To say I loved this would be an understatement. It was such a fun, fast read that I found myself making excuses to find a corner and read!

Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protection Agent, not a body guard. She's a 5'4 girl next door who could drop you in half a heartbeat. Her life is falling apart around her - her mother just died and her boyfriend dumped her and started sleeping with her best friend - both of whom work with her. Hannah's take-no-shit boss pits her against her now ex-boyfriend in a competition to score a lucrative assignment. In order to prove her worth, Hannah is assigned to protect the reclusive sexiest man alive, Jack Stapleton.

In a classic romance trope, Hannah and Jake pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend in order to hide her cover from the world. But people find it hard to believe that Jack would choose plain Jane Hannah over the many beautiful starlets falling at his feet. After a health scare with his mother, Hannah and Jack find themselves living at his parents ranch, making them have to be "on" at all times.

Hannah's self discovery and emotional development over the course of the book made it resonate deeper than a "typical" romance novel (if there is such a thing), complete with a twist ending that made me go "WHAT?!"

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is so good.

Hannah is an executive protector, also known as a bodyguard. Her typical clients are rich oil execs or other CEOs that live high-risk lives. She travels often, barely home in Texas, and that’s the way she likes it. On the heels of her mom’s death and the end of her relationship, she’s ready to get out of town. Except the next job is right in Houston, where Hannah lives, and it’s protecting movie star Jack Stapleton. Even weirder: she has to pretend to be his girlfriend so as not to alert his ill mom to the truth. Hannah takes on her job like a pro, accepting the strange arrangement and moving in with Jack for the duration of the job. When she starts to feel real feelings for him, she wonders if he is feeling the same way. Or is he just that good of an actor?

Center always writes with the perfect balance of humor, joy, romance, and seriousness. She is able to blend strong themes (the loss of a parent) while still writing bits that make you laugh (a fear of cows). Both main characters are struggling with deep-seeded issues, but she handles them with a dash of comedy so the book never gets too heavy. This is one of those stories that makes your heart want to burst with the joy of it. I loved it and definitely recommend.

Hannah Brooks engulfs herself into her work, it’s her escape from the troubles in her life. When her mom dies she is placed on leave until an important job in her hometown of Houston comes up. She a bodyguard must protect a Hollywood movie star, by pretending to be his girlfriend at his family ranch. Jack Stapleton has been a recluse and in hiding since an accident killed his younger brother Drew. In protecting Jack, Hannah opens up about her own troubles and the two of them grow and overcome their past. Turns out the relationship was all faking either.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this read. Highly recommend

Laugh out loud funny, endearing, complex, and inclusive without being predictable: Katherine Center in a nutshell, I forgot how delectable her books are, especially in a sea of overused tropes and tired storylines! Absolutely adored this story.

Adorable novel with a strong female lead. Actor Jackstapleton shied away from the spotlight only to be suddenly spotted near his home town. Bodyguard Hannah is hired to protect him with the cover as his serious girlfriend. Choas ensues at Jack’s family ranch with a visit from his ever fabulous, actress girlfriend from the magazine. Definitely a fun read and one I hope to purchase.

I was not prepared for this book. Honestly I thought the body guard premise would be ridiculous but Katherine Center is an auto-read for me. And dear goodness, it got me. Everything about it absolutely destroyed me. I sobbed, laughed, related, loved this book even when it was so ridiculous. This book is incredibly good for the mind and the soul to get anyone through good times, bad times, hard times, and just normal every day needing a good book times. 5/5.

I have loved every one of Katherine Center’s books and I think this one might be my favorite. She has a way of drawing you into the story right off the bat with likable but slightly flawed characters and then gives them an intriguing plot to work through their issues. Case in point with The Bodyguard, she flips this one a bit with Hannah being the bodyguard assigned to guard famous actor Jack Stapleton, he doesn’t think he needs her, he just wants to come home to Texas and be with his mom who has recently gotten sick. She is getting over her mom dying and a rough breakup which happens to be from a current coworker. They decide to tell his family she is his new girlfriend so they don’t get concerned that he needs a bodyguard to protect him from a stalker, and all will be fine. As we know, it’s not fine, and we have an exceptionally great book about relationships, a heartwarming book that I devoured. The audio is excellent for this one too, and I am still in a bit of a hangover after reading this one, I loved it so much.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital copy to review. If you have not read this one yet you must add it to your list now.

Jack is a handsome, charming, popular actor who is being stalked by a crazy fan. To be safe and not worry his family he wants a bodyguard who is also going to stand in as his girlfriend during a family visit. Enter Hannah, who has terrible self esteem issues and has just been dumped by her boyfriend. She knows it's just an act and she's here to do a job but she can't help falling for Jack and his family. This was exactly what I was hoping for...a charming, feel good, rom com that gives you all the feels. Thank you #NetGalley for my copy of #TheBodyguard.

I adored this book! Katherine Center is already one of my favorites, so I figured this was going to be a winner. The deep dive into his past, the chaos of her life…mix that with a fake-relationship troupe and you have me hooked. It was a darling read and I will be recommending this book everyone, especially if they are needed something to lift their spirits. I cannot wait for another Center gem!

Hannah Brooks is a protection agent, otherwise known as a bodyguard. She may look petite and unassuming, but she can bring a large man down before he knows what's hit him. She is reluctantly assigned to protect movie star Jack Stapleton while he is in Houston visiting his family. He's just the kind of vapid, self-absorbed person she dislike.

