FOOL ME ONCE BY CATHERINE BYBEE-BLOG TOUR

From Weekday Brides to First Wives, a dazzling series about four women and their alliance of newfound friendship, unexpected love, and second chances.

Cynical divorce attorney Lori Cumberland lives by one motto: Love is grand, but divorce is a hundred grand. With one failed marriage under her own personal belt, Lori had fallen hard and early—and it isn’t something she plans on repeating. She’s content focusing on the temporary marriages of her rich and famous clients. When she joins some of her recent divorcées on a celebratory cruise, her only vow is fun, sun, and new friends. But Lori finds herself tempted by a jury of one.

For Reed Barlow, falling into the world of private investigation was easy. He knows the law and knows how to avoid breaking it—all while doing his job. His rule to live by? No emotion, no involvement…until Lori. His charming smile and cocky attitude distracts Lori and lowers her guard, which is exactly what Reed desires.

But what appears as a one-time-only flirtation may be a plot orchestrated by Reed. As he’s taking his investigation to a dangerous level, it’s Lori who could end up in jeopardy. Reed has only one shot for Lori to grant him a second chance. But if he comes clean with her, he blows his cover. And that just might cost him the opportunity for an alliance of family…and of love.

 

The premise of this book is really interesting. A divorce attorney who is involved in working out the divorces of the people who she helps by assisting with the legalities of their arranged marriages. I love that the heroine in the story is a part of the world that helps marriages end. In the acknowledgements, Ms. Bybee mentions that she has been through a divorce herself, and that the emotions are rough, even when it is wanted...and the perspective of the author in this book gave it a different feel than other books I have read where the heroine is divorced.

Lori and Reed meet on a cruise ship and start a vacation fling, but then discoverer that there's a lot more than just the vacation between them...but he is not being honest.

My favorite thing about Bybee's stories is how human her characters are...they react the way people do. And, they seem real...there's something about the way she writes them that makes them feel authentic and truthful. That, in addition to the romance, is why I enjoyed this book.

As with other books that function as the first in a series, there was a lot of build up of the secondary characters and this did pull some of the focus from Lori and Reed. Not a lot, but enough that it felt, in places, that there was a little too much of the secondary characters.

I do recommend this tile and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

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About the Author:

New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee has written twenty-seven books that have collectively sold more than three million copies and have been translated into twelve languages. Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in hopes of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned the Not Quite series, the Weekday Brides series, the Most Likely To series, and the First Wives series.

CONTACT LINKS: 

www.catherinebybe.com 

catherinebybee@yahoo.com 

catherinebybee.blogspot.com 

facebook.com/AuthorCatherineBybee 

twitter.com/catherinebybee 

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MAKING IT RIGHT BY CATHERINE BYBEE-BLOG TOUR

 

 In the final book in bestselling author Catherine Bybee’s Most Likely To trilogy, River Bend’s rebel follows in her father’s footsteps to become sheriff. But it might be time to forge her own path…

Some kids inherit a family business; Jo Ward inherited a badge. Once voted Most Likely to End Up in Jail, the town wild child has become sheriff—hell-bent on uncovering the truth about her father’s mysterious death. Life is quiet in rustic River Bend, but Jo longs for something beyond her small hometown and the painful memories it holds. All that keeps her sane is the support of her best friends, Melanie and Zoe.

But when Jo signs up for an expert law enforcement training seminar, she meets Gill Clausen, whose haunting eyes and dangerously sexy vibe just may challenge her single-minded focus. Commitment-phobic Jo can’t deny her attraction to the arrogant federal agent, and when odd things start happening around River Bend and danger surrounds her, she realizes she’ll need his help to discover who’s out to remove her from River Bend…permanently.

As Jo and Gill work together, it’s clear they make a great team. But can Jo loosen her grip on the past enough to let love in and reach for the future? 

Catherine Bybee is a go to author for me.  And, books like this one are the reason.  I really enjoyed Jo's story, which was a surprise for me as her story was the one I wasn't looking forward to of the 3.

Jo was interesting.  And, I loved the exploration of the idea that she was living her life possibly for someone else rather than for her.  I think a lot of us are in the position of doing things, or acting in certain ways, because of the expectations of others, or the expectations we place on ourselves because of the influence of others, because we think it is what they want us to do.  I loved that this was explored in the guise of jo following in her father's footsteps (don't worry, really not a spoiler as this is something that comes up throughout the book).

I adored Gill.  There was just something about him that made him incredibly appealing.  I think a lot of it was how much he just plain adored and respected JoAnne, as he calls her.  There is an appeal to a story that features a hero who just plain adores the heroine.  And, it lets him get away with challenging her, and with calling her out, without losing the respect of the reader, as you know he thinks she is great.

As always, the book is well written and well paced.  I would have liked a little less of the "murder mystery" but at the same time, I think it was important for the story of Jo as a whole, so I am not even positive that this was not well balanced.

There is an acknowledgement in the end of the book that is both heartfelt and rather funny, and, yes Ms. Bybee, I think ending it with a big fire would have left us readers with an ending we didn't love. 

I recommend this book, as both a standalone and as the satisfying end to a series.

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New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee was raised in Washington State, but after graduating high school, she moved to Southern California in hopes of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned the Weekday Brides Series and the Not Quite Series. Bybee lives with her two teenage sons in Southern California. 

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