You know how people will say, "this is the content we need in the world right now!" in a tongue in cheek sort of way? Well, I'm saying that The Bodyguard is the book the literary world needs - and I mean it with 100% sincerity.

Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protection Agent (aka a "Bodyguard") but looks like she could pass for someone's little sister. She is definitely not a tough guy although she will pretend to be if needed. Hannah has recently lost some pretty important people in her life and is looking to escape. Unfortunately, her boss has other plans for her.

Jack Stapleton is a famous actor - like mega star famous - but has recently taken time off due to the aftermath of a family tragedy. Upon finding out his mother has been diagnosed with cancer, Jack has reemerged from seclusion and is coming "home" to be with his mother during surgery and treatment. Jack hires Hannah's EPA firm to protect him while he's with his mother - there's just one catch: his mother can't know that he has a bodyguard. He doesn't want to add anymore stress to her life or worry. so he asks Hannah to pretend to be his girlfriend for the duration of his mom's treatment.

Hannah is vehemently opposed to the idea, but faced with the risk of losing her job, she agrees. Hannah doesn't expect Jack to be such a good actor. She doesn't expect to fall for his family. And she definitely doesn't plan on blurring the lines between fiction and reality.

This. Book.

These characters.

I think I am a little bit in love with Jack Stapleton.... actually I think I'd really just like to be his parents' daughter in law. :) They were absolutely precious! Katherine Center has written a book that has the opportunity to seem un-relatable (hello, mega famous movie star and female bodyguard) but she writes the characters so fully and so beautifully there is never a doubt that every bit of the emotions and relationships are 100% believable. I laughed, I cried, I cheered, I loved these characters and this family. A must read! This is definitely Katherine Center at her best.

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

I’m a sucker for the fake dating trope. Mix that in with the stuck together trope and you have The Bodyguard. I loved how much inner dialogue you get from the main character Hannah. We were never left in the dark on her thoughts. Jack was a very swoon worthy character. Not only is he a handsome movie star, but he’s also a down-home, Texas, momma’s boy. I enjoyed the little things he did for Hannah and how he really noticed her and her mannerisms. There really wasn’t a single character I didn’t love! The Bodyguard is a five star read and perfect for anyone wanting to be swept off their feet and surprised by a fake dating romance!

Really happy to have enjoyed this book by Katherine Center whom I have been a big fan of for a while now. The book she released before this was a little bit of a let down for me and so I had apprehensions going into this one, but that was silly because it was wonderful. Loved the gender role swap and the sweet romance here. I think this will be a big summer success and I cannot wait for readers to be able to get their hands on it.

Hannah is a normal Houston girl with a unique job- she's a bodyguard. Her firm is hired for private personal security around the world, mostly to the rich but sometimes the famous. When ultra- A list movie star Jack comes to town to see his mother thru health issues, the studio hires Hannah's firm to protect him and keep his whereabouts private. Hannah lands the lead on the job, which of course means she has to pose as Jack's girlfriend to his family and to the world.

Hannah is one of my all-time favorite Katherine Center heroines (and that's saying something.) I loved how emotionally she was a mess but professionally she defied expectations and excelled. If you suspend belief enough, you can enjoy this mortal/celebrity pairing. It is very funny and somewhat unexpected and pure Center gold. I loved the insights into both of their jobs and their friends and family.

I was going to just start this book as I usually try to not read too far ahead of publication dates
(July 19,2022) as to not annoy all my friends about a wonderful book that's not out yet. So, friends, be warned. I'm going to be talking about this book all summer and beyond. And I'm going to work to be a Katherine Center completist too because I like every one of her books even more than the last. I read this book in my free time (and a little at work- shhhh) in under 24 hours. I just couldn't put it down. The humor and the lovely characters, flaws and all, make this a great book to escape into.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review. I did try to listen to the audio version (which was great) but I couldn't go that slow, so I switched to the print version.

🧷🌺 𝐑 𝐄 𝐕 𝐈 𝐄 𝗪 🌺🧷⁣
⁣
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘥𝘺𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥 by 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫⁣
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆⁣
⁣
I’ve gotta be honest. I did not see myself falling in love with 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘥𝘺𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥 in the beginning. I’m not terribly into celebrity romances and thought the premise wouldn’t really pull me in.⁣
⁣
I was very wrong. I found myself falling hard for 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐡 and 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤 and loved their story oh-so-much. 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐡’𝐬 funny and quirky personality is perfect, and 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤’𝐬 family dynamic is so realistic and beautiful and painful and difficult.⁣
⁣
Parts of the ending are pretty predictable, but I was able to put that out of my mind and still really enjoy it. The story is just so darn good that it didn’t really matter to me at that point. 🤷🏻‍♀️⁣
⁣
I definitely feel like I need to go through 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫’𝐬 entire backlog now if it’s anything like this beautiful book! Thank you so, so much to @stmartinspress for my advance copy, in exchange for an honest review!

