The main character, Hannah, is a personal protection agent (bodyguard) who's struggling with the loss of her mother, boyfriend, and best friend, all at once. She's outraged to learn her next assignment is to guard an outrageously attractive A-list actor named Jack who insists she pose as his girlfriend

I really liked Hannah and Jack who had great chemistry--much of their dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny. They also have many poignant moments when they reveal their vulnerabilities to each other. There were many well-rounded secondary characters who really contributed to the book. Jack's family was almost too good to be true, and Hannah's work colleagues were funny and snarky in a totally believable way.

The narrator did a great job.

I absolutely adored this book! It may have gotten 5 stars instead of 4 because of location. Having grown up on the Brazos, I loved hearing about it in this book.

What makes this story really well written is that it is as if Hannah is telling us the story, but somehow we are still in the "now", which is really hard to be done well. Bravo Katherine for doing such a great job!

These were some of my favorite characters, even Glenn and Wilbur! Hannah has a tough exterior, but she is clearly really struggling on the inside with who she is and her feelings of being unloved. However, she doesn't portray the "woe is me" story. Instead, she seems tough as nails. That is, until Jack convinces her to open up. She realizes that she can be loved, which means that she can now accept being loved.
Jack is lovable because of how much he encourages Hannah to come out of her shell and I love that about him! I adored him from when he referred to her as "my Hannah".

The plot was different than your typical rom coms. It was fake dating, but for a reason I have yet to see! It wasn't littered with a bunch of irrelevant spice scenes or cheesy lines. The angst of "does he love me" doesn't last a really long time. Most of all, I love that it isn't this big blunder of miscommunication that most rom coms are.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center is an easy, light read. I found myself laughing, gasping and towards the end there were two times my heart dropped. It is definitely a book I will recommend and I can't wait to read her other books! That is how I know it is a 5 star read!

Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protection Agent also known as a "bodyguard". Hannah is going through a rough patch in life right now with her mother's death and a nasty break up with a co-worker. Her boss thinks she needs a break so he takes her off the next assignment and leaves her stuck in Texas. She's determined to prove herself when she is hired as a bodyguard for the famous Jack Stapleton. Her assignment is to keep him safe from his crazy corgi breeder stalker.

When she arrives on assignment, Jack does not want a bodyguard. After Hannah shows him a few of her moves she proves to him that she can protect him. He agrees only if she will pretend to be his girlfriends rather than a bodyguard when she meets the family.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center was a cute rom-com between the two characters. I wish there had been more action! Hannah is described as looking like a kindergarten teacher and I wish we could have seen her be more of a bada** bodyguard!

Overall I thought this was a fine story, Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher I was allowed access to an early recording of this audiobook. The narrator did a good job bringing the characters to life and it kept me wanting to continue with this story. I am not sure I would have finished the story if I was reading it physically.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this title. All opinions are my own.

4.5🌟 This was Miss Congeniality meets The Proposal, and I absolutely loved it!

This was so dang cute and had me laughing and smiling the whole time!

The fake dating, forced proximity, swoon worthy moments, feel-good rom com balanced with deeper and emotional moments made this such an enjoyable read!

It initially took me a little bit to get into it, but once I did I absolutely loved!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC & ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review! ✨

4.5/5⭐️
Pub day 7-19-2022

Are you looking for a sweet and heartwarming story this summer? Look no further! This book is full of wonderfully kind and very real characters that you can’t help but love.

There are big moments of honesty and humanity that made this more meaningful. I loved that it felt a little reminiscent to The Bodyguard movie, starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, which was a favorite of mine in my youth!

I read Center’s book Things You Save in a Fire and thought that was super cute as well. I enjoyed this one just a bit more but you can’t go wrong with either. This is definitely a great one to add to your summer reads!

I did a combo of audio and digital and thought the audio was done very well. There are a lot of characters for one narrator to give voice to, but Patti Murin did a great job. If you struggle with one narrator having to juggle multiple voices then stick to the written copies and you’ll really enjoy this!

Thank you @Netgalley and @macmillanaudio for the alc & @Stmartinspress for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this book. Seriously, I did not want it to end. I loved the characters, the storyline, and the drama. It was just a fun summer read! I laughed, cried and wanted the characters to be my friends! In my opinion, a perfectly well done romcom!

Hannah is a bodyguard, despite looking more like a Kindergarten teacher. Her newest assignment is Jack Stapleton, America’s most attractive man and superstar. Hannah finds herself living at Jack’s parents’ ranch pretending to be his girlfriend. Will Hannah’s heart survive? Is the relationship that they build real or is Jack just pretending?

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy!

