Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - The Bodyguard

Title: The Bodyguard
Author: Katherine Center
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: July 19, 2022

Thank you to MacMillian Audio for offering me an audio-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

T H R E E • W O R D S

Quirky • Excessive • Adventurous

📖 S Y N O P S I S

After the death of her mom, Hannah's attempting to forge forward while ignoring her grief. To make matters worse, her co-worker/boyfriend has just dumped her. All of this has her willing and hoping to take on whatever work assignment her boss assigns, if only to escape it all. As a highly touted Executive Protection Agent (aka bodyguard), she's begging her boss to send her somewhere.

In the wake of a family tragedy, Jack, a famous celebrity and actor, disappeared completely from the public eye. When his mom gets sick, he returns to his family's Texas ranch to help out, all to the dismay of his brother. Not wanting his family to find out about a corgi-breeding stalker, his agent enlists protection. Enter Hannah, and one small problem - he doesn't want his family to find out she's a bodyguard. The solution - Hannah will be forced to pretend she's Jack's girlfriend. And the more time they spend together, the more real it begins to feel.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I have come to love Katherine Center's signature style making The Bodyguard my most anticipated 2022 release. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a let down. Still a solid read, it just wasn't everything I wanted it to be. Maybe my sky high expectations were to blame, but it felt like something was missing.

The characters are so wholesome. Hannah's drive and awkwardness paired with Jack's genuine nature came across like a match made in heaven. Jack's family seemed so caring, loving and open, something I definitely wanted to be a part of. One of the reasons I've loved Katherine's books is for the depth, and while this one had some, I wanted more. More of Jack's story, and less of the romance. I wanted to uncover the details of his relationship with his brother, Hank, and know what happened to Drew.

The setting is also fantastic! In the vain of Something Wilder the ranch setting came across as adventurous and fun. It was a bit of an off-the-beaten path vibe, which has been something I've really enjoyed recently.

And then there was the ending... which on it's own dropped this down a notch for me. The last major scene was completely unnecessary, unbelievable and more than a tad outlandish.

In sum, The Bodyguard definitely had the wit to make me laugh, but it was fairly obvious this was a pandemic book. I just didn't love the story as whole, and it required a little too much suspension of reality (especially near the end) for my liking. The audio narration is fantastic and really brought the characters to life in a different way. I am still a huge fan of Katherine Center's writing, despite this being my least favourite of her books so far, and cannot wait to read what she writes next (hopefully it's more of what I've come to love).

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Katherine Center fans
• lovers of the fake dating trope
• anyone who liked film version of The Bodyguard

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"You can't make people love you. But you can give the love you long for out to the world. You can be the love you wish you had. That's the way to be okay. Because giving love to other people is a way of giving it to yourself."

"I think just because you can’t keep something doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth it. Nothing lasts forever. What matters is what we take with us."

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jls12's review

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Loved loved loved this book. There were many times I chuckled…especially “the cow licked me scene”. It was a romcom that tackled some serious elements such as grief, illness, and traumas without being heavy. It was enough to make you think and appreciate life without crushing your soul.

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kb33's review

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lighthearted fast-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

Loved this one. There were so many scenes of Jack and Hannah just talking, spending time together, and growing their connection, and that’s what sets Katherine Center apart from other romance writers who gloss over those types of interactions. I wish there had been more chemistry/steam - for most of the book I was never really sure if they were going to end up together or if she would just end up happy with herself, or someone new toward the end of the book.

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amzimme's review against another edition

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emotional reflective

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Wanted to love it, and planned to give 5 stars until about 2/3 through the book when it went in the direction of pitting female characters against each other and villainizing side female characters as some of the worst shallow stereotypes of women. I was pretty disappointed, given how most of the book is constructed. A lesser and frankly minor disappointment was the preachy “Here are all the lessons I learned along the way” wrap-up.

The story itself, the construction and arcs of the main characters, the playing with gender roles, and the plot—no complaints, great, enjoyed the heck out of it! And despite the failure in terms of female characters around the 2/3 or 3/4 mark, this was a great read with some more depth than expected and I’d read it again and recommend it :)

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briannad4's review

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lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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katievh's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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cozyduck's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A very charming, very pleasant read except for

The description of the brothers accident, and chapters 30-31, but those are intentional.

Not really any

sexually explicit scenes. Normally I like some lol

but with this book I was content without it. :)

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emjen16's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I LOVED the narrative voice of this book. The way the story is told made the story and the characters come alive. Also, I love a little bit of snark in a narrator's voice. So many beautiful moments sprinkled throughout a funny, delightful story. I don't remember the last time I stayed up too late to read a book. I think I "just one more chapter-ed" myself a dozen times before I actually went to bed.

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