What a sweeeeeet clean love story! Had the perfect degree of levity as well. The characters didn’t take themselves too serious allowing you to dive right into their lives and experiences. After reading I found myself wondering about them… that’s when you know you read a good book . It’s a quick and easy read for any age - young adults to older adults.

Loved, loved, loved it! This is one of the best blends of romance, humor and light suspense I've read in a long time. The audio book is outstanding as it brought these characters off the page and into my living room. Patti Murin excels in narrating this story.

Great writing and plotting with dimensional characters who came across as real . . . even movie star Jack. So many laugh out loud moments and great chemistry. I highly recommend this to everyone! I hope Katherine Center will consider writing more books in this lane as she's knocked this one out of the park.

This (audio)book was everything I expected… and then some!!

A woman is going first through family troubles, and then relationship issues. There is a new opportunity at work up for grabs, and it was more of a requirement than a choice for her.
She becomes the right hand man for a surprise celebrity and their relationship is a roller coaster from here on out… but is it a real relationship? You’ll have to read to find out!

The Bodyguard is definitely worth the read if you want to laugh, shed a tear, and say “HA!” towards one of the characters (you’ll know who I mean once you read it)!

Thank you to @netgalley and Katherine Center for the early audiobook version!

So fun! Loved this story and the fresh perspective it takes as the bodyguard. Would make for a great summer read!

The story follows Hannah Brooks who is bodyguard. She is hired to work for super famous beau Jack Stapleton due to a crazy stalker. When Jacks mom gets sick, Hannah travels with Jack to his parents house where Jack requests Hannah act like his girlfriend as to not worry his parents, and not have to explain why he has a bodyguard. The longer they pretend to date the more real it seems to Hannah.

This book was such a treat. I couldn’t put it down and loved every minute of it. There were so many unique things about this book and it felt completely different from all of the other romcoms I’ve read. I love how the fourth wall was broken, I think this might be the first novel I experienced that in, and I absolutely loved it. Center does a beautiful job at making you cry one page and laughing the next! I have no doubts that this book will end up being one of my favorites of 2022.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was amazing. She conveyed the emotions so well and her narrating was so lively and fun.

Laugh out loud funny. So glad I chose the audio book versus the print. What a delicious treat. Absolutely recommend this to everyone.

I received this audiobook free from Macmillan Audio and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for this opportunity!

All I can say is “Wow.” I absolutely loved this book. I’m pretty stingy with my 5⭐️ ratings, and I knew early on that this was going to be a winner.

I love every bit of this slow burn, the long awaited kiss was perfection.

I can’t wait to go get a physical copy because there were some amazing lines in there that really hit me right in the feels.

THE BANTER!! I loved this rom com so much! One of the best I’ve read in AWHILE specifically because of the banter! I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a fabulous job portraying these characters! Was it a bit predictable? Yeah. But was it totally predictable? Not at all! I was still completely enraptured and was definitely still surprised a few times! I really appreciated how the author handled grief in this story and I’m a sucker for a strong female MC in a male dominated position, kicking butt!

This book was sent to me by.Netgalley for review…audio copy…I read the book and preferred that…fantastic talented and gifted author…this is a cannot put down book. Likable characters…I would give it higher than a five…one of the best authors…I also reviewed the written copy…

I absolutely adored this book! This is the first title I have read by Katherine Center, and now I am ready to pick up her others. This book had such fun, sweet characters that sucked me in from the beginning. I highly recommend it!

*I also listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration.

Very pleasantly surprised by The Bodyguard. The premise is interesting and a nice twist on the status quo. Hannah is tasked with protecting an ultra famous movie star named Jack. Their chemistry is evident from the very beginning. Honestly, their interactions may be one of my Top Five favorites. This book is a great romantic book, especially for those who aren’t a hug fan of the genre (like myself) or those who are not interested in reading something that is extra spicy in the romance department.

A little romance, a little Hollywood, a little stalking - this book has it all. Full of twists and surprising, the story kept me on my toes and wanting more to the very end.

This was the first Katherine Center book I have read and chose this as an audiobook arc. Thanks to Macmillian Audio. While I enjoyed the dynamics between the mc and love interest, some of the relationships with side characters seemed a bit forced. I loved Jack's family, but the tension between Jack and his brother seemed overly harsh compared to the relationship between Jack and his parents. Aside from this, it was a pleasant read and I am looking forward to trying another. There is a (soft) suspense aspect to the story that appealed to my mystery-loving side, but was easy enough to follow that I didn't worry about missing any threads.

Overall, a pleasant read.

