4.5 out of 5 stars

Every book I read by Katherine Center is better than the last one, and The Bodyguard is no exception.

We meet Hannah Brooks on what is one of the worst days of her life, and somehow things seem to spiral downhill even more. But while her personal life has hit rock bottom, she is vey confident in her skills as an Executive Protection Agent. Her boss, however, is currently not giving her any assignments until she can properly grieve the death of her mother.

That all changes when Jack Stapleton comes to town. He's a reclusive Hollywood heartthrob who returns home to Texas to be with his ailing mother. He's convinced he doesn't need a bodyguard, but the studio doesn't leave him a choice, and Hannah's boss thinks she the best woman for the job. Jack acquiesces, but only under the condition that Hannah pose as his girlfriend so that his family doesn't worry about his safety.

The dialogue in this book is absolutely amazing, and Hannah and Jack are both very well-defined, likable characters. Hannah is able to work through significant childhood trauma and grows tremendously as a person throughout the story. Jack has much more depth than Katherine ever dreamed, and she finds herself attracted to the real man, who is way better than the image Hollywood has created.

I appreciate how Katherine Center addresses hard truths, but somehow makes me laugh while doing so.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine Center's bold and brave characters never cease to enthrall me. She hits it out of the park again with the unlikely superstar and bodyguard combination. The Bodyguard was a quick, easy read which easily took me out of my world and into someone else's. I loved every minute.

Absolutely one of my favorites by Katherine center. It had it all, romance, action, intrigue! I was frustrated at the portrayal of the helpless, self deprecating, broken hearted woman at the beginning of the book but the character development was truly top notch, you won’t be disappointed!

I absolutely loved this feel-good book, and it's going to make a perfect vacation read.

This story should definitely be made into a romantic comedy.
The uniqueness of a female bodyguard alone would make it stand out, let alone the swoon worthiness of Jack.

Katherine is gifted in writing badass heroines. Have you read Things You Save in a Fire?
Bless Hannah's heart, though, she loses her Mom and gets dumped by her boyfriend within days of each other.

Katherine's characters are well developed and easily pictured, even the secondary ones. They have many layers and emotional flaws.

Being single for the first time in over 32 years, it was fun to slowly fall in love through the flirty witty banter, and I always love a fake dating trope.
I also fell in love with Jack's family and how Hannah became a part of it.

I'm so thankful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in advance.
I really needed to get lost in a story, and I didn't have the patience to wait until July 19th.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

Hannah is a professional bodyguard. Jack Stapleton, a movie star, is her new client. An accident that killed his brother caused Jack to essentially go into hiding for the past few years, but now he’s back in Houston as his mother is sick, and needs protection because he has a corgi-obsessed stalker. Jack doesn’t want his family to know he has a bodyguard while they are dealing with his mother’s treatment. So, they fake date.

This book was surprising and cute. Hannah is determined to keep her emotional distance from Jack, as he is her client, but this proves difficult considering the nature of this assignment and the unusual circumstances that require them to appear as though they’re dating. Hannah, after all, is used to blending into the background. Jack has some family tension, and his mother implores him, Hannah, and his brother to stay at the family house for thanksgiving, further complicating their arrangement. Hannah and Jack spend more time together and learn more about each other, but all the while Hannah reminds herself that Jack is an astounding actor and he doesn’t really like her.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book, and I feel like it took fake dating and gave it a new and fresh twist. There were outlandish parts of the book but nothing was entirely out of possibility. I really enjoyed the characters and their growth, including the side characters. I especially appreciated Jack’s family dynamics and eventual resolution. Overall this book was incredibly cute and unique, and I loved reading it.

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

Such a cute & fun read! Katherine Center’s books never disappoint, and this one was no different. Hannah Brooks looks just like a normal person, maybe you would assume she is a nice HR representative or a kindergarten teacher. You would never guess that she is a professional bodyguard, and a very good one at that.

She was put on leave following the death of her mother, and being the workaholic that she is, she was eager to return to work and leave behind her current life. Imagine her surprise when her boss assigns her to protect a superstar, Jack Stapleton, as he is coming into town to spend time with his family.

