Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - The Bodyguard

I love an author’s note at the end of a book, and in this one, she mentions this is her pandemic book (it doesn’t mention the pandemic). Instead, it was her escape and a book that did “soul-nourishing things” for herself. I love that and I can see how writing this could make a pandemic better.

I also finished Things You Save in a Fire, and I felt like I could see similarities. To me, both heroines are strong women in careers people don’t assume women would be powerful in (a firefighter and a bodyguard). She gives them strength and courage (and both don’t like slinky clothes and prefer pants). It’s interesting how neither of the women grew up with great families (and I think both have parents who left). Both stories involve a parent with cancer also.

This one, involves fake dating. Hannah loves going oversees and especially wants a job - but her boss decides that it is between her and a guy (she was in a relationship with) - and she has to prove herself in a high profile job with a movie star. His mother has been sick and wants them to come to their ranch, and the fake dating heats up. (Although I do love that her books are never uncomfortably spicy).

I love Katherine Center’s humor at often just the right time.

“Because it’s so much harder to love someone who’s difficult than to love someone who’s easy.” P17

“Cool pin necklace…”
Like a reflex I touched my beaded safety pin…
And the pin must have been more of a talisman than I’d realized, because only then did I magically remember how to talk.” P46

“I’d just have to wear girlfriend clothes and do girlfriend things and be … trapped behind that facade.” P103

Brazos River is named from “los brazos de Dios, which means ‘the arms of God” … because it drowned so many people that it’s where God collects their souls.” P124

“Every chance you take is a choice. A choice to decide who you are.” P259

Content Warnings

hazelgirl21's review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

eaeaster's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Delightfully fun. Not too sweet but lovable characters.

Content Warnings

amandamarieger's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This was so fun!! I’ve been reading a lot of heavy stuff the last few months, and this book was such a breath of fresh air. The writing was super funny and I felt like I was flying through it. If you’re a romantic comedy fan, this is a great one!

Content Warnings

emireads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

camillarossi's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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cheye13's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was lovely, cute, and charming, if a little unremarkable. The relationship was sweet with the right level of push and pull, the characters had substance, and the plot was engaging. The writing was both skillful and easy to read. And even the heat level (or lack of one) was perfect for my tastes.

What I mainly felt was missing was more of a deep-dive into the leads' careers. I'm not one to say one's career fully defines one's personality, but both of these characters seemed so defined by their unique careers that it would've been fun to push a little further into that. Particularly Hannah – we never leave her POV, she has such a unique career, and she definitively, on-page, defines herself by her excellence in that career. Instead we get a lot of moping about her ex and best friend. And while that's completely warranted and doesn't detract from her as a character, it would be nice if she'd been a little more fleshed out, especially as our first-person narrator.

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