I'm an outlier here, so take this with a grain of salt.

This was a low stakes, low steam slow burn romance that had cute elements and some pretty funny interactions. This is a great book for anyone who wants a low stress romance. Jack is incredibly sweet and the most un-movie star I've ever read about. I really liked how Hannah tried to navigate feeling grief for her mother's death, given the complicated relationship she had. I also appreciate the realizations that Hannah came to about her own mistakes and relationships.

On the other hand, I struggled with the structure of having Hannah narrate to the reader. She describes things like you should already know them (e.g. Jack's movies) and also alludes to events unfolding a certain way before they occur (e.g. "Maybe that would have been a better plan. Or lead to a better result." I like first person narration, but I don't care for making assumptions about the reader, even if the intention is to position the reader as someone who knows what is going on has happened. I may have liked it better if it was set up as a storyteller, like she was recounting the events to a journalist.

In general, the plot was pretty unrealistic, which that can be a lot of fun in a romance. I just didn't connect with it. I was hoping for a bit more action on the executive protection front. I didn't feel like I really got to see why Hannah is so amazing at her job, despite being told about it repeatedly. Instead, we saw an mercurial boss, coworkers kissing at work (which seems unlikely for the best agency available), and a destruction of a female friendship that was painful to watch. I really disliked what Taylor went through, for the record. I find it hard to believe Hannah's best friend and fellow executive protector would react to the situations as she did.

Overall, I think a lot of people will enjoy this, especially those that over-the-top situations, closed door, and low stress. I'm glad I read it, but it wasn't a favorite for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hannah Brooks isn’t what you’d expect when you think of and Executive Protection Agent, (or “bodyguard”, and yet she’s one of the most successful agents in her field. She blends in much easier than the beefy dudes you probably think of when you think “bodyguard”, but she knows 101 ways to kill a person.

She’s reeling from a recent breakup, the death of her mom, and being forced to take a break from the life-giving (and taking, apparently) career she loves. She gets a chance to get back to work, but she won’t be globe-trotting for this assignment. In fact, it’s right in her backyard, in the heart of Texas. Superstar actor Jack Stapleton has been in hiding for the past two years after the death of his brother, but he’s coming back home to Texas while his mom undergoes surgery and treatment for an illness. He wants to protect his family from knowing about the corgi-obsessed stalker who won’t quit pestering him, but she’s probably harmless, right? He reluctantly agrees to have Hannah as his bodyguard, but she has to agree to be his fake girlfriend as cover while at the family ranch.

I could not stop reading this! I had my nose in my Kindle for about three hours straight, because I literally could not put this story down. Between floating in the pool, standing at the stove making dinner, bathing a kid, I did it all while holding the Kindle in one hand.

This is one of those stories that will have you walking around with a dazed smile on your face when you finish. It’s just so good! Katherine Center writes with such humor, heart, and hope, you can’t help but fall in love with her and her characters. The story is sweet, swoony, and even a bit suspenseful in parts. There were so many small moments between Hannah and Jack that just made my heart burst. I could absolutely see this becoming a screen adaptation. Thanks to SMP Romance and NetGalley for an eARC!

If you're looking for a fun rom-com book, this is it! Hannah is a petite spitfire who works as a bodyguard for an agency, and she after some turmoil in her personal life, she gets assigned to protect a movie star who is in the area to support his ill mother.

Jack is the star that Hannah is hired to protect. He's got his own family drama and history to deal with. Throw in a stalker, and life can get a little exciting. But, the stalker needs to be a secret from Jack's mom, so he and Hannah find themselves posing as boyfriend and girlfriend so that his parents don't know any different.

The book has a great amount of humor, and I enjoyed it a lot.

It’s not summer until I’ve read the latest novel by Katherine Center! Do you know what? It was everything that I had hoped it would be!

Just when I thought that I was heading into a dreaded book slump, this gem of a book grabbed me, captivated me, and pulled me right out of the doldrums. The Bodyguard made me want to spend every spare minute that I had reading. It’s been a while since I’ve felt like that, and I missed it, and I’m so happy to have that feeling again. Thank you, Katherine Center!

