My first Katherine Center book, to be honest. I've recommended her books based on reviews and patron feedback, but now I'm a true fan! I loved this fun, heartwarming story. What I loved most about the book was even though it was a predictable romcom, which I love, it had a deeper storyline about self reflection and growth. I will definitely recommend The Bodyguard!

Oh my goodness, this one was pure joy! Jack Stapleton is being stalked but he is going home to his family's Texas ranch because his mother is sick and he needs protection but he doesn't want anyone to know it. This is where Hannah comes in. She looks more like a kindergarten teacher but she is one tough cookie and can and will flip you over her shoulder and kick your a$$ if the need arises. She is his bodyguard but to his family she is his girlfriend. The only problem is, his brother does not want him or them there. The rest of his family is thrilled to have him home. This was a sweet, sassy, and sometimes over-the-top sarcastic funny book and wait until the end because it will twist it all around. Definitely a perfect beach read or listen this summer! Definitely a recommendation from me!

What an absolute pleasure this book turned out to be. I phrase it that way because I had doubts for a little while. Hannah Brooks is intelligent, super-competent, and attractive, but she comes across at the start of this book as both two-dimensional and carrying a huge chip on her shoulder. A chip that says life sucks, I have no business expecting anything good to come to me, and people should just get out of my way and let me do my job. Jack Stapleton, similarly, is great at his job, but he’s a world-famous screen star who’s drop-dead gorgeous, and so Hannah instinctively assumes he’s had everything in life work out just perfectly. He hasn’t, of course, and it’s Hannah coming to understand and see beneath the labels she automatically assigns people that gives this book its heart. That, and all the humor and character Katherine Center always shares with her readers. The secondary characters spring to life, to the extent that when I picked up a pair of my own reading glasses the other day, I instantly remembered Jack’s mother and how she kept glasses stashed in every corner of the house, and I felt that wonderful pang of longing that only a great author can leave us with: to be back in her world with characters we’ve come to love. The ending of the book was perfect, and it sent me scurrying to check if there were any Katherine Center titles I might have missed. Patti Murin did a great job narrating.

🎧 The Bodyguard by Katherine Center ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the audiobook of #TheBodyguard

🌙𝐵𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝐵𝑙𝑢𝑟𝑏: “She’s got his back.
Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than somebody who could kill you with a wine bottle opener. Or a ballpoint pen. Or a dinner napkin. But the truth is, she’s an Executive Protection Agent (aka "bodyguard"), and she just got hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker.

He’s got her heart.
Jack Stapleton’s a household name―captured by paparazzi on beaches the world over, famous for, among other things, rising out of the waves in all manner of clingy board shorts and glistening like a Roman deity. But a few years back, in the wake of a family tragedy, he dropped from the public eye and went off the grid.

They’ve got a secret.
When Jack’s mom gets sick, he comes home to the family’s Texas ranch to help out. Only one catch: He doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker. Or the bodyguard thing. And so Hannah―against her will and her better judgment―finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend as a cover. Even though her ex, like a jerk, says no one will believe it.

What could possibly go wrong???
Hannah hardly believes it, herself. But the more time she spends with Jack, the more real it all starts to seem. And there lies the heartbreak. Because it’s easy for Hannah to protect Jack. But protecting her own, long-neglected heart? That’s the hardest thing she’s ever done..”

🌙𝑅𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤: Entertaining contemporary romance/ chick lit. Loved this plot very much; I found it to be original, funny, emotional and thought provoking.
Loved Jack- so swoony, smart and handsome- and absolutely hated the ex-boyfriend like “Ew, David” what was his name again? 🤢🤮
I felt this plot picked up super fast, started out strong, I was very engaged since the very beginning but right about 2/3 of the book things slowed down, kind of make you lose interest for a second there but then PLOT TWIST! And hooked again you go. I had high expectations for this book and I was not disappointed.

🌙𝑁𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛: Patti Murin did a great job narrating and recreating every character. The pacing was good and very easy to identify who was who.

