Definitely a thumbs up for this one. The New Guy I really enjoyed but this took it up a notch. I felt the title was perfect because the book definitely got you under the skin of both characters. I really took to Zac, loved his character - brought up in a wealthy family, rich, with impeccable manners., he was also kind and thoughtful. Kat was feisty but at the same time vulnerable, fighting her attraction to Zac while trying to keep him safe. Not going to give any of the plot away, just to say it kept me entertained the whole way through.

An enjoyable whether you're stretched out on a beach or curled up in the back garden with a chilled glass of wine. Recommended.

Okay so. The beginning I wasn’t really a fan of... like the first few pages and it took me a while to get into this because I wasn’t completely sold on the characters. I was excited to read this because THE GIRL IS THE BODYGUARD!! I love body guard romances and I love strong heroines so this, I thought, would be a win win. However, I felt like the heroine was trying too hard to be tough??? I don’t know. It just didn’t really feel authentic. I think I was hoping for something completely different than what this was.... which is my fault!! I still enjoyed this though I just wasn’t expecting it! I loved the romance!! So sweet and Zac grew on me pretty quickly! I definitely recommend giving this a try, while it wasn’t my favourite, I did have a good time and enjoyed this! I would read future books by this author because I love her ideas and her writing! Thank you soooo much netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc!

This was ridiculously cute, even though it’s a pretty predictable story. Kat Parker is a bodyguard who is assigned to Zac Edwards, the latest heartthrob actor to hit the big screen. Zac is charming, hot, talented and determined to woo Kat, however, Kat’s main focus is keeping Zac safe from his stalker.

It’s a quick will they/ won’t they romance, with a touch of intrigue and angst, making it the perfect page turner to read in one sitting.

This was a fun little romp. I liked both Zac and Kat and thought that the development of their relationship. I liked the writing and thought the story overall was well developed and fun. The side characters were done well and I really enjoyed Kat's niece Deb and the whole side plot involving who Zac is really was really interesting. This wasn't the best romance i've ever read but it was a fun read.

This is the first time I've read anything by this author and honestly this wasn't my favorite. I mean it wasn't terrible but it wasn't amazing either.

I like the plot. Zac is a famous British actor who has a crazy stalker. So he decides to hire a body guard.. a female body guard, Kat. You know what's going to happen. They are going to fall madly in love. Again I love this. I love the he hired a female body guard. Yay for feminism. But my issue with this book is that the love wasn't believable. They acted like children whenever they were together. There was way, way too much drama. Alot of their problems could have been solved if they just would have spoken to each other without throwing a fit.

So over all the story was okay. I like the plot idea and I liked the characters as individuals... but I didn't like the romance. I didn't like that there was added drama just for the sake of added drama to the story.

I have decided to DNF this book at 42%.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to feel any connection with either of the main characters. They don't seem to have much personality other than Zac is a perfectionist and Kat is a mess (which really makes no sense with her character's background).

The premise is interesting, I just find myself bored and wanting to do anything other than read this book.

Overall, this was a good read. Seemed a little dragged halfway through, especially with Zac trying his best to woo Kat. The mystery behind the stalker situation kept me hooked on to the story. Zac's secrets come back to haunt him and he keeps denying it until it is too late...
The characters are well-portrayed and the romance angle is well-explored.

This book had a good premise. What’s not to love about a bodyguard falling for her famous client that she has to protect from a crazy stalker? Well I’m sad to say that this didn’t live up to my expectations. What I didn’t realize when requesting this was that Kathryn Freeman wrote another book that I read and reviewed earlier this year. The new guy also had a decent premise that could have delivered a fun book but sadly did not. That book like this one focused so much on the two main love interests fighting over something or other, repeating these fights throughout the book. It was just so annoying all I could think about was that they either needed to get together or just stay professionals and to be honest by the 3/4 point I just wanted them to go their separate ways. It was too much. It’s just sad that I have to say Kathryn Freeman’s books are not for me and I don’t think they ever will be

Up Close and Personal is such a fun new rom com. I flew through it, and plan to pick up the author's other book ASAP!

I was charmed from the start - the first chapter where Kat meets Zac is such a delightful kick off to this story. There is instant attraction between the two of them. But, Kat is his new bodyguard - since Zac, a famous actor, is being stalked by a crazed fan.

