The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
She's got his back. He's got her heart. They've got a secret. What could possibly go wrong?
Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than somebody who could kill you with her bare hands. But the truth is, she's an elite bodyguard and she's just been hired to protect a superstar actor from his stalker.
Jack Stapleton's a Hollywood heartthrob - captured by paparazzi on beaches the world over, rising out of the waves in clingy board shorts and glistening like a Roman deity.
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.
Protecting Jack should be easy. But protecting her own heart? That's the hardest thing she's ever done...
*I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review*
I feel that Katherine Center has a way of pulling on my heart strings which puts her a class above many authors for me. I believe in her characters and plots because she makes them feel real to me. The Bodyguard added some silly rom com elements that had me laughing while along for the ride. Regardless of the laugh out loud moments I appreciated the elements of grief, family, and feminism.
I loved that the main character was a bodyguard and could majorly kick butt. I think that sometimes authors will take a strong female character and make them almost machine like. Center was able to fully flesh out Hannah's character and make her vulnerable yet capable. She is told by other characters in the story that she has no emotions but she feels so much and is able to compartmentalize in order to function.
I thought that grief was handled very well in the book. Readers are able to witness and journey with characters as they attempt to cope with their different losses. It was interesting to me to see how unique each was and how the family functioned in the aftermath.
I have only one criticism regarding the story. I'm not sure how I felt about the "villain". The twist regarding that aspect of the book seemed a bit out of left field. It took me out of the story and then I felt that the ending was a bit rushed after the fact.
If you are interested in reading a light hearted yet emotionally grounded story then you should definitely pick up The Bodyguard.
