Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I LOVE it when a book reads like a movie.... So fun and entertaining. This newest novel by Katherine Center hit all the marks. Yes, a bit sweet and cheesy at times, but in this day and age...I need more sweet and cheese in my life. I mean that in the best way.

Here we have Hannah Brooks, an executive protection agent. Self proclaimed workaholic and definitely does not fit the stereotype of a typical bodyguard. Her latest relationship has gone down in flames just as her boss said it would. Enter Jack Stapleton, a handsome, mega-star actor....willing to go along with the bodyguard idea to appease his movie studio bosses.

Throw in a stalker, jealous coworkers, a tight knit family with some secrets to deal with and you have the recipe for a great rom com. Perfect start to kick off summer reading. I am a big fan of Katherine Center and can't wait to devour her next novel. Well done and happy reading!!

3.5 stars - This was a cute & fun read but it was missing a bit of something for me. The love connection wasn’t quite believable, I would have loved more of a built up. I did love the characters individually and the storyline was good. I loved that epilogue!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of this audiobook and ebook in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5⭐️

I always enjoy Center’s books, and this one can also be added to that list.

Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protection Agent (a bodyguard) who is assigned primary lead as protection when the gorgeous movie star Jack Stapleton visits Houston to be near his mom for cancer treatments. Hannah wants to shine for a future promotion and ends up acting as Jack’s pretend girlfriend against her better judgment. To avoid distractions, agents cannot become personally involved in clients’ lives…ever. But Jack is more vulnerable and human than she expected, and as she grew up in a dysfunctional family, she ends up falling for the entire Stapleton clan.

Hannah started off a bit annoying until I realized where she was coming from and her motivation to always have an escape hatch for every aspect of her life. She had recently lost her mom, been dumped by her boyfriend and is estranged from her best friend. As she evolves, she finds reasons not to always have an exit strategy in place. She discovers that she can be loved but that she must first learn to love herself. I too ended up loving her.

Jack struggled with a heartbreaking loss and the guilt and pain from the fallout. Events/self-worth issues from his past are hindering his growth and must be overcome to move forward, both personally and professionally.

These two are wonderful together and don’t realize that they are healing the other through their shared talks, laughter and tears. Lots of sweet, poignant moments.

I love that Center’s characters are usually written with very real self-identity problems to overcome. As a writer, she’s very good at getting to the core of their issues with passages that are both beautiful and enlightening while also being gut-wrenching and at times painful. And to all of this, add lots of laugh-out-loud humor. No surprise, this was a winner for me.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing the free early arc of The Bodyguard for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Okay… I’m a puddle on the floor. I thought this book was absolutely adorable. I haven’t read anything like it. I mean - a woman bodyguard in charge of protecting a male movie star?! I was here for it.

I was smiling through the whole book. It was just so sweet. Bonus, it’s written like the main character is telling you a story. Not many books are written that way, so it was fun!

I did have a mini panic attack during one part, but I can’t give spoilers. But it was quickly resolved. Thank goodness.

The vibes:
✨fake dating
✨forced proximity
✨CUTE banter
✨bodyguard + movie star
✨closed door

I highly recommend reading if you need a feel good rom com.

#TheBodyguard:

““Dumped” is also a word that falls short of its true meaning. It sounds so quick—like a moment in time. But getting dumped lasts forever. Because a person who loved you decided not to love you anymore”.

Initial reaction: “anddd iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii y iiiiiii”

Review: Hello. Allow me to introduce my favorite Katherine Center book, The Bodyguard. That’s all that needs to be said.

But really, we have fake dating, ONE BED, a mini badass, and still some self discovery. This isn’t like most KC books to where there’s so much to unpack in such a small time. This was a fun, lightheaded read that had me cackling in the food aisles.


I liked how it felt like Hannah Brooks kind of broke the fourth wall to really tell us about the story. It gave me a HIMYM vibe. Also, Connie is a queen and deserves all the love.

I did this on audio and Patti Murin delivers once more! (Thanks @macmilkanaudio) I loved Patti’s reading. I was laughing inappropriately at times, but felt sad for Hannah at the same time. I, of course, hit the major eye rolls for Robby. I listened to a majority of this on a road trip while the kids napped, and didn’t feel I would need to smash all the buttons to turn it off if they woke up.

