If you're looking for a good summer romance with a kick-butt female character, you will thoroughly enjoy The Bodyguard.

Hannah, an Executive Protect Agent (or bodyguard), is assigned to superstar Jack Stapleton while he is visiting home and helping to take care of his mother after surgery. He has a stalker that is an older lady obsessed with corgis and his agent wants to make sure he stays safe. The challenge though is he doesn't want his family to know. So he and Hannah decide to pretend to be a couple around the family.

There are tons of points in the book that are laugh-out funny, insanely sweet, and even heartbreaking. As usual, Katherine Center crushes it with this fabulous story.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

One of the things I love about Katherine Center’s books is that they are fast-paced but don’t lack detail. It’s easy to keep track of what’s occurring, the characters are complete enough to care about, and the story line is enjoyable. She has done it again with “The Bodyguard” - fun concept, fast=paced, and a quick read. The quick read part comes about because the reader, or at least this reader, is comfortable having a good sit-down with the book.
Truly enjoyed The Bodyguard and the twist.

Omg I adored this book! Everything about The Bodyguard was sheer perfection! I should be surprised as I love Katherine Center’s books. But I must admit I think I have a new favorite book by Katherine. The Bodyguard is the best of all worlds, it has so much humor in it that I was literally laughing out loud and the romantic aspect had me swooning but most importably I love the character substance I have come to aspect from Katherine.

A funny book about a female protection officer and the movie star she's hired to protect. I adored this book!

Wow! Way better than I expected! I loved this so so much! I think bodyguard romances are my new favorite thing! I loved the mcs and the character development they endured! Highly recommend

This was a charming read, the protagonist was SO funny and sharp and just really engaging! I loved the romance and I thought it was truly so satisfying. A fun, enjoyable read!

I loved this book! The fake dating was perfect, and the characters were loveable! I liked how the bodyguard was female in this scenario. Hannah was portrayed as tough but still very sweet! It is always nice to see celebrities portrayed as normal people, too!

Thank you Netgalley for this advance copy.

Katherine Center is an automatic read for me. She has yet to disappoint, this book included. In fact, this one may be my new favorite. Katherine Centers writing is so well done. She tells a compelling romance while also including heavier topics tactfully.

I absolutely loved this book. I loved Hannah's character and the balance of strength and femininity she possessed. The connection between her and Jack was electric and I loved all of their scenes together. The part with the cows had me rolling and laughing out loud.

Katherine Center is an author I love - she writes romance but her characters and story are not solely focused on romance, mental health and previous trauma are topics she usually takes on as well. I love that her books have strong female protagonists, incorporate some life inspiration, and include healthy adult romantic relationships. This book was no exception both Hannah and Jake come with there backstory that has left them with scars.

Katherine Center crafts these characters and helps them find a way forward while delivering a feel-good romance filled with humor and hope.

The Bodyguard uses the fake dating between an unlikely pair trope – a movie star and his female bodyguard which is not usually one of my favorite tropes but Katherine Center knows her craft and I enjoyed my reading.

Katherine Center is able to strike a perfect balance between humor, comfort, and a bit of depth.

I deeply appreciate that the story was not solely focused on the romance - the character’s relationship is so much more realistic and enjoyable this way.
Is it fully realistic ? No, you’ll have to suspend disbelief, it is romcom after all but it is highly enjoyable and will leave you with a smile.

funny and sweet, the bodyguard was a hilarious romantic-comedy with heart.

told through the perspective of hannah — a workaholic bodyguard who recently lost her mother, was dumped by her boyfriend, and eventually finds out her best friend and boyfriend have gotten together behind her back - who takes on an assignment in order to get one step closer to her dream position within her expanding company. the assignment: guarding famous actor jack stapleton while in his hometown to spend time with his ailing mother.

the story has such sweet, warm moments between hannah and jack, but doesn't lack in the development in character's relationships with jack's family and hannah's work colleagues. hannah grows to understand that she closes herself off from others, learning that she tends to keep all at arm's length. along the way of her own self-discovery, hannah helps jack confront secrets of his past that's derailed both his family and himself from healing from their own shared tragedy.

despite how dark that sounds, i really enjoyed how lighthearted the story felt. yes, there were serious topics touched on, but it was balanced by comedic moments and warmth that continued to weave itself through the entirety of the story. this was a closed-door romance that culminated in an epic kiss and happier ending for all.

Aside from a few things I didn't like (personal preference stuff) it was a good book with a nice romance and a good storyline. Hannah and Jack are a cute couple. I absolutely love the name Jack and he's an actor and such a cinnamon roll hero. Hannah is a body guard who is hired to protect Jack from a stalker. The have to form a fake relationship to hide why she's hanging around with his family. But along the way fall in love.