The Bodyguard is the perfect summer read (or any season, really). It has likeable characters, witty banter, a wonderful story, plenty of emotion, and a truly swoon-worthy romance. My favorite aspect about this novel was that the author took her time to develop the relationship between the two main characters. She didn’t rush any part of it. This was a slow-burning romance at its finest, and those, my friends, are my absolute favorite.

Who wouldn’t love Hannah? She is a short (not stumpy) bada$$ of a bodyguard. She has issues, but they make her real. And Jack Stapleton, the handsome actor? Yeah, he was pretty much the full package. I loved their interactions, their vulnerabilities, their fabulous banter, and their overall dynamic. I won’t even stop there, though, because even the supporting cast of characters were an absolute delight. Well, most of them anyway.

Center really knows how to write a well-rounded story, covering all of the bases, and leaving her readers fully satisfied. When I find myself reading a book and not wanting it to end, I know I have found a winner. The Bodyguard is the whole shebang. It made me feel so much. I laughed, I cried, my heart raced, it broke, I felt butterflies, and I enjoyed every single minute of my time within this book’s pages.

*5 Stars

✨book review✨

Y’all, if anyone can get to me to read and love a traditionally published book these days, it’s going to be @katherinecenter!

The Bodyguard
Author: Katherine Center
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This one gives all the Miss Congeniality vibes and I’m 100% here for that!

Read this one if you love:
✨ a bodyguard romance
✨ a celebrity romance
✨ forced proximity
✨ opposites attract
✨ small town Texas vibes

My favorite thing about this book was the banter between Jack and Hannah. It was just perfection. I also loved that Hannah was the bodyguard, not Jack. Its a good change from the traditional bodyguard romance books.

There was definitely an emotional aspect to this book that I wasn’t expecting but it made me like it so much more. Both characters were struggling with something and they could work through it together.

Yes it's fluffy and trope-y on the surface but there's a lot more to this than just a romance. Hannah has been assigned to bodyguard Hollywood star Jack. She's struggling in the wake of her mother's death and all she wants is an overseas assignment not one in Texas. Jack's got a stalker but he doesn't want a bodyguard to follow him while he visits his mom who is facing cancer so they come to an agreement that she will pose as his girlfriend. Jack's got darkness in his background. He's also got a big heart that won't be fully know until the end. Life on his parents' ranch (great parents btw) isn't what Hannah expects. Some of it is a hoot. This is told from Hannah's pov. You, like me, will find yourself rooting for her. Yes she's "ordinary" but she's really not- she's terrific. I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did; one more fake girlfriend rom-com wasn't on my agenda but that's not what this is. And, Center has a way of pulling you in with her storytelling. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Great read that will make you smile.

A Romantic story that is pretty tame and sweet. Hannah is a bodyguard who is hired to protect, Rockstar Jake Stapleton. Looks can be deceiving, Hannah doesn’t look like a hired gun or a killer. This helps hide her identity in chaotic situations. Jack returns home after finding out his mother is sick. He pleads to Hannah to pretend to be his girlfriend while at home. He doesn’t want his family to know that he has a bodyguard or a stalker. Will pretending to be a couple lead to a real romance? Will the stalker ruin their chances? A sweet story with charming characters.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The following review was posted on my blog today, Sunday, July 17th, 2 days before publication. It will be shared on Twitter and Instagram between today and the publication date, as well. The blog post includes links to order the books and to its Goodreads page, so readers can add it to their to-be-read books.



“There’s nothing like the mutuality of a hug—the way you’re giving comfort but you’re getting it, too. I didn’t know what was real or fake anymore, but right then, it just didn’t matter.”

Genre: Women’s Fiction
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emojis (stays PG13, but it’s great)
Content Warnings: Mentions cheating, cancer, car crashes, and discusses the loss of parents and alcoholism.

“The Hating Game” meets “Spoiler Alert” (or Starstruck, that Disney movie from the 2000s) in this exceptional novel about an Executive Protection Agent (essentially a bodyguard) and a superstar falling in love. “The Bodyguard” follows Hannah Brooks, a recently-dumped, ordinary-and-stumpy Executive Protection Agent, and Jack Stapleton, a famous actor who took a hiatus after a tragic accident that led to the death of one of his brothers. Now that Jack’s mother has been diagnosed with cancer, he steps back into society and is forced to get a security team—but refuses to scare his mother with the fact that he needs security at all. So in comes Hannah, who is lowkey forced to be Jack’s fake girlfriend while they stay at his family’s ranch. But when does faking end and reality starts? That’s for them to find out.

