Fool Me Once by Catherine Bybee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I just can't get enough of Catherine Bybee's books. With each series, we meet more determined and feisty female characters and the overprotective men they fall for. Each story enables me to switch off from reality and just sit back and savour a bit of wonderfully written romance with a healthy dash of danger and intrigue.
The First Wives Club comprises Lori Cumberland, the Alliance divorce attorney, Trina Petrov, recently widowed after her arranged marriage collapsed when her husband committed suicide, Avery Grant, the flirty and confident member of the group who is recently divorced and enjoying the high life of being wealthy and single, and lastly Shannon Wentworth, the former first lady of California, who, despite having an arranged marriage, fell in love with her husband who sadly couldn't wait to divorce her.
Fool Me Once follows Lori and the other three members of the First Wives Club as they head off on a cruise to support an emotionally broken Trina. With Lori assuming a cruise would solve their problems in the press and with Shannen, in particular, being well-known in California, a trip around the Mediterranean should be just what everyone needs. Things quickly start to escalate though when it is revealed that Trina has inherited her mother-in-law's fortune as well as her late husband's wealth and with a determined Russian ex-father-in-law out for revenge, the quartet finds themselves in need of a bodyguard, or two, or three.
When Lori arrives on the ship she immediately attracts the attention of Reed Barlow. Seemingly sailing alone, he quickly latches onto the group of single women, alongside some other interesting male characters. What Lori doesn't know if that Reed is a PI and he has been paid to find dirt on Shannen and her ex-husband by a political rival. Despite having a job to do, Reed falls fast and hard for Lori and the duo spend most of their time together. With Reed still trying to understand the background connecting the four women, he knows that he if he wants to keep Lori in his arms, he will have to be careful with what he reveals to his client.
With Lori in the dark about Reed's real job, she happily continues into a relationship with Reed when they return back in the US. With the dangers around Trina escalating though, it's not long before Reed finds himself in an impossible situation, thanks to the mysterious women on the ship, Sasha. When his back is placed firmly against the wall he knows he will have to come clean to Lori but will she forgive him?
As I've said before, the writing, storytelling and overall ambience of this author's books are 100% en pointe for me. Each book always feels different despite overlapping themes and story commonalities. I can become thoroughly absorbed in Catherine Bybee's books in the blink of an eye and before I know it, another book has ended and I'm reaching for the next instalment as fast as I can click onto Amazon. The Audible books make these stories even more special though. There are some really talented narrators portraying all of the characters and they deserve a lot of praise for bringing the books to life in such a rewarding way.
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