🤗 If you are looking for a warm hug of a book that makes you believe in all the good in the world this is the one you need. I am ashamed to say I never read this author before but after this one, I can’t wait to read allll her backlist. 

This book had everything: 

👩 Tough but sweet MC who can fully take care of herself 

🥰 Fun banter and flirting

👎 The worst ex-boyfriend ever (who was fun to hate)

✍️ Most excellently written

🎙 Narration was perfection 

💕 This is perfect for people that aren’t typically into rom coms because this one is different. Sure, it has the fake dating trope but this book just felt so much more special than the masses, because it had more depth, showing vulnerability and growth of the characters, both personally and towards each other. Overall just an extremely well-done story.

I really enjoyed this read! It’s perfect for summertime reading, light, fun and entertaining.
Hannah is basically a bodyguard assigned as the lead to protect Jack Stapleton, Hollywood star that has been in hiding for a few years. He is going home to Texas to see his Mom and has a stalker in the area. The shenanigans begin from there. The side characters are interesting, the supporting team of bodyguards. Lots of action and even some romance.
If you’ve enjoyed Katherine’s other works you will enjoy this one as well, she’s a great storyteller! The narrator was perfection!!

I thoroughly enjoyed The Bodyguard by Katherine Center, a charming fake-dating gender-swap novel. After hearing lots of early excitement about this title, I was grateful that Macmillan Audio shared an advanced listening copy of the audiobook expertly narrated by Patti Murin.

Plot summary: Petite Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protection Agent (a bodyguard) who's assigned to protect Jack Stapleton, a famous actor who stars in big-budget action movies. While his mom is undergoing cancer treatments, Jack comes home to the family ranch in Texas with Hannah and her team in tow. Jack doesn't want his parents to worry that he needs protection from a stalker, so Hannah agrees to be his fake girlfriend so she can be near him without raising suspicion. Hannah is the ultimate professional ... until she grows close to Jack and his family. Will her emotions jeopardize the career goals she's worked so hard to achieve?

Thoughts: I thought this novel was a great combination of humor, romance, and action. This was my first Katherine Center novel (I know!) - now I'm very eager to read her backlist titles that have been patiently waiting on my TBR shelves.

I especially appreciated the ending, although it wasn't particularly realistic. I'd love to celebrate Thanksgiving at the Stapleton ranch, complete with a shot of moonshine!

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!

This has been one of my most anticipated reads this year. I was very intrigued by the idea of a female bodyguard as a subversion of the classic Bodyguard Trope. I will definitely be checking out Center’s other books. The writing flowed so well and aspects were well-researched.

I loved how this book portrayed sexism in Hannah’s workplace and on Jack’s family's farm. The smile that grew on my face when she showed off her rifle skills after acting dim-witted. I wish we got more badass action moments to show off her skills. (Great final act, though! One of the best third-act dramas I've read.)

Hannah and Jack were great characters with a lot of depth and interesting backstories. Jack was a little shit at the start but I liked his banter with Hannah. They had a great relationship and I was rooting for them as they developed more. I loved the domestic farm moments and how they got to know each other better while still being snarky to one another.

“People who want to be famous think it’s the same thing as being loved. But it’s not. Strangers can only ever love a version of you. People loving you for your best qualities is not the same as people loving you despite your worst.” 💕

Hannah Brooks may look like a kindergarten teacher, but she can kill you with a ballpoint pen. Or a dinner napkin. The truth is she’s a bodyguard, and she’s just been hired to protect A-list actor Jack Stapleton. But Jack is dealing with some family issues and he doesn’t want them knowing he has a stalker…or a bodyguard. So Hannah finds herself pretending to be his girlfriend against her better judgement. What could possibly go wrong??

I am always skeptical when bookstagram overwhelmingly adores a book. It’s so much pressure and so much expectation. But this one did not disappoint!

Despite the premise being a little far fetched, this book was just so 𝒇𝒖𝒏! I loved the banter with Hannah and Jack and the ridiculousness of the corgi breeding stalker. Not a pit bull breeder? Doberman? Shepherd?? Nope. Corgi! And that says about all you need to know about this story. Fun!

The audio was fantastic and I am so glad I chose to listen to this one. I laughed out loud multiple times! This is a lighthearted, easy read/listen and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Usually enjoy Katherine Center's book, and this one is solid. It's a little more romancy/fluffy than some of her previous books, but it's fun and light. Excellent summer read/listen as it's not too complicated. Enjoyed this audiobook production.

Audiobook ARC via Goodreads, but the opinions are my own.

This was cute and light and overall, I enjoyed the listening experience. My only struggle was the characters. Their relationship wasn't believable. I just didn't believe they were falling in love as they had almost zero chemistry.