I have read several books by Katherine Center and have loved each one. The Bodyguard was no exception! It was just the type of book I longed for without realizing it. The Bodyguard was a heartwarming romance that was uplifting and put a big smile on my face. I loved the characters and the back and forth banter between them.

Hannah Brooks was an Executive Protection Agent or bodyguard and she was one of the best her company had. Her mother had just died and Hannah was about to have one of the worst days of her life. Even though her mother’s funeral was just the previous day, Hannah found it hard to stay home and grieve. She was determined to go back to work and stay busy the only way she knew how to. Little did Hannah know that she was about to suffer one of the worst days of her life. Hannah’s long time boyfriend decided to break up with her. How could he have been so insensitive to break up with her the day after her mother’s funeral? He had even attended the funeral. When Hannah asked why, he told her she was a bad kisser. The nerve of him! Was it true? Those words would stick with Hannah. Then her boss told Hannah that she was being replaced by her best friend for an upcoming assignment Hannah had been looking forward to. She had been assigned to travel to Madrid, Spain. Her best friend and her ex-boyfriend were going to be sent to Madrid together instead. What else could go wrong? Her boss demanded that Hannah take a month off.

When Hannah returned to work after her month off, she was assigned to a case she never would have expected to be assigned to. It was right in her backyard of Houston, Texas. No need to travel very far. Hannah was to be the bodyguard for actor, Jack Stapleton. The assignment required Hannah to live on her client’s family’s farm with him so she could protect him from a stalker threat. Jack Stapleton had recently returned to Houston to be with his mother who had been recently diagnosed with cancer. Jack and Hannah’s first encounter started off a bit shaky to say the least. Jack mistook Hannah for a maid. He had not been informed by his agent that a bodyguard was showing up at his home to protect him. Jack finally agreed to the arrangement but informed Hannah that he did not want to upset his parents or worry them. They agreed to pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Jack and Hannah agreed that they would take part in “fake dating”. What transpired between Jack and Hannah will make you smile, laugh out loud at times and just feel good.

I really enjoyed The Bodyguard by Katherine Center. I have come to expect upbeat books by this author and The Bodyguard definitely fit that description in my opinion. Romantic Rom-Com books are not my usual genre but sometimes they work for me and this one surely did. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

5/5

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted listening copy!

"She's got his back. He's got her heart." When movie star Jack Stapleton returns to Houston to be at his ailing mother's bedside, executive protection agent (aka bodyguard) Hannah Brooks and her team are hired to protect him from all threats, including his long time stalker. Jack has been off the grid for a while, and they are determined to keep his return a secret. In order to not add stress to Mrs. Stapleton's life, Jack refuses to let his family know about his EPA, causing recently-dumped Hannah to spend weeks pretending to be Jack's girlfriend. Soon enough, things start to feel real and Hannah finds herself struggling to differentiate between reality and Jack's exceptional acting.

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK!

First of all, I tend to lean towards thrillers for audiobooks (they keep me enticed while I'm listening and doing other tasks) so this was a step outside of my comfort zone, and it paid off! Patti Murin did a phenomenal job telling Jack and Hannah's story. I really felt like she WAS Hannah, recounting this adorable tale right to me! Katherine Center's fabulous writing worked in her favor, too. I truly laughed out lout a few times listening to this alone in the car, and, once I stated, I couldn't put this down!

THE BODYGUARD is a sweet, fake-dating trope rom com, but it's so much more than that! It's about vulnerability, human connection, strength, resilience, and learning to love yourself! Throw in a totally loveable main character, a hot and emotionally available leading man, and a little bit of mystery and you've got yourself a book to treasure for a long time to come. I can't recommend this one enough!

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Bodyguard tells the story of an atypical “executive protection agent” - bodyguard. At 5’ 6”, Hannah is not who you expect to be guarding celebrities and high dollar clients. When she is placed on the job for Hollywood star, Jack Stapleton, she loudly refuses. But her boss does not intend to let her off of this one. Jack and Hannah are thrown into more than they ever expected.

This book had aspects that made me laugh out loud, that squeezed my heart, and that had me sitting on the edge of my seat. I loved the atypical plot line of a female bodyguard and all of the shenanigans that came along with it. There were multiple very serious themes introduced and discussed, but also some hilarious comedy and romance.