Christine is SO against this, as she wants to escape reality and run to Hong Kong or somewhere else very far away. She grudgingly accepts this assignment, as she is promised better assignments down the road.

As all romances go, Christine finds herself unsurprisingly attracted to him, but what is the most surprising is that he might seem a little into her? She can’t tell, but regardless it isn’t professional for her to have those feelings, so she squashes them down and gets back to work.

Such a cute book! I adored it. Even though you know so many of these scenarios are unrealistic, it’s so fun & refreshing to get lost in the book’s reality! I was so bummed when it was over.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

“Every chance you take is a choice.”

Hannah Brooks may not come off as your normal Bodyguard, but that is exactly what makes her better at her job – unsuspecting and can easily blend in. And in The Bodyguard, she has just been given the assignment to protect A-List Movie Heartthrob, Jack Stapleton . . . who, by the way, is a gorgeous and talented actor. Jack is home in Texas to help care for his ailing mother and has an unglued stalker with questionable motives. Hannah agrees to stay with Jack at his parent’s ranch and “pretends” to be his girlfriend so as not to create any more unnecessary stress for his mother. But as the days go on, it becomes harder to determine who is acting: what is real and what is fake?

It appears, that Hannah and Jack are both trying to escape, and in this sweet novel, they find what they are looking for in unexpected places. A love story at it’s finest, with classic prose that leaves you to stop and think about the importance of also loving yourself.

This was my first novel by Katherine Center and I am hooked! Her characters are well-developed, the storyline left me smiling, and her writing simply flowed. Delightful, funny, and yes – predictable – I absolutely loved this book and read it in two sittings. The only things I didn’t like . . . and I’m stretching here, is the frequent use of double negatives and I wish there was a tad more “steam/romance” added with the flirty banter.

This will be the “unputdownable” summer read of 2022! The Feel Good book for every beach bag!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own!

In a word- terrific! Katherine Center always delivers with her relatable characters, humor, poignant life lessons, and sweet romance. Her books are the perfect escape and this new book is no different. You’ll be cheering for Hannah and Jack both individually and together. Put it on your list for the perfect summer read!

Katherine Center does it again👏👏👏! Her books are always so well written and her characters are exceptionally developed. The Bodyguard certainly delivered and was a refreshing break from the thrillers I typically read. I found the main characters of this book, Hannah and Jack both likable and relatable. I’m not usually a fan of the ‘fake relationship’ trope but this time around I was sucked right in. This book was a breath of fresh air with its laugh out loud moments, and entertaining plot. There were serious moments as well, yet everything flowed together perfectly in The Bodyguard. Katherine Center’s writing is flawless. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

The Bodyguard
by Katherine Center
Pub Date: July 19, 2022
St. Martin's Press
Thanks to Katherine Center, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Katherine Center is “the reigning queen of comfort reads.” She's the New York Times bestselling author of eight books, including How to Walk Away, Things You Save in a Fire, and What You Wish For. Her summer 2022 book is The Bodyguard. The movie adaptation of her novel The Lost Husband (starring Josh Duhamel) hit #1 on Netflix, and her novel Happiness for Beginners is in production as a Netflix original movie (starring Ellie Kemper and Luke Grimes) right now. I have read all her books and find them to be very enjoyable!
This book is like a ray of sunshine. I can't tell you how many times I laughed or smiled. I love the role reversal with the female character being the bodyguard.
Great book!
5 stars

I loved this book. It was such a light fun, read with heart. I read it in literally 24 hours. The characters were great and I could not stop rooting for them.

This book is the exact reason why I love Katherine Center and her writing. Fun, heartwarming, romantic, sweet, and everything a novel needs to be great! I loved the fact that the lead character was a strong capable, and respected female. I loved how much this book made me laugh. Thank you netgalley for another opportunity to read and review a fantastic book. I can’t wait for her next one!

This story started off with sadness and quickly moved the funny. The dialogue was snappy and fun, the characters main and supporting had a lot of good one liners. But the overall feeling of the story was that is was very general, it did not dig deep enough into character development. There were some spelling errors and it would benefit from a second round of proofreading ( the doctor is referred to as a male doctor but then the words she said it used)

Hannah Brooks looks like she bakes cupcakes rather than being a bodyguard who could kill you.

