Fiancé by Friday by Catherine Bybee Book Review

Look who's back on FBL, Catherine Bybee has released her latest book in the Weekday Bride Series and is touring blogs to promote. Best of all, she's offering a giveaway. Thanks for stopping by and remember to scroll down for your chance to win a Kindle Fire and gift cards. The giveaway is tour wide.

Fiancé by Friday

The Weekday Bride Series, Book Three

Montlake Romance, Contemporary

August 13, 2013, First Edition

Paperback & Kindle

GWEN HARRISON:

The beautiful high-born daughter of an English duke came to America to take over her sister-in-law’s matchmaking business. But just because she’s the boss doesn’t mean she can’t fantasize about making her own perfect match with bodyguard Neil MacBain. Will the enigmatic man who haunts her dreams cost her more than she bargained for?

NEIL MACBAIN:

The retired Marine can’t deny the effect blue-blooded Gwen has on his troubled soul or his battle-hardened bodY. Bus as a client, Gwen is off-limits—until a threat from Neil’s past returns… and Gwen is caught in the crossfire. Now to keep her safe he will risk it all: his career, his life… and his heart.

PRAISE FOR FIANCE BY FRIDAY

“The hero and heroine come to life with each flip of the page 

and will linger long after readers cross the finish line. 

–RT BOOK REVIEWS, TOP PICK, 4 ½ STARS 

“Bybee takes an elegant titled lady, a dark emotionally guarded hero, a menacing stalker, 

and a cast of distinctive characters mixing it all up into an unusual courtship tale 

full of danger an sexual tension.” 

–PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 

“The hottest love on mainstream paper… 

Ms. Bybee does not disappoint.” 

—TJ MACKAY, IND’TALE MAGAZINE, 5 STARS 

My Review

If you're an avid reader of my blog, then you already know I'm completely obsessed with Catherine Bybee's work. But this particular series? It totally blindsided me in the best possible way. I'll be honest - when I first saw the title and premise, I rolled my eyes a little. It sounded way too "fluffy" for my taste, and I figured it would be all surface-level romance without any real substance. When will I ever learn not to judge a book by its cover or title alone?

I found myself in a time crunch, needing to catch up quickly so I could participate in a blog discussion about this book. I refused to jump into Fiancé by Friday without reading the first two books in the series first - I'm neurotic that way about reading series in order. So I dove in, expecting to skim through some light, forgettable reads just to get the background I needed.

Boy, was I wrong. I absolutely devoured each of those first two books, but this third one? It grabbed me by the throat from page one and refused to let go. I'm talking about that rare reading experience where you forget you're holding a book because you're so completely transported into the story.

What struck me most was how vividly each character came to life on the page. Bybee has this incredible talent for making her characters feel like real people you could bump into at the grocery store, not just fictional constructs. Their individual quirks and personalities were so perfectly crafted that I found myself amazed at how unique each one felt, even within the same story. Nobody felt like a cardboard cutout or a recycled character from another book.

The depth Bybee gave each character was remarkable. She didn't just tell us who they were - she showed us through their actions, their dialogue, their internal struggles. I felt like I understood not just what they were doing, but why they were making those choices, what drove them, what scared them. That's the mark of truly skilled character development.

This book is absolutely worth your time, and if you've been on the fence about picking it up, stop hesitating. Seriously, just buy it already. This is Catherine Bybee firing on all cylinders, showing exactly why she's become such a powerhouse in romance writing.

What really got to me was how real everything felt. There's genuine life pulsing through these pages - the messy, complicated, beautiful kind of life we all actually live. The pain felt authentic, not manufactured for drama. The love felt earned, not handed out like participation trophies. The hope felt hard-won, which made it all the more precious when it appeared.

Bybee doesn't shy away from the difficult stuff, and that honesty is what makes her work so compelling. Her characters face real problems with real consequences, and their solutions aren't always pretty or easy. That's what makes their victories so satisfying and their relationships so believable.

