I absolutely loved the first chapter of this book. The way Kat and Zac met was a very perfect rom-com meet-cute. And that was probably the best part of the book. After that things started going down and down and down. For once, I never really bought their relationship. They just didn't fit together, or the way they were written, didn't fit. I didn't like that some serious subjects (like mental health, addiction, PTSD, abusive parent) were only used as a plot device. There when you need them and then, pooh, they are gone. It was a cheap shot and I didn't appreciate it.

A fun rom-com with a bit of drama! I enjoyed the concept of female body-guard protecting a male movie star. The chemistry between the two was enjoyable but at times it was hard to understand what they liked about each other aside from. being attracted to each other. Overall a fun read with stalking, steam, and secrets!
Netgalley provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Argh I wanted to love this book more than I originally thought before reading but it was such a let down . I thought Kat was highly irritating through most of the book with her constant bickering over the pettiest things, tho I felt bad for her for what happened in the past and thought she did a great job taking her niece Debs under her wing I just couldn’t bring myself to like her. Zac was alright I thought he was a bit irritating in some places but much more likeable then Kat. The plot with Zac being stalked was highly rushed and in the end was just dumped on the reader after the constant investigation happening all for a shooting storyline and I thought that was a bit pointless. I just found myself bored through most of the book which was a shame.

Thanks to NetGallery and One More Chapter publishing for allowing me the opportunity to receive a free E-Arc of this book in exchange of an honest review. All these thoughts and opinions are my own.
First off I want to say I am a huge fan of Kathryn Freeman ever since I read another one of her books "The New Guy." So when I saw I had an opportunity to read another book by her, I jumped at the chance to read her next book. While this book had all the making of a fabulous book, I thought this book fell short. I love the premise of the story: A female bodyguard protecting an famous male actor/ the forbidden aspect of a protector/protectee romance. I also found it was a fresh idea to make the roles reverse, where the woman is protecting the man instead of the common roles readers usually see when reading within this troupe. What fell short me when it came to this story, however, was the characters as a whole. Kat Parker was written to project strength and confidence when it came to her professionalism and abilities to protect and secure her assignment, but throughout this book, she was constantly second guessing and doubting herself. While the reveal about her past helped make those aspects understandable to a certain point, it left me feeling Kat was just whinny and causing her to questions the actions of all the men in her life as trying to help/protect her just because she was a woman. When really none of other characters really voiced and/or showed, through actions or words, that to be the case.
Zach, while very charming and thoughtful, held back from Kat essential information, which caused a major issue later on. While I know this was supposed to be a big plot reveal as the climate of the story came to a head, I also found this troubling. First, because when working for a security company, Max and Kat were able to know all about his "family" and other personal details about Zach's life, but they did not do a simple background check and find out the holes within his "story?" I also found Zach was too heavy handed, at times, towards sharing his feelings with Kat, even when she tried to tell him it was not the time or place because of the threat to his safety. I think pursuing someone is fine, letting your feelings known is fine as well. But when someone, who supposed to protect your life with theirs, repeated tells you "No or please don't pursue me due to the nature of their relationship," I get annoyed. I know it is supposed to be all alpha-male and sweet, but I just felt he pushed her into something she was not ready to commit to at that time, and then got annoyed with her when she would not reciprocate the feelings back. Overall, I did not really feel the chemistry in their relationship. I believed it was based on Kat turned Zach down that he was attracted to her and not really for any other reason. I thought this because of his lack of respect for her job by not trusting her to do her job including not sharing important details of his past ,as well as getting jealous of Kat's and Max's relationship when Zach had barley met her.
Overall, I had high expectations going into this book, but this book fell somewhat short for me. This in no wise means I will never read another book by this author, on the contrary, I look forward to reading more books by this author! This review may seem overly critical, but I can't help but share my thoughts and feelings about the books I read especially when they are by authors I look forward to reading.

I Did Not Finish this novel. The writing wasn’t my style and made it difficult to get though. I could not relate to the main character which also made it tough to continue.

Up Close and Personal takes a new twist on an old favorite movie The Bodyguard . The author has taken the very basic concepts from the movie and put their own twists on the plot and characters. This was an easy to read modern contemporary romance book. A great escape from reality and an easy enjoyable read. I enjoyed the banter at times, but overall found the book to just be ok.

I found the chemistry to be lacking throughout the book between the 2 main characters. It was also a little slow in areas, which I don't mind if there is good payoff in the end. Since the plot was based around a popular movie, it was predictable. I do sometimes enjoy going into books with a predictable ending. Sometimes you just need to know how a book ends and can't emotionally handle any surprises. This definitely fits that bill.