Oh God, I can’t even begin to explain how much I enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, I loved the plot and the writing, I hated the villains (for a change), and I just couldn’t get enough of the fanfiction feel of it all. I just have to mention it again: I can’t believe how good of a villain we got, I don’t know who I hated more: her ex boyfriend or her ex best friend, that’s all I’m saying.

Also, I can’t believe this is my first Katherine Center book, I’ll definitely be adding her to my TBR list. I really enjoyed her writing, her descriptions are there but aren’t long enough to be boring. The characters she crafted were both relatable and fantastical, in the best sense of the word. Both Hannah and Jack were so sweet. It’s like you know the things that happened in this book probably wouldn’t happen in real life, but they still technically could, and it would be wonderful if they did.

I also couldn’t tell you if this book was a slow burn or not, because it sort of was, but, at the same time, it felt like a romance from the start, even if that was fake. What I can tell you is that this book is filled with character development and growth, not just two shallow characters pining after one another.

I would recommend “The Bodyguard” to any readers who’ve enjoyed close proximity and fake dating trope books, like “The Spanish Love Deception” by Elena Armas, “The Unhoneymooners” by Christina Lauren, or “The Hating Game” by Sally Thorne. Also, if you’ve been into fanfiction at any point in your life, or if you’ve ever had a big crush on someone famous, this book is for you.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: July 19, 2022

“To what we’ve held onto. And what we’ve lost.”

Why is this my first Katherine Center book I’ve read! I own three of them! Well now four. I will be honest, the fact that this one had a different cover than all of her other books, really intrigued me.

Firstly, it was FUNNY. Hannah, our main character, speaks directly to the reader in a Fleabag type of way and I found it really endearing. She was honest and flawed and angry and made me laugh.

Secondly, this is very much written as a romance, but its so much more than “falling in love” with someone else. It’s about falling in love with yourself and realizing that you’re always deserving of love. It’s about forgiving others and working through traumatic pasts.

I gave this one 4.5 stars, I needed a little more chemistry between Hannah and Jack. However, the other moments listed above really outshined anyway, so I still kept my rating high.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center was truly another special book from her. She instantly introducers us to characters we know we’re going to absolutely love throughout and some characters we won’t. I’m looking at you, Bobby… This book has elements of a beautiful rom-com, a sweet, special story of love (both romantic love and familial love). It wasn’t too overpowering though since there was also the ‘bodyguard,’ more serious parts.

I really enjoyed this story and easily award it 5 stars. I can not wait for her next book to come out so I can devour that one too since everything Katherine Center writes is injected with a bit of magic.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Awww, you know how this is going to end, you just know it but that doesn’t make the getting there any less enjoyable. I like the way Katherine Center thinks about her characters so you can actually laugh at their gaffs, cringe with their missteps and mist over when things just are not going their way. She builds her story with a lot of humor around a person who might be losing her sanity as she sleeps in her closet. But this woman could just as easily mortally wound you with a wine opener. And having a strong, sometime conflicted, protagonist is always a plus.

The plot sustains the characters and vice versa. Interesting dynamics abound for an altogether satisfying book. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy.

Hannah works as an executive protection agent (aka bodyguard). Her latest assignment has her working to protect Hollywood star, Jack Stapleton. Only this assignment has a twist, he doesn’t want his family to find out she’s his bodyguard and wants her to instead pretend to be his girlfriend. She typically has no problem staying professional with her clients, but with Jack the lines very quickly get blurred.

I adore Katherine Center’s previous books and was so excited to read The Bodyguard and I am so happy to say it did not disappoint. After reading the author’s note, I thought it was interesting that she worried this book would be “too fun”. However, after reading, I can say it was truly the perfect amount of fun with a little bit of emotion in there too. This was truly a joy to read.

I switched between formats on this one, and when listening to the audiobook, I truly enjoyed Patti Muri’s performance. She did the narration flawlessly.

Thank you ro St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advance copy.

This is now my favorite Katherine Center novel! I loved Hannah and how she ends up being a bodyguard for famous and handsome actor Jack. With a twist of events, she ends up spending time with him on a ranch in Texas.

