Funny and life-affirming with just a touch of fictional magic. Lovely audiobook. That is all I have to say, thank you.

The Bodyguard was a pretty sweet romance. Jack and Hannah's relationship from bodyguard-principal to something more was fun to read about. Jack's character was a bit more fleshed out than Hannah's, in my opinion. I did like Jack's growth in regards to his brother's death. Overall, this was a nice read with no big surprises.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's for an opportunity to read The Bodyguard before its release date. All opinions are my own.

First off, I loved this book! I must not have read the description that carefully because I didn't realize the bodyguard was the female protagonist. I loved that twist on a traditonal rom com. This book made me cringe, laugh out loud and tear up at times. It was the perfect, quick summer read. I loved the characters - both good and bad. It had a very satisfying ending for all involved.

This was my first Katherine Center book but it won't be my last.

There isn't a single thing about this book that I did not enjoy. Center hits the sweets spot when it comes to having just the right amount of drama and tragedy to make the light and romantic moments shine even brighter. I particularly enjoyed how positive the whole thing is, even when dealing with horrible tragedies and tense situations, there's an airiness to things that is utterly enjoyable.
I loved the character of Hannah and how she interacts with the rest of the characters, which makes her total nonchalance about and eventual attraction to Hollywood hottie, Jack, feel as believable in a premise that reads like pure fantasizing.
An extra star goes out to Patti Murin for the expertly executed narration. She gives each moment the required gravitas or lightness needed, and I'm convinced that listening to her give life to the story contributed a great deal to my enjoyment of it.
Overall, it's a very fun read with lots of heart and great emotions that I enjoyed from beginning to end.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the entertaining early listen!

This is my first book by Katherine Center but I will definitely be looking into her other titles. I really enjoyed The Bodyguard. Such a fun twist on the female main character falling in love with her male bodyguard. I love to see a powerful woman. I thought the banter between the two main characters was perfect. I didn’t exactly love the first person narration but it wasn’t a deal breaker either.

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook sneak peek!

This book was so fun and heartwarming. I really enjoyed these characters and was sad to reach the end. The audiobook was fantastic and I will definitely recommend.

My second Katherine Center rom-com is a WOWZA, you guys!💞✨

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She may be small, but Hannah Brooks is a feisty bodyguard. Heartbroken (sort of) and losing her mother, Hannah wants to escape far away with assignments in London or Seoul. Instead, her boss assigned her to a Hollywood superstar, Jack Stapleton from a deranged stalker. She so does not want this gig. To top it off, Jack's mother is ill and he is visiting her at the ranch in Katy, Texas outside of Houston. So as not to alarm his mom that his life is in danger, Hannah has to pretend to be his girlfriend!

I know, I know... such cliche, but believe me, these two are adorable! There are so many laugh-out-loud moments. Their banters are fun, her job is interesting, and the secondary characters like her boss, coworkers, and Jack's family are so charming. My only small complaint is the last few chapters. I wish it ended just a little bit before. Yes, it's very predictable but would you really want a twist at the end? NOOO.

Fake dating, forbidden relationship (Hannah takes her job seriously), close proximity, and a clean romance. "The Bodyguard" no doubt will be a smashing hit!

I highly recommend the audiobook. Patti Murin's narration is phenomenal. Love her! 🎧💖

Hannah Brooks is a badass bodyguard who has just been hired to protect heart throb super star Jack Stapleton from
an obsessed fan.

Not wanting to alert his sick mother to this threat, Hannah poses as Jacks girlfriend.
You can imagine what goes down in this cute fake dating rom-com.

I thought the writing was light and fun and the banter between Jack and Hannah made me chuckle.
Definitely a story I will remember.

The Bodyguard is a really fun, heartwarming romance. This was my first time reading a Katherine Center novel, and it won’t be my last. Some plot points were a little cliche, but they were still well done and enjoyable.

