I have been a longtime fan of Katherine Center and her newest release did not disappoint! I love the way The Bodyguard flips conventional gender dynamics on its head and allows our female main character to be a strong protective force throughout the novel. The characters both had depth and were developed well as the story moved along. Center’s romances are always sweet, quick reads that are perfect for a summer day. 4 easy breezy stars!

Pros: I requested this book as soon as I heard Anne Bogel’s description of it in her Summer Reading Guide. The set up sounded like (and was!) so much fun—a female executive protection officer is hired to protect Hollywood’s biggest star, and they end up in a fake relationship. I think this premise would translate well to film as a great rom com. One of my favorite things about this book is its Houston setting! It seems so many books are set in LA or NYC, and it’s fun to get to mentally travel to other locations.

I alternated between audiobook and ebook when reading this book and thought it was great in both formats. Patti Murin was a fantastic narrator, and I appreciate that she didn’t attempt what people assume is a Texas accent.

Cons: None really. I previously read one of the author’s other books and didn’t love it, so I hadn’t read any more from her. I’m glad I gave this one a chance and hope to go back and read from her backlist.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read this book.

DNF but enjoyed the pace of what I read
Enemies to lovers I assume
and I've read others in this series

The Bodyguard, by Katherine Center
Pub Date: July 19, 2022
Rating: 4/5

Hannah isn't necessarily what you'd picture when you hear the word "bodyguard", but that's part of what makes her the best in her field. Her latest assignment is protecting famous movie star, Jack Stapleton from obsessed stalkers. This assignment is a little different than what she's used to: Hannah has to stay with Jack's family at their ranch and go undercover, pretending to be his girlfriend for a month. Hannah's always been able to prioritize work over her personal life, but the lines quickly blur during this assignment, and it becomes hard to tell what's acting and what's real.

This book is just about the perfect romcom: fake dating (my favorite trope these days), found family, and forced proximity, with a kickass female lead and dreamy, super hot and super sweet male lead. So many swoonworthy and heartwarming moments, and we got to see the characters on a deeper level too, as they dealt with their own insecurities and traumatic pasts.

I had some minor issues with the plot but overall really enjoyed it! The writing style was fun- the story is told from Hannah's POV, and her narration makes it seem like she's speaking directly to the reader.  I also loved little Easter eggs here and there that I felt like the author meant for romance readers to enjoy 😍

I read this in a day, but I truly didn't want it to end! I definitely recommend picking up this book when it's available July 19!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Overall, I enjoyed this! This was my first Katherine Center book, so I really had no idea what to expect. I personally liked how inviting her writing is and it really sucked me in as I finished it in one night! I'm really stuck between 3 and 4 stars because some of this was just too cheesy for me and some of the things said to our heroine I thought were a bit over the top. At some points I also felt as though it got a bit rambly and we could have achieved the same emotional impact with more show and less tell, so I am going to go with 3 stars. However, I would definitely recommend if you're in the mood for a sweet rom com with the fake dating trope.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC so I could give an unbiased review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one felt a little different from Katherine’s past writing style. I can’t quite put my finger on what felt different, but it didn’t change my perception of the book. I still enjoyed it very much! Hannah and Jake are just too cute!! Their playful banter is everything. It’s hard to say much without giving anything away, but you’re in for a treat when you realize what these two emojis mean to the main characters. 🐮🦈

Don’t skip this one, y’all!! Preorder it and read it the moment it arrives! You won’t regret it.

3.5 and rounding up. Katherine Center is consistently a hit for me. I’ve enjoyed the more Women’s Fiction titles I’ve read from her and her departure into the more rom-com arena was a nice surprise.

I found the banter hilarious, which is my favorite part of rom-coms. I caught myself smiling and laughing out loud a few times.

The set up is fun and different enough to make it stand out, although I wasn’t super sold on the romance until towards the end. I think we should have had some more time and work out into building up some tension and chemistry between our characters.

The end got a little outlandish but overall I’m happy to have read this and will continue picking up this authors new releases!

Thank you to the publisher for providing and ARC via NetGalley!

