Fool Me Once
First Wives #1
By Catherine Bybee
Releasing September 19th, 2017
Montlake Romance
In Fool Me Once (First Wives #1) by Catherine Bybee, Lori Cumberland has worked hard to get to where she is in her life, but it seems someone is determined to bring her career as a divorce attorney crashing down. However, with the help of powerful friends, Lori isn't about to surrender so easily, not if it means selling out the people she's helped as an attorney. But when Reed Barlow -- the man she's falling for -- reveals the secret he's keeping, will Lori be able to forgive him or will her second chance at happy ever after be destroyed as the danger she faces closes in?
Ms. Bybee has such amazing talent when it comes to writing contemporary romance with a touch of suspense and second chance romances, and this book proves it. Really, everything about this story -- the beguiling main characters, the wonderful blend of intense moments and playful banter that made this story an absolute page turner; and the challenging obstacles this hero and heroine face on their journey to happy ever after -- had me hooked and determined to discover how things would turn out between Lori and Reed. Would they get their second chance at love?
The way this story started had me liking the heroine and the secondary characters immediately, and I loved what they're up to because who doesn't like a celebration. However, it was right at the end of the first chapter where this story really takes off, because of what Lori needs to do to help a friend in need. Will her methods work? Moreover, the heroine is resilient, courageous and I liked how determined she was to help her friends. I also liked how she stood up for herself when it came to the danger. No way will she be intimidated. Yet, what I liked most about the heroine was the decisions she made when it came to the hero and her future with helping one of the secondary characters with a new venture; and her determination to help her friends, especially since they're going through a lot with divorces and enemies that are determined to learn the women's secrets.
While the hero, I could sympathize with him when it came to his back story and understand why he finds it hard to trust people. How could people he should have been able to trust betray him like they did? Furthermore, Reed is confident and I liked how determined he was to succeed in his mission of learning anything he can when it comes to Lori and her friends. Will he get the information he needs? I also liked how protective he was of the heroine and that he would do whatever it takes to help her when it came to the people determined to make Lori's life difficult. Yet, what I liked most of all about the hero is his determination to win Lori over, even though it's not easy when -- at first -- she's more concerned about her friends than having fun with a man.
Overall, Ms. Bybee has penned a fantastic and sizzling read in this book where the chemistry between this pair was powerful; the romance was very passionate and did justice to this couple's intense chemistry; and the ending had me concerned for one of the main characters and one of the secondary ones. Will they be all right? Yet, what I loved about the ending is how things turned out for the hero and heroine, as Reed was willing to do whatever it takes to win Lori back after what he did, which is proven by what he does to get Lori to hopefully listen to him. However, it was the epilogue that wrapped this story up perfectly, as it helped answer those burning questions that remained unanswered such as what Reed was going to do in the future when it came to a career and discovering who hired the person helping Lori and Reed from the shadows. I would recommend Fool Me Once by Catherine Bybee, if you enjoy second chance romances, contemporary romances with a touch of suspense, or books by authors Marina Adair, Erin Nicholas, Bella Andre and Stacy Finz.
BLURB
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.
BUY LINK: Amazon
I am so looking forward to this book's release date.
ReplyDelete