I loved Hannah — she’s funny, honest, vulnerable, and a complete badass. Jack is adorable and sweet, and his family is perfectly quirky and hilarious. It was great watching Hannah become part of their family. I also loved watching Hannah and Jack fall in love and help each other deal with their trauma. I would have liked a little more connection between the two — more show rather than tell — but I still enjoyed it and would recommend it to other romance lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and MacMillan Audio for providing me with the audiobook. Patti Murin is an amazing narrator. She manages to make every book better.

I was really sad that I did not enjoy this book. I also had the audiobook version which may not have helped. Good tropes were all there, fake dating, just one bed, and so on and it felt like missed opportunities. It didn’t feel like it was a romance until 80% of the way through. I didn’t feel like Jack even liked Hannah until near the end and she doubted herself so much for someone who was supposed to be a confident bodyguard. I found Hannah very unlikable snd I LOVE unlikable characters, I just couldn’t warm up to her. I’ve heard many people loved this feel good romance though, so I’m sure I was just not the right audience for it this time around!

This audiobook was exactly what I wanted! The FMC is strong and lovable and. the MMC is exactly the kind of male main character every book needs. The narration was fabulous and the plot was unique and fun!

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center was such a fun romance novel! Hannah is a bodyguard hired to protect Jack Stapleton, the superstar actor because he has a stalker. I listened to the audiobook, and I could not stop listening! The narrator did a great job giving voice to these characters. I love Hannah and Jack so much! Everything Katherine Center writes is a must-read. Consider her an auto-buy author!

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio, for my gifted copies.

I loved this audio ARC so much that I immediately ordered a print copy. So so sweet and warm and lovely! I'd never read Center's other books and didn't know what to expect, and it really blew me away. Patti Murin's narration was excellent, and there was a great mix of rom-com, celebrity romance, romantic suspense vibes that flowed perfectly together. Easily one of my favorite books of the year!

Such a fun book. Jack Stapleton was the perfect famous actor leading man. Robbie was an ass. Lots of witty banter and funny bickering. I fell in love with Stapletons family. The premise was a bit unrealistic but that didn't bother me one bit!

The Bodyguard was a lovely book about two people, Hannah and Jack, both broken in their own ways, but coming together healed them both. Hannah is a bodyguard for a private company and Jack is a famous, yet reclusive, actor. When Jack needs to come home to Texas because his mother has cancer, his movie company hires Hannah and her colleagues to keep him safe. To keep his family from knowing he has protection with him, Jack asks Hannah to pretend to be his girlfriend. Thus starts the healing for them both.

Katherine Center has written a slow burn romance with a lot of heart. Beyond the corgis and stalkers, this story is truly about two people finding their person in strange circumstances. I loved how the author showed them growing closer and closer as friends and each of them challenging the other to live a little more. It was truly swoony to me and I could not stop listening to this story!

Even though Hannah is horribly hurt by a terrible upbringing and the awful dumping she gets at the hands of the boyfriend she thought she loved, working for Jack brings her the chance to be a part of a caring, loving family. I had tears in my eyes at several points as Hannah experienced love and acceptance from Jack's parents. Jack, suffering the loss of his baby brother, has secrets he is keeping from his family that lead them to be estranged. Being home forces him to admit things to his family that change their understanding of the horrible tragedy they experienced and healing takes place.

Hannah and Jack's first kiss, when it happens is glorious. I loved how all of the people who hurt them got to see two people who truly cared for one another. I loved this book and will listen to it again!

I liked that this was a flip on so many movies/books where famous women fall in love with their bodyguard. Hannah is a badass and her job was so interesting to learn about from a female perspective. It was nice that this particular project surrounding this book used a lot of the team so we can see what everyone does. Center gave a breakdown of everyone’s responsibilities early on which I think helped me understand the team dynamic.

While I thought we got a good bit of depth for the two leads, especially Jack, I do think some of the other characters felt very surface level. Robbie was just a jerk and nothing else. Also would have been nice to get a little more of Hannah’s relationship with Taylor in the beginning or toward the end.

Overall I liked this one and really enjoyed the listen. It was a fun read that kept me engaged and felt like a cute romcom with some thriller elements toward the end. I liked that we got to see Hannah in action. I would definitely recommend this one!

