An Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestseller.From New York Times bestselling author Catherine Bybee comes a dazzling series about newfound friendship, unexpected love, and second chances.Cynical divorce attorney Lori Cumberland lives by one motto: Love is grand, but divorce is a hundred grand. With one failed marriage under her own personal belt, Lori had fallen hard and early—and it isn’t … personal belt, Lori had fallen hard and early—and it isn’t something she plans on repeating. She’s content focusing on the temporary marriages of her rich and famous clients. When she joins some of her recent divorcées on a celebratory cruise, her only vow is fun, sun, and new friends. But Lori finds herself tempted by a jury of one.
For Reed Barlow, falling into the world of private investigation was easy. He knows the law and knows how to avoid breaking it—all while doing his job. His rule to live by? No emotion, no involvement…until Lori. His charming smile and cocky attitude distracts Lori and lowers her guard, which is exactly what Reed desires.
But what appears as a one-time-only flirtation may be a plot orchestrated by Reed. As he’s taking his investigation to a dangerous level, it’s Lori who could end up in jeopardy. Reed has only one shot for Lori to grant him a second chance. But if he comes clean with her, he blows his cover. And that just might cost him the opportunity for an alliance of family…and of love.
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I fell in love with the characters of these two books. I listened on audio and the narrator was excellent and the friendship among these women made it a page turner for me. Highly recommend.
What happens when you mix a divorce attorney and a matchmaker? Arranged marriages were once the only way to go and Lori and Sam provide a service, that is legal and practical. A man needs a wife for his career or to appease a dying mother’s wish to be married and a woman is more than willing to play the part for a set amount of time, with the prenup (executed by Lori) ensuring that both parties get what they intended and no more – unless of course they decide not to dissolve the marriage. After a tragic end to one marriage, Lori decides a cruise is in order with the widow and two other women, recently divorced, to get away and provide mutual support. Thus, the First Wive’s Club is created. Enjoy the cruise, with no stress. That’s not quite what happens. Sophisticated women with money, in the most lavish accommodations? Possible targets for every Tom and Harry (and a woman who provides advise from afar and is unknown until the very end). Not to mention a PI whose initial motives and focus is not clear, but who falls for Lori. It soon becomes clear that one of the women is in danger.
A little unconventional, this was a fun and interesting read. The women’s personalities are very different, each with a well-developed voice. The friendship among the women is wonderful and even Lori’s cynicism and mother hen actions are on target. It is well-written and the characters introduced in the context of a cruise and singles mixers. There is humor, mystery, romance and suspense along with some content falls in the “adult” category. This is the first in the First Wives Series (and my first by Catherine Bybee. I’ll be reading more by this author for sure.
Obviously, when I finished Treasured by Thursday from this author’s Weekday Brides series, I had no idea she had done a “spin-off” (for lack of a better word). I had said she was stopping the series at “just the right point.” I’m going to stick by that, but that has no reflection on how I feel about this new series. Truth be told, it was wonderful to see Sam, Neil, Rick and more again. But since none of them were the main character it worked. It seems this series will feature many of our favorites, but also focus on some of the Allegiance women after their divorces, which is a new spin on things.
We’ve met Lori before in the previous series, but she wasn’t a main player. The same goes for Shannon, who we’ve seen even more of than Lori. Trina and Avery round out their new take on the First Wives Club. Don’t worry, I don’t think you have to read the Weekday Brides series to enjoy this, but they are really fun books so you should read them.
I love the chemistry between Lori and Reed. Even from the start, the reader is aware that Reed isn’t being up front with Lori. But it’s as though you just know he’s not out to hurt anyone. He almost immediately comes across as a really good guy. Of course, there are plenty of times throughout this story that I just shook my head at Reed and yelled at him to fess up already!
This series really started out great and I can’t wait to see where it takes us. Not only to we have the First Wives to keep us entertained, but there’s the addition of some stealthy spy-types to boot. This should be interesting…
https://allingoodtimeblog.wordpress.com/2018/07/09/fool-me-once-book-review/
Interesting but slightly odd premise. Not a great deal of satisfaction from reading the book.
Really held my attention. Could’nt put it down.
Adorei!!
Mais uma serie a seguir!
A good start to the series. Interesting plot with scerets, suspense and romance. The woman of the first wife’s club is full of intrigue. I cant wait to see what they are up to next.
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.
One of my all time favorite writers! Love her stories and this one is no exception! Such a great group of characters that intertwine through.
I can’t get enough of this author; I loved every one of these series books, as well as the series they were spun from! Will read AGAIN and on her wait list for new releases!
Honestly, I loved everything about this book. I have no complaints. The main characters were likeable. Reed was a great Hero. He was very protective without being overbearing. Lori was strong and independent, but didn’t push away too much.
The side characters were likeable and brought a lot to the story. Even the bodyguards brought something more. The action/suspense was exciting to read and the author kept me guessing with some of the more anonymous characters and their motives.
I absolutely loved this book. I’ve not read the Weekday Brides series and it’s not necessary to read before this one, but I did a little research when I thought maybe these characters were tied to it, and they are. That makes me a very happy woman because this book was so good! I know the Weekday Brides series has to be as well and I can’t wait to read them, and more from the First Wives.
I really enjoyed this story. It is a great blend of humor, emotion, mystery and suspense. I loved being able to switch back and forth with the ebook and audiobook seamlessly. Awesome narration on the audiobook!
“If you’re sorry, say it, mean it, own it, and do something about it!”
Fool Me Once is my first book by this author and I’m looking forward to reading more!