🌙𝑃𝑢𝑏 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒: July 19, 2022. Pre-order Now!


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#bookish #bookstagram #booklover #bookworm #books #bookstagrammer #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookphotography #booklove #booksbooksbooks #instabook #igreads #bookreview #bookobsessed#TheBodyguard #macmillanaudio #audiobook #netgalley #wearebookish

While I will usually say that I do not read romance, Katherine Center is my acceptation to that rule. I have read several of her books and was delighted to hear she had another coming out. The audio of this book was very well done. I really enjoyed the tone of this book and the flip on the typical story. This time the woman is the body guard for the famous male actor. It was heartful and a delightful change of pace. I really enjoyed it.

This audiobook was the perfect distraction while planning a move. While I wish the romance between Jack and Hannah had been explored more, since it didn’t feel quite believable, I enjoyed this story. It was refreshing that Hannah was the bodyguard protecting Jack instead of the other way around. I’m not sure I’ll remember much about this story in a few weeks, but it was just what I needed to listen to right now. I was not familiar with the narrator, but she did an excellent job.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a total delight- it is everything you want in a romance and definitely sparks joy for the reader! Katherine Center is a great storyteller who writes women who are independent, interesting, likable, quirky, and totally worthy of a Happily Ever After. Hannah is the bodyguard, Jack is the movie star. Hannah is dealing with the death of her mom and the end of her relationship, along with the end of her best friendship. In spite of it all, she trudges ahead and because of the assignment of a lifetime, she gets to slow down, find herself and find love.
Totally recommend, and the narrator is FANTASTIC!!!

Love, LOVED it!! Such a feel good book that could not have come at a better time. Be prepared to laugh out loud, then stalk the author for all of her back list books. 5 star read! Bring this one to the beach with you this summer.

In The Bodyguard, Hannah Brooks, an executive protection agent, faces unexpected struggles when she is dealt with one negative after another. She is dating her boyfriend Robby, a fellow agent at her company, and excited for her next potential assignment in Europe. Things do not go to plan when her mother passes away and her company expects her to take more time and remain in Houston, Texas. Things continue to go down for her when Robby breaks up with her the night after Hannah’s mother’s funeral as Hannah is trying to invite Robby on a trip to Toledo because she is a workaholic, too serious, and a bad kisser. Now she lost one work assignment, her mother, and now her boyfriend when she is given her new client, famous actor Jack Stapleton. He has been out of the spotlight a little since his brother’s death and is now in town to help his mother.

Since Jack is reluctant to have a bodyguard, a plan is created for Hannah to act as his girlfriend to not arouse suspicion around his family. While the two try to remain professional, there is a lot of chemistry brewing between them. Not only is there a potential romance that the two of them are fighting to keep their boundaries, but each character goes through a lot of growth throughout the story. There are some fun moments as they try to navigate this ruse, especially around Jack’s family. I enjoyed Jack’s family in general and they made for a fun group to be around. Jack and Hannah were both enjoyable as each are going through their own struggles, which was nicely balanced with them getting to know each other.

The story does contain the usual shorter female lead (5’5”) with the taller male lead (6’3”), so it was disappointing that there was nothing unique about this in the story. I understand the idea that Hannah was not the typical build of a bodyguard, but it still felt like a miss to maybe do something different and maybe make Jack shorter, even a tiny bit, to stand out from other novels in this genre. There is also an emphasis, at times, for Hannah being more average in looks, which reminded me of Miss Congeniality, where “average” is not actually average. While these felt a little formulaic, it was still a very fun and sweet romance story. The very likable characters and writing of the story helped keep me interested and the excellent narrator helped elevate my reading experience.

Overall, there are predictable elements so I am not sure this novel would stand out among my vast collection of stories; however, I still absolutely loved this story and would read it again. There are humorous moments, emotional moments, and, of course, many romantic ones all weaved together. Jack and Hannah are complex characters, and their backstories are laid out well over time where the reader can follow them along on their journeys. This was a very fun read by Carter and I will gladly read more from her in the future!

