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karifaye's review
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
ellaticonstellation's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I loved that Hannah loves her job while Jack isn't an asshole. Excuse my language. I liked that he has no filter with his expressions and emotions, like an actual human being. Haha! I devoured this✨ Thank you, Katherine; this was my first book from you, you and you did not disappoint.💕
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Deadnaming, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Car accident, and Suicide attempt
morbookish's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
burkiewiczs's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
bookswithangeli's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
sad
tense
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cancer, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism
xiggy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Suicide attempt near the end of the book when Jack is taken hostage and held at gun point (after he tells Hannah he never liked her) suicide is not successful but it wasn’t hinted at So it comes up pretty quickly without a lot of warning. all the warnings I gave I felt were mild depictions.reisingerovaa's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jack>>>>
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence, Medical content, and Suicide attempt
rebecca_arielle's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent
kelly_e's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
3.25
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."
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."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Gun violence, and Grief
sibling death, drowningpages_and_chaos's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Grief, Stalking, and Car accident
Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Suicide attempt