Katherine Center does it again! This book was impossible to put down. The setting and the characters were so much fun and I couldn’t get enough! I loved this one from start to finish and would’ve read the whole thing in one sitting if I had time. Thank you to St. Martin’s and Netgalley for my review copy.

Oh hell no! This is the first time I’m giving a new Katherine Center book less than five stars! But hear me out my friends: this book could be easily adapted into Netflix romcom screenplay and with the best cast choices, it could be a hit.
So I applied my formula when I read a little unreliable story and I imagined it as a movie script and started to make my own cast list.

They may cast three Emmas ( Roberts- Stone- Watson) for the leading woman/executive protection agent/ bodyguard Hannah Brooks( my choice for leading lady who play Hannah is Awkwafina : because I’m dying to see this amazing actress in a romcom) and Jack Stapleton: broken hearted, sweet, caring, box office actor should be played by Chrises ( Hemsworth- Pine- Evans, I’m skipping Pratt! and my personal choice is always Evans who wears white knitted sweater best than any human being)

The plot line of this story is a little far fetched: an ambitious, workaholic exe. protection agent who lately buried her mother and dumped by her coworker- extra douche boyfriend, is hired by the production company to protect the well being of their number one asset: their leading actor Jack Stapleton who lost his brother three years ago, laying low, coming back to his hometown Austin to take care of her mother who suffers from cancer. But he has a woman stalker who has creative ways to disturb him. He doesn’t want his family worry about his situation and Hannah doesn’t want him out of sight so she reluctantly makes a deal to act like a girlfriend in front of Jack’s family! But you may guess the rest: both of them fell for each other but Hannah deals with her own insecurities and baggage about her family. Jack still suffers from guilt about losing his brother, nightmares, estrangement with his big brother.

I found the plot with lots of cliches. At some parts I couldn’t even connect with Hannah. But when we see some parts about her past and the drama about her family, I started resonating with her. On the other hand: Jack of Texan sweetheart: he was amazing from the beginning.

As supporting characters: Jack’s family is amazing. I always enjoy the books or movie scripts about a lonely woman who gets adopted by big and lovely family of hero like Bullock’s While you were sleeping.

On the other hand : agent team gave me creeps: especially Robby and so called best friend Taylor were one dimensional extra mean people without any backbone.

Glenn’s full name reminds me of high quality bourbon brand and I liked his sadistic ways to torture his team members ( Bob Odenkirk played his role in my head) and quick witted Kelly was my one of my favorites( I casted Kate McKinnon and I loved her character more)

Overall: sweet, pop corn book, a little different from the previous works of the author: still entertaining, enjoyable. For the love of Jack : I rounded my 3.5 stars to 4 Texan, Dolly Patron’s I will always love you stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Hannah Brooks is a hired protector. She may not look like it but she can kill you with a bottle opener, a napkin, a safety pin, anything. She loves her job; the intrigue and travel. So when her assignment is in her hometown with stud actor Jack Stapleton , she is less than thrilled.

Katherine Center just has a way of writing that warms my heart. I have enjoyed all her books. This one was no exception. I loved the characters and the plot. Learning about security detail was fun. Even though it was a cheerful book, there was sad back history the characters had to work through. There was even a small twist I wasn’t expecting!

“I blame the sunshine. And the long grass. And that endless, gentle breeze over the pasture.”

The Bodyguard comes out 7/19.

I absolutely adored this book. It is feel-good, laugh and swoon and smile and stay up late to finish five-star quality rom com greatness.

This ain't your mother's bodyguard! (If you were hoping for Kevin Costner check out Yellowstone). Here The Bodyguard is a woman, the client she is assigned to protect a superstar (and super sexy) actor. All right, this is a gender-bending take on the 1992 Whitney Houston/Kevin Costner classic, but the only thing they have in common is the title (and in a sentimental nod to the late singer, the story takes place in Houston). While The Bodyguard movie was all divas, drama, and darkness, Katherine Center's novel is sweet, simple, sunny. Even the stalker Hannah Brooks is trying to keep away from Jack Stapleton is more charming than chilling. But the storyline of an overzealous fan sending handknit sweaters and nude photos to a man she's never met is really the subplot. The Bodyguard is more about family, loyalty, and dealing with devastating loss-things that transcend fame and fortune. It reads like a Hallmark movie, but that's ok. Sometimes less is more, and in The Bodyguard only a few truly suspenseful chapters means an abundance of joyful moments. While Jack and Hannah are delightful characters, you will fall in love with Jack's parents William and Connie. They almost steal the show from their world famous son. The Bodyguard is the feel good novel of 2022. And we're all ready for more feel good moments in the coming year.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the gifted book!

