Rating: 3.5

The Bodyguard was a decent read. While I really wanted to love this one something about the romance and characters just didn’t fully connect with me.

I listened to the audio version and I definitely feel like I enjoyed the story a little more as the narrator was fantastic.

It is in the heroine’s POV only and has some great tropes, like fake dating and a bodyguard romance. I do wish we had gotten the hero’s POV though.

The overall storyline was pretty decent, this was my first book from this author and I did like the writing. The humor and banter were also amazing. I also liked that the gender roles were reversed in this book, with the heroine being the bodyguard and tough as hell.

The romance on the other hand wasn’t really my favorite. I honestly just didn’t feel their connection or how they got to the “I love you stage.” The build up to their relationship just felt underdeveloped.

The plot twist did surprise me though and the conclusion was quite nice as well. Overall, just an okay read with a great narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine Center never disappoints! The Bodyguard is a perfect summer escape read. I thought the story line was interesting and unique in that she was the bodyguard. The narrator was pleasant to listen to. I was hooked from the beginning and it was a very enjoyable read/listen. I always am confident to recommend any of her books. They just feel good!!
Thanks for the advanced copy!

I suppose The Bodyguard would be categorised by many as a “romcom” but, funny as it is (and it really is) I shy away from the term. For starters, it suggests light and fluffy and the very first thing that happens in this book is the female lead’s mother’s death. While that part isn’t on page; the story begins the evening of the funeral.

The male lead character’s own mother is dealing with breast cancer (although she has an excellent result). There’s also reference, in the past, to domestic abuse (the heroine’s mother), alcoholism and death of a sibling (the hero’s brother). Those are all heavy things. While I wouldn’t describe this book as depressing, the topics covered are far too serious for the term “romcom” to sit well with me.

Instead, it’s a very funny contemporary romance, with low heat (that’s fine – it really didn’t need it) with the main characters facing some big issues over the course of the book.

Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protection Agent (aka bodyguard). She travels the world from her Houston base, providing protection services to the wealthy and sometimes famous. Up until the day after her mother’s funeral, she was dating a co-worker, Robbie. But he dumps her (he’s a real piece of work) and within the space of a month, Hannah has lost her mother, her boyfriend and her best friend (Robbie dates her next).

Hannah is not generally a warm and fuzzy type. She’s focused, mainly on work. She describes herself as a “shark” who needs to keep moving. When she’s still there are too many hard things to think about and she’d really rather not.

The agency Hannah works for has picked up a new celebrity client; Jack Stapleton. Jack is a famous Hollywood actor who has been reclusive for the past few years since the death of his younger brother, Drew, in a car accident. There are rumours, unsubstantiated and well quashed by Jack’s publicist, that he was driving drunk and that is what caused the accident. He’s been living quietly in North Dakota but comes home to be with his mother after she gets a breast cancer diagnosis. His mother wanted Jack to be with her as she faces surgery and whatever treatment is needed afterwards.

Jack is estranged from his older brother, Hank, and this causes extra problems because Hank is the ranch manager at the family farm.

Hannah is assigned as the primary agent for Jack’s protection while he is in Houston. It’s her opportunity to land the plum assignment of opening the London branch. She’s competing with Robbie and only one of them can succeed. She’s determined it will be her.

There are some suspenseful moments in the book but this is not a romantic suspense. In fact, my main criticism of the story is that Hannah doesn’t get enough opportunity to show her professional competence and skill. Instead, Hannah ends up pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend in order not to alarm Jack’s family and in particular his mother, who does not need any extra stress. Because reasons, Jack and Hannah end up staying at the family farm for a few weeks so the pretence becomes 24/7 and ongoing rather than only for occasional visits.

Hannah, who has been so alone (she and her alcoholic mother were not close) falls for Jack’s parents who have the kind of marriage she thought only appeared on TV. They are loving and lovely and she is made welcome.

But it is the relationship between Hannah and Jack that is the big draw for this book. Given the nature of Hannah’s role, they are forced to spend lots of time together and their connection is delightful.

There were many times I laughed out loud while listening; especially the “mad cat face” scene.

Jack, who has not laughed very much in the past few years, finds himself laughing at least once every day because Hannah delights him. Hannah is not a Hollywood starlet. She’s “ordinary looking”, some might even say “plain”. To Jack, Hannah is “real”.

Their banter sizzles but they do more than trade bon mots. They help each other deal with their respective griefs. They take care of one another in various ways. They become close and, inevitably, Hannah falls for him. Apart from being gorgeous, Jack is, it turns out, a really nice guy.

