The Bodyguard

Katherine Center is a relatively new-to-me author. I had read her book Things You Save in a Fire three years ago and liked it, but I haven't picked up one of her books since. The Bodyguard caught my eye at the library with its bright cover, so I snatched up a copy and I'm glad I reconnected with this author's work.

The Bodyguard is a sweet and swoony feel-good romance that has humour and heart. Alas, there are no steamy love scenes, but I don't think the story was lacking because of it. Instead, readers witness the slow building of trust and connection between two people from the ground up. This was a predictable read but Center throws in a wee twist or two towards the end and I'm always a fan of the fake dating trope which was in full force here. 

I loved how Center flips the script and has 'stumpy' wee Hannah as the kick ass bodyguard for the big and burly Hollywood actor who has a stalker on his tail. The cast also includes the rest of the security team, Jack's family, and some off-the-wall fans. Hannah was an okay main character (perhaps a little too neurotic at times), but I loved Jack from the beginning. He's a Hollywood A-list actor/down-to-earth Texas boy who has demons he's battling and his family!? I loved 'em!

This was a fun, down-to-earth, heartwarming romance with witty banter, humour and heart that will leave readers a bit swoony.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Author: Katherine Center

Genre: RomCom, Romance

Type and Source: Hardcover from public library

Publisher: St Martin's Press

First Published: July 19, 2022

Book Description from GoodReads: 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.