I was provided an ARC of the book from NetGalley for not cost to me for my review.

Up Close and Personal is a new romantic comedy by Kathryn Freeman. The story is about Zac, a famous actor who has a stalker following him. Instead of hiring the typical muscle bound dude, he gets Kat a young woman who takes her new role very seriously. Sparks fly almost immediately with these two, but will straight laced Kat fall for the charming Zac?

This was my first book from this author and I was excited to find another rom-com writer. I found her style engaging and the characters were well developed. The pacing was pretty good and her ability to write funny banter was excellent. Until the book turned into something darker.

Out of no where the fun and light rom-com turned oddly dark as we started learning about Kat's PTSD and her time in the army. This sudden shift in tone really pulled me out of the book, and I found that all the quick progress I had made reading the book suddenly came to a screeching halt. Then we learn that Zac has his own secrets and all of this extra drama and angst felt inauthentic to the beginning of the story.

In general I love NA romances and especially ones set in England as I'm a big fan of British TV and movies. However, this book just didn't quite hit the mark for me. There were some pop culture references that really lock this book in a certain time period, and I'm never a big fan of that. Never the less, I did enjoy myself reading this book and am giving it 3 stars. I would have loved to see more of the light hearted tone follow through the entire book, but I think the heavier story line may be popular with other readers.

It starts off super predictable and over the to flirtatious right off the bat and I can tell it's an opposites attract trope. The story feels stale, including the characters and story setup, by just four chapters. In the novella, it finally starts picking up steam around page 70 after the slow exposition. It's a bunch of unreleased sexual tension and that's primarily the book. Zac's past is finally revealed at the end and this rawness is what I wanted from the beginning, it's just a shame it took too long to get there. Then, story moves super fast and feels like a rush to complete the hallmarks of a HEA before the final pages left, but that feels forced. It's super mushy and ehh I just couldn't get into it. Yes, Kat is badass but so dumb when it comes to love and all the fierceness goes out the window. It was fine, just fine.

The book jumps straight into the storyline, no messing about! I love the element of mystery which flow through this book, really adds something extra.

The language which Kathryn uses all the way through is so real and believable. There wasn’t a moment where the book didn’t flow, it was incredibly easy to read.

I was incredibly invested in both the main characters equally and both had very cleverly woven back stories which seeped our every now and again to peak interest!

Zac is an actor in need of a bodyguard after receiving some threats. Kat is a close protection officer, assigned to protect him. Freeman takes the bodyguard trope and flips it on it's side by making Kat the protector and Zac the protectee.

This was a cute rom-com type book, with an instant connection. Both Kat and Zac are instantly attracted to each other upon first meeting, but Kat wants to stay professional. I like how both Kat and Zac have hidden aspects of their past and how we get a glimpse into how this formed who they are as people moving into this romance. This slow burn and development just makes it all the better.

The plot felt a little forced at times, but I really felt for Zac and Kat with some of their back story. I liked the witty banter back and forth between the two main characters and it was easy to get lost in. With this being a forbidden romance, there was a lot of build up to the first kiss, but that made the anticipation leading up to it worth it.

This is a typical romance in many ways, but did a good job of putting in some deeper topics as well. Up Close and Personal was a delightfully entertaining story that was a quick paced romantic read. 3/5 stars

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.

This book was full of promise and the initial chapter had me completely hooked. I really thought the two characters were going to have some witty banter and good flirty chemistry, but besides the physical attraction and being forced to spend time together there wasn't really much of a connection. Zac's inability to stay professional, despite Kat's clear wishes was off-putting, and when we finally got round to the characters having sex for the first time it solidified this. Kat's anxieties around having sex seemed brushed over and some of her thoughts and conversations about her anxieties were objectionable. Although the next chapter tells us how much that Kat enjoyed the whole experience, during the scene I felt that the two characters weren't completely into it, and that they should have opened up more about what she was feeling, instead of just opening up a condom and ignoring her reservations. This then left a bad taste in my mouth about the relationship and I had wished that the two characters would be more open and honest with each other from earlier on in the book.
I felt that the book had a promising and intriguing plot but the first two thirds really failed to deliver this. I felt like the stalker plot line could have been expanded but instead it was used as a quick device to get these two characters in the same room.
Overall, I really wanted to love this one but, in the end, I found it a bit sluggish and overall not what I had wanted it to be. However this might be due to my own personal romance preferences, and so other readers may still enjoy it.
2 out of 5 stars.

