I received an e-arc and an audio arc of The Bodyguard by Katherine Center from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
In the beginning, this had all the Netflix rom-com vibes, it was reminding me a bit of The Spy Who Dumped Me and a bit of Beach Read, the characters had great banter.
But then about halfway, I lost interest. I don't think this is a bad book, it just wasn't working for me at the time, so I stopped at 46%. It was also heavier than I expected, with the main character's mother dying very early on and the love interest's mother battling cancer.

This book was so incredibly amazing! The characters were so good and their chemistry was unmatched. I adored this book and fell In love with how badass Hannah was and how adorable Jack was. Glen being a sadistic bastard was my favorite thing in the word and overall this story was so fucking cute and heart warming

Yes! Give me all the highly skilled and capable woman protagonists, that KNOW they’re good at what they do. That confident professional is what I’m looking for. Of course, there are other issues to work through, but the foundation of intelligence and competence for Hannah is everything.

Okay, now let’s bring it back to the perfection of execution of romance tropes! Fake dating being the main one and it has the great twist of our leading lady being the protection agent. Add in the workaholic with emotional parental issues that gives amazing depth. Add in a famous actor with scars and family drama. Further those with a city slicker thrown into ranch life and humor perfectly overlays the serious notes and suspenseful moments. It’s layered and fantastic.

I mean, I could continue to break down all the great plot points, but spoilers! Basically I went through the entire book and didn’t want to change a thing. It was just what I was looking for and I loved it. My favorite Katherine Center book yet and I’m ready to read it again.

I also listened to the audio and it was perfect. Excellent delivery and voices. Timing and inflections were just so on point. A great balance of humor and gravity, which is exactly the book. I definitely recommend.

Hannah works for a body guard agency, even though she looks nothing like what you would expect. She is petite and unassuming, but she is smart and quick. Her mom passes away and her boyfriend dumps her for her best friend all within the same week. Deciding to throw herself into work she is given an assignment to guard the ever elusive, mega hot, ultra famous movie star, Jack Stapleton. But it’s just a job right, how hard can it be?

I loved Jack Stapleton, despite being a super famous movie star, he was written as a down to earth character that is over the allure of Hollywood and was so attracted to the way that Hannah was real and never pretended to be something she wasn’t. I liked Hannah, she was a mostly serious character but in a way that always had Jack laughing. I loved her curiosity and always asking Jack how it really was to be on a movie set.
The ranch setting was perfect! It’s a dream of mine to own some land with animals someday. It was so cute the way Jack had Hannah’s back around her ex boyfriend (also coworker) and loved to make the ex jealous.

This was a really light and fun read for me, I really liked the way that the author captured the lifestyle of an actor. The plot had depth to it, both MC’s had gone through some pretty traumatic experiences and were able to find comfort and happiness in one another and find their HEA.

I was able to listen to this book via audiobook and I really enjoyed it. The narrator, Patti Murin, did a wonderful job at voicing the characters and I was able to follow along without any confusion.

Thank you to #netgally and #macmillanaudio for the opportunity to read and review this book in advance.

I love how Katherine Center puts women in jobs and roles that are stereotypically "for men." In this book, Hannah is a bodyguard for a movie star, and she has to move in with him and his family. They work through their own trauma together for actual character growth and make it so they are actually better together.

Can’t begin to say how much I enjoyed this book! It was a fun escape and yet I also connected deeply with the characters. I’ve heard rave reviews of Katherine Center for years and this lived up to the hype! Now I’m in a hurry to read all her other titles.

The audiobook narrator was fantastic too, so I’m also off to see what else she’s narrated that can go on my To Be Read list.

So fun to read this ahead of publication date. I love a sneak peek! A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the audiobook.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The audio narration was excellent. The story was great.

I liked that the MC was in a role that we don’t typically see females in. So that was pretty cool, especially since she’s so “stumpy.” I swear I’m not being mean. IYKYK.

I loved the pacing of this one and adored the characters. Except the ex boyfriend but who likes exes anyway!?

Jack was just great. I loved him except for that scene at the door that broke my heart. The scene where I thought our MC was dreaming…then I found out she wasn’t and it broke my heart all over again. This really isn’t giving anything away, I promise.

This book gave me feelings. I rarely have big feelings about books.

I highly recommend this one.

What a carefree, fun read with likable, relatable characters! The narration was equally great and easy to follow along with. There is so much to love about this book.

Right off the bat, Jack and Hannah had chemistry and a connection. Maybe he truly was that great of an actor, but I believed it. And in a world where we are told we can be anything, I loved that she was his bodyguard. Why couldn't a petite woman be a bodyguard? The job would have to require just as much mental as physical skills.

I loved that Jack wanted to be home with his sweet mom's side as she was battling breast cancer. To me, that is 100% relatable - and that is what family does. As a BC survivor, I also appreciated that they did not go into too many details.

What is there not to love about a Katherine Center novel? The Bodyguard was a cute twist on an old trope. In the hands of Katherine Center it was charming and funny with a little bit of romance built in. Hannah Brooks has been hired as private security detail for reclusive movie star Jack Stapleton. Looks are deceiving as Hannah does not look like your typical 'bodyguard'. Several standard romance tropes ensue: fake dating, forced proximity, etc as Hannah and Jack start to develop feelings for each other that a client/boss should not develop.

