It was perhaps the highlight of my reading life when I got the email saying I had been chosen to receive a review copy of this novel because Katherine Center's books are among my most anticipated of the year. My first "review" on Goodreads was something like "OMGOMGOMGOMG!" followed by a bunch of words that didn't even make a sentence. I couldn't help myself. I was THAT excited. So BIG thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for making my summer.

As soon as I was done reading it, I posted an updated review gushing about how much I enjoyed it, but it was not a true NetGalley-worthy review, so I am back today to do this book justice because it was.
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She’s got his back.
Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than somebody who could kill you with a wine bottle opener. Or a ballpoint pen. Or a dinner napkin. But the truth is, she’s an Executive Protection Agent (aka "bodyguard"), and she just got hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker.

He’s got her heart.
Jack Stapleton’s a household name—captured by paparazzi on beaches the world over, famous for, among other things, rising out of the waves in all manner of clingy board shorts and glistening like a Roman deity. But a few years back, in the wake of a family tragedy, he dropped from the public eye and went off the grid.

They’ve got a secret.
When Jack’s mom gets sick, he comes home to the family’s Texas ranch to help out. Only one catch: He doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker. Or the bodyguard thing. And so Hannah—against her will and her better judgment—finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend as a cover. Even though her ex, like a jerk, says no one will believe it.

What could possibly go wrong???
Hannah hardly believes it, herself. But the more time she spends with Jack, the more real it all starts to seem. And there lies the heartbreak. Because it’s easy for Hannah to protect Jack. But protecting her own, long-neglected heart? That’s the hardest thing she’s ever done.
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Hannah and Jack are both likeable from the start, and I found myself rooting for them immediately. Their storyline was interesting and feel-good, with enough conflict to keep me invested in the story. I have to admit that I read this book in two days (it would have been one if I had had a day off to devote to it) and stayed up way to late to finish it. I am used to getting HEAs from this author, and I was not disappointed. And although I am in my 40s and well past the search for my own Prince Charming, going along on the ride as one of Katherine Center's heroines looks for her own is ALWAYS a good time.

So anyway....read this book when it comes out! I had already preordered it in hardcover and will look forward to reading it again when that arrives. Five enthusiastic stars!

This book!! What did Katherine put in the pages? I was addicted!! I was only 3 chapters in when I just knew this was going to be an amazing book.

Hannah is a hard working, best in the business, calculated “down to the T” bodyguard. She has always been great at her job, traveling around the world and using her job as her excuse to truly set down roots. She also has a little problem with expressing her emotions.

Hannah’s mother sadly has died, and rather than sit in her grief, she throws herself back into work. It’s then, a day after her mothers funeral that her boyfriend breaks up with her! Hannah then finds out that her job is opening a new branch in London and she is in the running to open it. But guess who she’s up against for the position? You guessed it, her ex-boyfriend.

Her boss tells her that they have a huge assignment for her and it’s a ticket she needs in order to secure the London job. Ready to escape the awful life in which her mother is gone and her boyfriend broke up with her, Hannah can’t wait. That is until she realizes who the job is for. Enter Jack Stapleton. Jack is a super famous, super handsome movie star. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem. But Hannah has seen all his movies. Her favorite movie kiss is from him! He’s a freaking movie star! That she has a crush on! This can’t be good.

Jack is a complicated guy who has stepped out of the limelight the last few years and is back in Texas to support his mother. He’s your typical heartthrob who has had a few stalkers in his past and requires a bodyguard to help keep his family safe. The only thing is, he doesn’t want his family to know that he has a bodyguard. His solution? Have Hannah pretend to be his girlfriend. This might complicate things!

This book brought out the best slow burn romance, reconciling broken friendships and parental relationships, and had amazing banter. You will not be disappointed!

Recently I have been in a little bit of a reading slump and this book got me out of it! The development of Hannah and Jack's relationship was really great to see over the course of the book. Fake Dating is one of my favorite tropes and this book did not disappoint on that front, especially when the ex tries to get in the way and it doesn't go according to his plan. I thought it was a little fast paced at some point where I wish the author went into more detail but I loved this book none the less! Will definitely be recommending this book to my friends!

I absolutely LOVED this book. I bounced between the audio and the ebook and finished it in a day. While different from her other novels, this book encompasses much of what I love about Katherine Center and her books. You have Hannah, a woman trying to discover and define her own worth, some experience that makes that come into focus, and with this one we throw in a super hunky movie star that is total dream right from the start, and some pretty humorous situations. Jack Stapleton is absolutely my newest book boyfriend. I can't even tell you how many times I laughed out loud as I read this.

