Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an egalley in exchange for an honest review

I enjoy Katherine Center's writing and this novel was the perfect read to complete my holiday weekend. Hannah Brooks has just lost her mother, her boyfriend has dumped her and if she wants that very important job promotion she's going to have to be the bodyguard to one of Hollywood's hottest male actors- Jack Stapleton. Jack's returning to his home state of Texas for the first time since his youngest brother's tragic death and it is not exactly a happy family reunion. Plus, he's got a very obnoxious stalker who wants to procreate with him. The Bodyguard is hilarious and endearing and is sure to delight many readers who enjoy romantic comedies. Add the fact that their is the delicious " pretend to be my girlfriend" trope and I cannot help but scream "READ THIS." But no peer pressure 🤣





Expected Publication Date 19/07/22
Goodreads review published 24/05/22

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC of the Body Guard. I both read the books and listen to the audio too (both great)

This is my first Katherine Center book and won't be the last! Such great story (TW: parental death, Stalking, cancer, alcoholism, suicidal thoughts). This story is endearing with real life moments. I love romance books and this one ranks high for me...not steaming but delightfully surprising twists along the way. Love the two main characters!

I loved this book! It was funny, sweet, and just super entertaining. I've been pretty lukewarm on Katherine Center's other titles, but this one is so unique and the protagonist's voice was perfect. While the set up might be a little over the top, everything about this book worked. You liked Jack, you like Hannah, and the supporting cast of characters were also fantastic (especially Jack's parents). This is the kind of light hearted, entertaining but sweet book that I'll revisit over again as the perfect palette cleanser / fun summer read!

It took me a while to get into this book but I ended up enjoying to! Hannah was a strong MC and I liked that she wasn’t they typical romance archetype. I think for me the first half was a bit slower but the connection and love interest was genuine. A strong 4 star read and will look out for other books by the author!

Katherine Center is an insta-read author for me. Although I am not typically a romance reader, her books have a wonderful feel-good quality that always makes me smile. In her newest novel, The Bodyguard, a female personal protection agent is tasked to protect one of the hottest male celebrities as he visits his family in Texas. He's a reluctant client, and more importantly does not want to concern his family, so he requests that instead of coming along as protection she poses as his girlfriend. Soon the lines between what is real, what is acting, and what may be love begin to blur. The Bodyguard is a rollicking story filled with tension, humor, and danger. I'd recommend to anyone looking for their next summer read. Many thanks to the publisher and author for making this arc available for review.

4.5 ⭐️
Tragedy is a painful thing. It lingers and shifts, destroying and or breaking relationships. And Katherine Center knows how to write about this well. She’s my favorite Chick lit writer and she did a great job with this story. If you have read any of her books, well then you’re really missing out. This had a strong female protagonist, dreamy man, a tragic event and so much more.
I highly recommend this one.

Things I loved:
• Stumps
• Take him to the yard and flip him.
• Group hugs
• Beaded safety pins

I chose to listen and read this in equal measure and enjoyed both. The narrator was Patti Murin and she was perfect for this book.
Thanks Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

This was a great first Katherine Center book for me, I have her books on my TBR and am so glad I got the chance to review The Bodyguard, it made me a fan! Thank you to St, Martin's Press and NetGalley for the review copy. There was a lot to appreciate in this contemporary romance: a favorite celebrity/everyday person trope, a strong female protagonist, a jerk of an ex-boyfriend, Hollywood life, and even grief. This was a fast read for me, engaging with the plot, and filled with some unexpected moments of depth and strong character development

I also note that I had the chance to listen to the audiobook version of this book as well and the audiobook was was well done, strong voice narration complemented Katherine' Center's narrative and Hannah and other characters effectively.


For me the biggest strength was in allowing Hannah, the main character, to be complicated and to have space for self growth; I appreciated that she had to cope with the loss of her mother, reconcile what that loss meant to her, navigate a hurtful experience with her ex, and to consider what family, friendship, love, and forgiveness meant for her and her relationships. I liked that Hannah was a bodyguard, I thought that was a nice way to give Hannah an atypical job for her gender and focus on her career and independence; she could and did take care of herself and it was nice to read a romance in which the idea wasn't that she needed protecting or saving! I am all in always for an interesting and strong female protagonist. I think it was a nice change up to have some standard, and welcome, rom/com tropes present but to change up the gender roles a bit!

Thank you again St, Martin's for the copy of this book, a true delight and perfect for summer beach bags and lounging by the pool.

I loved Jack and his family. I could gush and gush about his Mom and Dad. I absolutely loved them. Hannah was okay, but I felt her character was a little unbelievable. She had so much self doubt, and yet she was accomplished in her job and profession. But I have to say while I had many laugh out loud moments and plenty of teary moments, my favorite was the description of Jack's discarded clothes.

I can always count on Katherine Center for a good story. This book gave me Miss Congeniality vibes (Sandra Bullock could totally play the female lead) mixed with something I can’t quite put my finger on. I just wish the character development had been a little stronger. The male lead was very one-dimensional. All in all, a decent read.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

Content warnings: alcoholism, death of a parent, death of a sibling, cancer, domestic violence, stalking, car accident, hostage situation

Hannah Brooks is an executive protection agent working at a company in Texas that primarily protects rich oil tycoons or ambassadors. But when her company picks up the security detail for Hollywood star Jack Stapleton, Hannah is put on his case.

Her estranged mother just died from cirrhosis due to alcoholism, and the day after the funeral her co-worker and boyfriend Robbie dumps her. When she sees Robbie in a compromising position with her best friend, she reveals some personal details to her client -- which she never, ever, does. But Hannah and Jack may become much closer when she's forced to live with him for a month and pose as his girlfriend.

