Okay I wanted to like this book more than I did.

It started off a little bit slow for me, then it got much better, then it kind of tanked off. The resolve was quick and just felt…not organic. There was a lot of “time passing” without actual content. Their relationship built in this time, but the reader doesn’t see much of it.

The narrator for the audiobook was good, so that part is fine if you’re listening to it.

The story just felt a little bit ridiculous and e writing style was not for me. 3.5 stars but rounded to 4 because I think some people would enjoy this.

Thank you to #NetGalley for giving me a free copy of the audio version of this book in exchange for a fair review.

My Interest

This sounded fun and a little Stephanie Plum-ish so I requested it. Happily, I was right.

The Story

Hannah Brooks works as what is usually called a bodyguard (executive protection agent). Jack Stapleton is a Hollywood mega-star--the object of many fantasies for his rugged good looks and his role in blockbusters like The Destroyer. When Jack's mother is diagnosed with cancer he goes home to Texas to be with her and, you guessed it, Hannah is assigned to be his bodyguard. When visiting with his family they must fake a dating relationship to keep from worrying his mom about him needing security. 

Meanwhile, a Hollywood bombshell with a personality similar to that one royal's American wife, whose surgically enhanced looks are called "weaponized beauty," is known to be Jack's girlfriend. And then there's the Corgi breeder-stalker. Yeah, who'd have thought someone who loves adorable Corgis would be a stalker? 

But after the first few days are Hannah and Jack faking it or are they really falling for each other?

My Thoughts
This is a fun, clean book. No "ick" anywhere! I think it has what they call a "trope"--right? Faking a relationship is a "trope, right?" Cool. There is nothing to dislike in this book though I thought the ending and epilogue could have been a tad less preachy in tone and a little shorter but it isn't really a big deal because it wasn't political preaching. I loved Hannah and Jack and adored Jack's parents. I really, really liked Clipper. But Bobby (he prefers Robby)--keep him, ok? This is the perfect beach or pool rom-com for Summer 2022.

3.5
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center releases on July 19, but is available for pre-order.
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This was a fun, quick read. I enjoyed the characters and fun twist on some Romance tropes. While I would have like to see Hannah have more spotlight moments as an actual bodyguard and show off her skills, it was still entertaining and to see her development.

The narration was great and did a wonderful job of interpreting the characters and giving each one their own personality.

MANY THOUGHTS! Okay, I am giving this a 3.5 but rounding down to 3 because I did not love the writing style of this book. It was easy to read, which I did love, but felt repetitive at times and I just did not like how Hannah spoke to the audience. A lot of the plot felt as though it wasn’t planned out very well because I was confused as to why they felt they needed to do a number of things in this story. HOWEVER, this was a very fun read that covered all the fun romance tropes and gave us the beauty of the bodyguard trope but REVERSED! There were many times that I laughed out loud during this, and I overall enjoyed my time reading it. Overall enjoyability is probably a 4 or 4.5, but the original things I mentioned are what brought it down for me. I still definitely recommend for a quick, by-the-pool read.

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @Netgalley for the opportunity to review The Bodyguard by @KatherineCenter that comes out July 19, 2022. This is the perfect book for a summer read. It is funny and lighthearted and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can see Sandra Bullock and Matthew McConaughey starring in this romantic comedy.

Hannah Brooks, the main character, made this book for me. Although she is suppose to be the hard ass bodyguard. She is not. She tries to be strong and detached but her whole life is a mess and she is struggling to hold it together. She has a big heart and is still just an ordinary person. The movie star Jack Stapleton is another great character as well. Even though he has this glamorous reputation, his life is complicated and messy. What I liked about him was his kindness. No matter what situation he found himself in, he treated others with kindness.

I have read several of Katherine’s books and this is one of my favorites. I decided to give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars because it made me laugh and just feel good as I read it. Katherine Center is another author that I want to read all her books.

Man oh man. Boy oh boy.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!! Y’all!! It was SOOOO GOOD!! Hilarious, swoony, angsty, and everything in between!!

Read if you enjoy: fake-dating tropes, celebrity romances, cinnamon roll heroes, baddie female heroines (in the best way), satisfying revenge plot lines.

