I have heard so many good things about this book, and after reading it, I understand why! This was a great novel, that I would definitely recommend trying!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

This was SUCH a fun set-up for a rom-com, and the execution paid off flawlessly! The scenario was fresh and even though it was outlandish, it was totally believable within the constraints of the story; I rooted endlessly for the characters to finally admit they loved each other and to make their romance work; and the themes of self-acceptance that emerged at the end were heartwarming and satisfying. A delight of a romance!

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of The Bodyguard! The whole premise of this book was so interesting, so I was really excited about reading it, and it for sure did not disappoint!
The Bodyguard 4/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads:
She’s got his back.
Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindgerten teacher than somebody who could kill you with a wine bottle opener. Or a ballpoint pen. Or a dinner napkin. But the truth is, she’s an Executive Protection Agent (aka "bodyguard"), and she just got hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker.
He’s got her heart.
Jack Stapleton’s a household name—captured by paparazzi on beaches the world over, famous for, among other things, rising out of the waves in all manner of clingy board shorts and glistening like a Roman deity. But a few years back, in the wake of a family tragedy, he dropped from the public eye and went off the grid.
They’ve got a secret.
When 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.
What could possibly go wrong???
Hannah hardly believes it, herself. But the more time she spends with Jack, the more real it all starts to seem. And there lies the heartbreak. Because it’s easy for Hannah to protect Jack. But protecting her own, long-neglected heart? That’s the hardest thing she’s ever done.
I really enjoyed this book! It was such a fun read and I loved that Hannah was Jack's bodyguard- you don't normally see that many female bodyguards, so that was a fun aspect to things. I also just really liked Hannah and Jack in general as characters. I didn't really feel as though I knew too many of the other characters that Hannah worked with that well, but that's ok because the little I did know of them was so fun and I liked the workplace dynamics that they had. I also really liked Jack's family and how easily they accepted Hannah, even when they had no idea who she was. The whole stalker thing was interesting, but I was a little confused about some of the details with the person who ended up being the stalker (did it at all impact how much I enjoyed things or anything about the story? Absolutely not). I really enjoyed Jack and Hannah's relationship and how it built and how they interacted with each other. Overall, The Bodyguard was just a really solid, fun read and I highly suggest checking it out today!

5⭐️ does not come close to describing how good this read was!! 🫶🏻🥰 Okay, let me contain myself lol

The Bodyguard was the epitome of a Rom-Com. Perfect balance! The writing format that the author chose was chefs kiss! It felt as if the main character, Hannah, and I met up for coffee and told me the story of how she worked for the well known celebrity, Jack Stapleton! Hannah and I are besties 🫶🏻 Loved Jack, although I did keep on calling him Jack Skellington instead of Jack Stapleton lol idk why my brain did that! But who wouldn’t love to meet a cute ass celebrity who ends up being as cute in real life! That’s every fan fictions 💦 dream! Aside from the MC, the rest of the characters were pretty great too! You hated the ones that were meant to be hated and loved the rest. (Bless Connie!) I also loved how Hannah stood up for herself every time “Flobby” was a jerk! I’ve read other books where the MC just stands there and takes it and that angers me so much. So yess to standing up for yourself 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Now don’t get me started on how this book made me laugh! Too late, this book made me LOL! Literally! Not a smirk with some minor air coming out of my nose. No, I embarrassed myself from literally laughing out loud on a full flight! That’s how you know you can trust be when I say it was funny! At first the book gave me Miss Congeniality vibes, which is a great movie. But as it progressed, it ended up being way better! Would I have loved to have seen Hannah be more of a badass? Sure! Was the dialogue in the ending a bit of a let down? Yes, but I’m choosing to ignore that part and having the other part (iykyk) as the ending instead!

10/10!!! 🌟
I could talk about this book all day but I’ll stop and instead strongly suggest you read it! 👀😂

I will be buying my own copy because this beauty deserves a spot on my shelf!! ♡


HUGE thanks to NetGalley for sharing this digital copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this charming romance! Hannah is hired as a bodyguard to protect Jack, a famous movie star, who has temporarily moved back home to Texas to care for his sick mother. Due to an active stalker, Hannah must guard her client at all costs, which includes living on base with Jack in his home…with his family! However, to keep his family from stressing about the impending threat, he convinces Hannah to fake date him. Hannah may be a tough and guarded bodyguard still healing from a broken heart and Jack may be an A-list celebrity but these two unlikely pairs have more in common than either realize. Full of classic tropes including fake dating, one bed, and forced proximity, I couldn’t get enough of this fantastic book! I loved how the author put Hannah at the top of her career game in a male dominated field and I loved watching her kick butt throughout! And as for Jack, he was so likeable and the perfect match for Hannah. I would absolutely recommend this one and while it may be my first by Katherine Center, it most certainly won’t be my last! Thank you to Netgalley and publisher St. Martin’s Press for this gifted e-ARC!