Recommended for all contemporary women's fiction and romance readers. Perfect for those who love witty narrators, breaking the fourth wall, and the forced proximity romance trope.

Representation: women in typically male careers, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, Nigerian side character

Can Jack Stapleton be my boyfriend? After reading The Bodyguard by Katherine Center, I totally get being in love with a fictional character.

When Jack's mom gets sick, he needs to return to his family's ranch in Texas. Problem is he is a high profile actor with a corgi-breeding stalker. Ever since Jack's brother died in an accident, he has been out of the spotlight. He doesn't want a bodyguard, but the movie company he is under contract with thinks otherwise. Enter Hannah Brooks, executive protection agent.

Hannah has a reputation for being all business but something about Jack is different. He really sees her and seems to care, but Jack is an actor. Between some recent hard knocks in Hannah's life to having to pretend to be Jack's girlfriend as a cover, this job is different.

This book has both raw emotion and humor. The storyline was still unique even though it was about a fake relationship. Katherine Center is one of my go to authors and she did not disappoint! Highly recommend!

Thank you for the opportunity to review The Bodyguard by Katherine Center. I loved it! At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about a female bodyguard and the male actor (kind of switching up the Bodyguard movie) – but I quickly got past it. I really loved the fun and playful dynamic between Hannah and Jack. I always look forward every summer to a Katherine Center book and cannot wait to see what she comes up with next. 4 starts for me!

Absolutely loved this story another win for center in my books. It was a fun read with lots of banter between the couple. Was able to binge this audio in a day

Jack Stapleton is one of the most famous actors in the world, or was until he disappeared from public view after a family tragedy. Now he has a stalker and the film crew that has him under contract determines he needs an executive protective agent. Hannah Brooks is great at her job as an EPA. She's not great at relationships, but her job is the thing that allows her to travel and escape the parts of her past (or current relationships) she doesn't want to deal with. Guarding Jack while he fulfills a family commitment is not the assignment she wanted but it turns out to be the one she needs.

This was a really sweet and heartfelt book, and I really appreciated the hole-heartedness of both characters at the beginning. I really appreciate difficult emotional barriers to a relationship that characters have to work through. The characters are forced into fake-dating and forced proximity. It's fun to watch their relationship develop in a realistic way. There's also a bit of comeuppance for exes, which I love. There is no sex on the page, so if you're looking for something steamy, this isn't it. I definitely enjoyed this book and would recommend it for something sweet.

I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press.

Read/Listen if you Like:
❤️ Celebrity/Actor Male MC
❤️ Female Bodyguard
❤️ Cleaner Romance
❤️Rom Coms

Book Review:
This one was so freaking cute? Far fetched with a celebrity falling for their bodyguard? Probably not so much— we have seen it before in Hollywood with the female celebs.

This book is centered around Hannah during her assignment to protect Jack as assigned by her boss by a contract done by the production company wanting to assure the safety of their asset as he has a mild stalker and some and a near miss where his brother ended up dead when he was in town with family previously.

Hannah and Jack both have their baggage but they come together nicely with this very slow burn but the epilogue is many years in the future and helps with the slow burn to have a strong epilogue.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book! I am so thankful to obtain a copy to read in advance of its release!

Role reversal where the girl is the bodyguard. The boy is a famous actor.

Hannah is confident when it comes to her career, but not confident in relationships of any type.

Her insta-love/attraction for Jack is quite out of character for her.

I wanted more depth than I got from these two. I wanted to know Jack more.

It’s a clean, cute, romance.

Hannah Brooks is an executive protection agent, sent to protect action hero Jack Stapleton from a stalker. Not to a sore suspicion while staying with his family, she pretends to be his girlfriend.

On paper this was everything I really love in a rom-com (fake dating, one bed, a bodyguard) but this just didn’t really do it for me. I never found myself really invested in Hannah and Jack’s relationship. Though I cannot lie, the line about the Victorian child nightgown made me laugh out loud. I think this is a book that would’ve really benefited from a dual POV instead of just Hannah’s perspective.


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

✨Book Review✨
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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I started this book without the actual intention of reading the whole thing at this time, but once I started, I was hooked instantly. I really love Katherine Center and this book did not let me down.
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The premise sounded pretty cheesy and usually fake dating is a little too over the top for me, but this book was extremely subtle, and I really liked the relationship that Hannah and Jack had.
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The turn of events near the end of the book was a little weird for me, but still did not overshadow my enjoyment of the story. Definitely would recommend this one if you are a Katherine Center fan or if you like sweet PG romances.

This was an silly yet sweet beach read. The story is not totally original -- a woman is hired to be a body guard to a celebrity and of course opposites attract and this turns into a love story. The main character Hannah was not likeable at first - i found her quite annoying as she begged her boss to give her any other job than working with a celebrity client. She was whiny and it was over the top. As the story went on, you start to really root for her and love her despite her flaws. The love story goes from cliché to quite darling and you will find yourself hoping it works out for these two. I finished this one in two days, I was hooked. There are definitely some holes in the story and its not completely realistic, but it was perfect for a hot summery day. I would recommend for a fun rom-com. This would make a great movie!

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the advanced copy.

I looooove Katherine Center. I appreciate so much that she’s clean and I don’t have to worry about skipping scenes or stumbling upon something that makes me uncomfortable. Her stories are always filled with fun writing and lots of wit and banter and this one did not disappoint. It was really fun to have the main character be in a typical male role as a bodyguard- it gave the book a fun spin. Hannah’s insecurities are easy to identify with and really gives you a desire to route for her. Lots of fun characters and lots of giggling on my end. Cannot wait for another book from Katherine Center! Thank you @Netgalley and @stmartinspress for the arc. What a gift to be able to read this before it’s released!