3.5 stars

I had read the physical arc before listening to the audiobook and I loved it even more! The narrator has a great sense of inflection and I fell in love with Hannah and Jack! The ups and downs were so amazing and the raw emotion parts are so well written. Highly recommend the audiobook!!

Hannah may not look like your typical bodyguard because she is 5'5, female, and looks more like a kindergarten teacher than a bodyguard. But, don't let that fool you, as Hannah could take you down with a pen.

When her coworker's boyfriend dumps her, Hannah wants more than anything to get a new assignment out of the country. But, of course, Hannah's boss assigns her to Jack Stapleton, who is being stalked. Jack is a Hollywood heartthrob who has been on hiatus since his younger brother died in a car accident.

Since Jack doesn't want his family to worry, especially his mother, who has health issues, he has Hannah pretend to be his new girlfriend, but things get complicated when feelings become real.

This book had me constantly giggling like a manic as I watched Hannah and Jack slowly fall in love. This read like a romantic comedy movie or even a hallmark movie. The love story between the two main characters had the perfect amount of build-up. It didn't feel like the main characters fell in love at first nor did it feel like it took forever for them to come together.

I really loved the supporting characters, especially the coworkers on the team. They all felt like they were part of a huge work family. More than anything I loved the father-daughter-like interactions that Hannah had with her boss. Jack's family, I adore okay I mostly adore his mother. You can tell how much she is the heart of the family and how much her boys love her. I also loved how the minute she found out that <spoiler>Hannah was lying about being in a relationship with Jack. She didn't care she just wanted Hannah to be a part of the family. </spoiler>

The ending of the book felt a bit silly and I felt like it take away from the plotline of the story. I really wish that it was either taken out or that it wasn't as silly. <spoiler> The real stalker giving up so easily seemed to be solved too fast for me. I wish that there was more to it. </spoiler>

I was able to listen to this book as an audiobook and I think the narrator did an amazing job! I didn't have issues listening to her voice, if anything I was brought right into the story.

Special thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the audiobook exchange for my honest thoughts.

Audiobook: the narrator was a great choice for this story. While Hannah is a serious character, the narrator adds fun to her personality. She fit the story and transitioned well into other characters when needed.

Storyline: I have been wanting to read a book from this author for a while and this was a great first book. The main character is relatable and I kept picturing her coworker, Kelly, as Kelly from the office. I liked the reverse role of the female being the body guard.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

My first read from Katherine Center, and I don’t know now why I’ve waited! I have a few of her books piling up in my library that will now be devour, quickly. This book was so utterly, unbelievably, left me shocked at how unique, brilliant and spectacular it was! I had no idea what I was missing out on here! She is one of the most talented authors I’ve read in ages!

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect with The Bodyguard, even with the blurb and reviews from other early readers - so I was very pleasantly surprised when I got into it and did not want to put it down! The storyline doesn’t sound completely unique until it gets going. Once you’ve gone a little ways in, it’s so far and away from anything else, you’ll be totally blown away! Yes, you have a few typical tropes popping in to visit, but they overlap and come and go - that it is completely it’s own thing, and the writing, the characters, the chemistry between everybody here (main characters, family, coworkers, just everyone), is so fresh and different, and all I can say is I can’t wait to re-read!

I 1000% recommended this book, especially the audiobook (a fave narrator!) to absolutely everyone! It has just about every trope in it, it’s brilliant, totally different, a little bit role-reversal, and you will love it no matter what you normally enjoy!

Audio - this book was narrated by one person for both characters, Patti Murin. She is a long-time favorite and always does a brilliant job. While I do prefer to have dual perspectives narrated by 2 voices, Patti did a beautiful job and I wasn’t bothered by it like I have been by other voices doing a solo job - the right narrator can make all the difference, and Patti usually is the right gal for a solo narrating job!

Overall, a spectacular 5+-star book (writing), a 5-star story and 5-star narration. Brilliant!

I received an advance audio copy from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, and this is my honest feedback.