The story is told from Hannah’s first person (past tense) point of view and her obvious concern is that Jack is an actor and it can be difficult to know what’s real and what’s pretend. Hannah finds it hard to imagine Jack would want to date her in reality. So do many others in Hannah’s sphere.

We listeners know better of course.

The narration is superb. It’s my first experience with Patty Murin but it won’t be my last. She has fantastic comedic timing, great pacing and tone and also delivers the pathos of the story with skill.

At one stage I thought that Ms. Murin might be a pseudonym for Cristina Panfilio (another favourite of mine) because they sound so similar. (They’re not the same person; a simple Google search shows me that – which is the only reason it gets mentioned at all here. It’s not cool to out people – don’t do it.) So, they’re not the same person but they could be narration twins. There is a very similar style of delivery and the same things I love about Ms. Panfilio’s narration are what shone out to me in Ms. Murin’s performance. In other words, they’re both excellent voice actors.

I’m convinced Ms. Murin’s narration was at least 50% of the reason I laughed as much as I did and she was also probably responsible for at least half of the other emotions I felt throughout the novel. Hannah is a great character, vulnerable, fierce, competent in some things (her job – though this was more told than shown unfortunately) and woefully unskilled in others – navigating personal relationships for example. And Jack is wonderful too. He’s far more than just a pretty face but of course he is completely gorgeous. He sees through Hannah’s guard to the woman beneath and recognises her for the gem she is.

The narration is just excellent and the story is a lot of fun – just watch out for the potential landmines of those heavier topics – but otherwise this book is a big recommend from me.

Kaetrin

I can always count on Katherine Center to bring all the emotions with some amazingly complex characters all rolled up into the best little rom coms ever. She definitely delivered on The Bodyguard.

The Bodyguard is a fake dating trope where Hannah Brooks is quickly working her way up the ladder and clearly her job is her focus, that is until she’s tasked with guarding celebrity, Jack Stapleton. Throw in that he’s mega famous, from a little town in Texas, has his own army of stalkers and she looks like a Kindergarten teacher and you know you’re going to have a great storyline.

What I loved even more than the laugh-out-loud moments was the serious, deeply challenging moments Jack and Hannah had. And of course I just adored Jack’s parents!

I listened to this audio while we were driving to the Outer Banks and it made the time fly by! I highly recommend it on audio and/or print- such a great narrator and storyline!

Thanks to Netgalley I was able to listen to the audiobook. I don't normally go for romance or romcom novels, but the way the relationship tied into the story was captivating and fun to listen to. The story line is a bit far fetched, but that's what makes it interesting. An all around easy to listen to and follow book.

I enjoyed this book so much. It gave me Emily Henry vibes while still being unique. I'll immediately be going out and purchasing myself a copy for my bookshelf.

Hannah Brooks may look like a plain, ordinary, kindergarten teacher however; she’s anything but that. Hannah can actually kill with a corkscrew or even a ballpoint pen, Hanna is actually an Executive Protection Agent (aka, a bodyguard), her small size and unassuming looks make it easy for her to blend in and protect her clients. Right now, she’s going through the roughest time in her life since she was little. Her mother just passed away and the day after her mother’s funeral her boyfriend Robby dumped her, even worse, he called her a bad kisser. Now Hannah is on assignment being the EPA for hot and hunky Jack Stapleton, a famous movie star.

Sparks ignite between the pair in the cutest ways in this wonderfully amazing story of love and protection. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I smiled, I laughed, my heart pounded at the end when all the drama happens. I was drinking this book in and loving every last refreshing drop of it.

Audio was great, easy to follow and understand. I liked the voice reading the story, she sounded great and read the other voices well. Perfect inflections and pronunciations and very clear sounding, almost melodic voice.

Patti Murin narrates Katherine Center’s The Bodyguard, in which devastating loss and personal betrayal leave executive protection agent Hannah Brooks desperate for an out-of-country assignment to anywhere else but Houston to escape the pain. But instead, she’s assigned to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from a middle-aged stalker. While Hannah looks more like a kindergarten teacher, she could kill you with a ballpoint pen, dinner napkin, or a wine bottle opener because of her EPA training. After a family tragedyJack dropped from the public eye and went off-grid. But after his mom gets sick, he goes home to his family’s Texas ranch to be with her and his family.