This one had the perfect balance of twists and romance! While reading, I really had no idea what was going to happen. I was glued the whole time.

Hannah Brooks looks completely non-threatening, but in truth she is an Executive Protection Agent (aka "bodyguard"), Still reeling from the loss of her mother and the breakup with her boyfriend (who she also has to work with), Hannah begs to be given any assignment that will get her out of Texas. Instead, the job her boss gives her is to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker. A few years ago, after a tragic accident killed his brother, Jack went into seclusion. But now, Jack's mom has cancer, and Jack is moving back home temporarily to be with her after her operation. He doesn't want anyone to know he has a bodyguard, so he has Hannah pose as his girlfriend. What can possibly go wrong?
This may be my favorite of all of this author's books. Yes, the premise was far-fetched, and a lot of the aspects were outlandish, but that was what made this rom-com so much fun, I would love to see this made into a Netflix movie. I know some people said in their reviews that it was too unrealistic, but I feel like this is just one of those books that you just need to suspend belief and go with it.... sit down and enjoy the ride and not worry so much about the mechanics of the story. If you are a fan of rom-coms, then I think you should definitely check this out.

This was an enjoyable and sweet romance with some depth. Each character had some complexity in their lives but it didn’t create the annoying types of conflicts that you often see in romance novels. It was pretty darn clean (no sex scenes, but it was referenced a few times) so I would recommend it to those who prefer a clean romance. It was very readable and fun.

I devoured this book! Right from the start I couldn't put it down and wanted to see what would happen next. Like all of Katherine Center's books, she does such an amazing job of developing the characters so that you feel like you really know them. In this one, Hannah is a security specialist who gets assigned to protect a Hollywood star who has been living out of the public eye for several years. She is a workaholic who avoids her personal problems by burying herself in her job. Jack, her detail, is estranged from his family but is called home when his mom gets sick. So as not to create extra stress for his mom, Hannah and Jack pretend to be dating so she can keep an eye on him without his family knowing. The banter between the two main characters was great and how Hannah is able to make Jack laugh despite the situations they find themselves in heartwarming.

Highly recommend this book!

Love Katherine Center and love this book! Laugh out loud funny! Perfect romcom, fast paced, great characters I’ll be recommending it to everyone.

Katherine Center is the queen of sweet romances; I hope she doesn’t mind that I’ve given her that title.

Hannah Brooks is a petite, pretty bodyguard working for a protection agency. She may not fit the stereotype, but she can go unnoticed, seeing as most people think she is just housekeeping or something.

Things aren’t going too well for Hannah; her mother has recently passed, her boss insists she needs to cut back at work to grieve, and her jerk of a boyfriend, whom she works with, just broke up with her. Then the agency gets a call that superstar Jack Stapleton needs to hire some protection from a stalker.

Hannah gets put on the gig. Jack’s beloved mother is currently sick, and his family has converged on the family’s Texas ranch. To not alert his family about the stalker, Hannah and Jack agree to call Hannah Jack’s newest girlfriend.

I felt terrible for Hannah; she just kept having bad things happen to her, and people treated her so rudely. As much as this trope, the fake dating, was predictable, I still loved it. And Jack and Hannah were adorable together. Again, I will say that Katherine Center writes with heart and never fails to leave me with a smile.


Thank you @stmartinspress for the gifted ebook and @macmillan.audio for the gifted audiobook, which was fun to listen to.

This book so stayed with me , I must confess I went to google one of the main characters when I go ‘wait this was fiction’. . Yes I .highly recommend this one as a very enjoyable read you won’t just forget.

This was so stinking cute. Hannah is an executive protective agent, AKA bodyguard. She loves her job and the traveling but then her mom dies and the day after the funeral her boyfriend, Robby, breaks up with her. Her boss forces her to take a vacation and she misses her assignment in Madrid, instead Robby goes with her best friend, Taylor. Then Hannah is assigned to protect a famous person, Jack Stapleton, two times sexiest man alive but in order not to spook his parents she has to pretend to be his girlfriend. The characters were delightful except for Robby who was a colossal jerk. There were times I just laughed out loud at the banter between Jack and Hannah and there were definitely some moments I teared up. His mom and dad were rock stars for sure and I would totally live on that ranch.

Katherine Center is becoming one of my favorite authors.

I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital copy.