**I want to give a special thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio, for a review copy of this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

This was such a cute and fun read! It was very light with a few dark tones when the main characters were talking about their past.

I enjoyed it, even if it did feel a bit far-fetched.

Thank you for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was the lighter romance I needed to refresh from reading so many darker books.

This is a fake relationship romance for Hannah to be famous Jake's Bodyguard to protect him from crazy stalkers. I know that the pretend romance has been done in many books, but what I really liked in this one was truly being able to see that famous people can be just regular people too. Both main characters were really holding onto some personal secrets that felt good to get out in the open eventually. I loved the "Is it just good acting or actually real" trope that kept happening throughout too. It added some extra comedic relief.

This book has a nice suspenseful ending that had me thinking that I got way more than just a romantic comedy. The audiobook version of this book was definitely a bonus since the narrator was very engaging and easy to listen to.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this Audiobook for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this audiobook..I have read books by Katherine Center before. She's very talented. The character development and plot were great.

Hannah Brooks is a bodyguard. When she is tasked with protecting the world’s sexiest man, Josh Stapleton, she also has to go undercover. Josh’s mom is in treatment for cancer, and to avoid adding to her stress, Hannah poses as Josh’s girlfriend so his family will not know he needs protection (from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker).

This book was so great. I loved it. It followed the typical rom-com outline without being predictable or stereotypical. I really felt the character’s feelings and chemistry. Will definitely recommend.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martic’s Press, and Netgalley for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such an enjoyable read/audiobook! It was an easy one day book that was hard to put down. I loved the typical role reversal, which gave me total Miss Congeniality vibes. Jack had so much swagger, but was also such a sweetheart and I felt the angst between him and Hannah. This was a closed door romance, and was a bit emotional with Hannah dealing with grief from losing her mother and just cracking her tough exterior in general, but also had plenty of lighter moments that made me smile and laugh. Overall I thought this was a great read that had me swooning and wanting more!

The Bodyguard is available 7/19 and is a quick, easy summer read!

Thank you @smpromance @macmillanaudio and @netgalley for the gifted ARC & audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓑𝓸𝓭𝔂𝓖𝓾𝓪𝓻𝓭 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀 ✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: July 19th 2022
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: @katherinecenter
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Contemporary Romance

𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼:
If you are looking for a feel good book look no further! I really enjoyed this light rom-com.

While, some of the storyline was a bit far fetched and a little cliché I still found it very cute.

Most of the characters were likable and the love troupe or triangle, if I may, was well written and didn’t have to much 🧀.

I can easily see this book being turned into a Netflix romance movie!

ᴡʜᴏ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɪ ᴄᴀꜱᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀꜱᴋ?
⭐️𝐻𝒶𝓃𝓃𝒶𝒽 - Emma Roberts
⭐️𝒥𝒶𝒸𝓀 - Zac Efron

𝐐𝐎𝐓𝐃: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞 🥰 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝?

Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress & @macmillan.audio #Netgalley #TheBodyGuard #MacMillanAudio #StMartinsPress

3.5 stars - This was a cute & fun read but it was missing a bit of something for me. The love connection wasn’t quite believable, I would have loved more of a built up. I did love the characters individually and the storyline was good. I loved that epilogue!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of this audiobook and ebook in exchange for an honest review.

#TheBodyguard:

““Dumped” is also a word that falls short of its true meaning. It sounds so quick—like a moment in time. But getting dumped lasts forever. Because a person who loved you decided not to love you anymore”.

Initial reaction: “anddd iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii y iiiiiii”

Review: Hello. Allow me to introduce my favorite Katherine Center book, The Bodyguard. That’s all that needs to be said.