The ‘falls for the man AND falls for his family’ trope melts me every single time. I love the picture painted of this family. Both of the MCs have been through some intense trauma, and the author did an excellent job of walking us through their journey.

There were so many beautiful takeaways written throughout this story. Multiple characters had lessons to learn that will impact the reader along the way.

My only complaint was that some of the pacing was a little off for me at times - some conversations went on too long, or some aspects felt random - but overall, nothing that kept me from enjoying this book!

I appreciated the clean/closed door romance that had an excellent plot that didn’t require smut to interest the reader. 👏🏻

The narrator of this audiobook did an excellent job. I was very happy with the performance and I had no complaints. I enjoyed the voices for each character and the presentation was well done.

Thank you to Macmillan audio, Netgalley, and the publisher for a review copy of this book.

Review published at Instagram.com/thereallifebookreviewer on 7/25/22.

I could not stop listening to <i>The Bodyguard</i> by Catherine Center. Seriously, I just sat, worked on a puzzle, and listened to the whole thing.
<i>The Bodyguard</i> is a fun, cute read that keeps the reader engaged throughout.
I’m a sucker for a fake relationship, and the execution in <i>The Bodyguard</i> is wonderful! It lasts for a good portion of the book with the requisite awkward situations and “oh no, I’m catching feelings!” moments from both sides.
I loved the chemistry between Hannah and Jack, but I think I loved Jack’s family even more. I instantly loved his mom; every scene with her was my favorite.
Throughout the novel, there are hints of dark secrets (aka trauma) in Jack’s past. I didn’t love this plot line, but it was necessary for the overall plot and character motivations.
I liked the twist to the bodyguard roles, but I could have used more bodyguard shenanigans. There are hints about Hannah’s skills, but we don’t see them in action too much.
<i>The Bodyguard</i> will be a great addition to our library collection!
<b>Audiobook Review:</b> I greatly enjoyed the audiobook! I think I would have equally enjoyed the story if I had read it, but it was a fun listen!

One of my favorite romance books of the year – a heart-warming, page-turning, feel-good story that is a bit different from Katherine Center’s earlier offerings. What sets THE BODYGUARD apart is the banter and good humor between Hannah (a bodyguard to the elites) and Jack (a film star). There’s so much that could go wrong with this plot – but Center keeps the story on the rails as it zips from zinger to zinger, with undercurrents of deeper issues that are deftly handled.

Hannah uses work to escape from life, but after her mother's funeral when nearly everything in her life is upended, she's forced to step back and slow down -- or take The Assignment from Hell: stay in Houston and protect actor Jack Stapleton, winner of two back-to-back Sexiest Man alive titles.

The characters are quirky, yet real. Hannah is tough as nails; as she says, “I could kill you with a wine bottle opener, by the way. Or a ballpoint pen. Or a dinner napkin. But I’m not going to.” One memorably comic scenes is when Jack doesn’t believe she’s capable of physically guarding him, and so he charges her at a full run, daring Hannah to take him down. She does.

Center pulls off the normal-person/super-star love story in a way that’s both believable and charming, along with some stalker tension and lots of laughs along the way. A book to re-read – it’s that good.

The audio book is also superb: spot-on delivery from narrator Patti Murin makes this the perfect beach read/listen. The "It Book" of the summer, there's lots to love and laugh at while gazing out over crowds and crashing waves. This book will have you striking up conversations with strangers, saying -- you just HAVE to read THE BODYGUARD.

There is something so nice about listening to a romance audiobook. This story follows Hannah Brooks who is essentially a bodyguard. She has been tasked as the main bodyguard for celebrity Jack Stapleton, who is back in Texas because his mother is sick. Jack, however, doesn't want his family to know that he has a bodyguard, so Hannah and Jack pretend to be dating. I really liked that Hannah was the bodyguard in this situation. I think so many times the male is the bodyguard, and it was nice to see Hannah show off her strength and quick thinking to unsuspecting men in the story. I also really liked Jack. He wasn't a stuck-up, narcissistic celebrity. He had a vulnerability to him that Hannah was able to discover. I also liked how both of them were able to help each other learn things. I think each of the characters grew as people as the story continued and by the end I was genuinely rooting for them and believing in their relationship. I also really liked the side characters, especially Jack's parents. Overall, I recommend this book, and especially the audiobook. I think Patti Murin does a great job narrating this story.

