MISS CONGENIALITY FANS - THIS ONE IS FOR YOU 🚨

I’m a suckaaaa for the bodyguard trope. I’m apparently a SUCKAAAA🤤 for the bodyguard trope when the bodyguard is a lady as I’m *angry cat meme typing* this at 1 AM because I stayed up late to finish this book.

This MC gave such Sandra Bullock/Miss Congeniality vibes. I didn’t even realize this book was spice free until I only had about 20% left because I loved the playful dynamic of our fake daters so much.

As one of my favorite authors, I was excited to read The Bodyguard - and it did NOT disappoint! Katherine Center just has this way with words that leaves me thinking and yet entertained! She writes with charm and grace and humor. I wish I could describe how much her words just reach out and grab me! I definitely recommend reading this one and read all her others if you haven't already!

Such a cute book! I love everything I pick up from Katherine Center! I loved the characters! Loved how the MC was a strong, independent bad ass protecting the man! This read was quick, fun, surprising and will be recommended to all!

The Bodyguard was a surprisingly different premise than most of the books I’ve read lately. I enjoyed Hannah’s strong character and development. Jack was okay, but did not feel there was quite as strong of a development.

I recommend this book to those who like a little rom com with a twist.

Overall, I enjoyed this book! From the start, I was impressed by the out-of-the-ordinary bodyguard about whom this book is focused. Don't just a book by its cover, right? I liked Hannah's attitude and her no-nonsense approach to most things. And her comments about different ways to kill a person were hilarious. Jack was surprising and I really liked them together. Jack's character is a bit "meh" to me as far as strength of character but overall I found this story very enjoyable! Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of The Bodyguard in exchange for an honest review! :)

A solid 2.5 stars for The Bodyguard by Katherine Center. I thought that the concept for this novel had the possibility to be really female forward, and I had heard really great feedback for it so far, but I was ultimately kind of let down by it. In the end I just felt like...nothing really happened?

The beginning of this novel started out decent with some character building and some sense of tension but then the second half really fell off for me. I felt that we never really got to know either of the characters in depth or really at all. Especially the main male of Jack, he basically was just a cardboard cutout of a human the entire time. The romance never quite built for me either as we never really got to see the romance or were told why they were interested in each other. They thought each other were cute, we were then told that 2 weeks had past and that they had done a lot of stuff (but never shown them doing it) and then had them telling each other they really liked each other. It was just rushed and undescript. And don't get me started on Jack liking Hannah because she was "plain, ordinary and not like Hollywood girls". Woof. A lot of this book honestly had a very She's All That early 2000's feel about it and view on women, which I feel like we've moved past but maybe that's just me.

Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a well done take on the bodyguard-celebrity romance. Some elements of both The Bodyguard and The Proposal built into the story that made it fun, and I have to admit that I kind of pictured Jack as a Ryan Reynolds figure even though the description kind of doesn't line up. I just ignored it and pictured him the way I wanted to. The characters are believable and fun, and the romance isn't one of those instant love relationships. Instead, they get to know each other in somewhat compressed timelines and interesting circumstances. I did enjoy the other characters, although wished we had gotten a bit more page time for some of them, as Jack's family was lovely and some of the other bodyguards had potential to be fun. I had a bit of a challenge pivoting so quickly on the two people who were most important to Hannah, going from liking them to disliking them; and I truly believed that Robbie had to have been a better person for Hannah to spend that much time together.

The writing is really good with some funny moments interspersed. I could also believe that Hannah was a bodyguard and good at her job, which is important because sometimes the character's aren't quite falling into the role they are supposed to play in terms of their career.

All in all a light romance that reminds me of Christina Lauren in so many ways. If you like Christina Lauren, you'll like this one. And I'm pretty sure that if you like Center's other books, this one will be a hit too. But I haven't really been tempted to read her books until now and I'm not sure if this one was enough to get me past the fact that the other books don't speak to me as much.

What a cute feel-good romance. I could totally see this being a Hallmark movie and I am here for that. I loved the storyline.. a female bodyguard + a hunky actor, yes please! There’s banter, drama, great characters, and of course romance.

There’s actually some substance along with the predictability that comes with a romance. I enjoyed being surprised when certain things happened that I wasn’t exactly expecting. The romance is slow burn and there’s not much spice, but this book was a fun binge-worthy read that will leave you smiling.

I'm so mad I've had this on my kindle for so long and just finally got around to it! I loved it! (And when I posted about how much I enjoyed it; Katherine Center liked my post, ooh la la.)

I’ve really enjoyed Katherine Center’s recent releases so when I heard her newest one would be a flipped bodyguard situation, I was sold

I did enjoy each character had some emotional growth here and it was a cute rom com, it isn’t my favorite from her.

Sadly, the chemistry wasn’t always believable between Hannah and Jake like it has been between other characters in her past books. I think there could've been more chemistry building between the two as well as Hannah actually taking her job seriously.

