Taken by Tuesday by Catherine Bybee
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TAKEN BY TUESDAY
The Weekday Bride Series, Book Five
Montlake Romance, Contemporary
August 12, 2014, First Edition
Paperback & Kindle
JUDY GARDNER:
College graduate Judy stands ready to conquer the world…if she can find a job. Hoping to transition from aspiring architect to famous architect as quickly as possible, the dark-haired beauty moves to LA, staying in the home of her celebrity brother, Michael Wolfe. But it’s hard for Judy to focus on work when the sexy bodyguard she fell for last summer keeps showing up in her life and leaving her breathless.
RICK EVANS:
With his hard body, green eyes, and easy smile, Rick could have any woman he wants. But the Marine-turned-bodyguard only has eyes for Judy and her spitfire attitude. When a faceless villain attacks Judy, Rick will stop at nothing to protect the woman who opened his heart from the monster hunting her.
About the Author
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 the Weekday Brides
Series and the Not Quite Series. Bybee lives with her husband and two teenage
sons in Southern California.
EXCERPT
A throaty laugh made
him pause.
He knew that laugh.
The smile on his
face suddenly felt more genuine. His gaze slid across the room when she laughed
again. Her back was to him, but it was her…Utah. She held her cue stick and
pointed at a corner pocket. “Watch ‘em and weep.”
She sunk the eight
ball like it was her bitch and the guys around the table groaned. A
short-haired blonde lifted her hand and made a grabby motion with her fingers.
“Pay up!”
Utah laughed, laid
her cue on the table, and grabbed the bottle of beer at her side. All the while
Rick just watched the interplay. She wore tight jeans, a tucked in tank that
hugged her waist in a mouth-watering way …over the ensemble was a jean jacket that
he could easily picture draped over the handlebars of his motorcycle.
“I think we just got
hustled,” one of the young college kids said as he shoved his hands in his
wallet to pay his debt.
“I tried to warn
you.”
Judy’s friend shoved
the bills into her pocket faster than the waitress had. “Anyone else? Twenty
buck minimum with a round of drinks.”
This might be fun.
Rick took a step
forward and lifted his voice above the crowd. “A hundred bucks.”
Utah froze, but
didn’t turn around. He wondered if she recognized his voice. Had she thought
about him in the last year? With the exception of her brother’s divorce party,
he hadn’t seen her…not outside of a wet dream or two.
The blonde swiveled
her head like a snake to prey and her eyes did that sweeping thing that
happened to him once in a while. Rick knew he wasn’t hard on the eyes, knew he
filled out his shirt like a Marine should. His thick shoulders and neck
screamed military or linebacker. He did play a little football in high school.
“Who the hell are
you?” the blonde mumbled.
Rick chuckled.
Judy slowly turned
and had to tilt her head back to look at him. “Green Eyes.”
“Hey, Utah.”
“You know this guy?”
The blonde shoved next to Judy and nudged her arm.
God, she was even
more adorable than he remembered. He didn’t let her eyes go, just matched her
stare. A blush rose to her cheeks and a few freckles peeked through. Her snarky
remark about his presence was a heartbeat away. He’d lay another hundred bucks
on the table as a bet that the next words out of her mouth would shock everyone
within earshot.
“Did the steroid
train stop in town when I wasn’t looking?”
The blonde started
to laugh.
Rick stepped even
closer so barely an inch separated them. The smile never left his face. “I hear
steroids shrink dicks.”
As if she couldn’t
help herself, Judy glanced down and it was Rick’s turn to laugh. He brushed the
edge of her body with his and removed the cue from the table. “What do ya say,
Utah? I’ll even let you break. Ladies first and all that.”
Rick knew they were
drawing a crowd, but the interplay between them matched the sparks that hovered
over them like a damn rainbow, and he was powerless to care what anyone
thought.
“A hundred bucks is
steep, Judy.”
“S’okay, Meg…Rick’s
a big talker. Besides, he doesn’t know what I’m capable of.”
Rick shook his head
and clicked his tongue. “Now, now…don’t want to show all your cards.”
“She’s really good,
dude,” the guy she’d relieved of twenty bucks said from across the table.
Rick lowered his
voice. “Will you go easy on me, Babe?”
Judy regained some
of her lost composure and pushed away from his personal space. “Not on your
life. And I’m not your babe!”
We’ll see about
that. He couldn’t stop smiling.
4 stars****
This is not my first Catherine Bybee read... I really enjoyed "Not Quite Enough" from her Not Quite series. Talented writer without a doubt... her writing is engaging and the characters and story in both books I've now read are well developed.
I agreed to review "Taken by Tuesday" even though I haven't read the previous books in the series... was told it could be read as a stand alone. After reading though, I think it would have been more enjoyable and engaging to have started with book one. I did enjoy this one but would like to go back at some point and get caught up from the beginning.
This book is part Contemporary Romance and part Romantic Suspense... and, I love an author that puts a little something more into their romances to keep us on our toes. I like a little more substance in my romances and this author does it well.
Very likable couple with excellent chemistry! There is a nice progression to the romance since they met somewhere earlier in the series. Judy is a smart, strong character and well, Rick is an EX-MARINE so... that's an appealing quality for me all day long. I love me a good 'ole military hero!
There was one scene at the end of the book involving some creepy critter torture that kind of freaked me out a bit... but, hey it is romantic suspense and the guy was a crazy stalker so there ya' go...
I definitely have Catherine Bybee on my radar... looking forward to reading more of her work.
ARC was provided by the publisher via netgalley
This is not my first Catherine Bybee read... I really enjoyed "Not Quite Enough" from her Not Quite series. Talented writer without a doubt... her writing is engaging and the characters and story in both books I've now read are well developed.
I agreed to review "Taken by Tuesday" even though I haven't read the previous books in the series... was told it could be read as a stand alone. After reading though, I think it would have been more enjoyable and engaging to have started with book one. I did enjoy this one but would like to go back at some point and get caught up from the beginning.
This book is part Contemporary Romance and part Romantic Suspense... and, I love an author that puts a little something more into their romances to keep us on our toes. I like a little more substance in my romances and this author does it well.
Very likable couple with excellent chemistry! There is a nice progression to the romance since they met somewhere earlier in the series. Judy is a smart, strong character and well, Rick is an EX-MARINE so... that's an appealing quality for me all day long. I love me a good 'ole military hero!
There was one scene at the end of the book involving some creepy critter torture that kind of freaked me out a bit... but, hey it is romantic suspense and the guy was a crazy stalker so there ya' go...
I definitely have Catherine Bybee on my radar... looking forward to reading more of her work.
ARC was provided by the publisher via netgalley
PRAISE FOR TAKEN BY TUESDAY
“Readers will fall in love with Rick, who is the ultimate book boyfriend with his good looks and bad-ass attitude.” –RT BOOK REVIEWS, TOP PICK!, 4 ½ STARS
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