolutely adored this book in every possible way! It was the perfect summertime read and just checked all of those readerly boxes of mine. Do not hesitate to pick this book up! All the love, all the stars.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the gifted e-copy.