Synopsis:

Hannah Brooks wants to escape. She works for a private security company as a bodyguard, her 5’4” frame helping her seem very innocuous. Carrying a ton of emotional baggage, Hannah desires to be relocated to one of her company’s stations outside of the U.S. Her boss says she can be relocated anywhere, but there’s a catch. She must be the bodyguard for none other than Hollywood’s latest hot-shot, “Jack Stapleton.” Easier said than done. How can you avoid falling in love with a larger-than-life cinematic deity while also having to protect him 24/7?? Read to find out!!

Review:

Jack and Hannah were the absolute most HILARIOUS couple I’ve read in a long time! This was my first Katherine Center book and I had no idea she was so amazing at writing comedy and angst!!! This was such a beautiful novel displaying two humans who truly complete one another. I loved every moment…. And laughed at every moment…. Particularly scenes involving cows & horses LOL!

I had an unadulterated smile plastered to my face the whole time I listened to this book. Definitely a top read of the year!!! I loved getting an in-depth look at the life of a bodyguard and all the training and thought processes that the job entails. Plus, getting to swoon over an A-list actor was pretty okay too :)

This is a closed-door romance with mild language used throughout and a few f-bombs sprinkled in that fit the given contexts.

Trigger Warning: book contains a hostage situation with threats of attempting suicide (not graphic).

Loved this book!
This was a fun rom-com with character's who have a lot of chemistry. I loved the strength and independence of Hannah and loved that Jake was about to appreciate having a woman who was a bodyguard. I really loved the ending of the book and thought it wrapped up well. Their relationship just gave me warm fuzzies. This was hands down my favorite Katherine Center book!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Super cute. I have not read much by this author, but I enjoyed this cute little romance story. Lighthearted and a quick read.

I really enjoyed this book! First of all I like that the author didn't go with the obvious male bodyguard protecting a female actress. Making Hannah the executive protective agent (aka bodyguard) was great. I think that the story also just made sense. I could definitely believe that a famous actor wouldn't want to advertise that they had a protective agent for their safety.

I liked the characters and the plot, and I could definitely see this working as a rom-com movie. I would be surprised if someone hasn't already gobbled up the rights to make it into a film. I bet this one will be on Netflix in a few years!

There were a couple of times when I thought the story was over and I checked and I still had an hour and half left in the audiobook, and kept wondering what could possibly happen next. I love that it kept me guessing and therefore involved in the story until the very end. So much fun I'll be thinking of this one for a while.

Love this Katherine Center RomCom! I didn’t read the summary before starting this novel and was pleasantly surprised the female main character was the bodyguard….no princess in distress here! The banter between the two main characters was genuine and authentically funny. I’d love to see this book turned into a movie and highly recommend it to everyone!

Note: I received this ARC from Macmillan Audio in return for an honest review.
Review date: 7/10/22

Ah, there is something about the way Katherine Center writes characters and dialogue. I loved Hannah. She is a woman breaking into the stereotype of a man’s job. She is a tough, albeit little, woman who knows how to handle herself and Jack. Jack was a character I loved right away because you could tell there was so much heart under the hurt. Jack’s brother, on the other hand… I would have loved to see Hannah demonstrate her takedown on him!

Woven through the protection storyline, Hannah was dealing with her own discovery of self worth. It was a joy to watch her grow and evolve. Jack also had his own backstory and trauma to deal with. I loved the way the storylines all merged together. The Bodyguard was yet another amazing book from Katherine Center!

Patti Murin's narration was perfect for the characters!

My first book by this author, won’t be my last! Absolutely delightful as a n audio. Loved this story - original and wonderful.

Katherine Center’s The Bodyguard was utterly fabulous. I loved how she took the bodyguard trope but flipped it on its head. Our 5 foot 5 inch heroine can lay out a grown man in one smooth motion, fire from the hip and hit every target, and face any foe—except cows. Cows are scary. She is a genuine Executive Protection Agent, aka a bodyguard, and she loves her job.