Well Katherine Center does it again. How she manages to write these endearing sweet love stories with just enough of real life peppered in is beyond me. I am not a big romance reader but I cannot get enough of her books. They are low steam, but the kisses are enough to have you fanning yourself. In this one I kept being delightfully surprised at the twists and turns of the plot. And the main characters were *chef's kiss* perfection.

Content warning: parental death, stalking, alcoholism, cancer, suicidal thoughts

A famous superstar, a strong woman, life lessons and a heartbreakingly real romance all rolled into one feel good story. What's not to love? THE BODYGUARD delivers with a bang right out of the gate. No fooling around for this award-winning author. The story stars Hannah Brooks, a pretty lady who is deceptively dangerous. Her looks deceive and that is why she is coveted by top notch companies the world over. Trained to kill with a single stroke of a pen, Hannah gets the job done right as an Executive Protection Agent. Her latest assignment is to protect a big name actor, Jack Stapleton, from a crazy stalker. Only this job isn't the norm, she must act as his girlfriend. Will things go haywire?

Jack Stapleton is a famous actor with abs of steel and oodles of charisma. He goes underground, stops acting and goes home to his parents ranch to help with his mom. After his mom gets sick, Jack's priorities shift. Spending time with his family is more important. Jack brings a fake date, Hannah home with him. He keeps Hannah's real identity a secret to protect his family, not wanting to instill fear about his alleged stalker. His mom needs time to heal and recuperate.

Being in close quarters with a devastatingly handsome superstar has its drawbacks. Hannah's unattended heart is not so strong, she finds out. This job feels like a real relationship, which is bad. She's trained to do a job, not have feelings. She is an expert at protecting, but when it comes to her own heart?
She realizes it wasn't smart tackling this assignment, because her heart is falling for the accomplished actor. Jack is totally smitten with beautiful Hannah and her superior abilities. But, the question is, is it the real thing?

THE BODYGUARD is crazy sensational! Fake dating is a favorite of mine, so I was hooked from the start! There is suspense, danger, drama, family problems, humor, romance and realistic relationship problems. The author delivers an exceptional story that's filled with every nuance and difficulty available. I was reeling from the drama and emotional overload! Every scene was detailed explicitly and conversation was explosive. If you like heated arguments, intense feelings, a sneaky romance with family drama, this is the book for you! I absolutely loved it! THE BODYGUARD is simply perfection!

I almost read this in two sittings which is astoundingly rare for me. I just enjoyed this so much from page one as the story just continuously moved every page until the very end. My favorite thing about this book was there was no lag time. Pure enjoyment!

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book from one of my favorite authors in exchange for my honest review. I always think the latest book from this author is my favorite, and she just keeps stepping it up another notch.

Katherine Center writes in a way that makes you want to sit down and not get back up until you get to the very end of the book. I LOVED the Bodyguard. I loved everything about it. Jack and Hannah were such well written characters and I adored the storyline, it was so different! I loved the growth of the two main characters and the supporting characters were a fun bunch too (minus Bobby). Katherine Center knocked it out of the park yet again. She could write an instruction manual and I would sit down and read it and love every single second. Her books are incredible!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book.

This is the 4th book by Katherine Center that I have read. I liked her previous books, and this one was more along the lines of What You Wish For.
Hannah Brooks, though she may not look the typical part, is a bodyguard. She is a workaholic, she doesn't let people in, and she she has unhealthy coping mechanisms. However, once she meets Jack everything changes. The main plot point was predictable, as most romances are, but there still a few moments in there that I wasn't quite expecting. This one really came around for mez as it grew on me chapter by chapter, after being a bit too sweet there at the beginning. I ended up really enjoying this one much more than her last book.

This book was Katherine Center at her finest, once again. Laughs, romance, action, and drama all rolled into one all at the right time and right doses. For some reason I kept picturing Jack as Ryan Reynolds (which didn’t hurt things one bit) and I loved how Hannah and Jack’s relationship evolved throughout the book. The only thing I didn’t like, besides Robby and his douchebag ways, was that I read the book so fast and now it’s over.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the arc.