Oh I loved this. Katherine Center is such a consistent and warm writer. This is just delightfully funny and romantic, strong recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an egalley in exchange for an honest review

I enjoy Katherine Center's writing and this novel was the perfect read to complete my holiday weekend. Hannah Brooks has just lost her mother, her boyfriend has dumped her and if she wants that very important job promotion she's going to have to be the bodyguard to one of Hollywood's hottest male actors- Jack Stapleton. Jack's returning to his home state of Texas for the first time since his youngest brother's tragic death and it is not exactly a happy family reunion. Plus, he's got a very obnoxious stalker who wants to procreate with him. The Bodyguard is hilarious and endearing and is sure to delight many readers who enjoy romantic comedies. Add the fact that their is the delicious " pretend to be my girlfriend" trope and I cannot help but scream "READ THIS." But no peer pressure 🤣





Expected Publication Date 19/07/22
Goodreads review published 24/05/22

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC of the Body Guard. I both read the books and listen to the audio too (both great)

This is my first Katherine Center book and won't be the last! Such great story (TW: parental death, Stalking, cancer, alcoholism, suicidal thoughts). This story is endearing with real life moments. I love romance books and this one ranks high for me...not steaming but delightfully surprising twists along the way. Love the two main characters!

I loved this book! It was funny, sweet, and just super entertaining. I've been pretty lukewarm on Katherine Center's other titles, but this one is so unique and the protagonist's voice was perfect. While the set up might be a little over the top, everything about this book worked. You liked Jack, you like Hannah, and the supporting cast of characters were also fantastic (especially Jack's parents). This is the kind of light hearted, entertaining but sweet book that I'll revisit over again as the perfect palette cleanser / fun summer read!

It took me a while to get into this book but I ended up enjoying to! Hannah was a strong MC and I liked that she wasn’t they typical romance archetype. I think for me the first half was a bit slower but the connection and love interest was genuine. A strong 4 star read and will look out for other books by the author!

Katherine Center is an insta-read author for me. Although I am not typically a romance reader, her books have a wonderful feel-good quality that always makes me smile. In her newest novel, The Bodyguard, a female personal protection agent is tasked to protect one of the hottest male celebrities as he visits his family in Texas. He's a reluctant client, and more importantly does not want to concern his family, so he requests that instead of coming along as protection she poses as his girlfriend. Soon the lines between what is real, what is acting, and what may be love begin to blur. The Bodyguard is a rollicking story filled with tension, humor, and danger. I'd recommend to anyone looking for their next summer read. Many thanks to the publisher and author for making this arc available for review.

4.5 ⭐️
Tragedy is a painful thing. It lingers and shifts, destroying and or breaking relationships. And Katherine Center knows how to write about this well. She’s my favorite Chick lit writer and she did a great job with this story. If you have read any of her books, well then you’re really missing out. This had a strong female protagonist, dreamy man, a tragic event and so much more.
I highly recommend this one.

Things I loved:
• Stumps
• Take him to the yard and flip him.
• Group hugs
• Beaded safety pins

I chose to listen and read this in equal measure and enjoyed both. The narrator was Patti Murin and she was perfect for this book.
Thanks Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

This was a great first Katherine Center book for me, I have her books on my TBR and am so glad I got the chance to review The Bodyguard, it made me a fan! Thank you to St, Martin's Press and NetGalley for the review copy. There was a lot to appreciate in this contemporary romance: a favorite celebrity/everyday person trope, a strong female protagonist, a jerk of an ex-boyfriend, Hollywood life, and even grief. This was a fast read for me, engaging with the plot, and filled with some unexpected moments of depth and strong character development

I also note that I had the chance to listen to the audiobook version of this book as well and the audiobook was was well done, strong voice narration complemented Katherine' Center's narrative and Hannah and other characters effectively.


