A huge grateful thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me this ARC in exchange for my objective review.

I totally loved this book! What a wonderful, wonderful story! It was romantic and heartwarming and laugh-out-loud funny. I loved almost all of the characters (even the meanies) and the plot line was so clever.

There was one part that I didn't really like at the end about one of the minor characters but, besides that, this book was a real pleasure and joy to read. In fact, I'm now going back to read it all over again!

Some profanity. G/PG love scenes.

Every time I open a Katherine Center novel, I know I'm in for a good time. I'm going to laugh, I'm going to cry, I'm going to thoroughly enjoy myself. Center's heroines are competence porn to the nth degree, eminently capable and sometimes drifting into Mary Jane category but just so, so wonderful, and Hannah is no exception. And look, this book has everything: bodyguard heroine! Sunshine hero! Fake dating! Forced proximity! Only one bed! A piggyback ride because you're wearing the wrong shoes!

There's something about the way Center lets her über-capable heroines fall in love, too, that is so perfect. They don't fight it, but more sink into the inevitability of it: of feelings, of love, of the knowledge that this could end in pain for them. And so of course, there's angst, but it feels more manageable, in a way, than many other angsty romance novels because the heroine has approached this in a really adult, rational way, but recognizes that love isn't ever rational. This always feels so validating, to know that you can be at the top of your game and still fall in love, and to know that it could be devastating and that you'll pull through it.

Jack, too, is super freaking delightful, and feels more fleshed out to me than some of her other heroes. He's a goofball and able to find sunshine at a point in his life where he's feeling mostly bad. Even though he's a non-narrative character, I think he's one of my favorite instances of someone with anxiety; the way he deals with his bridge phobia was incredibly real to me, a person who also really hates bridges.

The ending is what breaks me in a Katherine Center novel, and this was no exception. When I realized what was happening, my heart was truly beating out of my chest, and what had the potential to be a really not-great scene was equally humorous and gentle. Instead of treating a character as a plot point, Center works through the ending with incredible tenderness and thoughtfulness, ending where some authors would with a real lambasting of mentally ill people with nuance and kindness.

I love this book, and I can't wait to make a bunch of people read it.

This was such a cute story! It was so unique too. I really enjoyed that about it. It was a cute story but also dealt with some heavy things in the character’s past.

I also enjoyed the interaction between the main character, Hanna, and the actor, Jack. The author showed us his human side, interactions with his family, and what happened between the two of them.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Katherine Center, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of “The Bodyguard.” I absolutely loved everything about this book and highly recommend. I just finished reading and I just want to read it again! The story focuses on the relationship between Hannah, an executive protection specialists, aka the bodyguard, and world famous movie star, Jack. However, the novel focuses on the development of their relationship and their personal growth through their friendship and eventual romance. I just love how both characters learned a lot about love, relationships, and family from each other. It is truly a beautiful story.

Hannah, an elite bodyguard, needs a change of scenery after her boyfriend, who is also a coworker breaks up with her on the same day of her mother’s funeral. Famous actor Jack Stapleton has been out of the spotlight ever since he was involved in a car crash that killed his younger brother. Jack is planning to return home to Texas and help his mother while she deals with a health issue. Because of Jack’s celebrity status and past encounters with stalkers, Hannah is hired as his bodyguard. Jack isn’t thrilled, and he insists she acts as his girlfriend so as not to alarm his family. As the lines between reality and pretend blur, Hannah realizes there is more to Jack than meets the eye.

I absolutely loved this book and gave up all my Saturday plans so I could finish it in one sitting. Yes we’ve seen the fake dating ruse before but Lauren does a great job of reversing the usual gender roles in this novel. The female as the protector and the male as the one in need of it. The meat of the story is the romance between Hannah and Jack. However, there are other storylines, including Jack’s mysterious backstory, the fake dating ruse, and Hannah’s work and relationship struggles that really add to the story.

I loved the character development. Hannah is such a strong and brave woman that takes charge and seems to have it all together but as you read you see the front she puts on and really feel and relate to her struggles. Jack is handsome and charming not to mention a movie star. But you wouldn’t know it. He also is struggling with guilt and secrets, from the past. Lauren does a great job of having the reader invest in in him and enjoy watching him evolve and opens up as the story goes on.

I really enjoyed this story. It’s fun, funny, romantic and even has a little suspense thrown in. Just make sure you have a few hours free because you are not going to want to put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Every now and then an author comes along that I will consume all books that this author puts out. This time I found myself in a reading funk and I thought I need Katherine Center to get me out of that funk. Luckily I came across The Bodyguard. BookPage calls Katherine Center “the reigning queen of comfort reads.” and I couldn't agree more.
The Bodyguard is about a team of personal protective agents. They aren't really physical bodyguards - although they certainly can be. They're more the brains behind protecting people. Hannah Brookes is a master at her job. Her brain is constantly assessing risks - except when it comes to her heart. On the eve of her mother's funeral her boyfriend - and coworker - dumps her. She's desperate to get out of the country on a new assignment but her boss wants her to sit still and properly grieve her mother.

