The Bodyguard by Katherine Center - Book Review

THE BODYGUARD
Katherine Center 

REVIEW 

Genre - Romance
Rating - 4/5 
Spice - .5/5
Trigger Warnings - Death, Gun violence, Stalking, Domestic Violence
Tropes - Bodyguard/client, reverse grumpy x sunshine, close proximity, one bed

This was the last book I read in 2022, two days before New Year's to be exact. This review will have spoilers ahead. 

Spoiler Free Arena

This book is for them who need a light hearted romance. Although there are triggers for certain aspects, it was, in my opinion, essential to further the plot of the book. Overall it was a cheesy rom-com worth a one time read. I finished this book in a day. Add it to your tbr if you like Hallmark movies and want an uncomplicated love story. 

The plot is simple.
The MMC is Jack Stappleton
The FMC is Hannah Brooks 

Breaking the traditional stereotypes of men being given the profession of a bodyguard, the author did a wonderful job of reversing the roles. The protagonist, Hannah Brooks is a bodyguard or as she would like to call it an "Executive Protection Agent".  Hannah is a skilled bodyguard who somewhat sounds like a toned down version of Rhys Larsen from Twisted Games. She knows various ways to incapacitate the enemies but her main job is to avoid such situations before it ever reaches to that point. She is a lowkey grump. A workaholic who has a heart being protected using an electric fence. She excels at her job and one of her mottos is not to get involved with clients but oh well, we all know how well that works out. 😉😉 When the security team gets the contract for Jack's protection, everyone has their heart eyes out except for Hannah. 

Jack Stappleton is our Golden Retriever hero and the love interest of Hannah. He's a movie star by profession who has his own burdens to carry. He is kind, compassionate, friendly, witty and a total marshmallow. When his mother gets sick he chooses to come back to Austin, Texas to take care of her. Due to a middle aged corgi breeding stalker, who makes excellent sweaters with Jack's face, he is put in a position where his production agency hires a security team for him. 

To prevent his family from knowing about the stalker situation Jack brings up the idea of Hannah becoming his fake girlfriend. Brownie points to Glenn who unknowingly played cupid and pricked Hannah and Jack with arrows. Sparks fly between Jack and Hannah but will it lead to a heartbreak? Would she open up her heart to someone like Jack? Will Jack ever choose Hannah? 

Behold! Spoilers

There were cliches everywhere, in every direction. The imminent danger with the stalker was foreshadowed. Anyone would've noticed that the real stalker couldn't have been a Corgi breeding woman. Close proximity, one bed trope etc. hasn't been used to it's necessary advantage. But for a closed door romance this was okay, I guess. 🤷 It was fast paced, they saw, they worked closely, they fell for each other. The douche ex, Robby, was like a high schooler who understands the value of his girl after he sees her with someone else. The fact that Hannah's mother died has been mentioned numerous times. She herself felt detached from it then used that same reason when she was met with minor inconveniences. 

Taylor was a one dimensional character who could've been easily replaced by Kelly. Kelly had little screen time but she appeared more developed as a character than Taylor. Kelly and Doghouse make a cute couple. Glenn is our typical broody boss who takes no shit and indirectly gives Robby a much deserved hard time for being a man child. 

What if Regina George got stardom? That's Kennedy Monroe. She was a filler character 

Jack is a total lover boy. Especially when he keeps searching for Hannah's safety pin pendant disguised as golf time. The part where Jack wore Hannah's safety pin pendant on Drew's necklace was adorable.  He gave Drew's necklace to her for keepsake and I was melting. The part where he acted as if him asking her out was a far fetched idea broke my heart when I read it and I wanted to punch him in the face for doing so. But when I found out that he did it in order to save her life from the stalker in his house gave me relief. Our badass FMC saves Jack from his stalker , thanks to her excellent ability to read people's emotions. 

Boy, the kissing scene was worth the wait. I was going to riot if there wasn't one after all the missed opportunities. The "you're not a bad kisser" thing was straight out of a teen movie but it was a much needed starting for the actual kissing scene. 

Doc and Connie were a lovely couple . They reminded me of Hallmark Christmas movie parents with the simple, beautiful, fulfilling marriage. The supportive Connie was refreshing from the typical mother in law's who don't like ordinary women. 

Thanks to the iconic cameo made by Meryl Streep's French Steak Knives we got to see a glimpse into Hannah and Jack's future. Cameos were made by Ryan Reynolds and Ryan Gosling. Kelly had the time of her life for having a seat between them. 

There were hilarious dialogues that made me crack up sometimes. Would recommend this book to those who want an easy going story for their late night cozy reading sessions.