4.25 stars rounded to 5 since I loved so much of this book!

“It’s for the best,” he said. “You need to grieve, anyway.”
“You don’t deserve my grief,” I said.
“I meant your mother.”
Oh. Her.
“Don’t tell me what I need.”

This Bodyguard will definitely hold a spot as one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. The humour was a deadpan, dark, straight-faced, oops-I-accidentally-insulted-you and questioned-my-sanity style and was right up my alley!

The fact that I absolutely love the movie The Hitman's Bodyguard played a massive role in how much I loved the beginning of this book. Hannah was hilarious and I was so intrigued to see how the story would play out. The reverse roles in the book were refreshing and unique, considering the bodyguard trope is almost always the MMC, but I loved it this way! I now need more stories where the FMC is the bodyguard!

If you like:
❤️️Fake dating
❤️️One bed
❤️️Forced Proximity
❤️️Piggy-back rides

Hannah has some of the same inner feelings I do as well (and her humour is so similar to mine) so I related hard with her.

“But How does anybody just ever assume they’d be somebody else’s first choice? Was I better than all the other great people in the world? Was I special enough to be the one somebody picked over everybody else?”

My full review will be posted to my Goodreads after the release date (July 19th, 2022) and will include so many more quotes (I think I highlighted half of this book)!

Oh my God, I have to grab all the books this author’s written and gobble them up! She’s fantastic!

Hannah was sent to protect a Hollywood A-lister. She fought against the assignment because what she likes to do is to escape, leave the country on her assignments. But her boss prevailed and she stayed to protect Jack Stapleton, voted Hollywood’s sexiest actor for two years running. She thought she would be protecting an entitled jerk and he turned out to be anything but.

This was such an entertaining read! I loved the author’s voice, funny in a very subtle way, injects the humor in the turn of the phrase so you’re surprised into chuckles when you least expect it, smile because the heroine is so droll.

I loved both characters, loved how the author chronicles the heroine’s growth as she lives through this assignment and deals with personal issues. She also helped the hero deal with his personal issues too! And the other Executive Protection agency employees were delightful too!

I was so riveted that I couldn’t put this book down. It was heartfelt and funny, totally engrossing and now I’m going to look for more books written by this author to read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center had me laughing and smiling. My boyfriend said he enjoyed watching me read this one because I’d be smiling away.
I loved the bantering between Hannah and Jack. Had a twist I didn’t see coming so that was a bonus. Light and enjoyable read. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martine’s Press for ARC in return for my opinion.

The Bodyguard was exactly what you'd expect from a Katherine Center novel. It has some sort of tragedy followed by an unlikely love story. While this was not my favorite Center book. it was definitely the funniest one. There were parts that had me laughing out loud. Hannah is an executive protection agent, and after some things go awry with her boyfriend and her job, she is put into a new gig of being the bodyguard for handsome and very famous actor, Jack Stapleton. The story is heartwarming and adorable and of course a little cheesy, but a fun and quick read!

Wow. I absolutely loved this book. The character builds, the relationships, the broken friendships. All of it. Must read! Katherine Center does it again.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I liked the story itself, I liked the character development of Hannah, Jack's parents were adorable, and all the little moments Jack and Hannah shared. I'm not sure if them falling in love was quite believable; I wish we had had some more tension throughout or just more scenes where we saw the shift from fake dating to real feelings fleshed out more. I also kinda wish we had gotten to see Hannah's special skills put to more use throughout. Overall, enjoyable read and if it ever became a movie I would definitely watch it! Liam Hemsworth as Jack anyone??

This is probably my favorite Katherine Center to date. 

First, Hannah, the main protagonist is just a delight... Not in the happy, sunshiny way, either. No, she's kind of a social mess. She's taciturn, moody, doesn't get close to people easily, and doesn't really laugh much. However, pair her with Jack Stapleton--and she's met her match. 

Because she makes him laugh. And he makes her feel things. Things that are kind of new to her. 

There were several laugh-out-loud moments for me--some from the inner dialogue of Hannah and some from the antics of the Hannah and Jack together. 

Hannah as Jack's bodyguard just may not make much sense until you read this. But Hannah is really good at her job. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for her, she's used to having to do weird things. So when she has to pretend to be movie-star, Jack Stapleton's girlfriend, in order to shadow and protect him, it blurs lines and confuses things. 

There is very little heat in this story--pretty much non-existent. But the relationship and humor between Hannah and Jack was enough to make me not want to put this down. 

The other cast of characters just enhanced this story--as does Jack's own backstory. 