Overall, this was funny. It was a different feel from most Center books, and you kind of don’t enjoy the MC until she gets the growth she needs in the book. Thank you so much Macmillan for the gifted copy. The Bodyguard is out 7/19!

TW: Cancer, loss of parent, alcoholism

I found this book very hard to put down. From the characters to the storyline, it had me from the beginning!

Katherine Center is an auto-buy for me and this book is no different. Hannah and Jack are opposites in every way. Hannah is a bodyguard for the rich and the famous - Jack is the famous movie star in need of guarding. Everything has been turned on it's head for both and their relationship goes from strangers in forced proximity to friends and possibly more.

Hannah Brooks is good at her job. So good that even in the wake of her mother's death and being dumped by her crappy boyfriend, all she can think about is getting back to work. Her supervisor has other plans. Enter Jack Stapleton. A heartthrob movie actor who is in town trying to visit his ailing mother while avoiding the public eye. Hannah gets selected for Jack's security detail when a corgi breeding stalker starts to get bold. Now Hannah is whisked into Jack's world as she pretends to be his girlfriend so his family doesn't find out her real purpose for being there. When the two are forced into close quarters, sparks fly and walls begin to come down.

This book is well on it's way to becoming a Hallmark/Lifetime/Netflix movie. It was charming and cutesy romantic. Personally, I think it was too romcom for me, but that is just my personal opinion. I wanted more depth from the characters. I was personally not a fan of the writing style which is why I gave it 3 stars, but I think to others it could be a 4 or 5 star book!

Loved this book! Enjoyed the characters Hannah and Jack! Such a fun, enjoyable plot that I didn't want the story to end! A cute, fast read that I thought was fantastic!

I loved 86% of this book! The characters were sweet and the idea of a female bodyguard was so cool.

The last 14% threw me for a loop. Why the confrontation with Wilbur? Such a strange incident to throw in at the end.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

I loved The Bodyguard. It was a perfect summer read, a love story between a security detail, Hannah, and movie star Jack. What starts as a work relationship, turns into something more as their relationship deepens to share vulnerability, friendship, and love. I couldn't put it down!
Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this novel!

The Bodyguard contains a faking dating trope along with themes of family, stalking, authenticity, healing. I absolutely loved this book and it deserves all the stars! I loved that everything was through Hannah’s perspective and we got to see her personality and emotions be revealed throughout the story. Jack was the perfect love interest for her and loved learning more about him and his family as well. I really loved the growing relationship between Hannah and Jack and especially their emotional intimacy. The author does touch upon some heavy subjects which I think needs to be stated in the beginning of the book: death of a parent, death of a siblings, cancer, gun violence, and suicidal attempt. I admire that Katherine was able to not only discuss heavy subjects but include moments of lightheartedness as well. High recommend picking this one up if you’re a fan of Katherine Center and/or looking for a sweet romance!

This book was a delight and everything I hoped it would be. It's like a lake day in the summer, a fresh bouquet of flowers, and a really cold iced tea on a hot day. The characters were real with their own tragic back stories and insecurities because of that. The family dynamic of the Stapletons was such a joy to read, even in the hard moments, and it made me want to call my mom and thank her for always bringing us together. One star taken away because I would have liked more details on the falling in love part, some of those were "flash forward" moments, but overall the characters had great chemistry, romantic moments, misunderstandings, and all that a rom-com should have. Plus the bodyguard premise was a new one for me and it brought such a spark of energy I didn't know I would appreciate.

Everything about this was so much fun. Watching Hannah learn all of the little things about Jack and what makes him, him was so good. Jack was so sweet and I loved that she was the only one able to make him laugh. That scene at the end did give me a heart attack but my girl pulled through.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This is exactly what I needed. I loved everything about this book! The characters, the plot, everything! It’s a beautiful heartwarming story about Hannah the bodyguard, and Jack the actor. It gave me The Proposal vibes with the fake romance visiting family. The characters were all very likeable and relatable.

It’s a great quick read.