Hannah is hired to be famous actor Jack Stapleton's bodyguard but they decide to act like they're dating so his family doesn't find out.

I always enjoy a closed door romance once in a while and it didn't disappoint. I love all of strong women that Katherine Center's writes about!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin Press for the ARC

This is a fantastic romance. I love that it took one of my favorite tropes (the bodyguard trope) and did it in a way you don't often see. The basic premise is that Hannah is an executive protection officer and she is hired to protect ultra-famous movie star, Jack when he comes out of hiding to care for his sick mom. The kicker is the fact that Hannah has to pretend to be Jack's girlfriend while also protecting him because Jack does not want to worry his mother about the fact that he needs a bodyguard.

Normally in the bodyguard books that I read, the bodyguard is always a guy. So it was refreshing to see the girl be the bodyguard. It changes the dynamic of the whole trope by switching the gender roles.

Other than that, this book is so fun to read and is incredibly funny. There were times when I was laughing out loud. Hannah and Jack have such witty banter.

There is also a very serious side to the story and I love when romance books also tackle serious issues like grief and guilt. It adds another layer to already phenomenal romances.

My favorite part of the whole book was the family dynamic. Jack's family is the aspect pushing the plot forward. The scenes with the family are some of the funniest but also some of the most heartbreaking. I had tears falling onto my kindle while reading.

I also thought that the narrative voice was very interesting. Hannah breaks the fourth wall in some instances and almost is addressing the reader directly. It added extra insight into what was going on and I genuinely don't think I've read another book where that happens.

And finally, the thing that I know is a huge factor when people are deciding what to read... there is no spice in this book. There are insinuations, but I wouldn't even call it fade to black. There was nothing to fade from. So whether you like spice in your romance books or you're looking for something with little to no spice, I thought this was important information to get out there.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the Arc. I can't wait to share specific quotes and scenes once the book is released.

Not my favorite Katherine Center book but still kept my attention enough that she will continue to be a must-read author for me. I get excited every time I see she has a new book out!

Hannah is a workaholic executive protection agent (aka a bodyguard) who is looking for a job to escape into after the death of her mother and being unceremoniously dumped by her coworker boyfriend.

However, she wasn’t expecting the job to be guarding big time actor Jack Stapleton from his corgi-breeding stalker. The slight wrinkle in the plan is that his family can’t know about the protection, so Hannah finds herself fake-dating Jack and staying with his family to disguise the true nature of their relationship. Before long, Hannah is starting to fall for Jack’s family and Jack himself. But it’s all pretend, right?

This was CUTE. I read a lot of romances and this was an angle I hadn’t seen before! Fake dating is one of my favourite tropes and this one did not disappoint. Jack had my heart from the beginning with his obvious affection for Hannah and his family. It took me longer to warm up to Hannah as she initially presents quite closed off but as we get to know her past and she lets her guard down she definitely grew on me!

I found the ending of the book a bit bizarre- I won’t say too much to avoid spoilers but it felt a bit random and rushed to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reading copy!

Yes! This could possibly be my most favorite Katharine Center book of all time.
For every woman that has been dumped and has questioned their self worth- thank you.

Hannah Brooks is an executive protector. Don’t confuse this with a bodyguard. Her petite size will fool you. She can flip you over your shoulder and pin you down in mere seconds …and that’s exactly what she does to movie star Jack Stapleton at their first meet.

Hannah is fresh off her mothers death, losing her boyfriend and in competition for the job location of her life in London. Being assigned to this hunk was not in the cards.

But his family are so down to earth, friendly and just what she needs to heal.

I couldn’t get enough of this work assignment turned love story- the kind that hits everyone right when they least expect it. Melts my heart.

(3.5/5) This book was a fun read and perfect for the bachelorette weekend I was on this past weekend. Easy to read and somewhat predictable, this book was more rom-COM than ROM-com (honestly you could classify this more as romance-adjacent than romance). I enjoyed the role-reversal aspect of it, and of course the fake-dating trope. The characters are endearing and it's easy to get caught up in their story. However parts of the book felt exaggerated, perhaps almost cartoonish? Overall a fun read but not one that I would say is top of my "must read" list.