Thank you Netgalley and publisher for opportunity to read and review this arc honestly.

I absolutely loved this story.  I was drawn in from the start and couldn't put it down and finished it in one sitting.  The characters were well developed, the setting, the storyline and plot.  Definitely want to read more by Katherine Center.

“You can't make people love you. But you can give the love you long for out to the world. You can be the love you wish you had. That's the way to be okay. Because giving love to other people is a way of giving it to yourself.” 

So this was my first Katherine Center book, and I am so obsessed that I am meeting her next week in Houston. This book just had everything that I could've wanted from a romance. I loved the fact that this was not your typical bodyguard romance and that it was instead a gender swap sort of non typical adventure. I also am a sucker for the fake dating trope so this was just such a fun read. I also loved how dramatic this was, I think considering Jack was an actor. I really enjoyed looking into his family dynamic and just from start to finish this had me giggling, blushing and kicking my feet. I will happing read anything Katherine writes.

She’s HIS bodyguard! I love a “fake dating” romance, and this one nailed it!
I also like that the presumed gender roles were switched. She’s his bodyguard but she’s very unassuming. He has stalkers and needs her protection. 
Great story! This book has made me a fan of Katherine Center! Now off to read everything else she’s written!

This is the first book I have read by Katherine Center, and it definitely won’t be the last.  I am quite picky about chick-lit, rom-com novels.  Many tend to be too sappy or silly for my taste.  But I had heard good things about Katherine Center’s Things You Save In a Fire, so when the opportunity arose to read an ARC of The Bodyguard, I thought I’d give it a go.  And I’m glad I did.

Hannah Brooks is dealing with a lot of disappointment in both her personal and professional life.  Her mother has died.  And after she is dumped by her boyfriend, she discovers that he has taken up with her best friend.  On the work front as an Executive Protection Agent (basically an elite bodyguard), Hannah is pulled from an expected assignment in Madrid and is told there are no open foreign assignments.  To make matters worse, she discovers that she now has direct competition for a coveted two-year stint in London.  Could things get any worse?  When she finally does get an assignment, it is not at any of the glamorous locales, but in her own backyard of Houston, Texas, where she will be guarding actor Jack Stapleton from a corgi-loving stalker.  Hiding his bodyguard from his family is a problem for Jack, who proposes Hannah act as his girlfriend.  They play their roles to perfection, and Hannah falls for him despite her knowledge of the pretense.  But when the stalker plotline comes to the forefront, Hannah must put it all on the line to protect Jack.

Katherine Center’s approach to the story is fresh and light.  The fake-boyfriend plot is done a lot in romances, but this time it has a genuine ring to it.  I immediately felt sorry for Hannah.  Everything seemed to go wrong at once, falling down around her like an ill-constructed house of cards.  But through it all, her spunk and spirit shown, and I was happy to see a successful woman taking on a generally male profession and handling it competently.  While the emphasis was definitely on the romance, it could be classified as “clean.”  This to me is a selling point – no need to bog down the plot with ridiculous sex scenes or steamy displays meant solely to convince the reader that two people are in love (or lust).  Much better to let the relationship speak for itself.  There are several familiar tropes – especially concerning the way Jack’s mother welcomes Hannah into her home – but they work well together here.  The reader really becomes invested in Jack and Hannah’s love story.

The Bodyguard is a sweet, humorous, feel-good rom-com that will keep you entertained for hours.  I think Katherine Center has found a new fan.

Note: I received an ARC of The Bodyguard from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press.  The above is my honest review.

🌿The Bodygaurd ~ Katherine Center 🌿


This book has to be my favorite one of Katherine Center. 

Making the female MC a bodyguard had my attention right away. When she is hired to protect a rockstar from a stalker. He goes home to his family’s ranch to help out with his ailing mother. Jack doesn’t want his family worried that he has a stalker so he hires a Hannah to be his bodyguard, but also asks her to be undercover and pretend she’s his girlfriend. 

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this ALC. I found the narration engaging and excellent. This book was a delight!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It was light and fun but with some serious moments as well. I liked the storyline, it was predictable in a few places but it didn’t make it less interesting. The characters were great and easy to like (or dislike in certain cases). This book gave me a lot of the feels.

