Blog Tour, Guest Post, Giveaway and Book Review: Fiance by Friday by Catherine Bybee

Title: Fiance By Friday
Author: Catherine Bybee
Series: Book Three in the Weekday Brides Series
Published By: Montlake Romance (August 13, 2013)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
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. But 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.

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About the Author:

New York Times Bestselling Author

USA Today Bestselling Author

Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author

Amazon #1 Bestselling Author

#1 IndieReader Bestselling Author

Winner of the More Than Magic Award for Paranormal romance 2011

Catherine Bybee has been addicted to books for as long as she can remember. With the love of reading romance novels came the desire to write them as well. Creating worlds where passion and intrigue collide and where werewolves fall in love gives Catherine the perfect balance. And what young woman hasn't fantasized of traveling through time to find the perfect man? Catherine currently lives in Southern California with her supportive and patient husband and two growing sons. If she isn't busy at her computer or with her family, she's volunteering for any number of organizations or working as a RN in a busy Emergency Room. 

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Guest Post:

The Bybee Way Of Coping With Deadlines

Wine or coffee, depending on the time of day!

Screaming and hair pulling optional.

Dead bolt on the office door with threats of bodily harm to anyone interrupting me.

Dirty laundry… tons of it.

Messy desk (though that is all the time, no deadline needed)

In all seriousness, for my author friends who find deadlines to be a looming, awful thing, I have some things I do to keep myself on track.

First, I get offline. I have an amazing assistant who makes sure I know of pending and important posts and questions I need to answer, then I jump online to do those things then get back to writing.

I have a minimum word count I try and achieve daily. At least 2500 words per day, some days I double and even triple that. Some days I can’t pull 5 words out of my butt, but I try something every day when I’m on a deadline.

I find that if I’m not writing like I want, or the story itself is giving me trouble I need to take a break. I try and exercise several times a week to keep my head clear. I tend to do some great brainstorming when I’m jogging, so I make that part of my routine when I’m on a deadline.

I went from no deadlines to several every year and I find that I work better with a deadline and tend to procrastinate when I don’t have one. *sigh*

Oh, and one more thing… say no! I have to say no to requests from other authors to read books, write blogs, etc. The deadline is very important and shouldn’t be shoved off to do this other stuff. All that said, however, deadlines can be moved if they really need it. If the book sucks but you made your deadline…that’s just wrong.

My Thoughts and Review:

This is actually the third book in the Weekday Brides series but can be read as a stand alone, in fact, I haven't read the first two books and I wasn't lost at all. In fact, I think I came in at a perfect time in the series. You get to know the secondary characters so well that you feel like you already know their stories from the first two books, although, that certainly won't stop me from picking up the first two books and reading them because I would love to have their whole stories unfold as well. 

Gwen is a great character. A Lady in fact and, in every sense of the word. She is proper, dignified, pampered, polite, well dressed, royal and...she just wants to be a normal woman with a normal life. No more body guards or paparazzi after her or having to live a sheltered life, always having to look over her shoulder for someone there.  She wants what we all want, a great job, happiness and a man that loves her with his whole heart and she can love in return. 

Enter Neil, Gwen's head of security and bodyguard. 

Neil is ex military, a little gruff, very serious and of course, a whole lot damaged. He has skeletons in his closet and a past full of unimaginable horrors and of course under all that gruffness, is a heart of gold and a man any woman would love to have.

What Neil doesn't know (well maybe he does) is that Gwen, wants him, over protectiveness, gruffness and all. But Neil's haunting past soon comes back to haunt him and put everyone that he knows and cares about in danger and that include Gwen.

I wasn't expecting all the secondary characters to play such a big role in this book, nor was I expecting to get their point of views throughout the story as well. While it worked for the most part, it did make the story feel a little choppy to me at times. 

There is a lot more going on in this story than just a love affair between Neil and Gwen and I did like that about it. I liked that there was some mystery and action and danger as well as the romance and I think because of all the mystery associated with Neil's past, the alternating point of views worked and maybe even were necessary. 

Overall I think this was a pretty good story and it definitely would make me want to continue on with the series because I know I will be getting more than just a love story and I really did enjoy that about it.  I read a lot of romance and it is nice to have some other stuff thrown in and not all the angst associated with most romance novels out there today. 

*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review*

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