Hannah Brooks, an Executive Protection Agent (aka bodyguard), is hired to protect Jack Stapleton, a famous Hollywood actor. This was full of humor, romance, and fun! It was a perfect summer read!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

SO SO SO good. Fake dating plus forbidden romance plus slow burn - What's not to love??

I started this book hating the main character because I thought she was annoying. However, I was crying by the time I was three quarters of the way through - so she didn't stay annoying for long. The male lead was incredible and although the plot was semi-predictable, it still pulled at heartstrings and was super entertaining. I appreciated that this romance was clean in terms of spice-level, which made the romance feel more sweet than sexy (in a way that I really really loved)

Highly recommend. Go read it.

This was an entertaining rom-com. I am not a fan of books in the romance genre, but this one ended up being a fun read. I loved the idea of Hannah working for an agency that provides protection for rich, important people. The dynamics of the relationships among the employees were varied ... friends, lovers, frenemies, wannabe lovers. There was a lot to keep you laughing or rolling your eyes. Then you factor in Jack, the person Hannah has been assigned to protect. I really liked his personality and the friction between he and Hannah. And I fell in love with Jack’s parents. It was heartwarming to see Hannah realize that they were an example of what a loving family should be like. If you are looking for a book that has you laughing with feel good vibes, this needs to be added to your to-be-read list.

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

(3.5) I had the devil’s own time falling asleep last night, so, at about 1 a.m., I decided to give this book a go, hoping I could read a few chapters to help lull my mind to sleep. Well, I stayed up until about 3:30 a.m. to finish it, instead.

This is a very readable book with a nice mix of a sweet romance and a lightly simmering suspense, so it’s no wonder I didn’t want to put it down. Katherine Center always knows how to deliver an emotional punch with her trademark pseudo-therapeutic discovery in the late stages of the book, and I really enjoyed watching Hannah figure out who she is and what she wanted.

The relationship between Hannah and Jack really drew me in because of how sweet their interactions were and how they really opened up to each other and brought out the best in the other person, and the two together were absolutely adorable when they were bantering. (I couldn’t stop giggling.) The dialogue between the two was so strong that I actually wanted tons more of it. The book’s first-person POV created too many interior monologues for my liking, and the direct addressing of the reader (“you saw,” “you know”) and the perspective being from a future point in time (“when I think about it now,” “I didn’t know it then”) put me off the book. All I wanted was more pages of Hannah and Jack being too cute for words!

I also wish I had a better idea of who Hannah was. At the start of the book, she’s defined as a workaholic, which is fine, but we never really learn much about her likes or interests outside of being a badass protection agent who could kill you with a wine opener. She’s supposedly a good cook, but that’s basically it — none of her traits are really explored, and, while I got a good grasp of her personality, Hannah didn’t feel fully realized to me, and she never really develops. (Jack is reasonably one-dimensional, too, but we’re not inside his head for the whole book.) And when Hannah is given characteristics, they’re often her complaining about the job, and her whining made her seem a little unaware and immature.

And all that bummed me out, because there was a lot in this book I enjoyed, but my hang-ups prevented me from really adoring this read because I didn’t really care about the characters, and I couldn’t quite vibe with the writing style. Still, this book is cute and sweet and has heart. The tropes were wonderfully maneuvered. Hannah and Jack left me smiley and happy; their relationship was well-built, and — yay! — there weren’t any third-act breakup shenanigans caused by miscommunication. And, most importantly, this book did its job: When I finally fell asleep, I had nothing but sweet dreams.

Special thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Katherine Center for proving me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved How to Walk Away and Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine. To be honest though, I wasn’t as big of a fan of her last one. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going in to this one.

I am so happy to say that I really liked it. This book just made me happy. Fake dating and forced proximity? Two tropes I love.

It was such an easy read with a good amount of humour tied in with some more serious topics. I found it hard to put down. The chemistry between the main characters was perfect. It is definitely a closed door romance for those that prefer books that way.

The only thing stopping this book from getting 5 stars from me is that there were a few things that were pretty far fetched. There was also something that happened closer to the ending that I just didn’t particularly love and thought was a little silly.

Overall, this will be a great summer read for romcom lovers! Pre order this one now. It is out July 19th

4 Stars.

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for a review.