Katherine Center knocked it out of the ballpark with this one and it's one of my favourites. I read this in two sittings and even had to turn off the bed time reminder on my phone to stay up and read. I enjoyed the characters and although it is somewhat predictable it was so fun and enjoyable. If you have yet to read

This is a romantic comedy about Hannah Brooks, a bodyguard, who has been tasked to protect the sexiest man alive, actor Jack Stapleton, to protect him from a bizarre corgi-obsessed stalker. But he doesn't want a bodyguard, and he doesn't want his family to worry about the stalker, so he begs (BEGS!!) her to be his fake girlfriend.

Hannah's not the "tough guy" you'd expect to be a bodyguard, but she knows her way around a wine bottle opener. And Jack's a high-profile celebrity (though he's gone incognito in recent years), but he's not what you'd expect either. This pairing has grumpy/sunshine vibes, but she's the grumpy one. She tries to be all business and keep clear lines drawn in the sand, but Jack—even with his anxiety and fears since the death of his brother—is much more easygoing and prone to fits of laughter.

"Men don't dissolve into giggles," said liar-liar-pants-on-fire Jack Stapleton.

This fake dating scenario is complemented by the forced proximity trope when Jack's mom says her dying wish is for Jack and Hannah to spend a month at the family ranch. My only complaint is that I wanted more. I wanted more time on the ranch seeing the relationship develop and more instances of Hannah being a badass Jason Bourne bodyguard. Hannah mentions repeatedly that everything about this assignment is unusual, so it felt like a missed opportunity not to share Hannah in action during a typical assignment.

This story is more comedy than romance (slow burn, closed-door romance) with a side of family dynamics drama. All in all, this was such a FUN read. I actually laughed out loud more than once, which is rare for me. I finished it in just two days. I need Netflix to pick this up ASAP because it would adapt so well into a rom-com.

Read this if you're in the mood for:
-fake dating
-forced proximity
-celebrity/Hollywood romance (small town vibes though)
-slow burn
-closed door romance
-grumpy/sunshine (she's grumpy)

This book was adorable. I loved following their journey! Katherine Center writes some of my favorite books.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center is an easy 5 star contemporary romance (celebrity, close proximity, fake dating) thanks to the polished writing and Miss Congeniality vibes. Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an arc to read and review.

Yet another book by Katherine Center that I absolutely loved. It’s funny because the first book of hers I read I hated but I have loved every single book since then and The Bodyguard was no exception. I loved Hannah’s character and how tough she was supposed to be and how much trouble she actually was. She cracked me up. I also loved Jack and his whole family, and while the ending was somewhat predictable, it didn’t matter. The journey to the end was amazing and I can not wait for her next book to come out .

Fast, addictive read! Wasn’t a big fan of Hannah but I loved Jack! The banter and chemistry was great. Can never go wrong with a Katherine Center read :)

Anything Katherine Center writes is an instant hit with me! The storyline is so well put together and I can't help but die rooting for the characters. I need more female bodyguard stories!

She’s been hired to protect him, but she’s been protecting herself as well.

This was great!! Katherine Center’s newest book has nothing to do with the movie of the same name but I couldn’t resist singing the soundtrack. (It is what it is.)

She may not look it, but Hannah is an Executive Protection Agent (bodyguard) at the top of her game. After dealing with some personal issues, she gets an unusual assignment—protecting famous actor Jack Stapleton while he’s in Houston visiting his family.

Jack is one of the most recognizable (and handsome) actors, but after a family tragedy a few years ago, he dropped out of the public eye. He certainly doesn’t think he needs a bodyguard at first but his studio gives him no choice. The thing is, however, he doesn’t want his family to know he has stalkers, so he insists Hannah pretend to be his girlfriend. She doesn’t think anyone would believe Jack would date her—she’s a far cry from his other girlfriends—but he’s a good actor.

When she and Jack move into his family’s ranch, she must negotiate the tension between him and his brother. But more than that, the more time she spends with Jack, the more she starts to feel like she could be his real girlfriend—which is bad for the job, and bad for her heart. Is he falling for her, too, or is he acting?

I love the way Center tells a story, and even though this was fairly predictable, I was there for it all. These characters—Hannah, Jack, even the supporting characters—were terrific, and I was completely hooked. This would be a great movie!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy in exchange for an unbiased review!

I loved this book! This is only the second Katherine Center book that I have read but I am convinced that I need to start reading the rest of her books after finishing this one. Once I started reading this book, I did not want to put it down because I was hooked. This book was the perfect combination of funny, romantic, and exciting!

"You don’t have to be perfect to be lovable.”

I devoured Katherine Center's The Bodyguard in one day. I simply couldn't put it down. It follows Hannah Brooks, a bodyguard assigned to protect Jack Stapleton from a stalker. But Jack is home visiting his family and doesn't want to upset his sick mother, so asks that Hannah pretend to be his girlfriend instead.

Hannah is reeling from the loss of her own mother and the end of her relationship with a coworker when the book opens. She's ready to throw herself completely into work and doesn't have the patience for Jack's goofy antics. I loved the way that she slowly let herself open up to him and how wholly embraced she was by Jack's family and the way that healed a part of her that needed to be welcomed and loved.

Meanwhile, Jack is still grappling with the death of his brother and the way it fractured his relationship with his other sibling. He puts on a good front, but is more emotional beneath the surface than Hannah first assumes. And despite his teasing her into showing off that she can take him down, he's in awe of how capable she is.

There are definitely emotional content warnings for this one, but it was also packed with so much humor and light. In terms of vibes, this book reminded me a lot of Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes, so if you enjoyed this book definitely check out that one and vice versa! This was my first Katherine Center book and definitely won't be my last.

5 stars! The Bodyguard was such a fun read! I can easily see it turning into a movie. Highly recommend!
Thank you to Katherine Center, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.