As all Katherine Center novels, the story is sweet and easy to read. The characters have great, witty, and at times funny dialog. The premise here might be a little further stretched then a typical Center novel, but still a fun, great read. The audio book was terrific. The narrator's voice was easy to listen to.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Bodyguard is a breath of fresh air1 I enjoyed the chemistry between Jack and Hannah and getting to know Jack's family. The storyline was a bit farfetched, but I'm not complaining. I pictured Jack as Ryan Reynolds which made the story even more delightful. The ending tied everything a pretty bow which I expected as well as appreciated. The narration was pure perfection.

The Bodyguard is my second Katherine Center book & by far my favorite of the two. Syrupy sweet and predictable, but super cute none the less. I love the dynamic between the two main characters & the Texas setting.

Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protective Agent based in Houston, Tx. When Hannah loses her mom, boyfriend, best friend, and apartment within a short period of time she is ready to escape and accept her next assignment and adventure. Hannah has her sights set on an exotic, overseas location. When her assignment comes she finds out she will be working in...Houston. & she will be working in close proximity to none other than America's favorite action adventure movie star: Jack Stapleton. In town to look after his ailing mom, and avoid his stalker, he and Hannah will be spending lots of time in close proximity...and romcom cuteness ensues. Family dynamic, mending strained relationships, and finding love while finding yourself. The Bodyguard is a feel good read with tons of heart. 4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this completely blind, and I am NOT sorry I picked it up! At the time of requesting it, I was in the mood for a good rom-com, so I picked the next cartoon cover audiobook I came across. Not even joking, I didn't even read the synopsis first. And it was a DELIGHTFUL surprise all the way through. I basically listened to it all in one day.

The narrator made everything smooth and interactive without being over acted. Awkward pauses were just long enough to be awkward without making me wonder if I'd accidentally stopped the audiobook. Intonation was easily readable and expressive. 10/10 would listen to this narrator again.

The story itself was *chef's kiss* absolute gold. I didn't realize that the bodyguard would be the female main character (I know, I told you I went in completely blind!) and the reverse power dynamic was so awesome. Also, reverse grumpy-sunshine? Check. One bed? Check. Forced proximity? Check. All the makings of an excellent read, and it 100% delivered.

Katherine Center is a favorite of mine, and I'll read whatever you publishes! This was a great read, and I loved the switched typical roles and the ending was quite satisfying. One thing about romance reads that drive me a bit crazy is how long it takes for the couple to get together, and yet I keep reading! The narrator was great. Great story! More please!

For whatever reason, Katherine Center's books have been hit or miss for me in the past. I either love them or I'm left feeling rather lukewarm about them. But this book... this one was most definitely a romcom home run for me. I love a good fake romance trope, and this book certainly delivered.

The Bodyguard is cute and funny and witty and compulsive. It's light but not fluffy. The characters are adorable and likable. The narrator did a fantastic job and kept me engaged and interested.

This would make a great beach read this summer.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Katherine Center for the advanced listening copy of The Bodyguard in exchange for my honest review.

So, I loved this. Absolute fun. One of my favorite romcoms in years. Funny and propulsive, believable misunderstandings, and adorable characters. Perfect escapist summer/beach read. Highly recommended if you like to be happy.

📚Book Review📚 This book was charming from the start. It’s a fun rom-com that has more depth than I was expecting, and even some suspense. I’ve read several Katherine Center books, and like the others, this doesn’t disappoint!

🎧I also listened to the audiobook and it was really well done. 🎧

Reading a new Katherine Center book is always such a delight, her books are like a ray of sunshine that always leave me feeling warm and cozy. This was just so good y’all, it had everything I needed and more. It was heartfelt and full of emotion but it was also light and super funny too. The characters were so so lovable, I adored both Hannah and Jack and thought their pairing was perfection. Fake dating is my fave so I was happy to see the trope here and the author nailed it. This is begging to be made into a rom com movie, the writing was so vivid it already played out like a movie in my head, clearly I just adored it and can highly recommend it as an addition to your summer TBR! The audio version was fantastic and narrator Patti Murin was great.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center stared out really strong for me, but I just didn’t feel invested in this one. I wanted to see more growth and more to the relationship between Hannah and Jack. I just felt like I didn’t see enough of their connection.
The narration was really well done and I enjoyed that, but I kept waiting for more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook for an honest review.

This was a fun and quick listen! It took me until about half way to be hooked on the story, but once I was I enjoyed this listen. This was the first book I've read by Katherine Center and I would pick up another after this. I liked the role reversal in The Bodyguard with the female lead being the bodyguard here. I'm from Texas originally, so I really enjoyed the set of this book!

A fun, quick read that was exactly what I needed!

Hannah, the quirky bodyguard who you would think couldn't guard a fly, but can absolutely put a grown man on his backside. I adored her! Jack, a famous actor, coming out of hiding for personal reasons...needs a bodyguard, or his bosses think he does.

This is such a mix up of a book; we definitely are grieving with our characters, as they lost people close to them they love, but we also get a healthy dose of ROMCOM and I'm here for their witty banter and charmingly awkward exchanges at times.

We follow Hannah and Jack as they navigate a professional relationship that falls into non-typical scenario when Hannah is forced to pretend to be Jack's girlfriend. LISTEN, I will say this a million times over; fake dating and forced proximity are my favorites in a book like this.

The narrator for this audio book did such a fantastic job, there were times I was reading from my earc and turned on the audio book to read with me because it enhanced my reading so much!

Thank you so much to @macmillanaudio, @stmartinspress, @katherinecenter and @netgalley for the advanced review copies!