One of my favorite books released this year!

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center is a stunning book with the distinctive style of the author’s previous works. It’s emotional and yet funny and tear-jerking at times. It has a satisfying depth to it despite the cliché fake-dating trope and leaves you with fuzzy feelings after. I can’t stop thinking about this book.

Hannah Brooks is a fantastic character. I love her to bits. I love a competent heroine! I like that she’s good at her job, acknowledges her proficiency as matter-of-fact information, and never downplays it. And yet, with her perfect badass bodyguard skills, she’s still flawed, just like the rest of us. And really, could we fault her for the issues she has - given the neglect she had endured growing up? I enjoyed reading her thoughts and how she started understanding her feelings the more she spent time with Jack Stapleton and his family.

Jack, our main superstar character, has his baggage as well. I feel for him and what he’s going through. I understand why he made his decisions (despite it frustrating me!) because I grasp his character enough that his actions are on par with his personality.

Hannah and Jack, as a couple, work for me. Their banter is funny, silly, and sometimes makes me weep. They are such flawed but kind persons that you can’t help but root for them individually and together.

I LOVE so many of the side characters in this book! Jack's family (I adore his wonderful Mom), Hannah's colleagues (well, most of them). They add so much humor and warmth to this story.

I highly recommend this book! I will re-read again and listen to the audiobook once it's out as well. Patti Murin as narrator!!

Thank you, NetGalley and publisher, for the advance eARC.

4.5 stars

This is such a sweet, heartwarming, and uplifting book. Is it a bit sappy and predictable, and are the characters all a bit too perfect? Yes, but that doesn't detract from the book for me at all. If you're looking for a delightfully funny yet poignant book, then look no further than Center's latest.

Hannah Brooks is a protection agent, otherwise known as a bodyguard. She may look petite and unassuming, but she can bring a large man down before he knows what's hit him. She is reluctantly assigned to protect movie star Jack Stapleton while he is in Houston visiting his family. He's just the kind of vapid, self-absorbed person she dislikes, and now she has to pretend to be his girlfriend. To her surprise, she falls for his family, and for Jack as well.

This book is just an utter joy to read. I listened to it as an audiobook and the narrator, Patti Murin, does a fantastic job of giving Hannah a voice and spirit. I urge you to pick this one up today, you'll be glad you did.

This is the first time I have read a book by Katherine Center. I loved the cover and premise of the book and couldn't wait to read it.

The Bodyguard is a fake-dating/forced proximity trope. I like the fake dating troupe and enjoyed the story line. I appreciated the deviation from the "typical" gender roles and really felt what the protagonist felt as we got everything from her point of view.

Hannah talked so much about Jack Stapleton and his movie The Destroyer that I actually went and looked it up to see if he was a real person! That is a sign of good writing. There were hilarious moments, mixed in with some serious elements, and a few instances where reality was suspended. There were tender moments and cringe-worthy moments. I appreciated that while the kissing got steamy, it was overall, a closed-door romance.

I wanted to love this book and give it all the stars. However, I didn't love the epilogue. There were parts that were fine and other parts that were simply not needed. I also didn't feel like the stalker situation was handled very realistically. The thing that got me most was the cursing. I do not like it in the books I read, at all. I find it completely unnecessary and at times it got excessive in this book. That was a huge turn-off to me. I know I am in the minority with my opinions on this, however, it is a huge deal to me, and I avoid it where I can.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. I was not required to provide a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
3.5/5

Hannah is an Executive Protection Agent AKA bodyguard. She's just buried her mother, her douchecanoe boyfriend/co-worker just dumped her, her best friend/co-worker slept with said douche, and she has no choice but to protect Jack Stapleton, reclusive celebrity who fell off the face of the earth three years ago. When Jack's stalker discovers where he lives in town, they have no choice but to pull up stakes and relocate to his family's ranch...and pretend they're dating! Nothing but love for those Stapletons! The animosity between Jack and his brother Hank was so palpable, but when Jack finally reveals what happened the night of their brother's death there was nothing but shock all around. The banter between Hannah and Jack was so good! And that KISS! Sigh... If you're looking for a fun romcom-y summer read, this book is for you.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protection Agent, aka bodyguard, who likes her pantsuits, her world-traveling assignments and, most of all, being in firm control of every situation. She’s incredibly skilled at protecting her clients, referred to as principals, but she’s even BETTER at protecting her own heart from that nasty little bugger called “love”.