Hannah must go undercover as Jack’s girlfriend to keep his family from finding out about the stalker and his need for a bodyguard. In-person, Jack is nothing like the superstar celebrity she’s expecting. Hannah’s used to protecting/guarding people while keeping her distance but spending time with Jack and his family pretending to be his girlfriend is way outside her comfort zone. The more time she spends with Jack, the more danger to her heart because there’s nowhere for her to run. Hannah’s got Jack’s back, but somehow, he’s taken possession of her heart. How can she keep him safe without losing her heart to him completely? And can they keep the secret they’re hiding without it blowing up in their faces?

Murin’s narration wonderfully brings Center’s heartfelt and captivating novel and characters to life, complementing The Bodyguard’s text and characters and Center’s storytelling. Narrating from the first-person POV of Hannah, she sets the novel’s overall lighthearted tone, seamlessly shifting narrative styles to match tonal changes for suspenseful, emotional, dramatic, and intimate moments. Murin gives the characters distinct voices, matching their personalities and moods, using cadence, dialect, affectations, and emotional expressiveness.

Hannah’s voice is perfect, sounding logical, controlled, earnest, “just the facts,” without much expressiveness or emotional highs or lows, even when distressed, angry, or grieving. While Hannah’s voice doesn’t change, Murin nicely shifts the emotional layers of her voice as Hannah evolves. I love Jack’s voice, which is husky, soft, and masculine. You can hear the smile/laughter in his voice and his affection for Hannah/his family. Murin does a great job of shifting his voice to reflect his pain, sadness, weariness, and feelings of being lost.

Center brilliantly merges three of my favorite tropes—bodyguards, fake dating, and friends-to-lovers. In my head, Jack is Chris Evans. I love Jack so much! But not just because he makes me think of Chris. I love him because Center’s descriptive writing, excellent storytelling, and character development made me fall in love with him. Center’s vibrant report is rich with details, emotion, animated and snarky dialogue and character interactions, and deft use of the senses in her storytelling and narrative. Her descriptive use of the senses reveals how Hannah instinctively connects with the world through her sensory perception rather than her emotions. The narrator Murin nicely captures this aspect of Hannah’s character. For example, Jack’s scent immediately captures Hannah’s notice/imagination. Also, Hannah “sees” more than most, priding herself on her observational skills. Unfortunately, her “vision” fails her when most needed. Center sprinkles similar descriptions throughout her narrative at pivotal moments.

Center develops complex, imperfect, relatable characters. Hyper-observant, focused, intelligent, logical, sharp, sarcastic, and always ready to move on to the next assignment, Hannah excels as an EPA/bodyguard. But she keeps parts of herself tightly locked down because of childhood/parental baggage—her anxiety, emotions, her secret romantic nature, and love for Jack Stapleton’s acting and movies. To Hannah’s surprise, Jack’s different than expected. He’s a down-to-earth, introspective, authentic sweetheart who’s funny, gentle, and sarcastic. But, like Hannah, Jack presents a façade to the world. Jack’s haunted by trauma—a tragic accident and loss weighing on him that he doesn’t share.

I love Jack and Hannah’s relationship and humorous, snarky, sweet, sexy banter and intimacy. But most of all, I love how seriously into Hannah Jack is, despite her inability to see/believe it. Hannah’s determined to keep her distance from Jack, but he breaks through her barriers. Their lives are so different. But, as unlikely as it seems, he and Hannah perfectly match, balancing each other, helping each other heal.

The scenes with Hannah’s co-workers are hilarious. A fascinating group, their interactions are entertaining, offering insight into Hannah and contributing to her development/evolution.

Center explores family, self-esteem, hope, grief, loss, and trauma themes in a refreshingly honest and heartfelt narrative. Suspenseful, sweet, charming, and funny with surprising twists and beautiful moments of hope, healing, self-discovery, and the experience of falling in love, The Bodyguard is surprisingly romantic, sneaking up on your heart. I promise it’s well worth the read despite fade-to-black/closed-door love scenes after a terrific build-up of sexual tension—even if you prefer steamy romances.

CW: Parent death, alcoholism, domestic abuse, stalker, cancer, PTSD, trauma, death of a sibling

Advanced review copy provided by St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley for review.

