Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protection Agent, aka bodyguard, who likes her pantsuits, her world-traveling assignments and, most of all, being in firm control of every situation. She’s incredibly skilled at protecting her clients, referred to as principals, but she’s even BETTER at protecting her own heart from that nasty little bugger called “love”.

There’s just one problem: Jack Stapleton: actor, heartthrob, and Hannah’s next principal, whether she likes it or not. After being dumped by her fellow agent, Robby, she’s not looking for love. Nope. She wants to get out of town as quickly as possible - preferably to London, if she can prove to Glenn that she deserves the spot by doing a good job on this assignment.

Simple, right? As you know, things seldom go as planned, and Jack isn’t quite the simple assignment Hannah was expecting - especially when they have to fake a relationship for Jack’s family as a cover for Hannah’s presence in their home. But are these growing feelings fake too? Reality gets pretty fuzzy when you’re dealing with an actor.

This is my first Katherine Center book, and it was ADORABLE! I see why so many love her writing. It was refreshing to see a strong female lead who was smart, capable, and despite past trauma, not defined by it. Hannah’s insecurities and self-doubt were relatable, as were Jack’s, since he was working through his own past trauma. Their interactions were funny, sweet, and tender. Even when bickering, they were a delight! The story arc involving his family and the interactions between Hannah and her co-workers all added a nice dimension to the story as well.

I both read and listened to the audiobook, narrated by Patti Murin, and the audio took it to the next level. Murin’s gender voicing was very believable, and a couple voices - especially for Jack’s tabloid ‘girlfriend’ Kennedy Monroe, were hilarious! I highly recommend the audio.

I loved this story! So why not the full 5 stars? A couple scenes of dialogue dragged on a bit too long, I couldn’t quite buy into the rationale of the ending event, and the oft dreaded epilogue went just a wee bit moralizing for my taste. Despite these things, I truly enjoyed my time with this story, and I’ll be watching for more from this author!

★★★★ ½ (rounded to 4)

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Netgalley and author Katherine Center for the digital ARC and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook, for which I’ve given my honest opinions. They’ll both be published on July 19, 2022.

Thank you to NetGalley, author, and publisher for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

My first Katherine Center book and it did not disappoint! It was enganging from the start all the way to the end. I couldn’t put it down. Easy beach read!

This is an easy, light romance for me to read. Katherine Center is one of my favorites, so I pretty much knew before I started that I would enjoy this book. This story is a sweet romance between ordinary Hannah Brooks, the bodyguard, and sexy movie star, Jack Stapleton. It's Hannah's assignment to protect Jack from a stalker fan while he is in Texas for his mother's health concerns. She ends up falling for Jack and forming an attachment to his family.

I loved Jack and Hannah's banter--so fun. Plus, Hannah's inner monologue was great, too. The way she told the story was fun and refreshing. While I enjoyed the story and I was rooting for Hannah and Jack in the end (boo Robby), I wasn't 100% sold on their chemistry. It felt like a lot of telling than showing for Hannah. (as, sadly, we only get her POV.) They don't even kiss until the very end of the book, but it was a pretty amazing kissing scene.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A cute romance that was a bit predictable.

I enjoyed the bodyguard aspect since I have never read anything about it before. I did question how accurate the portrayal of a bodyguard was since there were times where Hannah had no idea where Jack was.

I liked the novel, but it was missing something to make it memorable like Katherine Center's previous novels. A bit of a disappointment to me.

Thank you to Netgallery and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am a huge Katherine Center fan, so I was excited to read The Bodyguard! Like her other books, the beginning was a little slow for me, but when it picked up, I didn't want to put it down.

Looking forward to reading her next novel!

Fun fun fun..the cover drew me in....and the story chaptered my heart. Great characters and how they interacted. Wasn't sure what to expect but definitely happy I picked this one to read.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Long time fan of Katherine Center, so her books are a must read for me. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for both a digital galley and advanced audio copy to listen to.

I loved that a smallish security company has the job of protecting major movie star and heart throb Jack Stapleton. Hannah Brooks is the lead on this case and she begins just like every other job, get to know the client, lay down the rules and carry on sight unseen, but always there. When it becomes necessary for Hannah to protect Jack more publicly, like in front of his family without their knowledge, she is set up as his new girlfriend. This book is both comical and heart warming. Hannah has had recent life upsets and the case should help her, but things do not always go as planned. Jack isn't just a pretty face, his family has lost a son/brother and not everyone is over it.
Rom-com with a bit of adventure thrown in, I really liked this book. I primarily listened to the audio which is narrated by Patti Murin. I would rate the narration as a 3, fine but it didn't blow me away. This is probably not my favorite of her books, but it wasn't disappointing either. Definitely worth the time!

I read this book in one sitting - I loved it that much. Hannah’s a little bit whack-a-doodle, with insecurities and dry humor, but it’s totally understandable with her traumatic history. Jack is perfection. I’m going to marinate in my happiness with this book for a while.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

I had such a fun time reading The Bodyguard which, with a book like this, is all you really need. The story was sweet and genuinely hilarious at times, with a satisfying emotional undercurrent.