There’s just one problem: Jack Stapleton: actor, heartthrob, and Hannah’s next principal, whether she likes it or not. After being dumped by her fellow agent, Robby, she’s not looking for love. Nope. She wants to get out of town as quickly as possible - preferably to London, if she can prove to Glenn that she deserves the spot by doing a good job on this assignment.

Simple, right? As you know, things seldom go as planned, and Jack isn’t quite the simple assignment Hannah was expecting - especially when they have to fake a relationship for Jack’s family as a cover for Hannah’s presence in their home. But are these growing feelings fake too? Reality gets pretty fuzzy when you’re dealing with an actor.

This is my first Katherine Center book, and it was ADORABLE! I see why so many love her writing. It was refreshing to see a strong female lead who was smart, capable, and despite past trauma, not defined by it. Hannah’s insecurities and self-doubt were relatable, as were Jack’s, since he was working through his own past trauma. Their interactions were funny, sweet, and tender. Even when bickering, they were a delight! The story arc involving his family and the interactions between Hannah and her co-workers all added a nice dimension to the story as well.

I both read and listened to the audiobook, narrated by Patti Murin, and the audio took it to the next level. Murin’s gender voicing was very believable, and a couple voices - especially for Jack’s tabloid ‘girlfriend’ Kennedy Monroe, were hilarious! I highly recommend the audio.

I loved this story! So why not the full 5 stars? A couple scenes of dialogue dragged on a bit too long, I couldn’t quite buy into the rationale of the ending event, and the oft dreaded epilogue went just a wee bit moralizing for my taste. Despite these things, I truly enjoyed my time with this story, and I’ll be watching for more from this author!

★★★★ ½ (rounded to 4)

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Netgalley and author Katherine Center for the digital ARC and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook, for which I’ve given my honest opinions. They’ll both be published on July 19, 2022.

Thank you to NetGalley, author, and publisher for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

My first Katherine Center book and it did not disappoint! It was enganging from the start all the way to the end. I couldn’t put it down. Easy beach read!

This is an easy, light romance for me to read. Katherine Center is one of my favorites, so I pretty much knew before I started that I would enjoy this book. This story is a sweet romance between ordinary Hannah Brooks, the bodyguard, and sexy movie star, Jack Stapleton. It's Hannah's assignment to protect Jack from a stalker fan while he is in Texas for his mother's health concerns. She ends up falling for Jack and forming an attachment to his family.

I loved Jack and Hannah's banter--so fun. Plus, Hannah's inner monologue was great, too. The way she told the story was fun and refreshing. While I enjoyed the story and I was rooting for Hannah and Jack in the end (boo Robby), I wasn't 100% sold on their chemistry. It felt like a lot of telling than showing for Hannah. (as, sadly, we only get her POV.) They don't even kiss until the very end of the book, but it was a pretty amazing kissing scene.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A cute romance that was a bit predictable.

I enjoyed the bodyguard aspect since I have never read anything about it before. I did question how accurate the portrayal of a bodyguard was since there were times where Hannah had no idea where Jack was.

I liked the novel, but it was missing something to make it memorable like Katherine Center's previous novels. A bit of a disappointment to me.

Thank you to Netgallery and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am a huge Katherine Center fan, so I was excited to read The Bodyguard! Like her other books, the beginning was a little slow for me, but when it picked up, I didn't want to put it down.

Looking forward to reading her next novel!

Fun fun fun..the cover drew me in....and the story chaptered my heart. Great characters and how they interacted. Wasn't sure what to expect but definitely happy I picked this one to read.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Long time fan of Katherine Center, so her books are a must read for me. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for both a digital galley and advanced audio copy to listen to.

