Catherine Bybee

THE FORGOTTEN ONE (The Heirs Book #2) is a captivating and heartwarming installment in The Heirs series. This novel explores the discovery of the long-lost brother, Maximillian, and his romance with a tenacious tabloid writer committed to printing the truth. Although this book can be read as a standalone, with Ms. Bybee providing sufficient backstory to comprehend the dynamics between the three siblings, I highly recommend reading the first book, All Our Tomorrows, as it is an excellent read show more in its own right. Maximillian Smith, a blue-collar worker living day-to-day, suddenly finds himself thrust into a world of unimaginable wealth and introduced to siblings he never knew existed. He also attracts the attention of a determined red-headed tabloid reporter. Sarah McNeilly, driven to work for a national news organization, finds herself working for a tabloid to gain experience. However, her refusal to compromise her journalistic integrity by lying or exaggerating in her articles creates challenges. When her boss receives a tip about a high-profile story involving a deceased billionaire hotel mogul and a Max Smith, Sarah is assigned to uncover the scoop before anyone else. After literally colliding with Max outside the family mansion compound, Max decides to utilize this charming writer to strategically release his real-life story and assist him in locating the mother who abandoned him to the foster care system. As they collaborate on the investigation, their mutual attraction grows, but trust proves difficult for Max to establish. I thoroughly enjoyed this narrative, as Max and Sarah form a perfect couple. From Chapter One, I was emotionally invested, and their romance felt authentic and engaging. The banter between them was witty and humorous, eliciting laughter on multiple occasions. Furthermore, there were moments when I felt emotionally moved, empathizing with the difficult emotions Max experienced as an abandoned child and his subsequent emotional shutdown as a coping mechanism, despite his inherently caring nature. It was delightful to revisit Max's siblings and other characters from the first book. Ms. Bybee's novels consistently captivate me from start to finish, and she has become an automatic purchase for me. I found this book impossible to put down, and I eagerly anticipate the next installment. I highly recommend this emotionally satisfying and heartwarming contemporary romance. show less

Organic Romance - In A Romance Book???? Let's face it, so many times in a romance book, the romance feels at least somewhat contrived. "Oh, you're *really* going to go completely against your established character for this person you just randomly met?" kind of stuff. This isn't the case here. Instead, Bybee crafts one of the more genuinely organic romances I've ever seen in a romance book... while still having her lead female kick ass and take names later. Fans of the Richter books largely show more know what you're getting into here, and while this *does* work as a standalone, there *are* a lot of established external characters and backstories that you're going to want to know up front. Thus, while you don't have to go *all* the way back to its actual origins a couple of series ago, I absolutely recommend at minimum starting with Richter #1 and working your way to this book. But if you do... you're going to want to get here anyway. :) Very much recommended. show less

Excellently Done. In this entrant to the Creek Canyon series, we lose focus on the work of the male lead - while it is there, it isn't as prominent as the first book - while getting even more in depth with the emotional trauma of the female lead. Which, full disclosure here since it is such a sensitive topic for some, is domestic abuse. Bybee does an amazing job of bringing us in to Erin's worlds and her fears about them ever meeting. The suspense built up through one part of the book in show more particular is some amazing work, ratcheting up the tension to almost unbearable levels. But then the payoff comes rather suddenly in the closing pages of the book, and that is arguably the book's one flaw. Still, truly excellent work and very much recommended. show less

4.5 stars.

Single by Saturday, the newest addition to Catherine Bybee's fabulously awesome Weekday Brides series, is my absolutely favorite novel in the series so far. With a very unique spin on the marriage of convenience plot device, this enchanting love story is a refreshing change of pace from typical contemporary romances.

Single by Saturday opens with Karen Jones and movie heartthrob Michael Wolfe celebrating their one year anniversary. This marriage of convenience is not your ordinary show more marriage-Karen and Michael wed to dispel rumors about Michael's private life and while they do love one another, there is no chance of them falling IN love. They have kept their distance from Michael's family from day one but that is about to change when Michael's brother Zach Gardener crashes their extravagant anniversary party. Unable to avoid his family, Michael and Karen head back to Michael's small hometown where Michael reconnects with his family and Karen and Zach fight their unexpected attraction.

Although Karen is going to receive a big payout for her marriage to Michael, her reason for needing the money is not for personal gain. Instead she plans to use the money to help set up a refuge for disadvantaged teens. She spends most of her days volunteering at the local Boys and Girls Club and she uses her marriage to the kids' advantage. Karen has a big heart, a good head on her shoulders and an uncanny ability to size people up within minutes. She can hold her own against just about anyone and she does not mince words when protecting her loved ones. Karen and Michal have a strong friendship and she is very worried about what effect her growing feelings for his brother are going to have on him. Karen agonizes over her attraction to Zach and this part of the storyline is brilliantly executed.

Zach is a dutiful son who has always been content with his life's choices. His father's expectations for him to take over the family hardware business have kept him in town, but he chose a different career path. His construction business is quite successful but on his return from Michael's, he begins to rethink his decisions. Having no idea what the truth is about his brother's marriage, Zach is horribly conflicted about his attraction to Karen. But he begins to notice that things are a bit off between the couple, and he quietly observes them trying to figure out the truth about their relationship.

One of the things I liked best about Single by Saturday is how down to earth Michael's family and Karen are. While she might enjoy some of the financial benefits of her marriage, she really does not like being in the limelight. Michael might have his reasons for staying away his family, but they remain untouched by his fame and his trip home reminds how much he loves them. Of course it also dredges up some of his unpleasant past and emphasizes how much he has to lose if his secrets come out. The interactions between Karen, Michael and his family are sometimes poignant, humorous and ultimately, loving.

The relationship between Zach and Karen is tastefully portrayed and slowly evolves over the course of the novel. It is a push/pull of emotions as they struggle to keep from hurting Michael while remaining true to their own desires. They also keep the extended family's reactions in mind but they are fully aware some family members are going to have a difficult time understanding their romance.

Single by Saturday is a captivating love story that kept me glued to the pages to see how Catherine Bybee was going to resolve what seems to be an impossible pairing between two unlikely lovers. I should not have worried because she not only manages to effortlessly pull off Karen and Zach's romance, she also preserves all of the tricky family relationships as well.

Single by Saturday is an enchanting addition to the Weekday Brides series that old and new fans are sure to enjoy. It can be read as a standalone story, but don't be surprised if you end up purchasing the first three books in the series. Yep, it is THAT good! show less