Katherine Center is easily one of my favorite authors. The way she can seamlessly blend romance into a meaningful and emotionally charged life story is truly incredible. I loved this book. The characters were developed beautifully overtime and I often found myself laughing out loud over moments of banter. Ever since I read the book, “Things You Save in a Fire” I have been hooked on Center’s fun and thoughtful writing style. This book was so easy to read and enjoyable. I love the journey that these characters embarked on and I can not wait to read what this author does next.

Hannah Brooks is an elite executive protection agent who excels in her career endeavors. In short Hannah is a bodyguard. When she is put on an assignment to protect megastar Jack Stapleton Hannah must use every ounce of her training to resist falling for Jack. After all he couldn’t possibly live up to his movie persona. Or could he?


Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader copy!

This was my first read by Katherine Center and it was a gd delight! It was so refreshing to read a romance that does not follow the same outline as every other romance out there.

Hannah Brooks, our main, was a badass while also having real feelings and WORKS THROUGH THEM. I appreciated that she was the best in her business and it wasn't questioned, and that she doesn't second guess anything she does. She is strong from beginning to end, and there is not enough of that in the romcom romance world.

I can totally see this being made into a cheesy movie, and if so, they better do the book justice.

Katherine Center, I am now pumped to pick up more of your books!

Absolutely loved it! A fun book that keeps you on your toes. Humor and a bit of romance. Very much enjoyed it as much as her other books. Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

First thing that drew me to this book was the storyline of a female bodyguard. It’s not a storyline you commonly see and I think that what’s made this read so much enjoyable. I absolutely loved that the main character,Hannah, was a mix of sweet (mostly with Jack) and stubborn (also with Jack). Fake relationships are always so fun to read but Hannah and Jake really took the cake. I felt like not only did the story build their relationship slowly but it also made me question if the relationship was real or if jack was that good at acting. To me, Jack and Hannah’s acting was spot on as I realized towards the middle of the book that I was also invested in the fake relationship. The Bodyguard is not your typical fake romance where they fall in love after a week. It’s a bit of family, teamwork, action, and a bunch of feelings developing along the Texas Brazos River.

Fun and funny grumpy-sunshine rom com, I loved Hannah's character. There were several characters who were so over-the-top mean and villainous that it wasn't believable. 5 stars for the first 60% of the book, before the tone and plot got a bit chaotic.

I put off reading this book and that was a huge mistake! What a fun and interesting story. I couldn’t tell for awhile if it was serious or rom-com but it turned out to be both. I would have liked more with Jack’s family but this was really Hannah’s story. There should have been more of Hannah really understanding and working through her trauma but I enjoyed it all the same!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book! Katherine Center writes such interesting female protagonists. I loved Hannah. She’s complex - strong but insecure, capable but a klutz in relationships. And funny! I laughed out loud a number of times, but there were just as many lines that I highlighted for insight. This book made me feel all the right things. Highly recommend!

Short summary: All Hannah wants is to escape, which makes her job as an elite bodyguard perfect. Until she’s assigned to protect The Jack Stapleton in her home state if Texas on a ranch in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do but get to know Jack and his loveable family as his fake girlfriend.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

You know how people will say, "this is the content we need in the world right now!" in a tongue in cheek sort of way? Well, I'm saying that The Bodyguard is the book the literary world needs - and I mean it with 100% sincerity.

Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protection Agent (aka a "Bodyguard") but looks like she could pass for someone's little sister. She is definitely not a tough guy although she will pretend to be if needed. Hannah has recently lost some pretty important people in her life and is looking to escape. Unfortunately, her boss has other plans for her.

Jack Stapleton is a famous actor - like mega star famous - but has recently taken time off due to the aftermath of a family tragedy. Upon finding out his mother has been diagnosed with cancer, Jack has reemerged from seclusion and is coming "home" to be with his mother during surgery and treatment. Jack hires Hannah's EPA firm to protect him while he's with his mother - there's just one catch: his mother can't know that he has a bodyguard. He doesn't want to add anymore stress to her life or worry. so he asks Hannah to pretend to be his girlfriend for the duration of his mom's treatment.