I loved that a smallish security company has the job of protecting major movie star and heart throb Jack Stapleton. Hannah Brooks is the lead on this case and she begins just like every other job, get to know the client, lay down the rules and carry on sight unseen, but always there. When it becomes necessary for Hannah to protect Jack more publicly, like in front of his family without their knowledge, she is set up as his new girlfriend. This book is both comical and heart warming. Hannah has had recent life upsets and the case should help her, but things do not always go as planned. Jack isn't just a pretty face, his family has lost a son/brother and not everyone is over it.
Rom-com with a bit of adventure thrown in, I really liked this book. I primarily listened to the audio which is narrated by Patti Murin. I would rate the narration as a 3, fine but it didn't blow me away. This is probably not my favorite of her books, but it wasn't disappointing either. Definitely worth the time!

I read this book in one sitting - I loved it that much. Hannah’s a little bit whack-a-doodle, with insecurities and dry humor, but it’s totally understandable with her traumatic history. Jack is perfection. I’m going to marinate in my happiness with this book for a while.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

I had such a fun time reading The Bodyguard which, with a book like this, is all you really need. The story was sweet and genuinely hilarious at times, with a satisfying emotional undercurrent.

Hannah is a solid and relatable narrator, always sharing her thoughts and mental digressions with the reader in a way that made her truly likable and emotionally engaging. The tension between wanting to do her job well and her slowly developing crush on Jack provided a satisfying counterweight to the sillier moments of encountering cows and horses after life as a city girl. Jack was a perfectly sweet love interest, if a little flat at times, and I truly enjoyed watching Hannah fall in love with him - and his family, who were delightful side characters.

The wider plot - of Jack's stalker and the threats he was receiving - was a little uneven; the strongest parts of the book were when danger was far away and the emotional saga of Jack's family and Hannah's struggle for a work-life balance were at the center. The end reveal of who had been sending the threats also felt a little out of left field - I think a bit more work could have been done to set it up rather than dropping a single hint in the early going.

I also found the writing to be strange at times - there were odd tense shifts and Hannah's fourth wall breaks felt random and inconsistent. It wasn't a major issue, but it did trip me up at times.

All that said, I really enjoyed The Bodyguard and would recommend it to anyone looking for a light and fun romantic read!

3.75/5

This was SUCH a fun surprise. I, like so many readers, am skeptical when presented with a contemporary romance with a cutesy cover and a blurb that sounds like it could possibly be a romantic comedy. But nonetheless, I grabbed a copy and dove in with high hopes.

And was rewarded with an amusing, sweet romance that kept me reading into the early hours of the morning.

The bodyguard mentioned in the title is Hannah Brooks, and she is going through some things. Mainly the death of her mother and being dumped by her douchebag boyfriend. The fact that she and her now ex happen to work together as protection agents just makes her humiliation worse. Hannah needs to secure an out-of-town job and spend some time far away from Houston, but instead, she’s assigned as primary on what should be a piece of cake job protecting a Hollywood A-lister while he’s in town taking care of his mother.

Jack Stapleton hasn’t been in the public eye since the car accident that killed his younger brother, but when his mother gets sick he heads straight to Texas to help take care of her. He doesn’t want or think he needs a bodyguard, but the movie studio that is pressuring him to complete his contract does. Jack’s stalkers may be quirky and weird, but they could also be dangerous.

Hannah and Jack are magic together. The big-name gorgeous actor who should be a pain in the ass, but is instead quite sweet, and the workaholic protection agent who is thrown into a situation unlike any she’s been in before in her job. Their chemistry was palpable and the back and forth dialogue sparkled with humor and wit. I smiled and laughed and kept turning pages until I got to the end to find out how they would end up together.

There are some deep themes in this book- Jack’s mom’s cancer diagnosis, mentions of the death of Jack’s brother and Hannah’s mom, Hannah’s backstory of her mother being abused and her dad deserting them, but I never felt like those dark themes took over what felt like a lighter romance. The epilogue is the icing on the cake of this closed-door romance. Seeing this cast of characters further into the future, happy and living their lives in such a positive way was fabulous.

