The Bodyguard

 

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center (2022) 302 pages

When you think of a bodyguard, you may not visualize a five foot five inch woman, but that's what Hannah is. Her company has been hired to protect an especially popular and good-looking actor, Jack Stapleton, who has a stalker. When Jack needs to temporarily relocate to Texas to be near his mother, who has been diagnosed with cancer, Hannah is the primary bodyguard for Jack. Because Jack doesn't want his family to worry about his stalker, he insists that Hannah pose as his girlfriend, rather than as a more traditional type of bodyguard.

A few complications are that Hannah had been dating another bodyguard in her company, who has broken up with her (and right after her mother has died), but she still needs to work with him. Jack's complication is that one of his brothers - Drew - died in a car accident two years ago, and Jack's older brother Hank still blames Jack, because Jack was in the car with Drew. Jack survived, but Drew did not.

Hanging out with Jack and his family - not the standard operation for a bodyguard - is making Hannah appreciate the relationships within Jack's family (with the exception of Hank) even as she works to convince herself that Jack is acting, not really interested in her. I really enjoyed this page turner.