The only issue I have is that there was sometimes just a little too much internal monologue from Hannah. I felt myself skimming at times. 

All-in-all, this was one of my favorite reads so far this year!

Hello friends! I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of The Bodyguard by Katherine Center. I rated this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars!

I loved reading this book. We follow Hannah, a professional bodyguard and she takes on her most challenging client: superstar Jack Stapleton. He’s every woman’s dreamboat, and she is unenthusiastically forced onto his protection team. Reeling from her mothers death and an unexpected breakup, Hannah struggles to keep things strictly professional with Jack- especially when his acting makes him a very convincing fake boyfriend.

I will say, I had one gripe with this book. Hannah is a bad bodyguard. She lets jack wander off on his own, screams when she encounters cows (because she wasn’t paying attention) and often gets sidetracked while on duty. I personally wouldn’t hire her- but as a ploy for a romcom setup I find it highly intriguing and enjoyable!

A big thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the chance to read this eARC!

Will be posted to instagram on 7/12/22

<i><b>”The people we love help teach us who we are.”</b>

The Bodyguard is a romance novel by the queen of Texas-based or -adjacent M/F books. This is to my knowledge her first fake dating (trope) novel which is my favorite. So I was already going into this novel predisposed to like it.

Hannah Brooks is ex-FBI and up for a promotion at an executive protection firm. She is usually the woman mistaken for a PA to a CEO by the public and is in the business of not being an obvious bodyguard. But her latest assignment finds her well out of her depth when she has to pretend to be the girlfriend of a famous actor while staying at his parents’ house.

The description of Hannah’s mother, exaggerated for fictional impact, where she created an aloof attachment style with her daughter, was hard to read. Hannah didn’t have a chance to be normal and only felt safe burying her feelings in workaholism. She was never going to even know what love is, let alone be able to give it. Enter movie star Jack.

Suddenly Hannah is getting to know someone without being able to escape and accidentally relaxing. And she lets her guard down, which is something she really shouldn’t be doing in her line of work. Her movie star is being stalked by a woman who loves Corgis. Eventually, paparazzi photos come out that make it look like Hannah and Jack are seriously making out and quickly thereafter she’s the one getting very specific threats. And we get to the moment of truth, where Hannah has to decide if her attachment to Jack and his family is something that she can tolerate, given her past.

This book made me so uncomfortable but in a way that caused me to examine my own life and my kids’ future attachment styles. Sometimes books connect with you in a strange way like that. I liked the romance at the heart of the novel, and the fake dating was a major bonus.

This book was soooo sweet 🥺
Honestly by this point Katherine Center has become another one of my auto-buy authors. I’d buy a used napkin if she doodled something on it.

Hannah Brooks is a top executive protection agent!!! How badass is that? Aka THE bodyguard in the The Bodyguard title 😝 she gets random assignments from her boss Glenn, who is low-key SO hilarious and mischievous, I love it. They have this whole team that sometimes all work together on the assignment, and they all do for this next all-hands-on-deck assignment: protect Jack Stapleton from his crazy corgi loving stalker 😬

Never heard of Jack Stapleton you say?! This book made me do a double take and almost googled him to see if he was a real person (spoiler: he’s not. Unless you count the internal medicine doctor from Iowa. Ok ok, I did google him). This Jack is a super famous movie star who is moving back to town for a bit to help care for his sick mother. He is initially against having bodyguards because he doesn’t want to freak out his family about potential danger/stalkers. SO the obvious plan is to pretend Hannah is his girlfriend instead. Obviously.

FAKE DATING ROMANCE ENSUES!!

oh my gosh, this book had so much heart too 🥹 there’s so much more to learn about these two characters and their past, and how they helped each other through it all. BUT you’ll have to read it yourself and see!! (my favs were the Thanksgiving speech and dream changes)

The 4.5 stars only because it took a bit to get going with the romance and connect to these two, but once I did boyyy did the pages fly by. I can’t wait for her next novel!! 🥰

First off, Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Okay so this was really cute! I also could not stop laughing while reading this book. I mean the fluff, the laugh, the romance, it was just what I needed to get out of my horrid reading slump.

What I enjoyed and loved:
- the role reversal. Hannah was the bodyguard to the famous Jack. I love seeing strong female characters and Hannah did not disappoint me.
- The wit, the banter, the laughs. Hannah and Jack were such characters to read. I seriously loved them both.
- Slow burn 🔥 but also the book pacing was excellent and a quick read.
- Back to Hannah, she was very relatable and charming. I really liked her character!