I heartily recommend this romance. Great characters, great dialogue, and a great HEA.

Final grade- B+

Content warnings- off-page death of a mother and brother, off-page physical abuse of FMC’s mother, cancer, anxiety

I received the audiobook from the publisher and decided to listen to the book instead. Below is my review for the audiobook.

THE BODYGUARD is probably her lightest romance yet, with a sweet and caring Hollywood actor, pretty down to earth if I’m honest, and a heroine who can kick his ass if she wanted. Not everything was believable, but it was certainly entertaining.

I enjoyed the heroine being a bodyguard. I don’t think I ever read about a female bodyguard before, although Linda Howard had a heroine who is a butler and hired to guard too. And I really appreciated it that the author kept it as authentic and believable as possible. The hero was down to earth for all his Hollywood success and genuinely nice. And together they made for an unlikely couple.

Overall the book was just a tad too sweet for me to love it, and I wasn’t convinced by their feelings. But that doesn’t mean much. Because in the end it’s a solid romance, that will appeal to many readers. It has just the right amount of emotional depth (usually the author digs deeper), as always great writing, and a fun Hollywood trope with many likeable characters.

About the audiobook: I finished the book in just a few days. The narration was well done, and it was an easy and quick read. A definite must, if you love to listen to romance books.

Such a cute cute romance! This is a book about a bodyguard (a petite woman bodyguard) sent to protect a world famous actor (I like to picture Matthew McConnaughey). She has just come off a really hard time in her life and her time on the job shows her a lot of ways to heal and learn to love herself again. I really loved that aspect of this book because everyone can relate to those really hard times and struggling to love yourself. Obviously, this is a romance so it’s also important to note the male MC is so so so sweet and overcomes his own issues. Both of them are hilarious too. This plot is obviously a tad far fetched, but the overall wholesome sweetness makes up for it.

A female bodyguard and People's sexiest man alive for two years straight? Yes, please.

I love the concept of the book and overall really liked the story and characters as well. There was something off for me though, and I can't really place it.

It may be because I didn't realize it was a behind-close-door romance and I may be just a little grumpy about it. I mean a bodyguard and a movie star... hot hot hot.

Overall, it was a good read but there was just something missing for me to give it 5 stars.

I was immediately sucked into The Bodyguard and never looked back.

The storytelling was a bit different, and I liked that. At times it appeared almost as if she was "talking" to the reader.

It's impossible not to like Hannah, she is a ride or die going through some stuff herself. Her mom died, her boyfriend dumped her and she gets stuck on an assignment she doesn't want being a personal protective agent to movie star Jack Stapleton.

Jack is a famous movie star who stepped out of the spotlight, but still has a crazy stalker so when he has to go home for his mom the movie theater company hires the agency to protect him (against his wishes).

Despite their wildly different lives Hannah and Jack make a good pair. I felt that Hannah's struggles with what is real and what was acting were very real. There is also some family drama on Jack's end that really led to his character development.

Highly recommend!

The premise of this book had me so intrigued from the start. A hired bodyguard to protect a star... it just sounds so juicy and exciting! Combine that with the fact that I have absolutely adored all of Katherine Center's other books and this was the perfect combo. I also LOVED that Hannah was the bodyguard because from the title I thought it would be the man. It reminded me a little of Miss Congeniality in the best way. Hannah was such a relatable character that I really found myself feeling like I was friends with her and just wanting to come back to her/the book more and more. I think this is now tied with Things You Save in a Fire as my favorite KC book.

Wow, what a fun read! Reading this book felt like the book version of Miss Congeniality minus the pageant. It was funny and heartfelt, included a subtle sense of mystery/danger. Hannah was a character I connected to and loved seeing her strength, love for herself, capability and intelligence. Jack was the kind of leading guy that I love. He was easy to root for, had to be protected at all costs. I loved their dynamic and the way Jack showed up for her time and time again even though she was the one doing the body guarding. This was such a great read! I’m so happy #Netgalley approved me for this book!