This was a VERY fun love story. I loved that it switched the character roles to break out of the norms for jobs that women can have vs. men. Center writes romantic comedy so well and makes you fall in love with her characters.

Katherine Center knows exactly how to hook me in and fall in love with her books and characters. The Bodyguard is her newest book and I loved the fake dating with a side of suspense.

Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protection Agent that buries her estranged mother and gets dumped by her co-worker boyfriend with in days of each other. She becomes a tad erratic in the office causing her boss to reassign her. Instead of going to Madrid to protect a fancy dignitary, she’s grounded to Texas…and “forced” to protect a Hollywood Playboy when he returns home. Hannah is adamantly against the fake dating arrangement, but her boss refuses to let her quit…and that is where the lines start to blur.

I love the emotional discovery that Hannah works through as she learns to love herself and open herself up to the possibility of being loved in return. This book made me laugh and love. It is about forgiveness and a twist at the end I was not expecting.

I also had the luxury of listening along with reading the egalley. Thanks to @macmillionaudio for granting me the audiobook.

4.5 stars – Rounding to 5 for Goodreads.

This book was so fun! Parts of it were laugh out loud funny. I loved the chemistry between the two main characters. It was a perfect summer read.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley for the purpose of review.

This sweet and charming new novel is exactly what fans of Katherine Center have come to know and love about her books. New readers will enjoy her characters and wit and quickly recognize that this story could be another film adaption (hello the casting opportunities!). A perfect read for a summer release.

The Bodyguard is an entertaining and heartwarming story. It centers on Hannah, a personal bodyguard who is dedicated to her job. In fact, Hannah is so consumed with her job she doesn’t have time for anything else in her life. Everything is going well in Hannah’s life, until it all falls apart and she is left feeling adrift and confused.

I decided to read The Bodyguard because It sounded intriguing. Jack is a famous actor and I love reading stories revolving around Hollywood. Hannah is a bodyguard and I liked the idea of a woman protecting a man, especially a hot Hollywood actor. I liked Jack and Hannah and I enjoyed their story, however, at times, I had a difficult time connecting with them. Overall, I liked the premise of the book and the characters but it just felt like something was lacking.

Another home run by Katherine Center! I loved this tender tale of Hannah and Jack.
I appreciated Center delving into Hannah and Jack's personal issues as they got to know each other. This gave depth to their characters and made the book more intricate than the average rom com.
I would've liked more information about some things, such as how Hannah got started in her job, her relationship with her mother, and more of her life outside her job.
Overall, a great read!

I read this book quickly and found it charming, gently funny, and light, perfect for summer reading. I genuinely enjoyed the witty back and forth between the two main characters. It was overall a sweet book that at times teeters on the edge of saccharine but still manages not to tip over. On the whole though I found myself not jotting down ideas as I was reading, which I try to do so that I can write a review at the end. There is little in this book that surprised me or felt innovative, and it did seem as if new events or developments could be seen coming well in advance. Too many supporting characters felt stereotypical, including Hannah's ex - the despicable Robbie -- or Jack's ex -- the vapid, plastic Kennedy.

Jack is a jaded movie star who feels cynical about fame and the superficiality of being a celebrity. That state of mind coincides with the unexpected death of his brother and leads him to a hiatus from the public. Enter Hannah, a jaded bodyguard who covers up her loneliness and cynicism by immersing herself in her work. I was a little disappointed that when she is assigned to be Jack's personal protection officer at his family's Texas ranch, we learn that she, along with all the other women in her office, are huge fans of his and find him dangerously attractive. Hannah, as we are told repeatedly though, is very ordinary, and Jack is not, thus setting up an unequal dynamic between them - as if his being a multi-millionaire celebrity wasn't enough of one. Her martial arts skills, impressive as they are to Jack, weren't enough to create enough parity between them. Hannah though is also blessed with the skill of making Jack laugh. He laughs a lot, sometimes at her and sometimes with her. Many of these moments fell into montage territory where a flurry of moments take place quickly via Hannah's narration. I could hear the imaginary soundtrack if this was a film. Jack gives Hannah piggyback rides, teaches her to throw horseshoes and to fish, all with lots of laughing. So, I didn't dislike any of this at all, but I also didn't feel pulled into their romance.

There is a predictable ending to the stalker plot that creates the need for Jack to need a bodyguard and there is a requisite happy ever after. This is my first book from this author, and I think I might prefer her women's fiction going forward.

I was hesitant going into this one because I really disliked Katherine Center's previous novel. However, this one was a delight! It was a super quick read and I really enjoyed the relationship between the two main characters. Cute without being cheesy or over the top. Fake dating usually bothers me as a trope, but it made a lot of sense in this context which helped me I think.