I loved this book so much. I flew through this book. Both main characters were likable, and the plot was original and very well written. Hannah was bad ass, and I loved her. The secondary characters were also very well fleshed out, especially the parents. I highly recommend this book. Another great read from Katherine Center. Thank you, @netgalley for an opportunity to read The Bodyguard.

So..... I didn't know Katherine Center before starting this book. And I can assure you. She may now be a new favorite author of mine.

I loved everything about this book. The roller-coaster of emotions : I cried, I laughed, I cringed... everything. The characters, with all their flaws, they didn't seem perfect or fake. The were the next-door neighboor (even with Jack being a celebrity and all that). You just wanted to hug them both (Jack and Hannah). Like nothing is always what it seems... There's always more to discover beneath everybody's surface, everybody's mask. The situations were plausible, everything sounded perfect in their non-perfect way.

I would totally see this book as a movie. I would run to see it. And probably see it multiple times.

I read this book as a buddy-read with #TheChickLitBookClub.

Many thanks to the publisher for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I love Center's book, and this one did not disappoint. The most creative twist of characters- a spunky little lady in charge of a bougie boy- delightful! I thought about these characters and their relationship for days afterwards, and there were many times I was reading that my cheeks hurt from the hysterical banter. Definitely recommend this cute, light read!

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.

Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protection Agent (aka a bodyguard) whose agency has been hired to protect movie superstar Jack Stapleton while he is home visiting his family. Not wanting to worry his mother who is undergoing cancer treatment, Jack and the agency cook up a plan to have Hannah pose as his girlfriend so that she can more easily keep an eye on Jack. Hannah, who attended her mother’s funeral and then was broken up with the next day, is a workaholic who is skeptical about this new assignment. Her time on the Stapleton ranch, however, gives her time to heal and open up, and potentially fall in love (shocker!) with Jack Stapleton himself. This was a super entertaining story, and a great example of a book that might not get the highest rating, but is still enjoyable and worth a read if you are in the right mood. The characters are vehicles to drive the plot forward so there are few details that stand alone outside of a storytelling device, but what is revealed is fun and enjoyable. I think this is one of the better books in the romance genre, so I recommend picking this up if you are looking for something light, entertaining, and easy to get through.

I received this book as an ARC. First I will say that I love Katherine Center’s writing. Her characters are well developed, lovable and flawed in a way that makes them come to life in the pages and connect with readers. The characters in this story hold true to those qualities and did not disappoint. This story was fun, heartwarming and actually had my head spinning thinking “what’s going on?” For a minute there - loved that little twist Ms. Center. Thank you for the Advanced Copy.

Katherine Center's books never disappoint. Always full of feel-good messages and pure happiness - essentially Hallmark movies in book form. The Bodyguard was a fun, light read full of love and laughter. Katherine Center knows how to weave deep, meaningful messages throughout her stories to give them that wow factor.

A very charming book about what loving someone else is like and what it takes to love yourself as well. I thought Hannah was a great character but I think all of the minor characters brought out the humor in the book.

I love Katherine Center but this one was oddly hard for me to get into. The characters were likeable but I like her other work far more.

This book was so cute! I loved the characters and many of them had a surprising depth to them that I wasn’t expecting. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

4.5/5

If you want to read a book that is pure fun and light, you will find it in The Bodyguard by Katherine Center. While this is a little bit of a departure from her usual story, it was no less amazing, and it is packed full of characters you can’t help but love. The book is essentially about movie star Jack and elite bodyguard Hannah but told completely from Hannah’s viewpoint, and I can’t tell you how refreshing it was to read from the POV of a female bodyguard. Such a fun concept and she was so badass with all the fun things she knows how to do - especially with the ways she could kill a person! I had no idea that 2 of Center’s books are movies with 1 being out now, and I could TOTALLY see this as a movie as well. It takes romantic comedy to a whole new level, and I spent almost the whole book either having my heart warmed or laughing my butt off.

I loved the audiobook so much that I’m actually listening to it again right now, and Patti Murin is the bomb! She hasn’t narrated too much, but besides this book, I have listened to her in 4 others, and I would love for her to keep narrating Center’s novels. I love her voice and it fits in perfectly with how I would picture Hannah, not to mention the way she brought the text to life. While this is a funny book, do not fear because it does have depth as well (you know Center can’t write a story without it), and both Jack and Hannah have their struggles. I actually teared up during the author’s note, and it was super touching that the family ranch where Jack’s family lives is actually Center’s grandparents’ home. They aren’t around anymore but the family still owns it, and it just feels different when you read about somewhere that is a real place. If you love laughs and refreshing takes on the romantic comedy genre, then you must pick up The Bodyguard.

