The Bodyguard by Katherine Center Published by St. Martin's Publishing Group on July 19, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Family Life / General, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, Fiction / Women
Pages: 320
Format: eBook
Source: ARC
New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center's The Bodyguard is unabashedly romantic, laugh-out-loud funny, and the perfect summer read.
"The Bodyguard is absolutely, unequivocally delightful!"--JODI PICOULT, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wish You Were Here
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.
Katherine Center is one of my auto-read authors! Her unique combo of humor and heart delivered through expert storytelling and dialogue never fails to make me laugh and swoon. As soon as I sat down to read it, I didn’t want to stop. I devoured it in two sittings and I’m already considering a reread.
I adore Hannah and Jack! Hannah Brooks is great at her job but she is an absolute mess in her personal life. She probably/most definitely needs therapy (don’t we all) and through it all she is so relatable and human. Jack is every bit the heartthrob I hoped he would be when I read the blurb! His part of the story definitely has the most triggers, but I love a solid cinnamon roll hero! In a sort of reverse stereotype, Hannah has mile high barriers and avoids all things emotion. Jack wears his emotions on his sleeve and clearly is more in-tune with his thoughts, experiences, and emotions as a whole.
The side characters added the vibrancy that I expect from Center. Jack’s big, lovely family and their open-armed acceptance and love even with all the difficulties they have faced over the past few years (his brother is the exception but there is a reason for that). Hannah’s team? The big boss, Glenn, in particular had me cackling with his ways of torturing his agents. I didn’t really care for the mean-girl teammate angle. I admit it was still fun to read but I was more invested in the emotional love, self-care, and forgiveness arcs happening throughout the story.
As much as I loved The Bodyguard, I didn’t feel as though this couple had the same gut punch character development that we’ve seen in some of Center’s other work. Hannah’s healing after her mom’s death could have used some more attention to round it out the same as Jack’s trauma. On top of that, I wish there was a little more sizzle between Jack and Hannah… something to convince me that there was a burning need beyond that adoration and respect that I love. With that said though: This is absolutely ready to become a rom-com on the big screen and I need it!
Filled with hope, love and kindness, The Bodyguard gave me all the feels and swoons I was looking for! I’m a sucker for a fake relationship. Even better if is work related! I don’t seek out celebrity tropes but it worked well in this story. If you enjoyed Things You Save In a Fire (you can read my review here), then you need to bump this lovely couple up your TBR!
TW: Brief mentions of Domestic Abuse and Alcoholism, Parent Death, Sibling Death, PTSD
**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
About Katherine Center
Katherine Center’s new novel is WHAT YOU WISH FOR. She’s the author of eight novels, including How to Walk Away and Things You Save in a Fire—both instant New York Times bestsellers—as well as The Lost Husband (now a movie starring Josh Duhamel that just hit #1 on Netflix). She writes laugh-and-cry books about how life knocks us down—and how we get back up. Katherine has been compared to both Nora Ephron and Jane Austen, the Dallas Morning News calls her stories, “satisfying in the most soul-nourishing way,” and BookPage calls her the “reigning queen of comfort reads.” Her books have made countless Best-Of lists, including Real Simple’s Best Books of 2020, Amazon’s Top 100 Books of 2019, Goodreads’ Best Books of the Year, the Indie Next Great Reads List, BookList’s Top Ten Women’s Fiction, and many, many more. Katherine lives in her hometown of Houston, Texas, with her husband, two kids, and their fluffy-but-fierce dog.