Sweet charming with laughs, Hannah maybe "stumpy" but mighty working through personal turmoil she needs to her job and protect Hollywoods hottie Jack Stapleton. I wonder where this will lead lol. Love a cute RomCom this hits all the marks.

I am really bad at reading arcs on time – but I read this one 7 months early, lol. Because it’s Katherine Center, DUH! Unfortunately, I did not write a review immediately and my memory is not the best. I really enjoyed this one though – it was sweet and lighthearted with a dash of intense, heartbreaking, emotional stuff. She just weaves dark topics with light so freaking well.
I loved how strong the heroine was. the hero was cute. Both of them felt so realistic to me. It was heartwarming and adorable. I will say, my maiden name is Stapleton, so that was Weird, because before Chris Stapleton, it’s not a name you would see around. It’s funny though because it made me feel like, a little kinship to the book lol. I loved that family (more than I love most of the actual Stapletons I’m related to lol).
Overall, I thought this book was super fun and would make a great movie (hop to it, Hollywood).

Thank you to St. martins Press and Netgalley for this opportunity to read the ARC.

I have read Katherine Centers book Things You Save in a Fire, which was awesome! The Bodyguard was okay. I enjoy Katherine Center's writing and style. I think this one is a miss for me only because I'm not into the fake dating trope. But I still really love Katherine Centers writing. I want to get caught up on her other backlist titles. 3.5 stars.

#thebodyguard #netgalley

Read if you like: fake dating
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Hannah works as a bodyguard, so when a famous actor named Jack Stapleton comes to town needing one, he hires Hannah and her company. But his mom is sick and he doesn't want to stress her out anymore than he has to, so he convinces Hannah to pretend they are dating to explain why Hannah is always around.
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This was a really fun execution of the fake dating trope. Hannah was awesome and badass and I loved that she was the tough one protecting Jack, instead of the other way around. I thought Hannah and Jack's chemistry was great and I was engaged throughout the whole book. I also liked the backstory behind Jack and why he wasn't close with his family, as well as why Hannah feels like she fits in well with his family.
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CW: death of a loved one, death of a parent, child abandonment, violence, use of guns, gunshot wound, car accident, drowning.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

READ. THIS. BOOK.

It's delightful, it's funny, it's warm, it's like a freaking book hug and don't we all need a hug right now?

Imagine taking Sandra Bullock's Miss Congeniality character and throwing her on a ranch and then adding in Ryan Reynolds's character from The Proposal (complete with family drama) and make him famous and then add in fake dating and a stalker and some romantic suspense and you have this book.

Ok and now I really need Sandra Bullock & Ryan Reynolds to make this into a movie.

Well! It took me a while to be able to get into Hannah's Point of View. I found it way too "commentary-ish" if that makes sense? Basically not my style, but as the book went on I either got used to it or the writing got better because for the last half of the book it was delightful! It was just fun and thrilling at certain points. A lush country-family-woman finding herself romance book! Clean romance at that that keeps you captivated and grinning. (Except for the sad parts.)
Our main character is in this push and pull of who she is and what could need to be fixed. It's very self-captivating that way and relatable.
However, it does have it's faults. As previously mentioned the beginning of the book felt underdeveloped--it's like a million things being thrown at you at the start, then it lulls for a bit. That being said, it feels like Hannah's unsolved issues between her and her mother are forgotten about for a long while. I would have loved to see a more distinct character arc for her.
Overall it was an easy read and perfect if you're looking for a light romance book.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center gets all the stars for a fun, heartfelt romance! It had the perfect balance of charm, and romance, plus some poignant emotional moments too. Hannah and Jack were fun, had great chemistry, and all of the side characters were interesting and layered, and made for a wonderful book. Highly recommend if you need some romance in your life.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel from St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley in exchange for my review. This book is perfection! (Insert kissing fingers emoji!). It is Katherine Center’s best book to date. It is so swoony and sweet. Loved it!