I'd say that if you adjust your expectations from Center's previous books and recognize that this is a rom-com rather than women's fiction, you'll absolutely love it!

Thank you to NetGalley for my e-arc of this book. All opinions here are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. I was experiencing a book hangover and could not settle into another book until I picked up this one. I've only read one other book by Katherine Center, but I really enjoyed it, and after reading this one I really need to explore her backlist. This was light but not too frothy, with a predictable ending but a really fun ride to get there. I loved the tone of the story - the "you know all about Jack Stapleton because you've seen his movies too". I found Hannah's boss, Glenn, to be really cringy and not believable, and many of her coworkers were not really well developed, but I loved Jack and his family so much. This would be a fun beach read!

What is there not to love about faking dating that involves a famous person?! This was the first Katherine Center book I have read and I have been super excited to read this book. Needless to say, I will be checking out her other books. What I loved about this book is having a female as a body guard because it isn’t something you normally expect. I really hope they turn it into a movie! If you don’t like romance novels that are spicy and want a cute and funny romcom this is for you!

Characters having trauma does not make up for lack of personality.

Hannah Brooks works in a agency of bodyguards and she is the absolute best. While she might look like Jessica Day, she's deadly as a knife. After experiencing tremendous heartbreak, she's put in time out until she recovers. However, a new project has come just for her. She's meant to protect actor Jack Stapleton from the public eye while he's visiting family in Texas. Unfortunately, his sick mother cannot bear the thought of surveillance around her peaceful house. So instead of bodyguard, Hannah becomes a girlfriend. Jack's girlfriend. Lucky for her, she has watched every film and show he has been in and has a teeny-tiny crush. What could go wrong right?

This book was fine.

I wish the writing of the book *showed* us the story instead of telling us what the characters are going through.

I have some issues with the romance. In those key moments you know the protagonists are supposed to be falling for each other it feels quite hollow.

I like Hannah - our heroine - but sadly everyone else was mediocre at best.

How dare this book be so dang perfect!?! I absolutely adored it from start to finish. I loved Hannah so much, that cute little weirdo. And Jack was swoon worthy. And *ahem* fake dating? One bed? Forced proximity? Sign me up!

I truly just enjoyed this story so much and had the biggest smile on my face the whole time I read it!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book!

The Bodyguard is one of my Top 5 Books of 2022.
There were so many things to love about this novel. For starters, it was hilarious. There were so many laugh out loud moments, particularly the first time Hannah sees a cow. The Bodyguard takes the fake dating trope to a whole new level with the totally unique premise of 5'5" Hannah being the bodyguard to the extremely built (and handsome) successful actor, Jake. The chemistry and banter between Hannah and Jake is off the charts. I truly could not put this book down. I really loved that the story maintained it's humor while exploring deep topics such as loss, loneliness, and feeling less-than. It would not surprise me at all if this book becomes the next big rom-com movie. I can't explain how exactly, but reading The Bodyguard feels like watching your favorite rom-com. I will definitely be recommending this book many times in the future.

P. S. As a red cowboy boot wearer, myself, I love that Hannah's boots were included in the cover art.

I have officially found my new favorite Katherine Center book, sorry Things You Save in a Fire that you have been dethroned. I loved this book and read it over the span of 24 hours because I was so consumed by the story. Katherine's books always make me feel all the emotions and this one was no exception, I was laughing, I had the biggest smile on my face throughout so many parts, and of course I shed tears throughout the book as well.

I loved the reverse bodyguard situation in this book with Hannah acting as Jack's security since he is a celebrity with a stalker situation. Even though Jack was against having a bodyguard and his first meeting with Hannah was a funny and awkward moment, I like that he didn't stand in the way of her doing her job. Their fake dating relationship was one of the best and had multiple comedic moments. I loved the banter between Hannah and Jack and you could definitely tell there was a lot of chemistry between them.

Jack's mom was one of my favorite characters in the book. She was so sweet and only wanted the best for her family, even though she was dealing with her own health issues. I just loved the Stapleton family in general, they were such a heartwarming family. I thought the epilogue was perfect, even though I wasn't ready to say goodbye to all of these characters.

Actual rating: 4.5/5

"You don't talk about your life with clients. You just don't. You wind up knowing everything about your principals - but they never know anything about you. And that's how it has to be. But here's the thing: The clients never understand that. It feels so much like a real relationship., it's hard to keep it clear. You're traveling together, going to bars together, skiing together, hanging out at the beach together. You're there for their ups and downs, their fights, and their secrets. Your purpose in their lives is to create security so they can feel normal."

Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than a full on body guard. She also has little room for romance or relationships and has been good at keeping people a safe distance from her heart. So after she gets brutally dumped Hannah is looking for an escape from reality.
So, when she is assigned to protect movie star actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker, things get interesting.

Jack Stapleton has been out of the public eye for the last few years after a tragic family accident. When his mother falls ill, Jack is forced to return to his families Texas ranch - bringing him closer to his alleged stalker. But, not wanting to worry his sick mother, Jack wants to hide Hannah's true identity and enlists her as his pretend girlfriend.

The longer Hannah spends on the ranch with Jack and his family, the harder it is to separate her feelings from her work.

"Jack and I spent all day every day together. We fished in the pond stocked with bass. We explored the wilderness area around the oxbow lake. We walked the river beach almost every day. We played croquet in the yard. We threw horseshoes. We spun each other on the tire swing. We harvested pears, figs, and satsumas from the orchard. My favorite thing was swinging in the hammock chairs outside the kitchen window. We'd swing side by side with our shows off, feeling the grass blades brushing the palms of our feet, and I'd pass the time by asking him insane questions like, "What's it like being famous?""

Worse, Jack and his family seem to love Hannah just as much as she loves them! But, can someone so used to pushing people away finally find the love she deserves?

This was such a fun read! If you love rom coms with emotional depth, swoon worthy romances, the fake dating trope / forced proximity trope, with a lot of fun and flirty banter you are bound to LOVE this. Seriously didn't want this to end.

This was my first book by Katherine Center and it was very enjoyable. I like the unique concept of the female bodyguard to the handsome movie star. I liked that Hannah was Type A and confident when it came to her job but also lacking self confidence in her personal life at times. It made her human and more relatable. I really appreciated the strong female lead. Jack and Hannah together were cute and the story had a surprising amount of heart and emotion in dealing with the death of one parent and cancer diagnosis of another one. It was nice that Hannah and Jack were able to bond over it. The ending was a surprise and very moving, This will be a great summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for access to the digital and audio ARCs of this book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book!

I love Katherine Center's writing. It's funny, emotional, real (I often laugh and cry when I read her books, which is the sign, to me, of a truly fulfilling reading experience).

This book also broke me out of a long-reading slump. I love reading about women in traditionally "male" fields, and this book checked all the tropes I love to see (also a celebrity romance to boot!).

A perfect summer read. Highly recommend.

If it has Katherine Center’s name on it, I’m reading it! I love everything she touches and I especially love that her stories are set somewhere familiar to me!

The Bodyguard will go down as one of my favorites of 2022. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins publishing! Can’t wait to add the physical copy to my collection!

katherine center never disappoints with her storylines and lovable characters. This one is no different with Hannah and Jack. I loved the Executive Protection Agent aka the Bodyguard title. It added such swagger to Hannah's role. And her to protect becomes cloudy in her attraction to him and at a time when she hasn't had love in her life. This one will not let you down!

I could not get into this book and almost gave up on finishing it many many times. The characters fell flat and the entire story just felt fake and inauthentic. Part of this may have been I really disliked the setting...Texas is just not my kind of novel place I suppose.

This book was light and fun and kept me turning the pages. A young woman, Hannah, is hired to be a bodyguard for a famous celebrity, and ends up having to pretend to be his girlfriend. It was pretty far-fetched, and such a good escape read. And I learned about the world of protection services/ bodyguards! Who knew?! I would say this is the perfect book to read this summer. It's my third book by Katherine Center, and I'm not sure if I can easily pick a favourite because I have enjoyed them all, and this one is right up there with the others. \
4.5 stars!

I love Katherine Center's books, but this one was just okay for me! I couldn't get invested in the story even though I usually ingest celebrity romances like candy. I think I was looking for more tension between the leads. I'll definitely be on the lookout for her next novel though!

This romance was too cheesy for me. Also some of the scenes were drawn out way too much. Scenes that could have used maybe a paragraph or two were described (repetitively) in two pages or more. I also didn't understand how main character, Hannah, was the best at her company when she complained to her boss a lot. Didn't make it seem like she was as dedicated as the author claims she is.

Katherine Center does it again, I loved this book! She just has a way with writing that makes me fall in love with all her books. I find they’re super easy to read, engaging, and make me not want to put them down.

I thought this book had such a unique plot and it made it that much better. The characters were great and I enjoyed all of them. The author did a great job with the fake dating trope. There were so many funny moments in this book, I found myself laughing out loud multiple times. If you’re looking for a fun romance read, I highly recommend checking this one out!