I was reading another book at the same time I started reading this. When I read digitally, I tend to read 5-6 chapters of one, 5-6 of another, and back and forth, I go between the two books. About 35% into this one, the other book got promptly abandoned. I don’t read enough romance these days, so I forget how good they make me feel, especially when it’s Katherine Center writing.

Hannah knows her job. She’s good at it, and it would be fair to say it’s her life. Above friendships, relationships, vacations, anything, is her job. So when she’s given a high-profile assignment after a string of really awful life events, she doesn’t want it. (I know, I mean, it’s Jack Stapleton!) But she will do her job, and she’ll do it well. Get in, get out, and move on. Fortunately for us, Center had other plans.

How much fun is it when a character breaks the 4th wall to talk to the reader? I think the author must adore it as much as I do because it worked really well here. This is a slow-building romance with someone who thinks she’s impossible at romance. And a man who’s dated his fair share of Hollywood elite. The two couldn’t be more opposite, right? This book is adorable. I liked the banter, the healing, and how the rest of the world disappeared for a little while. Thank you, St. Martin’s, for sending this along!

I thought this was a very sweet book and even though parts of it were far-fetched, I really enjoyed it. Hannah is a professional bodyguard and a total badass. I loved the concept of a woman bodyguard. Loved how she literally flipped Jack upon meeting him because he underestimated her and she HATES being underestimated. But then again who doesn't?

The whole pretend girlfriend thing was a bit much, but it brought Hannah and Jack together, so that was all good. I thought they had awesome chemistry and I LOVED Jack's character, as well as his family. Honestly, I felt like he was more fleshed out and developed at times than Hannah was. I didn't like the characters of Robby and Taylor and thought they were one-dimensional and so unnecessary to the story. I also never understood why Robby broke up with Hannah the way he did. He was a complete jerk and so over the top.

The character of Hannah felt flat for a large part of the book, but then I felt she opened up and it was easy to love her too.

All in all, great read!

It’s a great summer for another Katherine Center book and The Bodyguard is a very fun book! Summer is the perfect time to suspend belief a bit and sit back and enjoy a cute story with a made-for-tv plot (or a super-cute rom-com movie)! Reading this should be a very entertaining ride leaving you with a smile on your face!

Hannah Brooks is a workaholic executive protection agent (basically a bodyguard for important people). Her company is hired to protect movie star Jack Stapleton (think Ryan Reynolds- type guy) while he is in Houston visiting his sick mother. This begins the always fun fake couple act! He has a stalker and some past emotional baggage that lend to the story to make you like the characters even more. Much of it takes place on a ranch on the Brazos River which is also fun! Of course, one thing leads to another to the ultimate rom-com ending. I can almost already see this movie being made:)

For you romantic comedy lovers, put this on your list for when it comes out next week - July 19th!!

I always love a Katherine Center book! I read the majority of the book in one sitting with a huge smile on my face. The ending fell a little flat for me - not sure what I wanted or expected but I ended the book a little disappointed.

4.5 Stars

Oh this book!!! It was so refreshing and enjoyable to read! I absolutely loved Hannah! This character should be a model for other characters. She is interesting, unique, can kick you ass, AND she grows so much throughout the story. It is a joy to watch.

This will possibly explain why I was up till 4am reading this book. Whoops. . . . I have no regrets.

My only complaint, and it is minor, was the ending. I could have 100% done without the epilog. It was a little boring and was about secondary characters that I did not care about. The reason this took off 1/2 a star is because we can not undermine the importance of the ending. It is the final memory we are left with.

For how great the book was, the ending just fell a little flat for me.

Still recommend 100 times over!!!

“The Bodyguard” by Katherine Center
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: 7/19/22
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Katherine Center did it again! I love her books! I was especially excited about this one. I loved every minute of it. I read it in 26 hours. I loved that the main character is a strong intelligent career driven woman that proves people wrong by being a female Bodyguard. Fun way for fiction to give a little female empowerment!