Hannah is a solid and relatable narrator, always sharing her thoughts and mental digressions with the reader in a way that made her truly likable and emotionally engaging. The tension between wanting to do her job well and her slowly developing crush on Jack provided a satisfying counterweight to the sillier moments of encountering cows and horses after life as a city girl. Jack was a perfectly sweet love interest, if a little flat at times, and I truly enjoyed watching Hannah fall in love with him - and his family, who were delightful side characters.

The wider plot - of Jack's stalker and the threats he was receiving - was a little uneven; the strongest parts of the book were when danger was far away and the emotional saga of Jack's family and Hannah's struggle for a work-life balance were at the center. The end reveal of who had been sending the threats also felt a little out of left field - I think a bit more work could have been done to set it up rather than dropping a single hint in the early going.

I also found the writing to be strange at times - there were odd tense shifts and Hannah's fourth wall breaks felt random and inconsistent. It wasn't a major issue, but it did trip me up at times.

All that said, I really enjoyed The Bodyguard and would recommend it to anyone looking for a light and fun romantic read!

3.75/5

This was SUCH a fun surprise. I, like so many readers, am skeptical when presented with a contemporary romance with a cutesy cover and a blurb that sounds like it could possibly be a romantic comedy. But nonetheless, I grabbed a copy and dove in with high hopes.

And was rewarded with an amusing, sweet romance that kept me reading into the early hours of the morning.

The bodyguard mentioned in the title is Hannah Brooks, and she is going through some things. Mainly the death of her mother and being dumped by her douchebag boyfriend. The fact that she and her now ex happen to work together as protection agents just makes her humiliation worse. Hannah needs to secure an out-of-town job and spend some time far away from Houston, but instead, she’s assigned as primary on what should be a piece of cake job protecting a Hollywood A-lister while he’s in town taking care of his mother.

Jack Stapleton hasn’t been in the public eye since the car accident that killed his younger brother, but when his mother gets sick he heads straight to Texas to help take care of her. He doesn’t want or think he needs a bodyguard, but the movie studio that is pressuring him to complete his contract does. Jack’s stalkers may be quirky and weird, but they could also be dangerous.

Hannah and Jack are magic together. The big-name gorgeous actor who should be a pain in the ass, but is instead quite sweet, and the workaholic protection agent who is thrown into a situation unlike any she’s been in before in her job. Their chemistry was palpable and the back and forth dialogue sparkled with humor and wit. I smiled and laughed and kept turning pages until I got to the end to find out how they would end up together.

There are some deep themes in this book- Jack’s mom’s cancer diagnosis, mentions of the death of Jack’s brother and Hannah’s mom, Hannah’s backstory of her mother being abused and her dad deserting them, but I never felt like those dark themes took over what felt like a lighter romance. The epilogue is the icing on the cake of this closed-door romance. Seeing this cast of characters further into the future, happy and living their lives in such a positive way was fabulous.

I heartily recommend this romance. Great characters, great dialogue, and a great HEA.

Final grade- B+

Content warnings- off-page death of a mother and brother, off-page physical abuse of FMC’s mother, cancer, anxiety

I received the audiobook from the publisher and decided to listen to the book instead. Below is my review for the audiobook.

THE BODYGUARD is probably her lightest romance yet, with a sweet and caring Hollywood actor, pretty down to earth if I’m honest, and a heroine who can kick his ass if she wanted. Not everything was believable, but it was certainly entertaining.

I enjoyed the heroine being a bodyguard. I don’t think I ever read about a female bodyguard before, although Linda Howard had a heroine who is a butler and hired to guard too. And I really appreciated it that the author kept it as authentic and believable as possible. The hero was down to earth for all his Hollywood success and genuinely nice. And together they made for an unlikely couple.

Overall the book was just a tad too sweet for me to love it, and I wasn’t convinced by their feelings. But that doesn’t mean much. Because in the end it’s a solid romance, that will appeal to many readers. It has just the right amount of emotional depth (usually the author digs deeper), as always great writing, and a fun Hollywood trope with many likeable characters.

About the audiobook: I finished the book in just a few days. The narration was well done, and it was an easy and quick read. A definite must, if you love to listen to romance books.

Such a cute cute romance! This is a book about a bodyguard (a petite woman bodyguard) sent to protect a world famous actor (I like to picture Matthew McConnaughey). She has just come off a really hard time in her life and her time on the job shows her a lot of ways to heal and learn to love herself again. I really loved that aspect of this book because everyone can relate to those really hard times and struggling to love yourself. Obviously, this is a romance so it’s also important to note the male MC is so so so sweet and overcomes his own issues. Both of them are hilarious too. This plot is obviously a tad far fetched, but the overall wholesome sweetness makes up for it.

A female bodyguard and People's sexiest man alive for two years straight? Yes, please.

