The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
Published: July 19, 2022
St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 320
Genre: Romantic Comedy
KKECReads Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was an add-on for my July Book of the Month selection, and I leave my review voluntarily.
Katherine Center has been compared to both Nora Ephron and Jane Austen, and the Dallas Morning News calls her stories “satisfying in the most soul-nourishing way.” Her books have made countless Best-Of lists, including Amazon’s Top 100 Books of 2019, Goodreads’ Best Books of the Year 2019, BookBub’s Best-Loved Books of 2019, the Indie Next Great Reads List, SheReads’ Best Women’s Fiction 2019, 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.
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 andher 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.
“And that’s how, without even realizing it, I decided to stay.”
Hannah is an elite bodyguard who is excellent at her job. She is used to protecting her clients. When her firm is hired to protect movie star Jack Stapleton, she is less than excited to be made the lead. The last thing Hannah wants to deal with is an actor, but she will do her job because that’s who she is. She just wasn’t prepared for the real person behind the facade.
Did I fall a little in love with Katherine Center after reading this book? Yes. This was such a beautiful story. I loved every page.
Hannah was such a relatable character. Her circumstances make you like her, her humor makes her funny, and her preservation makes her strong.
I loved how layered Jack was. He was a genuinely good guy after becoming a Hollywood success story and allowing his ego to inflate.
I laughed out loud several times while reading this novel. The scenes, banter, and situations were so well done. I devoured this book in hours, and I couldn’t put it down.
I enjoyed how the emotional themes were handled, and I love that the most prominent themes were how the light ends even the darkest night and that finding your self-worth is always worthwhile.
The character development was fantastic, the storyline was charming, and this was a delightful read.