Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

58 reviews

bidoofenergy's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-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

4.0

A classic fun 00s romcom of a book. Hannah is driven, Jack is ridiculous and I love them both so much. It's devastating and delightful in one

"Love is something you generate. 
"And loving other people really does turn out, in the end, to be a genuine way of loving yourself."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Death, Car accident, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Vomit and Domestic abuse

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, and Gun violence

jg34's review against another edition

funny lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

Love Katherine center. Her books always have uplifting endings which I appreciate so much. Then the body of the book is always a mix of sad and happy but not to worry, this one is not very sad. Thank u bc my seasonal depression cannot take that at the moment. 
The couple was really cute and the plot was interesting. Jack is perfect. My only complaint is some of the side characters. Robbie is so mean and dumb to the point I don’t understand how Hannah could have dated him in the first place (or Taylor!!). Also didn’t love Glen he straight up treats his employees like shit. Lastly Kennedy or whoever was so over the top it was unbelievable. But other than the obnoxious side characters this story was just what I needed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Car accident

Moderate: Death of parent, Cancer, Gun violence, and Blood

Minor: Addiction, Blood, and Vomit

ju_harue's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Adorei a leitura, sem expectativas, achei que foi uma história bem construída, com personagens sólidos e um enredo que prende. Nada de grandes emoções ou viradas extraordinária, mas cumpriu muitíssimo bem a função de um romance excelente pra engatar as leituras novamente.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Sexism, Death of parent, Alcohol, Blood, Cancer, Death, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, and Stalking

ginkgogirl's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

Great junk food read. Completely unrealistic but very fun and easy to read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Blood, and Gun violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Death, and Body shaming

Minor: Alcoholism and Addiction

bibiran's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

this was 75% funny and cute and 25%... um.. "mark this 3 stars instead of 4" vibes

so the pacing was pretty decent, though I feel like I was waiting for something more momentous to happen on the ranch instead of you know, they get along because they're just generally nice people and his mom just really wants them to get married for some reason. like I feel like the length could've been shaved and the climax (on the roof of his house) should've been sooner. 

the banter/jokes were usually pretty funny! a giggle was giggled! that was probably the best part of this. i think though, that the book should've wholly stuck to that instead of attempting to make profound statements about beauty and love and insecurity, because coming from a character who was confident in her abilities etc. and wasn't crippled by insecurity really, just going through a rough patch in life and having a normal reaction to suddenly being close to a handsome famous person, having that be one of the closing messages felt off. 

speaking of this emphasis on trying to make statements on beauty, self-worth, and love, it felt like some kind of personal insecurity and opinion slipped through the cracks in the writing, which ultimately made me rate the book lower than i would have. 

there is a point in the book where the main character describes Bratz dolls as looking "like Barbie had undergone extreme plastic surgery: overly made-up cat eyes, and giant, swollen lips" and goes several steps further describing them as looking like "mutant porn stars." (what?) it's important to note that these dolls have features closer mirroring the features of women of color and resonate more with people belonging to that community as well, not that I would expect a white woman writing a book about white people in a Texas ranch to be in tune with these kinds of things but as a woman of color it took me out of the book and I wasn't able to fully enjoy it after that, knowing I would have to come back to it as I wrote my thoughts later.

the book also takes to backhandedly belittling other women who were more "conventionally attractive" as opposed to the main character, who is not described as ugly at all? just like, a normal woman, who is most likely pretty as women always are? and it does it in the most un-nuanced, grotesque form as well, making the beautiful celebrity girlfriend with "bouncy plastic boobies" (?) and a perfect "airbrushed plastic" face an almost cartoonishly evil character? what was the reason? it just felt like the author had some kind of vendetta against conventionally attractive women that rubbed me the wrong way.

it wasn't all bad, the book had fluctuating moments of lucidity where it said some things about beauty, societal expectations, and insecurity that i agreed with, but i feel like it was definitely not strong enough a suit to be made as a recurring theme, so she lost me. it was, like i said, 75% decently enjoyable, which is a lot more than i can say about most contemporary romance books, so definitely power to her for that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Car accident, Gun violence, Blood, and Death of parent

Moderate: Stalking, Racism, and Suicide attempt

caro_shelves's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was a delightful read. Hannah's tendency to work too hard was relatable, and the gradual development of her relationship with Jack was a pleasure to follow. Although the fake-dating trope can be cheesy, the scenario of a bodyguard protecting a movie star from a difficult superfan made it believable. I loved seeing the growth of both Hannah and Jack as individuals and as a couple. Overall, it was a heartwarming and satisfying book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Infidelity, and Cancer

Minor: Blood and Gun violence

lisavandonselaar's review against another edition

funny inspiring lighthearted 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Gun violence

Moderate: Medical content, Stalking, Blood, Cancer, Grief, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

liciaaaaa's review against another edition

funny hopeful relaxing medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking and Car accident

Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Medical content

Minor: Blood, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Grief, Gun violence, Addiction, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Toxic friendship

mels_reading_log's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

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

4.0

He is a two time winner of People’s Sexiest Man Alive and a world famous movie star. He needs security but wants to keep it a secret, so his family doesn’t worry. In comes Hannah, no one would ever suspect that she is an Executive Protection Agent who knows several ways to kill a man with whatever household item that is closest. To explain her presence, they pretend she is his girlfriend. But who would believe Jack Stapleton would date someone so ordinary?

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Car accident, and Death of parent

Minor: Gun violence

mal2001's review against another edition

funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

supaaa cute read. it made me LOL at some points. i could imagine this as a movie rom com. there are no spicy scenes and very few kissing scenes even. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Cancer, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Grief, Death, Blood, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Car accident