[ #Review + #Giveaway] Fiance by Friday by @catherinebybee #TeamBybee

Fiance By Friday
(The Weekday Bride Series, Book Three)
by : Catherine Bybee

Publication:  Montlake Romance (Aug. 13, 2013)
ISBN : 1611099528
Length : 340 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance




Book Description: 

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…

—TJ MACKAY, IND’TALE MAGAZINE, 5 STARS

 Buy it :    Amazon Kindle    |    Amazon Paperback    |   Barnes & Noble  |   Books A Million   |   Book Depository 

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 to 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 were 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.

My Thoughts : 

ooh la la.  I fell in love with Catherine Bybee and her "Not Quite" series.  When I was asked to review Fiance by Friday, I naturally agreed even though at the time I had not read the first two in the Weekday Bride series.  Knowing my love for Catherine was deep and true, I did something I rarely do anymore.  I went to Amazon and purchased  Wife by Wednesday & Married by Monday in paperback so I could read them all in order.  This is what a great author is.  Buying two books in paperback immediately, without question, knowing you'll love them!   And love them I did (reviews coming whenever I have a moment to get them up..).   Now I am stuck in a viscous cycle of waiting for the next book to come out- but hey at least there are two series that I"m addicted to now! 

I fell a little in love with Gwen in the first book.  Naive little rich girl who lived a sheltered life and has a great English accent.  What more can you ask for?  Pair her up with a hardened former Marine who has enough experience and baggage for the both of them and they make the perfect team.  In each book, Gwen has slowly grown a little more confident (read the excerpt above!) and I loved watching her finally step up to take what she's been drooling after.  Just the romance of  Gwen & Neil getting together would have been enough, but Catherine likes to outdo each book she writes and so we also get a stalker/murderer who will leave you guessing until the end to figure out who's really behind it all. With appearances from the rest of the crew, I loved getting updates on each previous couple and a preview of the couple to come (hint:  Single by Saturday is Karen's story!).

FIVE Stars 


Pre-order Single By Saturday (book 4) in paperback or kindle .  Available Jan. 7, 2014.  My birthday is in January.. I know this is going on my list (paperback to go with my others!) but the question will be- can I wait for my bday at the end of the month, or will I give in and buy it as soon as it comes out? lol!

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.  

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