For me the biggest strength was in allowing Hannah, the main character, to be complicated and to have space for self growth; I appreciated that she had to cope with the loss of her mother, reconcile what that loss meant to her, navigate a hurtful experience with her ex, and to consider what family, friendship, love, and forgiveness meant for her and her relationships. I liked that Hannah was a bodyguard, I thought that was a nice way to give Hannah an atypical job for her gender and focus on her career and independence; she could and did take care of herself and it was nice to read a romance in which the idea wasn't that she needed protecting or saving! I am all in always for an interesting and strong female protagonist. I think it was a nice change up to have some standard, and welcome, rom/com tropes present but to change up the gender roles a bit!

Thank you again St, Martin's for the copy of this book, a true delight and perfect for summer beach bags and lounging by the pool.

I loved Jack and his family. I could gush and gush about his Mom and Dad. I absolutely loved them. Hannah was okay, but I felt her character was a little unbelievable. She had so much self doubt, and yet she was accomplished in her job and profession. But I have to say while I had many laugh out loud moments and plenty of teary moments, my favorite was the description of Jack's discarded clothes.

I can always count on Katherine Center for a good story. This book gave me Miss Congeniality vibes (Sandra Bullock could totally play the female lead) mixed with something I can’t quite put my finger on. I just wish the character development had been a little stronger. The male lead was very one-dimensional. All in all, a decent read.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

Content warnings: alcoholism, death of a parent, death of a sibling, cancer, domestic violence, stalking, car accident, hostage situation

Hannah Brooks is an executive protection agent working at a company in Texas that primarily protects rich oil tycoons or ambassadors. But when her company picks up the security detail for Hollywood star Jack Stapleton, Hannah is put on his case.

Her estranged mother just died from cirrhosis due to alcoholism, and the day after the funeral her co-worker and boyfriend Robbie dumps her. When she sees Robbie in a compromising position with her best friend, she reveals some personal details to her client -- which she never, ever, does. But Hannah and Jack may become much closer when she's forced to live with him for a month and pose as his girlfriend.

Recommended for all contemporary women's fiction and romance readers. Perfect for those who love witty narrators, breaking the fourth wall, and the forced proximity romance trope.

Representation: women in typically male careers, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, Nigerian side character

Can Jack Stapleton be my boyfriend? After reading The Bodyguard by Katherine Center, I totally get being in love with a fictional character.

When Jack's mom gets sick, he needs to return to his family's ranch in Texas. Problem is he is a high profile actor with a corgi-breeding stalker. Ever since Jack's brother died in an accident, he has been out of the spotlight. He doesn't want a bodyguard, but the movie company he is under contract with thinks otherwise. Enter Hannah Brooks, executive protection agent.

Hannah has a reputation for being all business but something about Jack is different. He really sees her and seems to care, but Jack is an actor. Between some recent hard knocks in Hannah's life to having to pretend to be Jack's girlfriend as a cover, this job is different.

This book has both raw emotion and humor. The storyline was still unique even though it was about a fake relationship. Katherine Center is one of my go to authors and she did not disappoint! Highly recommend!

Thank you for the opportunity to review The Bodyguard by Katherine Center. I loved it! At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about a female bodyguard and the male actor (kind of switching up the Bodyguard movie) – but I quickly got past it. I really loved the fun and playful dynamic between Hannah and Jack. I always look forward every summer to a Katherine Center book and cannot wait to see what she comes up with next. 4 starts for me!

Absolutely loved this story another win for center in my books. It was a fun read with lots of banter between the couple. Was able to binge this audio in a day

Jack Stapleton is one of the most famous actors in the world, or was until he disappeared from public view after a family tragedy. Now he has a stalker and the film crew that has him under contract determines he needs an executive protective agent. Hannah Brooks is great at her job as an EPA. She's not great at relationships, but her job is the thing that allows her to travel and escape the parts of her past (or current relationships) she doesn't want to deal with. Guarding Jack while he fulfills a family commitment is not the assignment she wanted but it turns out to be the one she needs.

This was a really sweet and heartfelt book, and I really appreciated the hole-heartedness of both characters at the beginning. I really appreciate difficult emotional barriers to a relationship that characters have to work through. The characters are forced into fake-dating and forced proximity. It's fun to watch their relationship develop in a realistic way. There's also a bit of comeuppance for exes, which I love. There is no sex on the page, so if you're looking for something steamy, this isn't it. I definitely enjoyed this book and would recommend it for something sweet.

I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press.