A book where the female lead is a bodyguard?! Yes, please! I love anything Katherine Center writes and her newest book (out July 2022) is no exception!

Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protection Agent, a bodyguard. Her mother just passed away and her boyfriend has just broken up with her, when she gets an assignment most women dream of. She is assigned to protect Jack Stapleton, one of America’s most handsome actors. After a family tragedy, he has taken a break from the spotlight.

Jack returns to Texas when his mom gets sick and, against her will and better judgement, Hannah finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend in order to protect him without the knowledge of his family.

The first Katherine Center book I read was How to Walk Away in 2019 and I always love all of her books. This one might be my favorite! I couldn’t put it down

I love basically everything Katherine Center writes, AND “fake relationship” is one of my most favorite romance tropes. So, The Bodyguard checked off a lot of boxes for me, and it didn’t disappoint!

Not only was the story adorable and full of warm fuzzies, but the characters had a depth and development that can sometimes be lacking in contemporary romance novels. I didn’t want the story to end, and found myself thinking about them in my real life as if they were old friends (something that has only happened for me a handful of times in the past 10 years).

The Bodyguard releases July 19, 2022 and I think this will be the *perfect* feel-good read of the summer. Definitely add this one to your TBR stack—it was easily one of my favorite reads in 2021!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (out of 5 stars)

Ever since I read my first Katherine Center book, she became a must-read, drop everything author for me. So when The Bodyguard made its way into my hands eight months before publication, naturally, I dropped everything. As with all the other KC books I have read, The Bodyguard was everything I hoped for and more. All the feels in the all the right places, emotional where I needed it to be, heartwarming where appropriate and of course, the charm I've come to love from each and every one of Center's novels.

Katherine Center has done it again. She always finds a fresh way to write romance! I flew through this book and loved every page. It was the perfect read while traveling or lounging!

I always enjoy Katherine Center books and this was no exception. The main characters growth seemed a little rushed but it was still an enjoyable romance I would recommend!! I read it in just over 24 hours I enjoyed it so much!

Katherine Center's The Bodyguard was an enjoyable novel. It had everything...suspense, drama, comedy, passion, you really can't ask for more! Hannah is a funny, self deprecating character who doesn't quite fit the picture of a bodyguard, but could basically kill you with a tissue. Her mission is to protect a very handsome movie star who doesn't feel that he needs protecting. But of course, they each need to protect their hearts the most.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Once again, Katherine Center does not disappoint! The Bodyguard is a breath of fresh air that delivers romance, comedy, hurt and healing all at once. Hannah Brooks is a highly skilled executive protection agent (a.k.a. bodyguard) who spends her days protecting high profile targets all around the world. At first glance, she may not look intimidating, but Hannah herself says that if she is doing her job right, there will never be a need for her to use those "unique" skills. Hannah's life has turned upside down in the matter of days only to get worse by finding out her next job will be for Jack Stapleton, a famous actor with a crazy stalker, who upon meeting, mistook Hannah as his maid. After all confusion is cleared up, Hannah is able to proceed with her job of protecting Jack from his stalker but under one condition. his family cannot know. This complication leads Hannah to playing the role of Jack's pretend girlfriend. but something like that is easier said than done. With each turn of the page, the line between pretend and real becomes blurred and pretty soon, there is no pretend.

Katherine Center has a gift for writing charming and fun love stories with depth. The main characters in this one are the kick-butt female bodyguard and the handsome movie star she is guarding. But wait- his family can’t know he needs a bodyguard, so she pretends to be his girlfriend. Yes, we all saw this familiar trope coming, but it’s well done. Fans of Center’s other books will not be disappointed.

I’ve been a fan of Katherine Center’s since I read and fell in love with her novel “How to Walk Away.” That book set the bar high, as there was so much to love about it. I was eagerly anticipating her new book, and the “female bodyguard protecting the hot male Hollywood actor” premise seemed exciting and intriguing. Unfortunately, it didn’t deliver as much romance, suspense, and entertainment as I had hoped for. I didn’t care for the first-person point of view. The entire story felt unrealistic to me. Robby the ex is outrageously awful, and Hannah’s personality just didn’t come across as a tough-as-nails protector. I pictured Matthew McConaughey as Jack’s character, especially in the Texas ranch setting, which made the novel more enjoyable for me. I’m still a fan of Center’s work, but this one was just a bit too predictable, uninspiring, and Hallmark movie-ish for me. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.