Okay, I honestly didn't put this book down once I'd started reading it. I was glued to my reader, following the ups and downs in Lori's and Reed's (love) lives. The story was intriguing and well plotted and its many twists and turns kept me on my toes. Of course, there was this one scene that I was dreading, the one thing that I expected to happen and that happened and, well, it went as expected but....

Yup, you should definitely read this book.
It is full of action, fast-paced and its characters are warm, standing up for each other, owning up to their mistakes and working at proving and redeeming themselves. Ruthless villains, mysterious women, amazing friends or - "first wives" and some swoon-worthy romance.

I loved the idea of the "Alliance" and the way Sam and Lori watched over their (former) clients, helping them, protecting them, comforting them - and finding close friends along the way. by the way, as much as I loved Avery and Trina, I must admit that I really really want to get Shannon back for good with Paul, just saying.

I was upset with Reed, obviously, as he messed up but as you could totally see that he was in it for completely different reasons than the seemingly obvious ones, I was prepared to forgive him and, well, let*s just say that his actions definitely redeemed him. Especially everything he did, when things got really rough...
This was my first book by Catherine Bybee but it won't be my last!

Fool Me Once is the first book in a spin off of the Weekday Brides series by Catherine Bybee called First Wives. I enjoyed getting to know Lori, Reed, and some of the other characters. Avery is a hoot! Lori is a lawyer who is part of an organization that arranges temporary marriages that benefit both parties. I thought this was a pretty unique idea, and the things that happen as a result of these arrangements definitely kept the reading interesting throughout the story. Fool Me Once is a little bit of mystery mixed with a little goofy-ness and tossed into some smoldery romance. This book makes me want to go back and read the Weekday Brides series too.

This book was a DNF book for me. The premise seem just so outlandish. I can do outlandish -- but typically those types of books have humor. The introduction of four characters all at once with their backstories lead to confusion by chapter four and since I didn't really like the characters I wasn't compelled to finish the book.

This was a good read. Finished quickly. Enjoyed the characters and story!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
I really rather enjoyed the non-standard route which this novel takes. Lori and her friend Sam certainly have an interesting business model, which sets up some great twists in this book. It isn't exactly a romantic suspense, yet there are some dangerous moments.

Lori, as a divorce lawyer, has long given up on love for herself, but if anyone could tempt her, Reed would be the man. He feels pretty much the same way about her – sadly the complications are immense, but he tries to ignore them and hope for the best. At the beginning I was not at all sure about either of them being people I could warm to – but Ms. Bybee convinced me that they were worth cheering on.

As the 'fling' turns more serious, and as things most definitely heat up both in the bedroom and with the 'Petrov' issues, the conflicts of interest grow. But by now, I was invested in Lori and Reed – and so ended up staying up far too late so that I could satisfy my need to know what happened next! Ms. Bybee did not disappoint me.

Now I am looking forward to who will be the featured First Wife in the next book.

The premise of this book is really interesting. A divorce attorney who is involved in working out the divorces of the people who she helps by assisting with the legalities of their arranged marriages. I love that the heroine in the story is a part of the world that helps marriages end. In the acknowledgements, Ms. Bybee mentions that she has been through a divorce herself, and that the emotions are rough, even when it is wanted...and the perspective of the author in this book gave it a different feel than other books I have read where the heroine is divorced.

Lori and Reed meet on a cruise ship and start a vacation fling, but then discoverer that there's a lot more than just the vacation between them...but he is not being honest.

My favorite thing about Bybee's stories is how human her characters are...they react the way people do. And, they seem real...there's something about the way she writes them that makes them feel authentic and truthful. That, in addition to the romance, is why I enjoyed this book.

As with other books that function as the first in a series, there was a lot of build up of the secondary characters and this did pull some of the focus from Lori and Reed. Not a lot, but enough that it felt, in places, that there was a little too much of the secondary characters.

I do recommend this tile and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

5.0 Star Review Fool Me Once (First Wives #1) by Catherine Bybee
Firstly let me start of by saying that although I have read Catherine Bybee before, I had not read her Weekday Brides series prior to reading Fool Me Once, book one in her new series the First Wives. This in no way detracted from my enjoyment of this book, although I will say I have now gone out and purchased that series just so I can see where is all began so to speak.
This is divorce attorney Lori Cumberland and private eye Reed Barlow’s story. Not only did I like Lori and Reed, but the secondary characters were just as entertaining. Reed is so protective and caring, he melted my heart.
This book and in fact the series was an interesting premise and I was intrigued to see where Ms.Bybee would go with it and Fool Me Once did not disappoint.
“Accidentally” bumping into Lori and her friends is part of the job Reed has been hired to do, however he doesn’t count on not only his emerging attraction for Lori but his genuine liking of all the women, complicating his life. Can he tell Lori the truth or will he risk losing her once they return home, that is Reed’s dilemma?
After reading Fool Me Once, I cannot wait to read more in the series and I do believe that Ms.Bybee has another winning series on her hands.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book which was provided by the publisher through NetGalley

By now, you all know that I love Catherine Bybee and for me, every single book of hers is simply a masterpiece. Well, that's more than true for Fool Me Once. It is intriguing, fun, suspenseful, romantic and of course hot. With every single page, I was more and more captivated by the characters and their story. I loved the secrets that were revealed one by one and the connection with the Weekday Brides series was just awesome. It was great seeing the other side of the coin, the marriages that stayed purely business.

