Early Review: The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

June 25, 2022

by Katherine Center

pub date: July 19, 2022

🌺 4.5 Stars out of 5 🌺

She’s got his back.
Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than somebody who could kill you with a wine bottle opener. 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.

🤠 🤠 🤠

I loved this book so much! I could tell from the very beginning it was going to be an excellent read and it never proved me wrong. I was completely absorbed from the first page. It has great characters, intelligent, compelling writing, lots of emotional weight, many humorous moments, and lovable, hilarious and relatable characters.

I thought Hannah was an amazing character. I really liked her sense of humor; she had me smiling and laughing through so much of the book. She definitely has her issues, as outlined early on in the book, but her strength is inspiring and her ability to look inward and make difficult emotional connections is satisfying to see. I actually ended up feeling really proud of her.

Hannah's complex relationship with her mom really resonated with me. Her mom, who passed away just before the book starts, wasn't the most emotionally in-touch person in the world and Hannah has been living with the consequences of this her whole life. My own mother, who had similar characteristics to Hannah's, passed away very recently so Hannah's struggles with the legacy her mother left her with really hit home for me.

I found Jack and Hannah's relationship to be really cute and fun and everything you'd hope for in a celeb/non-celeb dynamic. Jack is a sweetheart with a troubled past. His storyline is every bit as interesting as every other plotline in the book. (So much happens!!)

This reminded me a bit of Ava Wilder's How To Fake It in Hollywood because of the balance Center managed to strike with the humor and the sadness, in addition to the celeb/fake dating tropes. It also felt like there may have been a little Miss Congeniality thrown in with Hannah.

There's an interesting twist at the end and an amazing wrap-up and epilogue.

Any reader of romance is going to LOVE this book. This was my first time reading Katherine Center but it won't be my last. Mark July 19th on your calendar because you're going to want this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for providing the digital ARC.

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⚠ Do beware of difficult content - check content warnings for this one. No real spoilers here but there is a scene where Hannah describes an instance of domestic violence from her childhood. There is also the death of a parent, death of a sibling, talk of grief and illness/cancer.