Hannah Brooks works for a private agency being a Bodyguard to the rich and famous. She travels worldwide to do her job and loves every minute of it. While she may look like a Kindergarten teacher she can take a man twice her size down with a simple move. Never underestimate this well trained woman. While her career is amazing her mother just died and she was taken off most cases. Even though they were not close it still caused grief especially for the mother she would never have. Then, her boyfriend of a year broke up with her. All she wants is a job to escape. Her boss Glen tells her she’s getting the biggest job of the year! Being the Bodyguard of the famously handsome film start Jack Stapleton. While the job sounds amazing she is upset when she finds out it’s in her hometown of Houston, Texas. She wants to then down the job, but she wants a bigger promotion, so she has to suck it up. She never connects with her clients on a personal level, but Jack needs her to be his fake girlfriend for his family. His mom is treating for cancer and can’t know he needs security. Can Hannah keep her promise and not fall for Jack or is he really that irresistible?

I tried and failed to like this story. I felt very much like an observer the entire story and never connected with any character.

I don't think this author's style is for me.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

I enjoyed this lighthearted rom com! It was a little more on the cheesy side than I usually like but I appreciated the sweetness of Jack’s character and how he let his insecurities show. Looking forward to reading more by Katherine Center!

A Katherine Center rom-com is what I needed in my life. She absolutely had me from the beginning. I devoured this book. The chemistry between the characters had me smiling from ear to ear. I am a little bit sick of fake dating tropes and have thought I've seen it all but the way this story played out I couldn't help but to fall in love. Highly recommend and look forward to more like this from this author.

I thought this was cute, but it wasn’t my favorite Katherine Center book (that title still belongs to Things You Save in a Fire). No doubt she knows how to write a very sweet romance, but this just didn’t feel very deep. I didn’t understand their connection and everyone telling them they were in love and I just didn’t see it… and I hate to say it, but this was a disappointment for me.


*thanks to St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book!

i adored this book a lot. it was simple, it was clique. but it really shined bright. i think i appreciated hannah’s growth and character development way more than i did for the romantic aspect, which isn’t something i normally lust over like i i am right now. i think my biggest complaint is that the relationship between jack and hannah felt so rushed. i wish the author spent a little more time building the connection with the little moments, like for example, i would’ve loved to see more scenes with them and the horses, or rather them doing little things to build the spark between them. i like being shown romantic interest, not told it happened. but that’s pretty much my major criticism of this book. like i said, it was simple and i like it a lot!

he premise had me rolling my eyes, but the characters made me smile!

The Bodyguard is a sweet and fun romance about a female bodyguard assigned to protect a very handsome movie star.

Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protection Agent--in simplified terms, she is a bodyguard. Hannah loves her job, but when she is assigned to work on the detail of movie star Jack Stapelton, she is less than enthused. Not only does she have to be his bodyguard, but she also has to pretend to be his girlfriend.

Narrated by Hannah, I loved her character and her inner dialogue. She is smart and witty, and she takes her job seriously. One of my favorite scenes was when she demonstrated her skills to Jack. Jack is also likable, and I loved the banter between Hannah and Jack. It's easy to root for them.

Outside of Hannah’s profession, the plot is a little predictable, but Hannah, Jack, and the quirky cast of side characters made up for that. I read this while on vacation, and The Bodyguard was the perfect, light-hearted read I needed. It’s feel-good fun with warm-hearted characters, witty banter, and, of course, romance.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Oh how good and romantic this looks - and a gender swap as well! Have been unable to review due to illness. Review coming soon! This novel looks fantastic and I highly recommend this author to everyone! Can't wait to read this one!

It’s official: I am crazy in love with Katherine Center’s storytelling.

I’m still pretty new to this author, but have been so blown away by how effectively she sucks me into her stories and keeps me compulsively flipping pages, hungry for more, and absolutely over the moon in love with her characters. The Bodyguard kept me up way past my bedtime, eyeballs full of hearts, heart hopelessly lost in Hannah and Jack’s story. Theirs was a slow burn (my favorite!) and the steam level is low, but for me, it was pure perfection.

I think the magic is in the dialogue. Katherine Center manages to write dialogue that plays out like a screenplay in my head. It’s authentic, charming, and usually completely adorable. I find myself smiling so much when I’m reading, heart thumping away in my chest – aching when it has cause to ache, but usually fluttering and swooning over the chemistry and the banter and the utter adorableness of it all. Whatever it is, there is some magic in this storytelling and I think I might be addicted to it.