Hannah is vehemently opposed to the idea, but faced with the risk of losing her job, she agrees. Hannah doesn't expect Jack to be such a good actor. She doesn't expect to fall for his family. And she definitely doesn't plan on blurring the lines between fiction and reality.

This. Book.

These characters.

I think I am a little bit in love with Jack Stapleton.... actually I think I'd really just like to be his parents' daughter in law. :) They were absolutely precious! Katherine Center has written a book that has the opportunity to seem un-relatable (hello, mega famous movie star and female bodyguard) but she writes the characters so fully and so beautifully there is never a doubt that every bit of the emotions and relationships are 100% believable. I laughed, I cried, I cheered, I loved these characters and this family. A must read! This is definitely Katherine Center at her best.

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

I’m a sucker for the fake dating trope. Mix that in with the stuck together trope and you have The Bodyguard. I loved how much inner dialogue you get from the main character Hannah. We were never left in the dark on her thoughts. Jack was a very swoon worthy character. Not only is he a handsome movie star, but he’s also a down-home, Texas, momma’s boy. I enjoyed the little things he did for Hannah and how he really noticed her and her mannerisms. There really wasn’t a single character I didn’t love! The Bodyguard is a five star read and perfect for anyone wanting to be swept off their feet and surprised by a fake dating romance!

Really happy to have enjoyed this book by Katherine Center whom I have been a big fan of for a while now. The book she released before this was a little bit of a let down for me and so I had apprehensions going into this one, but that was silly because it was wonderful. Loved the gender role swap and the sweet romance here. I think this will be a big summer success and I cannot wait for readers to be able to get their hands on it.

Hannah is a normal Houston girl with a unique job- she's a bodyguard. Her firm is hired for private personal security around the world, mostly to the rich but sometimes the famous. When ultra- A list movie star Jack comes to town to see his mother thru health issues, the studio hires Hannah's firm to protect him and keep his whereabouts private. Hannah lands the lead on the job, which of course means she has to pose as Jack's girlfriend to his family and to the world.

Hannah is one of my all-time favorite Katherine Center heroines (and that's saying something.) I loved how emotionally she was a mess but professionally she defied expectations and excelled. If you suspend belief enough, you can enjoy this mortal/celebrity pairing. It is very funny and somewhat unexpected and pure Center gold. I loved the insights into both of their jobs and their friends and family.

I was going to just start this book as I usually try to not read too far ahead of publication dates
(July 19,2022) as to not annoy all my friends about a wonderful book that's not out yet. So, friends, be warned. I'm going to be talking about this book all summer and beyond. And I'm going to work to be a Katherine Center completist too because I like every one of her books even more than the last. I read this book in my free time (and a little at work- shhhh) in under 24 hours. I just couldn't put it down. The humor and the lovely characters, flaws and all, make this a great book to escape into.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review. I did try to listen to the audio version (which was great) but I couldn't go that slow, so I switched to the print version.

🧷🌺 𝐑 𝐄 𝐕 𝐈 𝐄 𝗪 🌺🧷⁣
⁣
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘥𝘺𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥 by 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫⁣
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆⁣
⁣
I’ve gotta be honest. I did not see myself falling in love with 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘥𝘺𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥 in the beginning. I’m not terribly into celebrity romances and thought the premise wouldn’t really pull me in.⁣
⁣
I was very wrong. I found myself falling hard for 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐡 and 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤 and loved their story oh-so-much. 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐡’𝐬 funny and quirky personality is perfect, and 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤’𝐬 family dynamic is so realistic and beautiful and painful and difficult.⁣
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Parts of the ending are pretty predictable, but I was able to put that out of my mind and still really enjoy it. The story is just so darn good that it didn’t really matter to me at that point. 🤷🏻‍♀️⁣
⁣
I definitely feel like I need to go through 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫’𝐬 entire backlog now if it’s anything like this beautiful book! Thank you so, so much to @stmartinspress for my advance copy, in exchange for an honest review!

Oh I loved this. Katherine Center is such a consistent and warm writer. This is just delightfully funny and romantic, strong recommend.