Woah! So many of the tropes I love were in this book: fake dating, forced proximity, and the grump/sunshine trope! Grump/sunshine was presented in a way I have not seen before— She was the grump and he was the sunshine! I also enjoyed the fourth wall breaks as that is not something typically found in a romance!

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this. It was laugh out loud funny with some serious heart (yes, I became teary eyed twice!). I do not have any constructive notes about the book itself. It was nearly perfect!

4.5 stars/ 5 stars

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Finally an author and character with the same love for nightgowns!!!

This book is extremely cute while somehow also remaining bad ass that only Hannah could pull off. Hannah’s thoughts, comments, and scenes with Jack had me giggling and rooting for her the whole way while also relating to her feelings about herself and her toxic ex Robbie. I LOVED to hate Robbie and his ridiculous excuses.

My only complaint was wishing we would have got two different stories from Hannah than the same one she told to connect to Wilbur AND Jack. Obviously I get it, it’s the worst night of her life but if her mom did that, there’s other stories.

Patti Murin absolutely crushed the narration on this audiobook. I had rated it four stars, but bumped it up to 4.5 for that alone.

Katherine Center is known for heavier, soulful contemporary romance - but she added a levity to her writing this time around that was super refreshing. While I love her writing style, this was the perfect vacation listen/read. I switched back and forth between audio and a physical copy so.I could inhale this.

A gender-swapped bodyguard romantic comedy I didn't know I needed! You need it, too. Hannah has just been dumped.by her boyfriend for none other than her best friend -- the night after her mother's funeral. Adding insult to injury she is forced to take a vacation when all she wants to do is hide away and lose.herawlf in work. So, when she is finally cleared to return - she gets assigned to.the Sexiest Man Alive. And he is also hell bent on annoying Hannah. Will.his stalker get him - or will Hannah??

TW: death of a parent, tragedy, stalkers

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center is about a young woman named Hannah who works as a bodyguard for a company. She then goes through some hardships in her life with her mom passing and a breakup with her coworker boyfriend. After this, to distract herself, her boss puts her on a new mission. For this mission, she is assigned to protect a man named Jack Stapleton who is a famous and well known actor who also has someone after him. However, Jack does not want his family to know that he had a bodyguard so he asks Hannah to pretend to be his girlfriend instead. As time passes and Jack and Hannah fake their relationship they both begin to catch real feelings for one another.
This story was such a joy to listen to. Both of the main characters, Jack and Hannah, had so much baggage in their lives. They both were burying all of their fears and secrets deep down instead of talking to anybody about them. But once they opened up to one another they were able to help each other out and be a light in each other’s lives. Even though there were hard things happening to both of the characters, this was still such a lighthearted read. I loved how their romance was so sweet and pure rather than “spicy” like many other rom coms. Their relationship was so genuine. I greatly enjoyed all of the fake dating and the female bodyguard aspect of this book.

Jack and Hannah were great main characters in the book. Jack is a movie star, and Hannah is hired to be his bodyguard. He wants her to pretend to be his girlfriend when he is back home visiting his sick mom. I loved meeting Jack's family and the banter they had back and forth. Jack and Hannah are both dealing with personal things which ends up bringing them closer together. The book was well written by Katherine Center and a fun romcom to listen to. I enjoyed listening to the narrator, Patti Murin.

Special thanks to NetGallery, St. Martin's Press, and MacMillan Audio for the ARC of the audiobook.

An audio ARC of a BOTM pick?! Yes please! I was beyond thrilled to be granted an audio copy of this from NetGalley. It had to wait its turn, and while it was waiting BOTM released their July picks - and I had to pick up a physical copy of this too! I’m so glad I did!

This book is completely adorable. It’s mostly light, it’s a quick read and the narrator knocked it out of the park.

Once I started this one, I didn’t want to stop. I had to because life, but I found myself thinking about it while I was doing other things.

I’ve read other books from this author, but I found this one more enjoyable because it is lighter in my opinion. This is definitely one I could see myself re-reading in the future!

With her life in a bit of tailspin (her mother's just died, her boyfriend's broken up with her, and her boss takes her off a job), Hannah can't imagine what's next, especially because it involves pretending to be the girlfriend of a superstar actor. Not a typical gig for the executive protection agent (a.k.a. bodyguard), but possibly the only way to get back into her boss's good graces and secure a coveted position starting up a new branch of the company in London.

A classic "fake relationship" romance trope made fresh with the leads gender reversal (Hannah the hero and Jack in distress) and character development that brings the narrative to life. Patti Murin does a good job of conveying the story through her narration with nice pacing, although there were times when her character voices got a little muddled and it was sometimes hard to tell exactly who was speaking.