Finally, Hannah gets a new assignment but unfortunately, it's right here in Texas. To make matters worse it's a movie star - Jack Stapleton. To make matters more worse - she has to pretend to be his girlfriend. She's the farthest thing from a movie stars girlfriend. No one is going to believe this.

Aside from the fact that she doesn't look like a movie star's girlfriend Hannah is perfect for the job because she could care less that he's handsome and charming. Hannah is extremely professional and if she can protect Jack from stalkers until Thanksgiving hopefully she'll be given a new gig in London.

The Bodyguard was a perfect story to get me reading again. I very much enjoyed the story and the characters. If you like The Bodyguard, I recommend you search out some of her other books. Follow the links below to read other Katherine Center book reviews on my blog.

Things you Save in a Fire

What you Wish For

wow. This book was amazing! Did i laugh, cry, and swoon during it? Absolutely.

Hannah looks like a cinnamon roll (blonde, petite, and sweet), but is actually a bodyguard who could take down just about anything if it meant protecting her clients. When her mother passes away and her boyfriend breaks up with her, she finds herself needing a break and new assignment asap. That is until she finds out her new assignment is with the Hollywood A-lister, Jack Stapleton. The gorgeous actor needs Hannah to pretend to be his girlfriend while he visits his family, and a reluctant Hannah has no choice but to say yes to her client and embark on this crazy journey.

This book was so great. It dealt with really hard topics but also was so easy and fun to read. The perfect mis of seriousness, and rom com sweetness.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

When I got off work and saw an email that I got an ARC of this... safe to say I knew I wasn't going to get anything done until I finished (didn't even stop to mark it as currently reading on here). Everything Katherine Center writes is gold.

This one is a bit different than her past work, a bit lighter and simply a joy to read it. And while I maybe love her other work just a bit more for making me love all the characters so so deeply, this one was still amazing and everything I expect from her. So fun and heart-warming and all around perfect.

(Katherine, if by chance you see this, this is my plea for a novel about Doghouse, please and thank you)

When star Jack’s mom gets sick, he comes home to the family’s Texas ranch to help out. Only one catch: He doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker. Or the bodyguard thing. And so Hannah—against her will and her better judgment—finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend as a cover. Even though her ex, like a jerk, says no one will believe it. But as they spend more time together, they like each other more and more...

I love Hannah.... It was so good to see her grow and change.... She and Jack are so good for each other. Their banter are cute. Such a sweet and funny book. Jack's parents are so hilarious too. A very fast-paced fun book.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

I love Katherine Center, so I was super excited to get approved for this ARC. I read it in one sitting, it was such an easy book to devour and such a fun book! It was not my favorite book by this author, but it was still good.

This gave me Miss Congeniality vibes with Hannah being the executive protection agency instead of a man. I loved that Katherine Center flipped the narrative on that and showed that females can be just as effective. Parts of the plot were very predictable, but it was still fun and I laughed out loud multiple times. I fell in love with Jack's family, and it was fun reading about Hannah's coworkers. And Katherine developed Jack Stapleton to be so swoon worthy,

Would definitely recommend to someone looking for a fun romance with a little danger wrapped into it.


**Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of this book**

I want to expand my rating system to give this more stars. All of the stars. A GALAXY OF STARS.

The premise of The Bodyguard had me intrigued, but within a few pages I was 100% hooked. I read this in a single sitting, felt bereft that it was over, and then did what any normal person would do and immediately started Happiness for Beginners... and then finished THAT before bed.

I officially have Katherine Center problem and I'm not mad.

The Bodyguard is sweet, hilarious, and SO much FUN. Hands down my favorite book of 2022 so far.

Deepest of thank yous to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC. I haven't been this excited about a book in a long while.

I loved every word of this book. I love how Hannah grew as a character from this woman with a low self esteem who give every ounce of herself to her career to a woman who loved herself enough to love someone else. I loved Jack’s family and how they accepted her right away. I loved the ending too and the drama! Loved it!

This romcom has such great reviews that I went in with very high expectations (I should really stop doing that), only, of course, to be disappointed. The premise of “The Bodyguard” is totally up my alley: it’s a famous/non-famous fake-dating romance about a woman who becomes a bodyguard to an A-list actor. But many of the elements that I assumed would make this book a stand out for me didn’t work, mainly because the author insists on gesturing toward tropes without committing to them. If there’s Only One Bed, it’s understandable for a reader to expect the characters to have to share that bed (spoiler: they do not! not once! she sleeps on the floor! the whole time!). The Fake Dating trope raises the “Are These Feelings Real or Just Pretend?” issue, but Center doesn’t commit to that either. Instead, the empasis is on the protagonist’s self esteem, and whether or not she’s attractive enough to be seen with an A-lister. It’s all very 2000s––the idea that the protagonist is so “ordinary-looking,” and yet somehow “not like the other girls” goes unchallenged, as does the author’s portrayal of the “villain,” a shallow and painfully generic mean girl. Have we not evolved beyond this type of characterization?