This was a super cute rom com novel. I haven’t consumed a romance in awhile but I needed and light read and this hit the mark!
I have nerve read this author before but she impressed me. I was completely thrown at one point in the book and thought the love story was going to go in a totally different directly.
The plot was of course the fantasy/fairytale typical of every romance.
Do note, there were no hot and heavy sex scenes (depending on what you want out of your romances) but the story was fun, light and enjoyable.
Pick this up for a quick and easy waterside read!

Katherine Center is officially a go-to author. This newest romance/rom-com follows Hannah Brooks, executive protective agent, who looks nothing like a body guard. Despite first appearances, Hannah is skilled and trained to protect. And when her agency is hired to protect Jack Stapleton, despite all of his handsomeness, Hannah is determined to do her job well. That is until she has to pretend to be his girlfriend and remaining professional becomes a little more complicated. For fans of Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez.

THE BODYGUARD
Katherine Center
Romantic Comedy

When bodyguard Hannah Brookes is tasked with protecting the famous movie star Jack Stapleton she has her reservations. Especially when she finds out that she has to pose as his girlfriend while living on the ranch his family owns.

I had started to get a bit burned out on romantic comedies. Well this book brought me straight out of that funk. I loved it and I could not put it down. This books is hilarious from beginning to end. I definitely give this book a five star rating. I would recommend it to anyone, romance lover or not.

The Body Guard by Katherine Center was a delight. Funny, all the feels, & a clever gender flip on the body guard trope. She's an excellent guard, but when the sexy movie star she's protecting asks her to pose as his GF for his parents, her boss makes her agree. Commence the sexy!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
If you like fake dating, body guard, and forced proximity this book is for you! This is my first Katherine Center novel and I blew through it.
Hannah Brooks is an executive protection agent or a bodyguard for high profile clients. Her mother just passed away and her boyfriend dumps her soon after. She's a workaholic and gets a unique assignment of protecting a very famous movie star, Jack Stapleton. In order for him to be able to help his mother without alarming her and having fans in the way, his company has him take on a bodyguard. His mother does not know this, so he lies and pretends that Hannah is his girlfriend.
Jack is such a lovable and funny character and helps bring out so much of Hannah's personality throughout the book. This book did not have any spicy scenes but plenty of cute moments and wonderful slow burn. The characters don’t just develop on their own but with each other. There is only one POV throughout the book, and while I do prefer dual POV, Katherine Center provided enough from Hannah's character to make it work. The plot was fun and engaging and the characters were wonderful. Overall, it was very enjoyable and I recommend the audiobook.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center flips the oft-used bodyguard trope on its side and gives readers (or listeners, in this case!) a fresh take in this amusing and heartwarming story.

In this book, the heroine is the career-focused bodyguard, the hero the world-famous movie star needing protection. When Jack gets called home to his family ranch in Texas, his production company hires a bodyguard because of a stalker. Not wanting to alarm his family in the wake of his mother’s cancer diagnosis, a plan is hatched for Jack and Hannah to play boyfriend/girlfriend.

And here we do get a little cliched: the single bed argument, the awkward pretend kisses and hand holding, the moment when they start to see who the other really is…but it’s still not totally cliched because Jack is truly a nice guy and not the stereotypical arrogant, cocky movie star, and Hannah is dealing with her own demons of self-doubt and insecurity. Add in Jack’s charming family and Hannah’s humorous coworkers, and this was a thoroughly entertaining story. The narrator also did a fabulous job bringing the characters to life.

This story is being marketed pretty heavily as a contemporary romance but I really feel it lands more solidly in women’s fiction. It’s a light on the romance, but that’s pretty typical of this author’s storytelling. And if you’re looking for a suspense-filled, action-packed story - as you’d expect with this trope because if there wasn’t danger there’d be no need for a bodyguard - you will probably be disappointed, because that scene is more lighthearted than life threatening. But Katherine Center is an excellent storyteller, so as long as you aren’t expecting this story to be something it isn’t, I think you’ll enjoy it!

* thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review

This was my first Katherine Center book and I’m officially a huge fan! Her writing style was so unique and I really enjoyed it. Her sense of humor was so nonchalant and dry but absolutely hilarious. I couldn’t stop laughing!

