Member Reviews
Another Katherine Center winner. When the world is getting too heavy, I love to lighten things up with lighter reads. This was just perfect for Spring.
The main characters, Hannah and Jack, are both likeable and well-developed. Their energy is so much fun. Serious backstories do exist, and these lend credibility to the characters in an otherwise preposterous setting. Strong secondary characters make this story even better. You will love Jack's family, And hate Hannah's friends. This would make a great Netflix miniseries!
The audiobook was very well done and enjoyable. I flew through it in a day. Highly recommend for those looking for a lighter, heartwarming read.
Fake dating a movie star with one bed? Perfect setup for a book! I thought it was a great blend of serious moments and romance, making for a decently realistic romance. While I wish there were a few more romancy moments, I really liked how the book kept me on my toes waiting to find out how they would get together. The writing was a little cliché at times, but it was a very enjoyable read, and I look forward to reading other Katherine Center books!
Thank you SO MUCH to St. Martins Press & Netgalley for this early copy of The Bodyguard by Katherine Center! This book is out on 07/19 AKA my BIRTHDAY and what a TREAT this is!
From the first page I knew Hannah Brooks was going to be one of my favorite characters of the year. I loved her inner dialogue, her humor, really just everything she was from the beginning. When Hannah gets assigned to protect movie star Jack Stapleton she is set on just doing her job and getting the hell out of there. Ahhh, but its never that easy is it? Hannah starts to realize the one thing she can't protect at all times...her heart.
This gave me all of my favorite things - forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine (but reversed), and the male hero being the one that sometimes needs the saving. Hannah and Jack together was pure gold. I couldn't get enough of them, his family, her coworkers (Glenn, I know you're lovable somewhere in there, but not Robby, never Robby). Even I was falling in love all over the place and didn't want this assignment to end.
The Bodyguard is a delight, funny, heartwarming romance with a little bit of excitement and whole lot of emotional character growth you will want to get lost in. I cannot recommend this enough!
My sister-in-law introduced me to Katherine Center a year ago and since then I have read and LOVED every book she’s written. The Bodyguard was everything I hoped it would be and more. I adored every page and wish it could have been 200+ more pages as I loved the characters and story.…it’s that good. It’s easy for me to fly through her books, but their impression on me lasts much longer. They always stick with me and make me think! I always love the Texas backdrop as well. Growing up in Katy, Texas made this book extra special to me!
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy!!
A female bodyguard fake dating a movie star with lots of banter?! YES! This was such a fun read! The MCs were both fabulous. Hannah was strong, independent, funny and so relatable! Jack was a movie star, but yet so relatable with his trauma and being realistic. I loved Jack's family and the security team! They added a lot to the story!
I will definitely be reading Center's backlist!
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press & MacMillan Audio for advanced copies in exchange for an honest review!
Super cute romcom. Sultry actor meets abashed bodyguard. Good Great characters and fun storyline. Very easy read!
Jack and Hannah!
These two definitely make you fall for them from the moment they meet. They struggle with family issues, fake dating, stalkers, lies, and more. But then totally make you laugh throughout all of it.
Adored this book 😍
Read this if you:
•like celebrity romances
•love a good down to earth MC
•want a unique take on what you think of “bodyguards”
•want to swoon
Katherine Center is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me. I couldn’t put this down. I was intrigued, I loved the banter, I swooned. That epilogue 👌
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
YES! if you’re wondering whether to read it, YES! The Bodyguard was seriously so amazing and had quite comedic! I love that Hannah is the bodyguard and of course FAKE DATINGGGG! Visualizing these two is quite hilarious and so cute! It’s fantastic, go read it!!
This was an utter delight, start to finish. A genuinely funny, sweet romcom. I LOVED how voice-y it was. Hannah is hilarious, and so real. Even though she's this strong, intelligent person, she's still a person, and as prone to making mistakes as the rest of us. I gotta go read all of Center's books because this was so fun, and such a breath of fresh air.
I LOVED this book SO much! 5 glowing stars!
She's got his back. He's got her heart. They've got a secret. What could possibly go wrong?
I loved everything about this story. The characters = amazing and well created. The Plot = fantastic. The emotional depth = perfection. The banter = hilarious. The tropes = enemies to lovers, forced proximity, AND fake dating - OUSTANDING! This book truly had everything I love about a book jam packed into one story. I laughed out loud so many times. I also got misty over here at other times. I savored every bit of this heartwarming and huggable story. Highly highly recommend!
I cannot wait to read more from this author - I have so many of her books on my shelf and it is time to start cracking them open!
Thank you so much St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced e-book copy in exchange for an honest review!
Run and grab your copy on July 19th, 2022!
Whoa! What a ride. It was very fast-paced. The writing style kept me hooked and I didn't find myself losing any interest. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and how real the story felt. The author did a great job painting the setting, so it was easy for me to visualize the scene played out before me. I recommend giving this one a chance!
Hannah Brooks is having a rough time. Her mom has passed away, her boyfriend dumped her and she's been assigned to a job that she's not even remotely excited about. Her job? She's a executive protection agent assigned to Jack Stapleton, Hollywood's hottest actor.