Reeling from the one-two punch that was the death of her mother and being dumped by her boyfriend, Hannah finds herself kicked off the overseas job she was excited about and told to take time for herself. When she does return to work, she finds herself babysitting a gorgeous, enigmatic Hollywood superstar, Jack Stapleton, whose biggest threat is his sweater-knitting, corgi-breeding stalker who wants to have his babies. He’s in town to support his mother through her cancer treatments, and the only way he’ll accept protection is if his mom doesn’t know he needs protecting. This is how Hannah suddenly finds herself pretending to be the reclusive A-List actor’s girlfriend.

This forced proximity fake dating rom-com was exactly what I needed this week. It’s sugar and sunshine, with enough serious notes to keep it from feeing unbalanced and syrupy. I loved Hannah and Jack as a couple, and I seriously loved Jack’s mom. Talk about a sweetheart.

The audiobook was SUPERB. The narrator, Patty Murin, does an excellent job, voicing an entire cast of characters. Honestly, The Bodyguard is wonderfully suited for the audiobook medium. It’s like a movie for your ears.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for my advance audiobook copy.

Book Review

Title: The Bodyguard
Author: Katherine Center
Pub Date: July 19, 2022

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Katherine Center is an auto-buy author for me. When I found out she had a new book coming out, I immediately requested it on Netgalley and hoped that I would receive it! I was lucky enough to receive the audiobook as well. I was so happy that I was able to pair the 2 as I was reading.

What I loved:
* Center did an amazing job making Hannah relatable. After the sadness she experienced, I wanted her to be successful. I wanted her to go to London. I wanted her to find someone who cared about her.
* I loved the banter between Jack and Hannah.
* The sub-characters were just as well developed as the main characters in the story.
* This was the perfect rom-com, feel good book.

I finished this book in 24 hours! I loved it soo much. It might even be my favorite read this year. This book reminded me of a Sandra Bullock rom-com from back in the day.

This book was an absolute tonic. What a treat. I will absolutely be reading more from this author. Five stars.

Once again, Katherine Center has constructed a fun, exciting rom-com that doesn't disappoint. The audiobook version of this story was well-read, and an enjoyable listen. The Bodyguard was a refreshing switch where a woman was the bodyguard to a man, which led to some very hilarious scenarios. I liked that Center identified the stereotypical responses of underestimating a woman as a skilled bodyguard. She demonstrated that women are extremely capable. While I knew how this story would turn out, it was still an entertaining read.

I adore this story! Fake dating, forced proximity, movie star/normal human, etc. So many of my favorite tropes all rolled into one fantastic story! I loved the meet cute! I loved the moment they both realized they weren't pretending! I loved pretty much everything about this book! Katherine Center sure knows how to write an unputdownable book!

The narration was fantastic as well!

This, folks, is what I'm talking about! If the modern version of the romance genre is going to encompass pretty much every work of fiction including a romantic relationship, this is what I want it to look like [though I will likely never get over how ridiculous that is]. There is no hate-to-love trope, falling into bed within the first 30 minutes of knowing each other, or extreme immaturity. Hannah does try to keep from believing that either her or Jack's feelings are real because they're both playing roles for his safety and her work ethic (and she's trying to protect herself), but it's not totally obnoxious.

Besides the absence of the above-mentioned offensive items, I enjoyed The Bodyguard because of these positive inclusions: humor; a strong, independent, skillful female protagonist (yes, Hannah has some insecurities—she's human); Jack's warm family (for the most part); and acknowledgment of the importance of event-suitable footwear.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review. Publication is expected July 19.

I do like the gender swap trope in this and I felt this was a very light version of a romance that could have been much steamier and darker. There is a huge piece missing - Hannah doesn’t properly grieve her mother’s death and instead the plot just gets wound up in the romcom aspect, but I felt that her grief should have played a more prominent role in this.

I listened to the audio. Patti Murin was the perfect narrator for this book. She made me smile and laugh as I was cleaning the house and packing for a long trip.

The book was well written, and the characters were believable. Being a romcom, you know how it is going to end. The enjoyment comes from getting there, and there was a lot to enjoy in this book. There were unexpected turns and serious messages sprinkled throughout the story, too.

I confess that I have never read a romcom before. Will I read another? If Katherine Center writes it, the answer is YES!

Thank you, Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced audio of this book.