4
I really enjoyed this book. The plotline was great and though I could predict some of the main things that happened, I still loved listening to Hanna and Jack’s story.
The main thing that I didn’t enjoy was Hanna’s lengthy diatribe and her wordy dramatic reactions to some things. I felt it took away from what was happening and I wanted to skip the scene. I understand comparing what was happening to something but not multiple somethings. It seemed to happen every time a big thing happened to her. For a bodyguard with her background it didn’t seem fitting.
I did love Jack though. He seemed to fit right into what Hanna needed, whether she liked it or not. I watched them fall in love without them knowing they were doing it, even if there weren’t a ton of details of their time together.
The narrator for this book was good, but there were a few times I wasn’t sure who was talking if anyone at all. She had a lot of voices but changed her tone at times I didn’t even know someone was in the scene, so it became a little confusing.

Overall I really did enjoy this book and I would love to know more about some of the side characters!

Netgalley, Movie star, bodyguard, unexpected couple, audiobook, ARC for honest review, Texas, stalker, fake relationship

Thank you, NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Bodyguard.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It vaguely reminded the Bodyguard movie with Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, but better.

Hannah Brooks has a kick-ass job as a bodyguard to high-profile clients. She is extremely smart and can kick ass when she needs to. She recently split with her boyfriend, who always works for the same firm, when they snag a job for Jack Stapleton. Jack is the biggest movie star around and he has a crazed stalker and Hannah is sent to protect him.

I laughed and I cried in this book. The narrator was awesome and I will definitely want to read more by Katherine Center.

I read a couple of chapters of this book, then got a bit distracted for a few days, and then binged the rest of it in one sitting. I've loved all of Katherine Center's books (my forever favourite is Happiness for Beginners and this one was no exception. It was wonderful! So well written, so emotional at times, funny at other times, it made my heart clench and soar and it just felt like a cozy hug coming home to brand new but somehow still familiar-feeling characters. How does she manage to accomplish this through her writing?!

In this book, we quickly meet Hannah, who works as an executive protection agent (aka a bodyguard). She mainly works with oil tycoons in Texas but a new assignment is thrust upon her in the form of protecting WORLD FAMOUS actor Jack Stapleton from a crazy stalker woman while he is home in Texas with his family. Hannah is a strong and admirable woman (with such a cool job that she does so well!) but there are a lot of layers to her character. She and Jack end up having more fun than either of them expects and the story takes off from there.

I loved the way this story played out and like I said, I found it really easy to connect with all of the characters. I know this will be a big hit for this author next summer and I can't wait to witness all of this book's success. :)

Thank you so much to MacMillan Audio and Netgalley for the audiobook!!!

This was another cute Katherine Center story. I liked the way it took a different approach to the girl having to protect the man. I feel like I've read a similar story before but reverse point of view. I loved the complexity of the characters and how they both had their own struggles they were working through. I also like that there was a tragedy that brought everyone together, but even that had a happy ending.

The word that comes to mind for Katherine Center's latest book is: DELIGHTFUL! This story was truly delightful! Poor Hannah has really had such a bad time in her personal life, and when Jack comes into the picture, the story turns very sweet. It was lovely watching the two of them grow close as their friendship blossomed. Together, they were such a great team.
The ending was fulfilling and, as usual, Katherine Center tugged on my heartstrings with her emotional, heartfelt writing.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the talented Patti Murin, and her performance was perfect. Both her male and female voices are done very well.
Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance audio copy. This review is provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

What I Loved:
✨Faking Dating Trope - felt more realistic since “dating” was part of their working relationship. The other romance tropes include forced proximity/one bed and grumpy/sunshine - all were well written.
✨Cast of Dysfunctional Coworkers - I loved all the personalities! You always need someone to hate, and Robby is perfectly written for that role.
✨Strong MCs w/ emotional depth - Both Hannah and Jake are emotionally vulnerable and full of insecurities due to past trauma. But together, they help each other heal while discovering their own self-worth.
✨Stalker Storyline - who doesn’t love a middle-aged, corgi breeding stalker who knits sweaters with Jake’s face on it, aka The Corgi Lady. 😂
✨Uplifting Message - always a hallmark of Katherine Center’s books.
✨Patti Murin’s narration elevates the story! Murin’s comedic timing flawlessly adds just the right amount of humor to Hannah’s vulnerabilities, capturing Hannah’s soul perfectly. I highly recommend this format!

The Bodyguard is my fourth Katherine Center book and might be my new favorite, leapfrogging ahead of How To Walk Away. If you ever need a pick-me-up, do yourself a favor and read a Katherine Center book! She deserves a crown for happy reads.

I just can’t say enough good things about Katherine Center’s writing. I was introduced to her by an independent bookstore suggesting her title Things You Save in a Fire. It was such a great read as is The Bodyguard. I just loved it. The right amount of humor and romance intertwined into a wonderful book. Highly recommend!