-Thank you for the chance to review this book since I love Katherine Center’s books.
-My first encounter with Katherine’s books was when How to Walk Away was featured as a Book of the Month pick.
-This is probably my least favorite out of her books, but I still enjoyed it.

What a delightful and fun book. In my head, Sandra Bullock plays Hannah Brooks and Jack Stapleton is Ryan Reynolds. I’d classify this as a Hallmark style rom-com with more cute and funny love versus the steamy and awkward to watch with your mom kind!

Thank you to NetGalley for this book in exchange for my honest review.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a book from Katherine Center and I seemed to have forgotten how fun they are?

This one was so enjoyable from the beginning, but I must say, it really did start off STRONG and the end…left a little to be desired.

I kind of had to suspend disbelief a bit there, and some of it was a little preachy, but overall, I just leaned into the story and the characters and enjoyed it well enough!

Why have I waited so long to read this book?! This story was exactly what I needed to remind me why I love the rom-com genre - flirty, sarcastic banter, genuinely human characters and just enough predictable trope-y stuff to be light, fun and keep me entertained. I loved the addition of each character's backstories that were authentically revealed and not tossed in for added drama. I'm not one to book-crush on anyone, but I'm a big Jack Stapleton fan :) not corgi portrait level though...

This book came out last year and I am just getting to review it. This was a very good book with excellent writing and wonderful characters. Hannah Brooks is a bodyguard who is having a rough patch, her boyfriend dumped her who also works at the same agency, then her mother passes away, and on top of everything else, her boss the man she looks up to is forcing her to take time off. That is the last thing she wants to do, she wants a case her boss though is serious about the time off and not coming into the office. The problem is she does not know what to do with herself after she buries her mother. Taking time off she goes back to the office and her boss finally gives her a job, not the one she wants but a job.
Jack Stapleton a famous actor is back home in Texas because his mom is sick, this is after going off the grid years before when he had a stalker. Now in order to work she is given this assignment. They decide that she can be his fake girlfriend and she figures out how hard can it be she hears that they always have to do touch-ups and makeup on actors so she figures he will look nothing like his movies which she has only seen a few anyway. She even dresses him down for the way he opened the door when she got there. Yet she is surprised that he looks better than on the screen and she knows she must keep her heart in check which she thought she buried years ago. I actually understood her situation better than the other people around her. Her ex-boyfriend needed to be dumped long before and even some of her friends were so-called I think. Though the relationship between her and Jack was to be expected it was a good book and a fun read for the most part.

What I LOVED ❤️
- PERFECT enemies to lovers, close proximity romance
- Hannah and Jack - their relationship was everything, their banter, the steam, all of it was perfect
- The characters - loved that all played such a key role in the book!

Highly recommend!

Before beginning this new Katherine Centre book, I worked hard on managing my expectations. So that means I was able to finish the book instead of quitting after 8%.

There were some laugh-out-loud parts of the book, and at times some of the interactions between Jack and Hannah were sweet. But in a big picture sense, the book seemed disjointed and had a number of pacing issues. Also, I personally don’t like first person narration and at times it seemed like the book was written to be a description of how the two met, and I felt that was ab odd choice without telling the reader why the story was being retold.

I have enjoyed this one more than other recent books by the author, but I’m still not sure if this author’s works are for me.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the egalley of this book!

FEMALE BADDIE!! I love the plot line, the characters, it all! The strong female role was my favorite part of this story.

This is my 4th book by Katherine Center. Her books are always so easy for me to binge read, and this one was no different! With a book of hers, I have come to expect witty banter (that I love!), main characters overcoming some sort of personal struggle, and minimal steam. Swipe for goodreads synopsis!

What I Liked:
- I enjoyed how the author took a stereotypical male job (a bodyguard), and had our female main character rock that role. (Reminds me of Cassie in Things You Save in a Fire!)
- A “slower burn” romance that allows you to really get to know and fall in love with the main characters
- I laughed out loud while reading!! (And I was at home so my brother was making fun of me for it🤪)
- I enjoyed the setting of the Texas ranch house
- Jack’s family🫶🏻 Great side characters!
- Although fake dating is typically one of my least favorite tropes, I really liked it in this story. It was done so well!

The one thing that kept me from rating it higher was I sometimes felt like Hannah’s internal monologues were lengthy. I really liked her character, but some of her thoughts could have been a tad shorter.

Overall, such a cute and entertaining read. Can’t wait for Katherine Center’s next book!