“The Bodyguard” sets its protagonist up as being excellent at her job (“you’re the best we’ve got!” vibes), but Hannah ultimately comes off as an amateur. She seems unprepared for her mission; she does no research beforehand and objects to her assignment at every step of the way. The power dynamic between Hannah and her boss is also uncomfortable. This is a toxic workplace, depicted without a truly critical eye. Hannah’s awful ex and co-worker, Robbie, takes up too much room in the plot, and whatever the reader is supposed to feel toward Taylor (Hannah’s “best friend” and other co-worker) is unachieved, since her relationship with Hannah is poorly established. The final conflict is perhaps the weakest element of the book. At the climax of the story, the armed man who turns out to be the actor’s stalker says he wants to kill himself because his life is terrible. And Hannah, a trained professional who’s just been rejected by her client-slash-crush, is unironically like, “oof, relatable.”

Despite how the book is marketed, there’s something almost YA-ish about “The Bodyguard.” The writing has a Meg Cabot-esque voicy quality, and the concerns seem influenced by early Cabot and Kinsella romcoms. Like many of those stories, this romance is a fade-to-black, but it lacks the fun, biting, and sexy elements that feel inherent to all great romantic comedies. The banter and chemistry between the book’s MCs is effective at times, but ultimately, these instances aren’t enough to rescue this book from everything that weighs it down.

I devoured this book in a day. As I was reading this book, I could easily see this as a movie. I liked that the author made the female character protecting the male character as her job. It was a refreshing change. The main character showed a little more emotions than I would have pictured someone would as a bodyguard, but it worked in the story. Also, I’m now ready to go live on a ranch for a little bit. This book had me feeling every emotion, but overall, I loved it!

Hannah is a great professional bodyguard, despite her size, and is tasked with becoming the bodyguard, and eventually the fake girlfriend of A-list actor Jack, to help protect him from a stalker.

This book was so sweet and despite dealing with heavy topics, the MC relationship is very cute. The book is a slow burn, but the storyline moves quickly with lots of side characters and subplots, that don’t feel distracting. Would definitely recommend this sweet read.

This book blew me away! I was unable to but it down. Perfect, dazzlingly, very well written. The details the author described throughout the book was so amazing. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

I really enjoyed this book. From the opening pages, I was grinning and loving the never ending banter between Hannah and her coworkers. I liked Hannah—she was witty and Uber resilient. The romance was really good as well. The reason I’m knocking the rating down is because I wasn’t able to ever connect with Hannah. At the beginning this may have been okay since that’s what the character struggled with—building meaningful and deep relationships with other—but even as she changed, I just didn’t actually feel like there was anything to really connect me to her. Center’s other characters in How to Walk Away and Things You Save in a Fire were top notch leads. This book just lacked the depth I expected of Center. Still—I really enjoyed it! I started reading and was unable to put it down. Would recommend.

Genuinely, "The Bodyguard" is the kind of book that was made for me. The tropes were always going to win me over, which is to say, if someone isn't a big fan of the bodyguard or fake dating trope, then this isn't going to be the story for them. But for people, such as myself, that are obsessed with it, consider yourselves in good company my friends, because this is the book for you.

The most fun with this book simply comes from the dialogue, and the interactions, and how important it is to find real human connection in a world that often feels fake. Now, I could probably discuss more deeply the fake that plastic surgery isn't something that should be villainized at all, that in this society we should always be accepting. But the truth is, I found it refreshing that this book picks at Hollywood, and presses at things that prove, time and time again, that what we see is not always what we get. With people. With films. With families, and the truths that we tell ourselve.

I'm not claiming that I necessarily came away from "The Bodyguard" with a new understanding of myself or others, but I do think this is the kind of comfort read (despite the whole, you know, armed abduction part) when it comes to giving yourself the credit you deserve. To not just take someone's opinion to heart, just because they said it, and just because you thought they weren't the person who would do that for you.

In many ways, this is a book about suvivors. About what we do after we've been in a traumatic situation, and how we intend on leading our lives after that. Hannah chose to devote her life to protecting other people, when it was clear that she couldn't protect her mother. Jake has made it a point to poke holes in Hollywood, and show us all the imperfections behind surgically created masks.

"The Bodyguard" isn't about to revolutionize anything, but it is, to put it simply, a fun read, that offers you depth where you need it, and outright joy when you need that, too.

Was very cute! I think this is one of the author’s best work yet as her previous books were just okay but this was fun and lighthearted

Lovely book, would read it again! Really enjoyed how the bodyguard trope was switched out this time, reversing the roles