3.5 stars, rounded up. I will admit that for personal issues with one of the MCs names, I struggled hard to get into this book. After I sorted a workaround for that, the book became fairly enjoyable. While I enjoyed a lot of the normal Katherine Center things- witty banter, strong female lead with a traditionally male-dominated job,slow burn, etc. it felt very comforting in the way almost all of her books do. BUT I felt like there was a lot more of the author telling the readers how "badass" MC Hannah supposedly it is, rather than showing us. There were multiple mentions of how Hannah knew how to kills someone with just a napkin or how she was an expert in jiu jitsu. But there were only I think three brief examples that demonstrated her skills. I felt like in her other books, especially Things You Save In A Fire, there was a lot more scenes exhibiting Cassie's skills and strengths, so it didn't need to be said repeatedly. I wish there had been more of that for Hannah.
That being said, there were still plenty of scenes that had me laughing out loud, making me melt into a big puddle of happiness, and just generally turning me into a human version of the heart-eyes emoji. Katherine Centers books are always full of heart and will continue to be must-reads for me.

Hannah is a bodyguard and is hired to protect Jack Stapleton, a famous actor that disappeared from the public eye 5 years ago. He has a stalker, and better to be safe than sorry, Hannah is the woman for the job! When he comes home to help his ailing mom, they must pretend to be in a relationship to not worry his mom…what could go wrong with that?
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I think fake relationships are becoming my favorite trope! This was such a fun book to read and get lost entirely! The book was funny and it had its cute made for TV moments! I need a movie made asap! If you like Katherine Center’s books then definitely pick this one up!

Thanks for the gifted e-arc @stmartins!

Remember how I’m catching up on reviews? Yeah, well I read this one last December while on vacation in Hawaii. 😅 Better late than never thought, right?

This now sits as my new favorite Katherine Center book! I loved Hannah B. ( bonus points for a nice name 🤣) & Jack both as individuals and as an unlikely duo. I thought the perspective of a female body guard protecting a famous male client was golden & made for such a fun read.

The banter was fabulous & it was easy to get lost in this quick-witted read that had me turning the pages in anticipation. Her books always make a reader feel a gamet of emotions and this one was no exception. Highly recommend if you’re in the mood for a good rom-com with some substance!

This is Katherine Center’s best story yet. I loved the strong female lead and romance storyline. I laughed and cried a little. It was a fun read with a definite “couldn’t put down” vibe. I highly recommend this one.

A super sweet, heartfelt, entertaining twist on the bodyguard love interest trope where the female main character is the bodyguard to the male main character (who is a famous actor). I thought the ending was a little bit cheesy, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

Thank you St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

This hilarious rom-com storyline caught my attention and kept me reading! The main character was lovingly annoying--perhaps the best kind of character. I loved to hate many of the decisions made, yet I found myself rooting for her over and over again.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

To the lovers of quirky & badass main characters, celebrity romance, forced proximity and fake-dating — Katherine Center has THE book for you!

Katherine Center captured my heart from the dedication:

“𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘦𝘻 𝘋𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮—𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴: 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘨𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘛𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩. 𝘐 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩—𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘺.”

Her heartfelt tribute echos the sentiments I hold in my heart for my own treasured Grandparents and left me feeling a peaceful serenity — perfect for enjoying a book penned by an obvious kindred spirit.

The Bodyguard is quintessential Katherine Center sparkling with charm, meaningful character growth and a well-deserved & hard-earned HEA. We meet Executive Protection Agent Hannah Brooks whose small stature and kind features coupled with her fierce dedication and work ethic make her a perfect bodyguard. Assigned the lead agent for actor Jack Stapleton’s protective detail, Hannah reluctantly assumes the role of fake-girlfriend to the superstar to keep his stalker and bodyguard situation secret from his family.

As an EP who appreciates the travel and business of her work — factors that keep her “too busy to be lonely” — it is such a pleasure experiencing how the Jack Stapleton gig keeps our little Hannah home in Houston, challenging our girl to: work through recent loss; embrace vulnerability; challenge her insecurities about being loveable; and learn what love is and how to accept it.

Jack and Hannah’s adventures are deeply entertaining & hilarious while also allowing for transcendent moments of insightful introspection. Katherine Center reaches every corner of your heart with her meaningful reflection, Hannah’s witty inner monologue and Jack’s affectionate longing for Hannah.

I truly cannot wait to read every single review of this bright, sentimental and charming comfort read.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Katherine Center for the privilege of reading this book as an eARC before publication.