These characters were so well developed, but it was done in a way that felt like you weren’t being force fed information. I felt like Hannah, the main character, was telling me a story. I really long, really great story. Jack’s and Hannah’s relationship was so entertaining to watch play out. Their romance was so subtle, but also so sweet. Each side character had a purpose and aided to the development of the story in one way or another.

Without giving to much away, this story was everything I wanted it to be while also completely different than what I though it would be. With most rom coms you generally have a good idea of where the story is going to take you and how it’s going to end, especially with common tropes like fake dating. I personally find comfort in that. However, that was not the case in this book. I found myself really caught off guard, but in a good way.

If you are looking for a lighthearted yet meaningful romcom that’s equal parts sweet and hilarious look no further! Even if you’re not you should still read The Bodyguard. You won’t regret it.

Thank you to netGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book! This was a really cute story about Hannah and Jack. Hannah is a bodyguard who is having a rough time in life. Her mom has just died, her boyfriend broke up with her the day after her funeral, and now her boss is trying to force her to take some time off from the job she loves. She finally gets an assignment and its in Katy, Texas (near where she lives) and she's so annoyed because she's ready to travel, however she's slightly intrigued because its protecting the uber famous heartthrob movie star, Jack Stapleton. He is home in Katy because his mom is undergoing cancer treatments, but he needs a bodyguard because he's got a Texas stalker. However, he doesn't want his family to know he has a bodyguard because he hasn't told them anything about the stalker. He tells Hannah he wants to fake date so they don't think anything of it. She agrees as she is always full in for whatever the job requires, but she's taken off guard when she starts to wonder if he's really acting about his feelings for her. The 2 get closer and closer and watching their relationship develop was so fun, but also kind fo a wild ride with some ups and downs. I really liked Hannah and how she emotional but definitely didn't let her emotions rule her. She was really logical and professional and I thought she was great. I also liked the little bit of depth we had in regards to Jack's brother, but I would've really liked to see him seek help outside of Hannah. Finally, I thought the mom's cancer was a little icky the way it was done. It was just a plot device to get him to Katy, but otherwise it wasn't a big part of the story and it felt trivialized at times. I may be oversensitive to that, but it just didn't feel quite right to me. I also didn't love how Jack supposedly has a girlfriend the whole time and there wasn't much conversation around that until the very end. Overall, cute story but not perfect.

Captivating storyline with a female bodyguard as the central character. The character development is great. I really cared about what she was going through and her experiences. The story is romantic but not gooey. Generally I don't enjoy romantic but I literally could not put this down. And as an added bonus the narrator does a great job. I recommend it!

I usually do not enjoy rom coms but I loved this book. The characters were all very likeable. Even though parts were predictable it was done is such a way that I kept wanting more. I listened to the audio version and the narrator was terrific. I would be interested in more books about Jack and Hannah.

What a sweeeeeet clean love story! Had the perfect degree of levity as well. The characters didn’t take themselves too serious allowing you to dive right into their lives and experiences. After reading I found myself wondering about them… that’s when you know you read a good book . It’s a quick and easy read for any age - young adults to older adults.

Loved, loved, loved it! This is one of the best blends of romance, humor and light suspense I've read in a long time. The audio book is outstanding as it brought these characters off the page and into my living room. Patti Murin excels in narrating this story.

Great writing and plotting with dimensional characters who came across as real . . . even movie star Jack. So many laugh out loud moments and great chemistry. I highly recommend this to everyone! I hope Katherine Center will consider writing more books in this lane as she's knocked this one out of the park.

This (audio)book was everything I expected… and then some!!

A woman is going first through family troubles, and then relationship issues. There is a new opportunity at work up for grabs, and it was more of a requirement than a choice for her.
She becomes the right hand man for a surprise celebrity and their relationship is a roller coaster from here on out… but is it a real relationship? You’ll have to read to find out!

The Bodyguard is definitely worth the read if you want to laugh, shed a tear, and say “HA!” towards one of the characters (you’ll know who I mean once you read it)!

Thank you to @netgalley and Katherine Center for the early audiobook version!

So fun! Loved this story and the fresh perspective it takes as the bodyguard. Would make for a great summer read!