“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.” – 4.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: cows, security procedures, bridges, body guards, stalkers, code names, betrayal, “Victorian” nightgowns, stakers, safety pins, corgi ladies, birdhouses and nightmares.

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 remember when I first discovered this book and saw it had the bodyguard/celebrity trope and the fake dating trope. I thought to myself “I just know this is not going to be on my TBR for long” – and I was right. I picked it up only a few months after seeing it for the first time – which for me is kind of surprising. I’m a sucker for romance and for these tropes, so I could only hope this had a good story.

Turns out I had a blast reading this! It’s not very common to find a story about a small female bodyguard protecting a male celebrity, so I thought the concept was very unique and different. 

I loved both of our main characters, Hannah and Jack, and their relationship. Their little moments together and their banter made me very happy! Also, I really enjoyed the other characters, but especially Jack’s parents – they were so sweet and kind! I just wasn’t a fan of the best friend and the other ahole (whatever his name was). 

The romance itself can be considered a slow burn, which is a personal preference of mine! Their relationship developed slowly but surely, and it made me swoon the entire time. I guess you could say this has a friends-to-lovers feel, since they get along from the start. But one thing that surprised me was how it was a very clean romance. I was kind of expecting smut, but the characters only kiss in this book. I personally didn’t mind this, but thought it was interesting since it’s not common to find adult romances without any sort of smut nowadays.

One thing that caught my attention was the author’s note at the end of the book. She said she wrote this book during the pandemic and that working on it was what helped with her mental health during that time. She said she just needed something fun and happy, and she wanted to share that feeling with whoever read this book. She basically explained why this is such an easy, “feel good” kind of book, instead of adding a lot of conflict to the story. I really appreciate this as a reader, because I feel like books like this are a great way to escape when reality gets tough. 

This was surprisingly good! It was a very fun and “feel-good” kind of story, and it was super easy to read. Maybe I should dig into more Katherine Center books? I sure had a great time reading this one, definitely recommend it!