I love the concept of the book and overall really liked the story and characters as well. There was something off for me though, and I can't really place it.

It may be because I didn't realize it was a behind-close-door romance and I may be just a little grumpy about it. I mean a bodyguard and a movie star... hot hot hot.

Overall, it was a good read but there was just something missing for me to give it 5 stars.

I was immediately sucked into The Bodyguard and never looked back.

The storytelling was a bit different, and I liked that. At times it appeared almost as if she was "talking" to the reader.

It's impossible not to like Hannah, she is a ride or die going through some stuff herself. Her mom died, her boyfriend dumped her and she gets stuck on an assignment she doesn't want being a personal protective agent to movie star Jack Stapleton.

Jack is a famous movie star who stepped out of the spotlight, but still has a crazy stalker so when he has to go home for his mom the movie theater company hires the agency to protect him (against his wishes).

Despite their wildly different lives Hannah and Jack make a good pair. I felt that Hannah's struggles with what is real and what was acting were very real. There is also some family drama on Jack's end that really led to his character development.

Highly recommend!

The premise of this book had me so intrigued from the start. A hired bodyguard to protect a star... it just sounds so juicy and exciting! Combine that with the fact that I have absolutely adored all of Katherine Center's other books and this was the perfect combo. I also LOVED that Hannah was the bodyguard because from the title I thought it would be the man. It reminded me a little of Miss Congeniality in the best way. Hannah was such a relatable character that I really found myself feeling like I was friends with her and just wanting to come back to her/the book more and more. I think this is now tied with Things You Save in a Fire as my favorite KC book.

Wow, what a fun read! Reading this book felt like the book version of Miss Congeniality minus the pageant. It was funny and heartfelt, included a subtle sense of mystery/danger. Hannah was a character I connected to and loved seeing her strength, love for herself, capability and intelligence. Jack was the kind of leading guy that I love. He was easy to root for, had to be protected at all costs. I loved their dynamic and the way Jack showed up for her time and time again even though she was the one doing the body guarding. This was such a great read! I’m so happy #Netgalley approved me for this book!

This is a cute rom-com about a boy and a girl, one is a movie star and one is the bodyguard. Jack needs protection, but he doesn't really think he does and he definitely doesn't want his family to find out. Hannah is hired to protect Jack. Initially he's skeptical that this petite female could protect him but she quickly proves her worth and off they go. Except, Jack doesn't want his family to find out so Hannah must pretend to be his girlfriend while in their presence. And, you know what they say...fake it 'til you make it! Great rom-com with all the right pieces...laughter, tears, anger, kissing, and a happy ending.

God, I love a good light hearted summer rom-com. This one was right up my alley and did the trick for putting me in a great mood. Watching Hannah & Jack's relationship develop felt so organic and natural. I found myself bursting out laughing and tearing up multiple times while listening to this. This was full of humor, female empowerment, and of course, a sweet romance. I loved everything about this and can't wait for Katherine Center's next release! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Whenever I need something light hearted and fun, I always reach for one of Katherine Centers books. I loved this light hearted learning to love with a bad ass female lead character. You got to love a story where the girl saves the guy and maybe just save themselves too.

Hannah works for protection agency and she is all about the job (kind of reminds of Sandra Bullocks character in Miss Congeniality) Her mom just dies and then her boyfriend dumps her. She just wants to escape into job something she knows she is good at. However, she is not prepared to for her next assignment to protect sexy movie start Jack Stapleton. She agrees to take the job to protect and pretend to be his girlfriend, what could go wrong?

However this book is predictable but at the same time, makes you realize that love and family at the end of the day is what heart really wants.

This book is a fast read and will have you laughing and crying, kept engaged the whole time.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for gifted copy of this book for my honest review.

I can't believe I have never read a Katherine Center novel. I've really been missing out!

It wasn't hard to fall into this story about an Executive Protective Agent, who looks anything but that, and a downtrodden movie star. Reluctantly, Hannah takes on the role as primary to Jack Stapleton's detail as he comes back to his home state of Texas to be with his mother as she recovers from cancer surgery. She has seen all his movies, but she's pretty confident she can keep this professional...until she can't.

The two are pretending to be a couple to appease his family which consists of the charming retired veterinarian, super sweet mom, and the embittered brother. Jack has been in seclusion for years, not having made any movies in quite some time. Rumors circled about what really happened when his younger brother died. Trying to keep family matters smooth to help their mother's recovery, the brothers are challenged to not tear each other apart.

I read this book super quickly because you are immediately drawn to the characters, even the supporting ones and the drama that ensues. There's hilarity, there are serious points, and there are times you swoon. This story has it all, and you'll find yourself at the end wishing there was more!

Being from Texas, I appreciated reading a story set in what is essentially my back yard. A big world apart from everything else, you quickly lose yourself in the sweet and serious moments. Now, I'm going to go read all I can of Katherine Center! My summer just became so much sweeter!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.