This story evolves into something so much deeper, as Zac's past catches up with him. Watching Kat navigate the male-dominated world of bodyguarding while juggling her home life is a really solid story on its own.

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by the twist and turns in this book, and thoroughly enjoyed the journey!

Up Close and Personal is a reverse play on The Bodyguard movie. You know the one with Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. Instead movie star, Zac Edwards is threatened by a stalker, who he believes to be a crazed fan and his manager decides to hire a body guard. Kat Parker is good at her job, she spent 12 years in the military and has been protecting movie stars for the last several years. But when Kat walks in, she is the least likely person who Zac would pick ... but he doesn’t have a choice. Soon they are spending all their time together trying to find whoever is stalking him; Kat’s constant conversation and Zac’s quirks, lead to quick banter and feelings that need to be pushed aside to make sure they both stay safe.

This book is listed as the second in a series by Kathryn Freeman, I read the first as well, they were not connected, both are stand along novels. Up Close and Personal was quick and easy read with a strong female lead that turned the normal romance story upside down.

Thank you One More Chapter and HaprerCollinsUK for an eGalley copy to read and provide an honest review.

Satisfying in every way:
This book was extremely well written; it captured and held my attention. I loved that there was intrigue, suspense, drama and romance too.
Zac has a stalker and when Kat is assigned to protect him, sparks fly. They try to fight their attraction and keep things professional but it gets harder the more time they spend together. I appreciated that they both had insecurities and issues that they were dealing with. It made them more approachable and easier to relate to.
It was fun having a reversal of the typical genders when it came to a bodyguard protecting a movie celebrity. I also liked that Zac was more down to earth and real and maybe the setting being in London, England rather than Hollywood had something to do with that. Overall another great read by this talented author.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Oh Man. This one wasn't good. It was really difficult for me to connect with any of the characters. I felt like there was something I was missing the entire time I was reading. I ended up not finishing it unfortunately.

I really wanted to enjoy this book but I ended up having to dnf it. I'm gutted but I just could not get into the story and didn't care about the characters.

This just wasn't for me, sorry!!

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Usually a book which is blurbed as slowburn, bodyguard- actor romance with sizzling chemistry is right up my alley but unfortthis one didn’t work. From the very first chapter I was put off. I was expecting slowburn but the story starts almost abruptly with the hero and heroine meeting each other in the very first page and falling into instant attraction. I would have loved a bit more of a buildup to the meeting where we get to see a little bit about the characters and their backgrounds on their own. And I was a little bit annoyed by the heroine and the constant flirting and pushing by the hero wasn’t very endearing as well. Overall a book I didn’t exactly love but didn’t hate either.

Zac Edwards is in trouble. After finding fame he is faced with having a stalker who keeps finding him everywhere. His film company is concerned and hires a bodyguard for him. Kat Parker is a veteran who is well versed in the protection of people but wants more responsibility after struggling with PTSD and heartache she faced in Afganistan. When these two meet, the chemistry is instant, but they are both in a difficult position, where Zac wants people to love him for himself and not his fame and Kat is struggling with people taking her seriously in her profession. She does not want to ruin her credibility by having an affair with a client. Both have serious hang-ups from their pasts and together they must face them and the stalker to see if there is something more waiting for them.
I think the writing was engaging at the beginning but when we got to the end, I found myself bored. I enjoyed reading about Kat and her relationships with her sister and niece, I think Debs was a very believable teenager with struggles many 14-year-olds face. However, the plot fell a bit flat. When they caught the stalker, it was glossed over and we never felt the seriousness of the situation. I had the same emotions with the other issue in this book which I will not name because I do not want to spoil the book for other readers. The issue was not explained well and I just didn't feel engaged even though the stakes were high at the end.
I also did think that even though Zac's emotions were believable and made sense, Kat's reactions were often strange and not really thought out. That did not make their emotional connection believable. I did think that their banter was good though.
Overall, I am glad I got to read this book and I think that if the relationships were more fleshed out, it would be a better read.

I am grateful for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had really high hopes for this one based on the premise, but unfortunately it just didn't work for me. I ended up DNFing it as I didn't care about the characters or plot, and the writing didn't work for me.

Zac wasn’t what Kat expected!

