This was definitely more 4.5 than 4 stars but unfortunately good reads doesn't allow half star ratings.

This rom com treasure was ADORABLE and the way that it was written was such a breath of fresh air. It was exactly the read that I needed to get over my book hangover.

Hannah is the not so obvious choice for a bodyguard, and she knows she's not supposed to get attached to her assignments. After a rough break up with her boyfriend and the death of her mother her assignment to protect the notorious bodyguard Jack Stapleton comes at what may be the worst time for her. If she wants London she has to do this so she ends up forced to stay with Jack out on his family ranch to protect him.

The sparks FLY in this one and the lines between real and pretend start to blur. And let me just stop here before I give too much away but good luck putting this gem down.

3.5 stars!!

"Every chance you take is a choice. A choice to decide who you are."

I thought this was such a cute story. It starts off a little heavy with Hannah mourning her mother and turns into a fast paced, laugh out loud story. I loved Hannah's role in the story and was immediately intrigued that the female lead is an executive protection agent aka bodyguard. Women empowerment!! With that being said, I didn't particularly like her. I thought she was very immature and unprofessional in a way. Some of the things she did was cringe worthy. I loved Jack and his family! I really loved getting to know them and seeing everything that they had been through. I feel like they were genuinely down to earth people. I've never really cared for reading about celebrities, even fictional ones, but I really enjoyed it. The ending really caught me off guard. The situation became surprisingly tense. The book did deal with things that may be triggering to some, but it was handled very well. I liked the writing style/storytelling, I just don't particularly like when the MC is talking in a way that makes it seem like they are talking/explaining to the reader. Overall, I thought this was a fun read. I've heard so many wonderful things about this author and so happy I got to experience it.

ADD, dyslexia, and dysgraphia respesentation

TW: death by drunk driving/drowning, stalking, attempting suicide, abuse

Fake dating ✔️
Forced proximity ✔️

Hannah is a bodyguard for the 1%. Celebrities, dignitaries, politicians. Hannah travels all over the world to protect the rich and famous. Fresh off a breakup she is given an assignment to work with heart throb actor Jack Stapleton who is back home in Texas to be with his ailing mother.

Katherine Center books feel like a warm hug. The writing is quick and witty. This is a closed door romance which I typically don’t prefer. (I like some steam) 🔥 BUT her writing is so good that you don’t really miss it.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC. This was a solid 3.5/5 for me. I didn’t rate it higher because there were parts where I felt I needed “more”. It’s mentioned several times that Hannah doesn’t have a close relationship with her mom, but why? I also didn’t care for the best friend/ex bf storyline. It seemed implausible that Hannah would date such a jerk to begin with. This story is far fetched but it was fun! It would make for a great rom com.

4.5 stars

Hannah Brooks may look like a kindergarten teacher, but she's a certified Executive Protection agent. In other words, she is a bodyguard and she can kill you with a wine bottle opener. Her new assignment? Protecting Hollywood superstar Jack Stapleton from a stalker. How? By pretending to be Jack's girlfriend while they stay with his family at their Texas ranch. Easy, right?

Okay, how is this my first Katherine Center book?! The Bodyguard was such a pleasant surprise!! I LOVED the writing style and I especially loved Hannah's voice as the narrator. She cracked me up as much as she made Jack laugh his butt off 😂😂😂 I love how Hannah is the only one who makes Jack laugh—this is one of my favourite niche tropes. Both Hannah and Jack are well-developed characters with rich backstories. Additionally, both Hannah and Jack have to deal with the death of a loved one and the author does a great job navigating this serious theme in a novel that is 99% romantic comedy.

I only have two complaints. Firstly, "mean" characters such as Robby and Kennedy had zero depth and were basically caricatures. They were not as fleshed out as the other supporting characters. They were designed to be the mean and shallow exes and they remained mean and shallow until the end. My last complaint has to do with the doll metaphor, which did not sit well with me. I know what the author was aiming for, but the wording of the metaphor made me uncomfortable. Aside from these two complaints, The Bodyguard was pretty much the perfect romantic comedy.