This book is a wonderful story that develops around the bodyguard trope. It is the story of Zac and Kat.

Zac is the movie star actor with a stalker. His life turned upside down when notes were delivered to his house. His new reality includes a bodyguard who is to accompany him everywhere.

Kat is the one hired to protect him. This is her chance to prove herself to her boss, a high profile actor safety is her priority.

Those two are polar opposites, Zac is always on time, if not early, his apartment is always clean, tidy and everything is where it should. While Kat is often late, always loses her keys and her apartment is a mess. I liked how their differences were portrayed. The more time they spend together, the closer they got and since they were practically always together it created some lovely tension.

Zac is a sweetheart, he doesn't speak much but this doesn't stop Kat from talking about everything and anything. Kat is from her nature a protective person, caring about Zac is comes naturally to her, but when she starts caring more for him than her previous clients things get complicated.

The storyline kept my interest through the whole book. The mystery was very entertaining and the romance was amazing. I had a great time reading it.


*I received an arc from the publisher through Netgalley.

I had a hard time with the concept and conceit of the book. The first 1/3 was pretty cute but it started to lag in the latter parts for me.

I didn't hate this... but I didn't love it. I really liked the beginning, and then it felt a bit more boring with a weird romance, and then it got interesting again and finally the end... meh.

This did feel real with the whole stalker thing going on and needing a bodyguard but it also felt rushed with the romance bit.

Overall it was still an enjoyable read and I'm glad I got the opportunity to read before publication, with all this said, I still recommend this if you're a fan of adult romances.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved Zac and Kat and really enjoyed reading their story. I loved that there was more to the story than just a romance. I also loved the relationship between Kat and her niece Debs, it really added to the story.

I was hooked from the beginning and flew through it!

It's a great read!

This is a charming British rom-com following Kat Parker who is charged with protecting superstar actor Zac Edwards after a crazed fan leaves a menacing note on his front door. I ended up DNF'ing this book at 43%. I found the characters to be interesting on their own, but I did not feel any chemistry between the two. I typically love the 'forbidden romance' theme but it fell a little flat for me. I will not give this a star rating on GoodReads because I didn't finish it. Ultimately, my reasons for not liking this enough to finish it comes down to personal preference. The plot itself became way deeper than I was anticipating for a rom-com. But, I thought this book was very well written and witty at times. Just because it was not my cup of tea, does not mean you should not read it.

Up Close and Personal is a contemporary romance brimming with repressed attraction.

A famous actor is being harassed by a crazy fan. Instead of the bulky guy he was hoping for, his employer presents him with Kat, a brave and irresistible female bodyguard.

Zac Edwards is famous, rich, and oh-so-organized. He is always punctual, dresses impeccably, and takes his work very seriously.

Kat is a former soldier with a traumatic past and a problematic family. She is usually on time, but her life is very messy. This job opportunity is her chance of proving herself and finally moving on with her life.

There is an instant connection between the main characters, but Kat is reluctant to get involved. I love all the sexual tension and the fact that the characters get to know each other before anything happens.

I felt for Zac, but I liked how Kat was down to earth despite being tempted by an extremely handsome movie star. I'm not sure I would have resisted that long if I was in her shoes.

Up Close and Personal is a delightful story. A very entertaining and romantic read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*This review will be posted on https://lureviewsbooks.com on 06/12/2020*

I did not really enjoy this book, and it felt like a struggle to get through. First of all, Zac couldn't take no for an answer and it just left a bad taste in my mouth from the very beginning. He came across as creepy and forward (even if he wasn't really) which seemed like really poor taste in the current me too movement. Also I couldn't stand the back and forth between the two characters. They seemed like whiney adolescents. They were not truthful with each other and constantly making assumptions about the other without being honest. The only character that had any value with Deb the teenage niece. I usually love a romance and escape from reality but this one just wasn't it for me.

I was initially really excited about reading this book. Who wouldn’t want to read about a female bodyguard having feelings for the actor she is paid to protect? Having read and really enjoyed a previous book by this author just amped my excitement. However everything about this book just felt flat, the characters, the dialogue, the plot, the amount of telling and not showing. There was nothing there that added any sort of sparkle to the pages. I would try this author again but this book is not one I would read again.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a brilliant and entertaining read - very different from the typical romances and was filled with many secrets that I was eager to find out more about!

Plus, Kathryn Freeman mentions my favourite actor (aka love of my life), Dylan O'Brien, so 10000 brownies points there!