Author: Katherine Center
Series: Stand Alone
Category: Contemporary Romance
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️
"Most of the time, you're safer if your protection goes unnoticed. And I am fantastic at going unnoticed. All women EP agents are, which is why we're in high demand. No one ever suspects us. Everyone always thinks we're the nanny." - Hannah
I couldn't imagine a more perfect book that needs to be turned into a movie. I know I'm not the first book reviewer to say this, so by the collective power of bloggers, let's make this happen. Someone pull together a director, some actors, and a producer and I'll be the first donation on the kickstart campaign!
This book was so lightheartedly funny, that I genuinely couldn't keep a smile off my face as Hannah and Jack found themselves in love. If you didn't know by now, I love a fake dating set up and this book delivers on all of the reasons this trope is one of my favorites: bed-sharing, pretending to be a couple in front of family and friends, and pushing both characters out of their comfort zones to rely on the other.
Jack was so sweet, and the complete opposite of the stereotypical A-list actor I thought we may get in this book. His family was important to him, especially his mom, and I loved their interactions and how much emphasis was placed on their relationships.
“It doesn't hurt to spend your life with people who see what's great about you - in a way that you maybe never would have on your own. The people we love to teach us who we are.” - Hannah
Hannah was harder to immediately like than Jack, however, learning more about her backstory made her persistent self-esteem issues understandable. She was physically strong but vulnerable emotionally and surrounded by people who didn't care too much about her other than what she brought to her job. I loved her gradual acceptance that she was lovable and deserving.
Both Jack and Hannah had some baggage that clearly weighed on them. Once they both were able to open up to each other, their relationship only made them stronger individually. Their banter was witty and it was easy to see their chemistry despite their differences.
"Maybe love isn't a judgment you render - but a chance you take. Maybe it's something you choose to do - over and over." - Hannah
Overall, The Bodyguard had all of the addictive Hallmark movie elements that we love and is the perfect feel-good read for anyone who needs a fun romance book for their summer.
Tropes and Themes: Body Guard, Celebrity, Fake Dating, Romcom.
Blurb
She’s got his back.
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 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.
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