If you're looking for a rom-com that is written like an actual rom-com and has a lot of laugh out loud moments, then I highly recommend The Bodyguard! The romance is closed door with some brief kissing, but trust me—Katherine Center's writing is so good that steam is not even needed! I said what I said! Steam is not even required in this delightful book! I need Netflix to adapt this book ASAP!!

i loved the bodyguard so so much! truly it is a full 5 star read thank you so much to netgalley and st. martin’s press for the arc!! reading this book was like getting a warm hug in the best way, it was so healing for me to read personally based off of what the characters went through and overcame! i love jack and hannah so much oh my lord, the build of their romance is delightful! jack had my heart swoon and some of his lines genuinely made me laugh out loud! hannah is so strong and i truly related to her in such a deep way, watching her grow throughout the book was wonderful. center did a great job crafting their love story! she also created amazing characters i love jacks family! connie and doc were so wholesome and funny! hank grew on me, and as for hannahs office family: i love glenn! that man is hilarious and he makes a lot of smart choices! kelly and doghouse are hilarious and i love there storyline that is mixed in! this book pulled me out of my reading slump, and made me feel all warm and fuzzy! i loved loved loved the bodyguard and i cannot wait to purchase a physical copy when it comes out in july :)

Read almost all of Ms centers collections they never disappoint. The Bodyguard is another enjoyable read. I appreciate all the female characters she writes about as strong, self confident women who often doubt their ability to be…loved, adored, worthily, respected and bad asses!
Keep writing looking forward to the next journey.
PS- Love birdhouses!

This was a cute but verrrrryyyy sloooow burn closed door romance. (1/2 star for spice) Very entertaining and enjoyable read. The Bodyguard kept me smiling throughout and I would recommend to anyone wanting a light read. Book isn't available until July 19th but I'm glad I got the chance to read an e-book advance copy- thank you NetGalley and Katherine Center!

Maybe it's the fact that I haven't read a book in almost two months or maybe it's the fact that this novel has the power to completely attach the reader to it and make you yell of happiness.
What i know is not a single other main character have I loved as much as I love Hannah, and Jack. They attached themselves to me, and I was a goner. Please read this book if you want to feel relaxed, content, and if you want to believe love exists.

Katherine Center writes the perfect rom coms, always a compulsively readable mix of romance with drama thrown in. This is the perfect beach read, and is the best upcoming summer release I've read this year. I loved the bodyguard being the female character, and the storyline was a good twist on the "normal person falling for a celebrity" trope. Definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to netgalley & the publisher for this ARC. this does not influence my review.

I can see why people turn to Katherine Center for comfort. I devoured this book. I really loved the principal characters and completely rooted for them both, which is a surprise, because I don't usually enjoy actor principals.

It was funny, it made me ache, had just enough substance to leave me totally satisfied. I'm not sure if Katherine Center's style is always this way, which was a bit conversational--like the narrator was addressing an audience in a confessional, straightforward manner. While I found this amusing at times I admit that it also reminded me I was reading a book

I love a straightforward, no nonsense and frankly unintentionally hilarious heroine and the hero who adores her for it and this book gave me just that. I do recommend it-just know the narrative style might give you a hiccup or two in an otherwise lovely and adorable book.

My one other minor criticism is the lack of support outside the hero's life for the heroine. I just - she felt really alone - by design, by choice, and all that, and I am so glad there was some resolution in the end, but it made me sad.

I could not wait to get my hands on Katherine Center’s new book, The Bodyguard, so when I got the #NetGalley approval for an advanced copy, I was ecstatic! I also knew I had to wait until I could devote time to reading because I suspected that I wouldn’t be able to put it down. As with Things You Save in a Fire, Center’s writing in #TheBodyguard once again completely captured my attention and I was quickly hooked by the many-layered characters and storyline. I found Executive Protection Agent Hannah to be a very relatable character despite her elite and unusual job. I loved the way her mind worked & the book felt very authentic - Center definitely did her research! Jack Stapleton was a delight from their first introduction and I couldn’t get enough of their interactions throughout the book. Jack reminded me of a favorite book-boyfriend, too - has a very Jason/Jaxson Waters vibe to him and I LOVED that. The Unhoneymooners nod was a treat as well.

Don’t miss this compulsively good read - I will for sure be rereading it and can’t wait to see what Katherine Center does next! Thank you #NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press!