I liked the narrator. She was pretty good at giving different voices to the characters and emoted really well.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center was a great read!  Center is the master of writing complex relationships and emotionally charged events with care.  I can always count on her ability to write stories with well-developed characters who I cheer on; characters that are flawed (like all of us) with interesting backstories that tug at your heart.  This book did not disappoint because it was all of these things and more. But it was also hopeful and had a light-hearted, feel-good quality to it.

I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and to NetGalley for an ARC of this audiobook.

I have read all of Katherine Centers previous book and love them all.  This book was not a disappointment!

Her writing style is so fun, and her characters are great.  The narrator was excellent as well.  I love her voice.  

This book is definitely another of her books that I will recommend for readers advisory.  I can't wait to read what she has next!

Thank you Macmillian audio for the advanced copy of The Bodyguard!  
Katherine Center's books are always tread a line between heavier topics and sweet and funny and The Bodyguard was no exception!  I really appreciated the unique setup and watching Hannah and Jack interact.  The narration was also excellent!

When reclusive movie star Jack's mom gets sick, he hires bodyguard Hannah to protect him from his stalker when he goes back home. In order to keep his stalker a secret from his family, Hannah must pretend to be his girlfriend. The more time they spend pretending to be in a relationship, the harder it gets for Hannah to protect her heart...

I love Katherine Center's books, and this was no exception. I love the slow burn romance between Jack and Hannah! I listened to the audiobook, and I highly recommend it.

This was my first Katherine Center book, and I understand all of the love for her! Was this romcom a bit predictable in paces? Yes, but in the most comforting way. I found Hannah and Jack to be extremely likeable lead characters, and I loved the twist on the traditional "bodyguard"  -Hannah is charged with protecting Jack. Overall, this was a fun, enjoyable read for me to escape for a little while.

What happens when a female bodyguard is assigned to a movie star, but can't let everyone else know she's a bodyguard? Absolute chaos. 

Hannah never stays in one place for long. As an Executive Protection agent, she travels the world to serve her clients. But when her mother dies, Hannah is forced to stick close to home in Houston, Texas. 

Her next assignment, Jake Stapleton, the elusive A-list movie star who hasn't been seen in 2 years. 

Jake does not want his family to know that he needs a bodyguard, so Hannah must pretend to be his girlfriend, while also doing her job to protect her client. 

The story is so engaging and entertaining. Hannah seems a little aloof to be a bodygurad, but she grows on you. I actually found myself laughing out loud in my car way too often. 

Definitely a fun rom-com that I would recommend.

I enjoyed this romance, and love the flip on traditional bodyguard gender roles.  Loved the family as well for the hero

"The Bodyguard" by Katherine Center is a perfectly fine romantic comedy. Hannah and Jack are perfectly likeable characters, but I didn't feel any real spark between the two of them. But I can see why the book is appealing to other readers. I would definitely add this to my list of recommendable romantic comedies. I also didn't love the narrator. The narrator does distinguish between male and female characters, but there's a bit of confusion distinguishing between the male characters. 

Thank you to Katherine Center, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for sending me the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun book!  I loved the narrations and and the unique-ish storyline. Books that feature famous or rich love interests are always extra enjoyable, even if you do have to suspend reality a little bit while listening!

I did find some parts to be a little cheesy and the last suspenseful scene was way over the top, but a very easy book to listen to and overall very enjoyable!

4/5 stars

A compelling and sweet story. This story was raw at times, but overall a sweet story. I enjoyed the dynamic between the two main characters, especially the part where the bodyguard, Hannah, uses some of her moves on Jack. The ending was a twist that I did not see coming!
The audiobook was very well done!

This was my first Katherine Center book and I really enjoyed it. I love a celebrity/bodyguard and grumpy/sunshine romances and the author delivered on those tropes with a fresh twist. I definitely recommend this book!

Katherine Center has a brilliant way of making her characters comically vulnerable. This book was emotional, heartwarming, and just fun. A lovely escape book. Everyone needs those from time to time.

Catherine Center does it again with The Bodyguard.
I absolutely love that the bodyguard is a woman watching after a male celebrity. 

This was so cute, heartwarming, funny and so much more.

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, while it really did start off STRONG, 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!

Also, the audio was superb!