<b>Katherine Center's newest light fiction offers an irresistible premise--a female bodyguard poses as the girlfriend of a heartthrob actor--and delightful, if sometimes predictable, developments that lead to a satisfying ending.</b>

I listened to <i>The Bodyguard,</i> the newest book by Katherine Center.

Hannah Brooks looks like the young woman next door--but she's actually a highly skilled Executive Protection Agent--a bodyguard. And her newest client is the Jack Stapleton, action star, household name--and, in recent years, recluse.

Someone is stalking Jack, and Hannah is bound to protect him. But Jack's mother is sick, he wants to return home to Texas, and he doesn't want his family to know he's got a stalker and be worried while they're focused on his mother's health. So against her better judgment, Hannah agrees to pose as Jack's girlfriend. Only...the longer she pretends, the more their fake relationship seems like it might have promise.

Some of the details here didn't add up for me--for example, Hannah poses as a photographer but is never asked about her career (or her long-term leave of absence from any clients or work) and she doesn't even have a camera with her, but this is not suspicious or of interest to people who are treating her like and caring for her like family. And the main "bad guys" here (Robbie, Kennedy) are so hopeless, so unkind, so clueless, and so insufferable, it's hard to imagine that either Hannah or Jack could have spent time with them in any context.

Much of Hannah's character growth in the story centers around her journey from low to medium self-esteem. This occurs while (and because?) she spends time with Jack, despite the fact that during this period she constantly questions her self-worth and attractiveness, and despite his teasing barbs that may be intended to be charmingly down-to-earth or candid but seemed jerky to me (calling Hannah "stumpy"--she is short--and "plain"--she is not a movie star).

Moments of casual comfortableness bring the characters together and are at the root of their connection--but I wished Hannah's vulnerability didn't center around her bursting into tears so frequently (despite the fact that she says she really never cries).

Yet <i>The Bodyguard</i> is fun, often charming--and the premise is absolutely irresistible. Jack's family is lovely, and there's a subplot in which Jack and his brother Hank are furious with each other after the loss of their brother, for which Jack has been blamed. This--along with a late-stage, dangerous, dramatic situation requiring Hannah's smarts and strength--adds tension and conflict to the story.

Even if some of the resolutions here are predictable, it's satisfying to know that in Center's hands, her characters are relatively safe, and that she'll deliver an ending that makes a reader happy. The journey to the conclusion is joy-filled and entertaining.

I received a prepublication audiobook version of this book courtesy of MacMillan Audio and NetGalley.

Check out the blog for my reviews of Katherine Center’s <i>What You Wish For</i> and <i>Things You Save in a Fire.</i>

This one is a whole lot of no for me I just really didn’t like it which is abnormal because I normally love this kind of thing

This book was cute. It was laugh out loud funny at points and kept a permanent smile on my face as I read it. It’s a closed door romance so if you are looking for spice, this isn’t the book for you.

I just loved Katherine Center’s book The Bodyguard! I received the audiobook from NetGalley and I must say, it was one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever listened to, thanks to the awesome narrator and the wonderful story by this author. I usually prefer to read the book myself, but this time I thought the audiobook might even be better than doing that. When I first read the premise of the book, I wasn’t sure I would like it - but I thoroughly enjoyed this warm, funny story about a female bodyguard and the good-looking client she has to protect. The characters drew me and made me laugh and cry, but in a good, escapist way. I highly recommend this book and especially the audiobook version!

Katherine Center is just the absolute cutest! Despite her books following somewhat of a predictable romance storyline, she always manages to add some pizazz to keep the reader guessing. I also particularly enjoyed sharing a name with this vivacious and independent main character.

I will confess, this is not my favorite of Center’s books, but that won’t stop me from quickly recommending any and all Center magic to break a reading slump and bring joy. I felt similarly to How to Walk Away in how I hold client relationships sacred and could not, would not ever cross that line. It reads deeply unprofessional and makes me like the employed person less. Sorry Hannah!

That said - I know it’s a trope and not a deal breaker for a lot of readers so ultimately this is a case of preference. I still loved the banter and sweet characters and how Hannah bounced back from some pretty terrible experiences with gusto. The family relationship was especially heartwarming and read real to me.

Thanks so much #netgalley for the #ALC to match this adorable cover. The narration was excellent and kept me engaged.

#katherinecenter #thebodyguard