Katherine Center quickly established herself as an auto-read author for me. If she’s written something, I’m going to read it. And quite honestly, probably love it.

The Bodyguard was no exception. From the Texas setting, to the unique profession, to realistic backstories and humor that was light to balance out some heavier themes. Katherine Center wrote these characters so believably. Five stars from me!!

A HUGE thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Katherine Center for the eARC of this beautiful book. I’ll absolutely be buying it for my shelf!

The bodyguard and movie star romance was as expected, cute and sweet. It was a clean romance, which honestly I wasn't too fond of, and the author took time with details and building up the characters.

That being said, maybe too much time. I felt like it dragged offen, there was too much detail and not enough story.

Also, the last few chapters and the epilogue? Not for me. That took it doen a solid star.

A bodyguard and a handsome movie star forced into close proximity what could go wrong. This book was just as adorable as Katherine Center's other books I've read. The character development is spot on and amazing to see how their flaws and good aspects develop. This was a quick 2 sitting read.

Another fabulous Katherine Center creation. This is a clean romance between a movie star and a bodyguard. I loved that 5'6" Hannah is the bodyguard. Loved all of the characters in all of their complexity, and was in Hannah's corner from beginning to end. Such a fun storyline, yet there were some serious elements too that added meaningful depth to the story and the characters. Would love to see this made into a movie. Thank you, St. Martin's Press and #NetGalley for the ARC. I pre-ordered a hardcopy from my favorite Indie Bookstore: authorsnote.com

I was given this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First of all I finished this book in one sitting! I absolutely loved the characters…except “Bobby” but I loved that the author made me really hate him!

Secondly, this book made me laugh out loud and gasp out loud so many times! I was such a joy to read!

Thirdly…I love how much his family genuinely loves her and accepts her! ❤️

Very fun read and would definitely recommend!

I tried to like this one... really.

I started this without even reading about what it was, but with the hopes high. And I must say that through the first half of the book, I actually enjoyed it. I found it funny and cute and I was loving Jack so I thought that I would love it to the end. The thing is that I was wrong.

When I reached the 65% the book was in downhill for me, it just kept worse and cringey and stupid. It felt so harsh. Hannah was unlikable (maybe for me tho) but I felt like, since she was no longer an adolescent, well... she could be matured? She just felt like an unprofessional and silly girl and I actually hated that because I thought ‐think- she had the potencial since she was, you know, the bodyguard.

But the thing where I draw the line was that ending. Like what? I am not going to talk further about the book because I get that it is a romcom, and it is meant to be silly and all that, but it is one thing for a book to be funny and a completely different thing for a book to be just incoherent and stupid. That was it. That ending was too much for me -in all the bad ways possible- that I just wanted to read it fast so I could get rid of it.

I am highly disappointed, I really wanted a cute and funny read.


Also thanks to Netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review :)

Why is it so hard to see the best in ourselves? To think of ourselves as lovable? Those are questions that this book grapples with. This is a book that I didn’t want to put down, and yet I didn’t want to finish it either! It was a fun, easy read, yet was still thought provoking.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

She writes such well-developed characters in each of her books and her writing is outstanding. My reading experience of The Bodyguard was refreshing and a welcome change from typical romances. Throughout this book, I found Hannah and Jack to be both relatable and likable. The 'fake relationship' trope is usually not my cup of tea, but this time around I was sucked in. Its laugh-out-loud moments and entertaining plot made this book a breath of fresh air. While there were some serious moments, everything in The Bodyguard fit together perfectly.

Things aren't going well in Hannah's life. Her mother just passed away. Her boyfriend dumped her. And now her boss at the executive protection agency is giving her the worst assignment she could imagine. She'd rather escape to some dangerous location on assignment. Instead, she's stuck in her hometown, watching over a celebrity who has a stalker and definitely doesn't want those around him to know she's a bodyguard.

This book was extremely easy to read and i moved through it quickly. I found it was filled with parts that were quite comedic without trying too hard. Those pieces felt very much like natural parts of life. I also think the female bodyguard premise could make for an interesting tv show, especially with the light humor and good messages like this book had. I've had this author on my radar for a while, and I'm glad I finally picked up one of her books. I'll be reading more. Thank you Netgalley, St Martin's Press, and Katherine Center