Book ~ "The Bodyguard" (2022) Katherine Center

From Goodreads ~ She’s got his back. Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than somebody who could kill you with a wine bottle opener. Or a ballpoint pen. Or a dinner napkin. But the truth is, she’s an Executive Protection Agent (aka "bodyguard"), and she just got hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker.

He’s got her heart. Jack Stapleton’s a household name - captured by paparazzi on beaches the world over, famous for, among other things, rising out of the waves in all manner of clingy board shorts and glistening like a Roman deity. But a few years back, in the wake of a family tragedy, he dropped from the public eye and went off the grid.

They’ve got a secret. 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. Even though her ex, like a jerk, says no one will believe it.

What could possibly go wrong??? Hannah hardly believes it, herself. But the more time she spends with Jack, the more real it all starts to seem. And there lies the heartbreak. Because it’s easy for Hannah to protect Jack. But protecting her own, long-neglected heart? That’s the hardest thing she’s ever done.

Hannah is an executive protection agent (aka bodyguard) and is good at what she does. Her mother recently passed away and her boyfriend, who is a colleague, breaks up with her the day after her mother's funeral. Needless to say, she's going through a bad time but is looking forward to an assignment overseas. Her boss doesn't think she's mentally and emotionally ready so assigns her to guard Jake, a famous actor. He doesn't want a bodyguard but doesn't have a choice because he's is being stalked and is receiving threatening letters.

Jake's mother is sick and he heads home to their ranch while she recovers. He doesn't want to worry his family so tells them that Hannah is his girlfriend so they have to act the part. As Hannah gets close to him and his family, she doesn't know whether Jake really cares about her or is he pretending for his family.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I thought it was cute. It is written in first person perspective in Hannah's voice ... it's as if she is speaking to you and telling you what's going on. I liked the writing style. I liked the interaction between Hannah and Jake ... they seemed to enjoy each other's company even though they knew it was just a job. As a head's up, there is some swearing.