Actor Zac Edwards is the newest star in British film but when he starts to get notes from a stalker even his manager gets involved when the producers of his new movie want to protect their star. Zac thinks everyone is overdoing it when they hire a company to protect him but when he meets bodyguard Kat Parker, he doesn’t know what to think. Kat Parker had gotten used to protecting people after she had left the military, but actor Zac Edwards was more than she expected.

Up Close and Personal is a fun romance when Kat decides that Zac should stay at her place when the stalker leaves a note at the hotel where they were staying leading to much more than either of them expected with a little help from Kat’s niece.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I would like to thank #OneMoreChapter for providing me an ARC of Kathryn Freeman's #UpCloseAndPersonal via #NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Up Close & Personal by Kathryn Freeman centers around two narrators: Kat Parker, a bodyguard who is assigned to protect Zac Edwards, the newest heartthrob on the acting scene, who has been plagued with a stalker. As their attraction to one another grows, so does the danger.

*Sigh*. This could have been good. I truly think it could have been. I love the idea of a story that involves a woman protecting a man. While the plot is not overly unique, that can be said about 99% of romances. I can get over that. What I can't get over, is a boring, predictable story line, and characters that are likable on their own, but have zero chemistry with one another. Conversations that are alluded to between them, ones that would actually help the reader connect more with the characters, and perhaps even show some genuine feelings between them, are not written.

Kat Parker is a nice character to read. I will always love a killer female heroine in any book, and Kat Parker is that. Strong, brave, smart. What's not to like. I get her trauma in the story, but it doesn't mean its not incredibly annoying to read. Zac Edwards is also nice. Polite. Totally wears his heart on his sleeve. Brave. Both are nice. Nice together. Just no sizzling chemistry that burns through the pages, which is what I expect in a romance. Even the intimate parts of the story were bland.

I read in a book once, where a character, coincidentally named Zach, told another character to "Show, not tell." And this is where the problem is in the story. We are told they have chemistry. We are told its electric. We are not shown it. Wording is key. I think with some work, this could have been a good story. Unfortunately, for me, it fell flat.

Up Close and Personal is a fun, light read which I also found as frustrating as hell. Billed as a gender-swapped version of The Bodyguard, it centres around Zac Edwards, British actor and heartthrob, and Kat Parker, the woman hired to act as his bodyguard when he is threatened by a stalker.

The banter between them is fun, and there is plenty of sexual tension, and I really liked Kat's relationship with her niece, who she is looking after while her sister is in rehab.

My problem with this book was largely how Kat was portrayed. She has spent three years working as a bodyguard after serving in the army for twelve years, and we are told (and shown) that she is good at her job. And yet... we first meet her when she trips in her high heels and spills champagne all over the hero. Then we see her being late for a meeting. Then we see her messy apartment. And throughout the book, her perpetual lateness, messiness and clumsiness when wearing traditional feminine clothing come up again and again as though they are charming quirks.

This drove me nuts. Kat has spent twelve years in the army, for goodness' sake. I find it very, very hard to believe that this sort of sloppiness would have been permitted in the army (particularly as my understanding is that women who serve often have to hold themselves to higher standards just to be taken seriously), and it takes more than three years to break that sort of ingrained habit. As for the clumsiness in heels... surely if you are a bodyguard who might have to work at formal events you would either learn to walk in heels or BUY SOME FORMAL SHOES THAT ARE ALSO FLATS.

I feel as though Kat was given these character traits in order to make her seem more approachable and feminine (we don't want to undermine Zac's masculinity, after all!), but instead, she wound up looking unprofessional at best and incompetent at worst.

I could also write reams about Zac's issues with letting a woman for whom he had Feelings put herself at risk for him (mate, it's her JOB, if you respected her you might settle down and let her do it?). And while I won't spoil the ending, I felt that once again it made Zac into a hero when in fact he was once more demonstrating his complete lack of respect for her competence.

(And it's infuriating, because Zac *already* has every advantage over Kat - wealth, class, education, sexual experience and more. At least let her be good at the things she really is good at.)

So yeah. While there were a lot of fun and sweet things in this book, it was also kind of enraging. The novel's desperate need to show us that Zac really was all that and a bag of chips (even if he required a – gasp! – female bodyguard) unfortunately meant that there was no room for Kat to shine as a heroine– which was a pity, because she had the capacity to be quite a good one.

This book was great! It was so easy to lose yourself in the story, and kept you turning pages to see what happened next! Will definitely be recommending!