-4 Stars!-
Bybee brings readers an original trope to engage readers until the very end.
The well defined characters and interesting dialogue drive this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the dynamic relationship between Lori and Reid.
I highly recommend this book to fans of the contemporary romantic suspense genre.
This is a spin-off from the Day Brides series that were such fantastic reads. In this one, we have Lori, the lawyer who prepares the prenups for the marriage contracts and three of the contract brides. Avery is just finished with her divorce and is having a party, celebrating her new life with the five million dollars and a new luxurious condo as per her contract. Shannon has already gone through her divorce but she’s devastated because she fell for her husband but he didn’t. After Avery’s celebration, while Lori is tending to her hangover, they learn that another of the brides, still under contract, just lost her husband through suicide.
Lori flies to New York to help Trina during this time, and when she sees Trina’s emotional state, she whisks her off, with the other two ex-wives, to an European cruise, departing from Spain. They officially dub themselves the First Wives club, like the movie, set forth their own rules, and proceed to have fun. They get hit on by single guys on the ship, beginning by Lori. She’s acting like the mother hen but Reed is persistent and insistent and gets to join the girls in their outings and partying. Added to the mix are a couple of Spanish men who are looking for fun and flings. And the action starts.
This one book started a little boring but got suspenseful pretty quick. We get introduced to Ruslan Pretrov, Trina’s father-in-law, hated by her husband, divorced from her mother-in-law, but looking to get the money from Trina’s husband. He’ll do anything to get the money, including spying to find out if Trina’s marriage was real or contracted. There’s a lot of sleuthing and looting. Trina is targeted in the cruise, Avery is robbed, and Lori learns that there is someone getting intelligence on Alliance, the company that Sam created to contract convenience marriages.
Reed is in the cruise under false pretenses, and the reader can tell that he’s some sort of cop or spy or detective from his actions. Later we learn his purpose on the trip and realize that as he’s falling for Lori, he’s digging a big hole for when he’s found out. Lori already has one divorce under her belt, and is cynic enough not to believe in love, until Reed reels her in and makes her fall. At many times in the book I realized that Reed is acting with good intentions, his real purpose for being on the ship is forgotten and all he wants is to help and protect Lori and her friends. But I also thought he was being stupid on not revealing his situation before it was too late. He gets close to all of them, and after the cruise he gets to meet the others, the security detail of Alliance, with which he fits in perfectly.
Alliance is in danger and everyone scrambles to save what they can. It’s really an entertaining story of suspense in the high flying world of rich people. I liked everyone and loved their close circle of friendship. They joke and intrude and protect and harass their friends, all for the purpose of their welfare. Great characters and great story, can’t wait to read the other girls’ stories.
The book is pretty good, I can’t wait to read the second one in the series, I will recommend it
I’ve never read her series and I started off with one, and I loved the concept of the story. I wasn’t aware of her previous series that this book was a pin off of, I loved it. I hope this is a start of a new series for Ms. Bybee, because if it is I’ll be following it.
Averaging out the first half that I almost didn’t bother to finish and the second half which seemed to be a totally different storyline, this book was just an OK read for me. I didn’t feel any connection to any of the characters, let alone the main couple. I didn’t care for Reed at the beginning and just as I was warming up to him, my opinion of Lori took a hit. I also found the plot confusing, never really understanding who “Sasha” was or “the bride”. There was no character development for “Sam”, how or why Alliance was formed or even how Lori became involved. I thought this was a debut novel, but I felt like I was dropped into the middle of a story with no background to work with. It also had quite an abrupt ending. I get that Bybee is a best-selling author, but you have to go with what you feel and this one didn’t do it for me.
It wasn’t as good as her other books but I still enjoyed it
I was asked by the author for an honest review.
Cynical divorce attorney Lori Cumberland lives by one motto: Love is grand, but divorce is a hundred grand. With one failed marriage under her own personal belt, Lori had fallen hard and early—and it isn’t something she plans on repeating. She’s content focusing on the temporary marriages of her rich and famous clients. When she joins some of her recent divorcées on a celebratory cruise, her only vow is fun, sun, and new friends. But Lori finds herself tempted by a jury of one.
For Reed Barlow, falling into the world of private investigation was easy. He knows the law and knows how to avoid breaking it—all while doing his job. His rule to live by? No emotion, no involvement…until Lori. His charming smile and cocky attitude distracts Lori and lowers her guard, which is exactly what Reed desires.
But what appears as a one-time-only flirtation may be a plot orchestrated by Reed. As he’s taking his investigation to a dangerous level, it’s Lori who could end up in jeopardy. Reed has only one shot for Lori to grant him a second chance. But if he comes clean with her, he blows his cover. And that just might cost him the opportunity for an alliance of family…and of love.
I had no clue when I started this book that it was a spin off from the Weekday Brides Series! I was so happy to catch up with some old characters and to me a whole new string of characters. This book was just enough of excitement and love. I really got invested in the characters and the story-line. I can’t wait for book 2! Love Catherine Bybee books!
Fool Me Once is the first in a new spin 0ff series from this author. In the Weekday Brides series we saw the women of Alliance marry for convenience. Now we see the other side. Life after the divorce. Lori Cumberland is the divorce attorney that handled many of the divorces for Alliance. She is passionate about her work and cares about the women she helps. After all she’s been there done that, never wants to repeat that mistake. She’s due a little fun though and what better way than a fun flirty fling on a cruise. Reed Barlow is exactly what she needs. However there is much more to Reed than Lori realizes and she suddenly finds herself and her heart in a whole lot of trouble.
A fantastic read and one I definitely recommend to everyone.