Hannah is a bodyguard who is disappointed to learn that her next assignment will be in her home state of Texas, rather than somewhere more exciting. She will be protecting Jack Stapleton, a famous actor, while he visits his family's ranch. Jack is adamant that they spare his family from worrying by hiding who Hannah really is, so he insists that she presents herself to his family as his girlfriend for their stay. She is reluctant to go along with the deception, but will always do what she must for the job.

I loved this one and thought it was fantastic on audio. Fake dating is not usually my trope of choice but I loved the twist on this one and that Hannah was a badass bodyguard. I loved the dual POVs and thought it was so well done, so much so that I flew through this one in a day. It is the absolute perfect summer read! Thank you so much Macmillan Audio for this audiobook!

I listened to this audiobook three times in a row, not in hopes of understanding it better but for the sheer pleasure of it. Hannah, a bodyguard who could easily be mistaken for a kindergarten teacher, and Jack, the film superstar who’d retreated from the world after his brother’s death two years ago, meet when Jack comes home to his family ranch when his mom gets sick and Jack’s studio hires Hannah’s company to protect him from a stalker. Hannah poses as Jack’s girlfriend so that his family doesn’t learn about his little security problem. While Hannah is comfortable as an Executive Protection Agent, she’s out of her depth amidst Jack’s warm family and her increasing attachment to Jack, who may or may not be acting his own feelings to maintain their cover story. What’s a bodyguard to do?

The audiobook version of “The Bodyguard” is sheer, upbeat pleasure. Ms. Center’s casual tone as a writer makes falling into the story easy – who doesn’t know who Jack is? – and her character’s challenges are well balanced humorous situations. Ms. Murin’s voice and cadence are smooth and easy to listen to, portraying the various characters without over-exaggerated accents while still clearly portraying each as individuals. Read it – you’ll be happy you did. 10 out of 10

Sometimes, nothing can make you smile like a good romcom. The Bodyguard is certainly better than that, it makes you laugh, tear up and cheer for the good guy and gal. And more so, it's just fun and entertaining.

This review is for the audio book, narrated by Patti Murin and produced by MacMillan Audio. Murin gives an excellent performance as Hannah Brooks in this single POV book. What I truly enjoyed was Murin did not go wild voicing the other characters. She was consistent with each character. That matters so as not to pull you out of the story, wondering who was speaking. The sound quality was excellent, no little whirs or clicking in the background.

The story itself is classic Katherine Center. It's your classic comfort read, a love story filled with some tears, and lots of laughs, with a side of self reflection. She stakes her flag on the fact that our past does not have to dictate our future. It works. And one thing I always love is an epilogue that ties it all up and gives us a peek into the future, and Center gives us exactly that. It left me with a smile, my benchmark for a summer read.

This is the perfect summer read/listen. I thoroughly enjoyed it. My thanks to Katherine Center, MacMillan Audio, and NetGalley for an advance copy of the audiobook.

While I've had plans to read Katherine Center for years, The Bodyguard was the first one I've read. I wasn't sure about the writing style when I first started (1st person, a little flippant), but it really grew on me. I thought both main characters were well-developed and both showed growth by the end of the book. I'll definitely read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the e-audio galley.

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy to review. I enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook, as Patti Murin’s voice definitely fit the character of Hannah. The book was a fun rom com. Typical celebrity meets non-celebrity, celebrity falls in love despite saying some not kind things. People in this story were overall not kind to Hannah, except Jack’s family, who were lovely. I didn’t like Hannah’s coworkers or Jack’s “friends.” But overall I enjoyed the storyline.

Hannah Brooks just lost her mother and now her boyfriend who happens to be her coworker. She is asked to take some time off of work when all she wants to do is work to escape her mental thoughts.
She is finally allowed to come back to her job as an Executive Protection Agent aka a bodyguard. She can't wait to hear where she will be heading when she hears that her assignment will be right in her own backyard in Texas protecting the super star Jack Stapleton, who she just so happens to have a slight crush on!

In order to keep her undercover Hannah pretends to be Jack's latest girlfriend. Unfortunately Jack has a real girlfriend and all the time together pretending to be a couple has Hannah going against all the rules and falling for Jack

Jack's crazy corgi breeding sweater making stalker makes threats when she discovers that Jack has a new girlfriends compromising the safety of both Hannah and Jack. In order to keep everyone safe Hannah is removed from the case.

If you love humor, light romance, heartwarming characters, forced proximity, and a fun read — this one’s for you! It’s a mix between Miss Congeniality, and the Gallagher Girls Series (which was a favorite of mine as a teen). I found myself smiling throughout the book, and just couldn’t put it down! The narrator also did a wonderful job! I could easily distinguish the characters and immersed myself in the story! I sincerely hope they make a movie adaption!