Jack is reclusive and is returning to Houston to help look after his mother who has cancer. He's had a stalker or two in his past and Hannah is tasked as posing as his girlfriend in order to keep him safe. This leads to many hilarious situations as well as some heartfelt sweet moments.
I loved the two main characters. Hannah is quirky and has some major baggage. Jack also has some baggage and he's not convinced that he's in any danger so this creates some more funny situations. I've never read Katherine Center before but I definitely will go back and read her other titles.
Rating: 4.25/5
Warnings: Difficult Family Dynamics, Death
Steam: 1/5
Tropes: Only One Bed, Forced Proximity, Fake Dating
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for access to this advanced copy. The Bodyguard will be released on July 19th.
This was my first Katherine Center book and I really enjoyed her writing style...can't wait to read another one of hers.
Things I loved: I loved the premise of a female “bodyguard”. The epilogue, I’m still thinking about it. I love how they took care of each other in other ways. Jack’s family, I loved the way his parents were together. The cows!
Things I didn’t care for: The ending was a little out there. Hannah’s ex…oh my god, I would have loved to physically close his mouth every time he opened it to say another stupid/mean thing. There could have been more explanation into Hannah’s past and why she was so closed off to love.
When ‘executive protection agent’ (aka bodyguard) Hannah Brooks gets hired to protect movie star Jack Stapleton from his corgi rearing, sweater knitting stalker, she doesn’t realize she’ll be undertaking the role of his fake girlfriend in order to keep his stalker a secret from his sick mother and the rest of his family.
The no nonsense agent finds it easy to protect Jack and his family, even easier to love them—especially Jack. As the lines and their ruse becomes more believable, her terrible ex gives her a misguided dose of reality and Hannah realizes the one thing she left vulnerable in this scenario—her heart.
The Bodyguard has so many of my favorite romance tropes—forced proximity, fake dating, grumpy/sunshine (but reversed!), PLUS it was great seeing a guy be the damsel-in-distress! Not only that, but the banter in this was hilarious. Jack and Hannah played off each other so well, and I loved their chemistry—it wasn’t as intense as I would have wanted it to be, but no real complaints. There’s plenty of character growth for both of our mains, and it was just an all around feel good romance that may or may not have had me tear up a time or two.
In short, this book made my heart happy.
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this early!
Let me start by saying, I enjoyed this book. So much so that it is the fastest I have read in a book in a while. I liked both main characters, especially Jack. I really liked the premise - a female “bodyguard” is hired to protect a movie star - and felt the forced proximity trope was well done. But I did not like the ending. It felt like the story was coming to its natural conclusion and then the author threw in this scene that almost ruined the book for me. Still give the book 3.5 stars (rounded to 4) and recommend the book for rom-com fans!
I adored this book. Great character development and well written. If you enjoy fake relationship trope, you will enjoy this one. My first from this author and I can say I’m a fan already. This is a fun romcom that you will enjoy it.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin Press for my ARC.
It's been so long since I've read a Katherine Center book and this one did not disappoint.
I love the premise of this book and that Hannah was the security protection for Jack. The whole fake relationship premise was great and I just love all the interactions between Hannah and Jake.
There was a good character development of both Hannah and Jake. I like that they bring out the best in each other. It's pretty sweet to read.
I guess I was hoping for more romantic relationship developing between them and there was a lack of it because of the whole pretending and faking aspect. The ending was also a little wild and then it sort of just ended abruptly.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was a quick read and I couldn't stop once I started. It was a sweet romance. I'm always a fan of books by this author.
Quick Summary: Hannah is a five-foot-five female Executive Protection Agent — also known as a bodyguard. In the same week, she lost her mom, got broken up with, and discovered that she’s now competing with her ex for a job placement in London. On top of all that, she also has to be the bodyguard of world-famous actor Jack Stapleton. He returned to Texas to help take care of his sick mother and also help out at his parent’s ranch. Hannah must protect him from corgi-breeding, middle-aged stalked. Not only does she has to protect him, but she also has to pretend to be his girlfriend, so his parent’s don’t find out about the stalker and bodyguard situation. Hannah has no problem protecting Jack, but protecting her freshly broken heart? That’s one of the hardest things she has to do.
Review: This delightful, feel-good rom-com was so fun to read! It’s a fast read filled with witty banter, swoony romance, and amazing characters. It even has the tropes of fake dating and forced proximity (two of my favorites). I loved Hannah’s character! She’s a strong, determined, and intelligent female lead, which I absolutely adore! Jack is so cute! He absolutely adores Hannah and admires her strength. The chemistry between the two was beautiful. I will note that this is definitely more of a feel-good romance and has no spice—just fade-to-black scenes. I definitely recommend this book when you’re in a swoony romance book!
What a quirky and fun romcom! The Bodyguard by Katherine Center had me chuckling many times throughout the book! I loved the main character, Hannah, who is a bodyguard. Her agency is hired to provide protection for a handsome movie star. I will let your imaginations take it from there! Although the plot is a bit unrealistic, the writing keeps you cheering Hannah on! It is such a great read!
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own.