But really, we have fake dating, ONE BED, a mini badass, and still some self discovery. This isn’t like most KC books to where there’s so much to unpack in such a small time. This was a fun, lightheaded read that had me cackling in the food aisles.


I liked how it felt like Hannah Brooks kind of broke the fourth wall to really tell us about the story. It gave me a HIMYM vibe. Also, Connie is a queen and deserves all the love.

I did this on audio and Patti Murin delivers once more! (Thanks @macmilkanaudio) I loved Patti’s reading. I was laughing inappropriately at times, but felt sad for Hannah at the same time. I, of course, hit the major eye rolls for Robby. I listened to a majority of this on a road trip while the kids napped, and didn’t feel I would need to smash all the buttons to turn it off if they woke up.

Overall, this was funny. It was a different feel from most Center books, and you kind of don’t enjoy the MC until she gets the growth she needs in the book. Thank you so much Macmillan for the gifted copy. The Bodyguard is out 7/19!

TW: Cancer, loss of parent, alcoholism

<u><b>Rating</b></u>

4.5/5

★ : Hated it, would not recommend

★★ : Ambivalent. Probably should have read something else, would not recommend

★★★ : Liked this. Would recommend to some. It didn't blow my world but I enjoyed it!

★★★★ : I really liked this one. I remember it easily and is a go to for recommendations.

★★★★★ : LOVED THIS. Blew me away, probably read it again. Very few books get this honor.

<u><b>Summary</b></u>

Imagine that The Proposal (movie) and The Hannah Montana Movie and a little bit of The Pacifier (movie) had a love child...I am totally here for it. A badass female bodyguard who has just lost her mother and has been dumped receives a new assignment: a very popular (and sexy) celebrity. This celebrity has been out of the public eye for awhile after a tragic accident involving his brother. Now, his mother is sick with cancer and about to have surgery. Since he has been out of the public eye after the brother scandal ( and has a stalker) his management hires him a private detail to protect him AND their image. To protect his sick mother from undue stress, his bodyguard detail Hannah agrees to pretend to be his girlfriend. Little do both of them know...their fake relationship is about to become very real.

What I appreciated most about this novel was that the fake-relationship trope was actually believable. You would feasibly lie to your family to protect your dying mother from thinking she's in danger. Having a bodyguard is a good position to fake being a girlfriend in my opinion. I loved all of these characters. They didn't have many (if any) faults that I couldn't get over which lowered my rating a little bit because nobody is likable all the time. Another little bit got taken off because I really just wanted a smutty scene at the end because the main characters had so much chemistry!

<u><b>Appeals:</b></u>
<i>Genre:</i> Romantic Fiction
<i>Pace:</i> Steady and Narrative
<i>Storyline:</i> Character driven
<i>Tone:</i> Confident, Earnest, Heartwarming, Hopeful, Jovial, Optimistic, Tender
<i>Writing Style:</i> Accessible, Conversational
<i>Characters:</i> Likeable, strong female, well-crafted dialogue

<u><b>Pros</b></u>
1. It was a feel good story and felt like reading a warm hug
2. I love that Hannah is repeatedly described as tiny but capable. I feel seen.
3. I'm a fan of an epilogue that tells me where the characters are, i will never not appreciated these.

<u><b>Cons</b></u>
1. I don't think there was...any...diversity in this book and that sickens me a little.
2. The characters needed to have some flaws - they were too perfect
3. The characters were a bit unrelatable just because their only trauma/drama was a huge messy event or celebrity

I loved this book.
Straying slightly away from the typical romcom form, this book is laugh out loud funny, with hints of mystery/adventure and of course a swoon worthy romance!
The characters were all so charming and their relationships felt extremely genuine and relatable especially considering one of the MC is a famous movie star…
Banter: 10/10 for this one!

I loved 86% of this book! The characters were sweet and the idea of a female bodyguard was so cool.

The last 14% threw me for a loop. Why the confrontation with Wilbur? Such a strange incident to throw in at the end.

The narrator was perfect, though!!

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.