REVIEW: Single by Saturday by Catherine Bybee

In Single by Saturday (The Weekday Brides #4) by Catherine Bybee, Karen Jones knew what she was getting into when she agreed to marry uber popular actor Michael Wolfe: they will remain married for a year or so to throw the press off the trail of his true personal preferences and then will divorce amicably. Such is the way it goes in Hollywood.

‘Sharing herself with someone intimately had always been separate from sharing herself with someone emotionally. Never did the two actually happen with the same man. Until now.’

Karen enjoys Michael’s companionship, so the marriage is truly no problem. Until she meets his brother Zach and she realizes how much she wishes she could be with him instead. Their attraction is electric. Karen tries to stay away from Zach so they don’t tempt fate, but a trip home to visit Michael’s family in Utah could prove to be too much to handle for them.

“Make me stop,” Zach whispered over her lips.
The brisk staccato of his breath raced against hers.
His lips were so close and the need to feel them too strong to deny. “I-I can’t.”
His eyes searched hers. “I can’t either.”

Zach Gardner is smitten the moment he sets his eyes on Karen. His younger brother’s wife. Wondering what the heck is wrong with him that he can’t stop thinking about her, Zach cuts his visit to Hollywood short and retreats home, but Karen and Michael soon follow, much to his dismay. Karen easily finds her way into his family’s heart with her no nonsense but caring personality. She also manages to steal his heart in the process. The longer Zach and Karen are in the same town together, the more complicated the situation gets. Can they find a way to make everyone happy in the long run?

“I don’t know how this is going to work, but I want you…this.”
Her heart flipped in her chest. “It’s going to be messy and complicated.”
“My life has been too neat and easygoing for too long.” His eyes sparkled.

Book four in The Weekday Brides series, Single by Saturday, is every bit as entertaining and heartfelt as the rest have been so far.

Catherine Bybee continues to gives us bigger than life characters who are thrown into extreme situations only to find the love of their lives amidst the chaos. In this story, not only do we have a love triangle of sorts between Michael, Karen and Zach, but we have a marriage of convenience with Michael and Karen. Sound complicated? Thank goodness it’s not too complicated to understand the plot, but there are certainly a lot of complex emotions swirling around our characters.

I usually enjoy a marriage of convenience trope as long as the relationship isn’t filled with too much animosity. And I’m happy to say that Michael and Karen’s marriage was built on a quick but strong friendship. They went into the situation knowing there was a time limit on how long they would be married. I thought they were so cute and funny together, trying to cheer each other on in their daily lives and they seemed to genuinely care about one another. Karen’s work with at risk teens is quite admirable after what she endured as a teen herself and it was nice to have something so down-to-earth included in a story revolving around their Hollywood lifestyle.

The introduction of Michael’s brother Zach was the catalyst for change in what had been a remarkably peaceful coexistence for Karen and himself up to that point. It felt clear from Zach and Karen’s first meeting that they wouldn’t be able to deny the intense chemistry between them. I could understand how they longed that the situation could be different so they could act on their desires without hurting Michael (and his career). Like I said before, this was an extreme situation given that Michael is a superstar action hero, but I found the underlying emotions and their problems to still be very relatable.

I hope all of you romance fans out there will take some time to read Single by Saturday. It has a wonderfully exciting plot, lots of desire, and some sassy attitude thrown in for good measure!

Book Info:

Publication: January 7th 2014 by Montlake Romance

She enjoyed her fake marriage…until she fell in love with her brother-in-law.

Catherine Bybee serves up excitement and dizzying romance in Single by Saturday, the sequel to Fiancé by Friday and the latest entry in her bestselling Weekday Brides series.

Karen Jones: The petite blonde married a Hollywood star, yet she’s the one who spends every day playing a part: the part of a happy wife. A year ago, she agreed to wed a famous actor to diffuse rumors about his personal life. Now, her divorce sits just around the corner, along with a five million dollar payout. However, as she prepares to exit her fake marriage gracefully, her drop-dead-gorgeous brother-in-law walks through the door…and into her heart.

Zach Gardner: Dark-haired, blue-eyed hunk Zach crashes Michael and Karen’s fancy one-year anniversary party, determined to meet the wife his brother hid from their family. But sparks fly the moment he and Karen see each other. When the famous couple decides to visit the whole Gardner clan, Karen must keep Michael’s secret under wraps in front of his questioning relatives…including Zach, the man who could be the real love of her life.