Additionally, the ending and final conflict was a bit ridiculous and came out of absolutely nowhere.

The ending combined with the epilogue full of rhetorical questions had me rolling my eyes and knocking this down a star.

I really enjoyed this book. The great idea that someone short and spunky like Hannah could be such a strong female lead It made it such an easy book to read. The banter between Hannah and Jack was well written. I would have like more of Jack's parents in the story.
This story gave me Sandra Bullock RomCom vibes.

“We’re very dismissive, as a culture, about heartbreak. We talk about it like it’s funny, or silly, or cute. As if it can be cured by a pint of Häagen-Dazs and a set of flannel pajamas.
But of course, a breakup is a type of grief. It’s the death of not just any relationship—but the most important one in your life.
There’s nothing cute about it.
“Dumped” is also a word that falls short of its true meaning. It sounds so quick—like a moment in time. But getting dumped lasts forever. Because a person who loved you decided not to love you anymore.
Does that ever really go away?”

———

“I felt his gaze like a physical sensation—like sun rays on my skin. I’d looked at him so many times. It was unbelievably weird for him to actually look back.”

Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors, ever. I love her novels so much. The Bodyguard was no different, loved every minute of it. I laughed out loud at parts and felt mad when the main character was mad 😂. The themes of this one was very relatable. Thank you so much @katherinecenter @netgalley for the ARC of The Bodyguard ❤️❤️❤️ releases next month on July 19th.

I walked into this book thinking it was just another fake dating trope book, but The Bodyguard offers more. You get the bonus of a strong but damaged female protagonist who faces her demons and truly grows. It showcases a strong woman who is broken but puts herself back together for her own sake, not for a man. Yes, it has its rom-com moments, but this one is plot-driven. I liked the family involvement and depth of emotion presented. If you're looking for graphic sex scenes, this isn't the book for you, but if you want to see the building of a real connection give this one a try!

This book was good for what it was - a light and fluffy rom com.

My main issue was how insanely predictable it was. Typically I do not hold this against rom coms. It is in their very nature to be predictable. However, if you are going to repeat approximately 5 million times about how Hannah (the protagonist) is just so great at reading people's body language and so well trained so she can always be prepared, then actually make that be true. Don't beat us over the head with it and then have her continually be so shocked by things that everyone else sees coming from miles away.

Other than that, it was pretty fine. It's not a favorite and I would only recommend it to someone looking for something light and fluffy.

This was a super fun fake dating trope romcom. The fake dating trope can sometimes fail miserably, but makes sense and works when the fake dating is between a very famous movie actor and his bodyguard. Because no one can know that she’s actually his bodyguard!

Katherine Center always writes strong, tough female leads that do not put up with anyone’s crap. I think that’s why I love her books so much. I have yet to meet a female lead of hers that I did not like and admire.

This book is no different. It was fun and exciting and had me smiling the whole time.

Thank you #netgalley for this #giftedecopy of #thebodyguard .
Rated: 4.5/5.0
This novel was fun, hilarious, and engaging! I literally laughed out loud several times! 🤣 A testament to feeling comfortable in your own skin and a reminder we are all loveable, this is feel good entertainment! A must-add for your TBR list!

Thank you so much @stmartinspress for my finished copy, scarf, and the amazing smelly candle! Swipe ➡️ for Goodreads synopsis

I love fake dating, and I love celebrity romances, so this was definitely a win for me! 🙌

Not only do you get excellent banter and humor in the story, but the characters are also dealing with more serious issues that bring a good balance to the story. Hannah and Jack are perfect MC’s, and I loved reading about Hannah in her element as a bodyguard.

The cast of characters brought so much to the story with some extra drama and storylines to keep you engaged. Jack’s mom was just the sweetest, but his brother had a stick up his butt 😂

Although the reason Jack needed a bodyguard was a little silly to me, there is a good twist at the end that I didn’t see coming!

I highly recommend this one to all you romance lovers!

Katherine Center has become a must-read author and this latest novel did not disappoint at all! I loved the storyline, the mystery, the romance and the healing that took place.

Yes. This is the correct answer.

I absolutely LOVED this book. If I see a bodyguard romcom anywhere I always have to read it!!! But with this book “bodyguard” was a tiny female who packs a punch!! And home girl has a whole sexy movie star fallin for her!! We also get the fake dating trope and that was a sell for me!! The hype this book got was well deserved!! GO BUY IT NOW

3.5
While the build up and flirting was fun and Jack was sweet, then ending felt a little rushed. Closed door romance, except for a longer, involved make out scene.

**Spoiler**

I can see where the stalker or angry husband was brought in for the simple fact that she was in fact a bodyguard and had not really guarded anything.
However, it was a bit far fetched. Especially the ending where Wilbur just saw a therapist, started his own business, and lived normally after holding someone hostage??