All that is to say – I adored this story. I love the way this author flips the script (so to speak) and gives her heroines tough guy jobs and high emotional barriers, and then breaks them down and lets all the feels crash out. It’s emotional, romantic, and gah, have I said adorable? I love it so much! This was an absolute five star read for me!

Based 100% on how much I enjoyed reading it. It's not perfect but it was perfect for me. Reading this book was such a fun escape. I wish I could make a movie of it right now. The characters were complex and each brought their own baggage to the relationship and while there were sad moments and difficult issues to deal with, it wasn't particularly heavy or depressing as a whole. I highly enjoyed reading this and love Katherine Center's writing and characters.

I'm struggling to review this one, hence the 3 stars. It was OK, but not memorable. Having the leading female character be a petite, but very capable bodyguard was a novel twist. Although it made things that were inconsistent with that established character stand out like a sore thumb. Someone so vigilant would NOT have screamed when licked by a cow or be completely clueless about the river she waded into. That bugged me.

Romance tropes to expect in this one: fake relationship, forced proximity, slow burn.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for this honest review.

4.25 stars rounded to 5 since I loved so much of this book!

“It’s for the best,” he said. “You need to grieve, anyway.”
“You don’t deserve my grief,” I said.
“I meant your mother.”
Oh. Her.
“Don’t tell me what I need.”

This Bodyguard will definitely hold a spot as one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. The humour was a deadpan, dark, straight-faced, oops-I-accidentally-insulted-you and questioned-my-sanity style and was right up my alley!

The fact that I absolutely love the movie The Hitman's Bodyguard played a massive role in how much I loved the beginning of this book. Hannah was hilarious and I was so intrigued to see how the story would play out. The reverse roles in the book were refreshing and unique, considering the bodyguard trope is almost always the MMC, but I loved it this way! I now need more stories where the FMC is the bodyguard!

If you like:
❤️️Fake dating
❤️️One bed
❤️️Forced Proximity
❤️️Piggy-back rides

Hannah has some of the same inner feelings I do as well (and her humour is so similar to mine) so I related hard with her.

“But How does anybody just ever assume they’d be somebody else’s first choice? Was I better than all the other great people in the world? Was I special enough to be the one somebody picked over everybody else?”

My full review will be posted to my Goodreads after the release date (July 19th, 2022) and will include so many more quotes (I think I highlighted half of this book)!

Oh my God, I have to grab all the books this author’s written and gobble them up! She’s fantastic!

Hannah was sent to protect a Hollywood A-lister. She fought against the assignment because what she likes to do is to escape, leave the country on her assignments. But her boss prevailed and she stayed to protect Jack Stapleton, voted Hollywood’s sexiest actor for two years running. She thought she would be protecting an entitled jerk and he turned out to be anything but.

This was such an entertaining read! I loved the author’s voice, funny in a very subtle way, injects the humor in the turn of the phrase so you’re surprised into chuckles when you least expect it, smile because the heroine is so droll.

I loved both characters, loved how the author chronicles the heroine’s growth as she lives through this assignment and deals with personal issues. She also helped the hero deal with his personal issues too! And the other Executive Protection agency employees were delightful too!

I was so riveted that I couldn’t put this book down. It was heartfelt and funny, totally engrossing and now I’m going to look for more books written by this author to read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center had me laughing and smiling. My boyfriend said he enjoyed watching me read this one because I’d be smiling away.
I loved the bantering between Hannah and Jack. Had a twist I didn’t see coming so that was a bonus. Light and enjoyable read. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martine’s Press for ARC in return for my opinion.

The Bodyguard was exactly what you'd expect from a Katherine Center novel. It has some sort of tragedy followed by an unlikely love story. While this was not my favorite Center book. it was definitely the funniest one. There were parts that had me laughing out loud. Hannah is an executive protection agent, and after some things go awry with her boyfriend and her job, she is put into a new gig of being the bodyguard for handsome and very famous actor, Jack Stapleton. The story is heartwarming and adorable and of course a little cheesy, but a fun and quick read!