Overall, I really LOVED this book! This is perfect for any romance fan. Everyone needs to add this to their summer reading list. I can’t wait to read more by this author. 4 stars out or 5!

4.25-4.5 stars

This one was exactly what I needed right now. It’s fun, light and fluffy, hilarious, and an easy, enjoyable read. I literally laughed out loud more than once. (The cow scene? Oh my god. If nothing else, read this book until you get to the cow scene.) The book was a great example of what I affectionately refer to as a “fluff with substance” read- it gently touches on some more serious issues, but for the most part, it’s just a fun and easy story that makes for a great comfort read with a guaranteed happy ending. I’ll definitely be checking out other books from the writer.

This was a very cute romance we a spin on the classic movie. I wish I didn’t take as long for the characters to get together but it made it that much sweeter. Not my favorite Katherine Center book but I definitely recommend it.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

This is a fun rom-com that had me pleasantly surprised. Although it was predictable the author but a different spin on this type of novel. The stereotypical roles were reversed where Hannah was a bodyguard to the famous movie star Jack. Their dialogue and banter quickly moved the story along and I found myself fully engaged with the characters. The secondary characters added some depth to the story and made you route for their romance. I also loved the many humorous lines between Jack and Hannah which made it very enjoyable. #TheBodyguard #KatherineCenter #NetGalley

I loved The Bodyguard! This book chronicles Hannah, who is a bodyguard - NOT a security guard. Hannah's coworker boyfriend broke up with her the night after her mom's funeral, and then she suffers some other losses as well. Throughout this, she has just been assigned to guard a famous actor, which quickly turns into being his pretend girlfriend and living with his family.

I could connect to Hannah on many levels and found her quite charming. I enjoyed the character development and the plot. This was a perfect summer read! Thank you for another incredible book, Katherine Center.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the advanced copy.

This book made me feel absolutely giddy while reading it. The main characters were such a treat, I literally couldn’t put this book down. The plot twists were a teeny tiny bit predictable, but not in a way that took away from the story at all; also, the underlying themes were beautiful and quite touching.

The Bodyguard was nothing what I expected but everything I wanted all in a book. I did not expect Hannah to be the bodyguard. I did not expect their to be fake dating. I did not expect to have a literal rage fit over how terrible a few of the characters are. All of these things made this amazing book a never ending roller coaster the entire time I read it. I read it in one day and could not put it down. Katherine Center is definitely going to be an author I always watch because the writing in this book was also top notch! Thank you so much @stmartinspress and @katherinecenter and @netgalley for sending me this eARC!

I'm not really sure why but I wasn't super excited to read this one when I first received it. I was very "meh" about it for whatever reason. WHAT A MISTAKE!

This book was a laugh out loud, also heart wrenching (at certain times) treasure of a story. By the end of this book, I was already ready to start over and read it again, the way I used to rewind The Lion King on VHS and watch that from the beginning immediately after finishing it.

Forbidden romance, excellent banter, loads of pop culture references, and a heroine that so many people can relate to are just a few of the elements that made this book so fantastic. I'll be a Katherine Center fan for life because of this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What I love about Katherine Center books is how dependable they are; I always know I'm going to get a book full of inspiration, hope, and love with a bit of romance mixed in. After reading each of her books, I always end up feeling happy and there's nothing better than closing a book and feeling like a friend just found their happily ever after.

I just KNEW this title would have to be a loveARCtually club read, and I was thrilled when @whimsreadsbyshelby agreed to co-host, it was one of my favorite author discussions EVER. If you ever need a pick-me-up, a KC Ted Talk is just what you need. She spoke with us about how we all need a little bit of FUN post-pandemic and Jack and Hannah gave us that and so much more.

With equal parts swoony and emotional, we get to know work-obsessed Hannah, who treats everything in her life like a job and she thinks being a bodyguard for the one and only Jack Stapleton will be no different. Until she finds out the job is to be his fake girlfriend, and soon realizes she might not be able to resist his charm.

Center manages to give us all the Hollywood romance vibes even while being in a down-to-earth setting that immediately drew me in. Amidst plenty of family drama, Jack brings Hannah back home with him, and we discover each of the characters has much more at stake than just a mild threat.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the advance copy to read and review, this title was an absolute delight! I adored the small details like the safety pin necklace, and the Corgi sweaters, all of which added to the story and made it memorable.

Totally entertaining from beginning to end. I laughed. I cried. I was surprised. Terrific characters, even the "bad" ones.