The Bodyguard

Title: The Bodyguard

Author: Katherine Center

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Source: Net Galley

My review:

This is the first time I have read a book by Katherine Center. I loved the cover and premise of the book and couldn't wait to read it.

The Bodyguard is a fake-dating/forced proximity trope. I like the fake dating troupe and enjoyed the story line. I appreciated the deviation from the "typical" gender roles and really felt what the protagonist felt as we got everything from her point of view. 

Hannah talked so much about Jack Stapleton and his movie The Destroyer that I actually went and looked it up to see if he was a real person! That is a sign of good writing. There were hilarious moments, mixed in with some serious elements, and a few instances where reality was suspended. There were tender moments and cringe-worthy moments. I appreciated that while the kissing got steamy, it was overall, a closed-door romance.

 I wanted to love this book and give it all the stars. However, I didn't love the epilogue. There were parts that were fine and other parts that were simply not needed. I also didn't feel like the stalker situation was handled very realistically. The thing that got me most was the cursing. I do not like it in the books I read, at all. I find it completely unnecessary and at times it got excessive in this book. That was a huge turn-off to me. I know I am in the minority with my opinions on this, however, it is a huge deal to me, and I avoid it where I can.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. I was not required to provide a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Synopsis:

She’s got his back.
Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindgerten 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.