I finished this book feeling completely satisfied but also eager for more. That's the perfect sweet spot for any novel - leaving you fulfilled but still wanting to spend more time in that world with those characters.

If you're a Catherine Bybee fan, this is essential reading. If you're new to her work, this series is a fantastic place to start. Either way, you're in for a treat that will remind you why you fell in love with romance novels in the first place.

Bottom line: Catherine Bybee at her absolute best - real, honest, and impossible to put down.

Book Excerpt

Eliza flagged down a waitress and ordered a martini. “I see not a lot has changed,” she said after the waitress left.

“What do you mean?” Gwen asked.

“We’re sitting in a bar and your giant shadow is lurking in the back of the building.” Eliza tossed a peanut in her mouth.

“My shadow?”

Eliza looked o the right of the bar. “Yeah. The man who acts like you’re a job but can’t seem to leave you alone. If it was anyone other than Neil I’d be afraid he was a stalker.”

Gwen twisted around in her chair. Sure enough, perched at the edge of a seat on the far side of the bar, sat Neil.

“What’s he doing here?”

His eyes found hers for a brief moment before she looked away.

“I think that’s obvious.”

Her back teeth started to grind. “I don’t’ need a babysitter.”

“I don’t know, Gwen. The last time we sat in a bar I remember a certain someone getting drunk and a couple of other someones getting into a fight.”

She’d never live that down. Gwen and Eliza went to blow off steam in a Texas bar. The cowboys ewre full of “yes, ma’am” and “howdy, darlin’.” They danced and carried on…and yes, she drank a little too much. When one of the cowboys mistakenly took her smile as an invitation for intimacy, Neil erupted form the bar to teach the cowboy the meaning of the word no.

It was the first time Neil had defended her honor, and though she hated to admit it, she got a kick out of how ticked off he became when another man looked at her. “That was last year.”

“What’s changed since then?”

Nothing! It didn’t matter how much she flirted with the man, or how obvious she was about her attraction Neil didn’t bite.

“Everything.” Gwen stood, ready to put Neil I his place. “If you’ll both excuse me for a minute.”

She pushed her way through the crowd as if on a collision course with Neil. He kept his lips in a thin line as she approached and gripped the longneck bottle at his side. Slipping between the woman on the stool next to him and Neil’s massive frame, Gwen slapped a hand on her hip and growled. “What are you doing here?”

He blinked, once and picked up his beer. “Having a drink.”

She wanted to scream. “Having a drink,” she repeated.

He tilted the bottle back, took a swig.

“I know what you’re doing, Neil. And I don’t like it. I don’t want or need a bodyguard.”

“That’s debatable.”

If stomping her foot would knock some sense into him, she’d stomp better than a farm girl in a vineyard.

Poking a finger into his chest, she moved closer. “Do you have any idea how difficult it is to have a love life with a tow-hundred-thirty-pound bodybuilder standing in my way?”

A muscle in his jaw tightened. “Two hundred and fifty.”

“Ahhh!” She did scream now.

He lifted his beer again, but before he could take a swig, Gwen grabbed it from his fingers and tilted it back herself.

In a move that would make Eliza and Karen proud, she pushed the empty beer bottle back into his hand and slid between his thighs.

His jaw twitched again.

The strong musky scent that was pure Neil invaded her senses. She dropped one hand to his thigh and left it there. “This is how I see it, Neil. You have two choices. Either back off or step up.”

Gwen squeezed his thigh before vacating his personal space and marching back to the girls. A satisfied smile stretched over her face.

About the Author

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 novels Wife by Wednesday, Married by Monday, and Not Quite Dating. Bybee lives with her husband and two teenage sons in Southern California.  

CONTACT LINKS:

www.catherinebybe.com

catherinebybee@yahoo.com

catherinebybee.blogspot.com

twitter.com/catherinebybee



a Rafflecoptergiveaway