But Lori, is not one of the Alliance brides. She is the layer that makes sure the Alliance clients are not taken advantage of, the one who helps them get on their feet after their divorces. Because of her career and her personal experience, she is quite jaded and for her love and marriage are too high of a risk that quite often end up with a high price tag. But you know what they say about best laid plans and all that :D Everything for her changes when she meets Reed. She does try to resist but in the end everything is futile to his charm and persistence.

The relationship between Lori and Reed is passionate and hot, but unfortunately not everything is what it looks like. And there are secrets that can destroy everything they build together. But with danger lurking around the corner and meddling friends who think that second chance are worth giving every now and then, Lori and Reed find their second chance at love, a second chance of a relationship that could heal the wounds from the past.

I won't reveal anything else but keep in mind that the book is a must read. There suspense, love, secrets, chemistry and everything else that will make you crave more :) So don't waste any time and pick yourself a copy :) As for me, I can't wait for the next book in the series. I can't decide which character's story I want the most. It might be Shannon because she is the one who is the most closed off I think. In any case, I will be happy :D

This review was originally posted at Living In Our Own Story Book Blog. I received an ARC of the book in exchange of an honest review.

Review by Estella for Love Romance Books Blog

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!

This is the first book I've read by this author, I've read great reviews of her other series "Weekday Bride". This one is a spinoff of that one, but it was written so well that I didn't really have to muddle through to find out what the Alliance was all about. The Alliance is a special service where a rich, powerful man can arrange to have a "Contract Marriage" for a certain amount of time to the perfect woman of his choice. The marriage is really in name only, a kind of a marriage of convenience if you will, where discretion is a must. Once the marriage contract is over and the marriage dissolves and the woman walks away with a small fortune. It sounds like a win-win situation until something happens during one of the marriages and everything the Alliance has worked so hard to build threatens to blow up in their faces. They are in for some serious turbulence and they have to think fast to save what they have built so far, not only is the Alliance at stake but lives are as well. Lori, one of the founding partners of the Alliance is a high-powered divorce attorney who is in charge of taking care of this little problem and she does a pretty good job of it but who can she really trust? This is a fast-paced read full of suspense and it grabbed my attention from the very start and held it until the end. I loved the whole Alliance concept and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the providing me with a copy of this e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

A refreshing new direction in the world with the Weekday Brides world. This could easily be pick-up by new readers who have never read the books in the other series and is a delightful surprise for fans of the Weekday Brides books. Lori and Reed meet on a Mediterranean cruise with agendas that had nothing to do with meeting someone but fate stepped in and sparks flew and they find themselves in a relationship they weren't expecting surrounded by secrets. Bybee does a wonderful job of weaving a story that is not predictable and full of humor and emotion.

This book is GREAT!
I can't believe it took me one week to finish!
So busy, I didn’t even realize time had passed (I just checked the day I marked on goodreads as "Date started"!).
I had to steal some moments from here and there but I finally managed!
I really wanted to publish the review before the release date but well, this is life!

It was last year that I came over one of Catherine’s books for the first time. It was the first book of the WEEKDAY BRIDES and I was hooked.
What I liked the most was that her plot is marvelously weaved. And what I mean by that is:
Bybee knows how to load a story with everything and keep it simple, keep it light.
And that’s what she did once again with the first FIRST WIVES book.
She managed to mix friendship, family, love, adventure, secrets, suspense, threats, guns, fun & laughs (mostly mine) all in one heart-warming story.

Although Lori barely appeared in the previous books, in this spinoff, she is the main character. It is her story we get to unravel. And it is actually sweet.
Lori, the attorney of Alliance, goes on a cruise with Avery, Shannon and Trina - all clients - as a part of a transition program. On the ship, Lori meets Reed and well let's say that things start to build up from there.
Slowly the plot thickens, and the mystery grew bigger.
And we all await the moment of truth... When?

Reed was smart enough to know everything will blow up in his face when he opens his mouth, so he kept it shut. Not too smart though…

But he got what he deserved! Thank you Mr. Serious and Mr. Smiles!!
The nicknames were enough to know who they were when they first showed up. Yeah, sure Reed didn't know but we did! And oh how much we missed them! And as usual, it goes like “in” then “out” then “poof”, no one was here!
I am still laughing at “You weren’t armed”. That killed me! Also, “Don’t you have somewhere to be? […] What fire makes that man move so fast?” H I L A R I O U S !!!
And speaking of funny, let’s add one more: “You do realize we aren’t talking about borrowing a Volvo.”
Okay people, you need to read the book to understand but trust me, you will laugh. Okay, at least smile!
Meeting Danny alone will let you smile. He’s just lovable! Is he the one for Avery or are we going some other great character to fall in love with when time comes?

When I started reading this book, I was looking for a continuity of the weekday brides.
We all know that series was awesome! However, the problem with a spinoff is that you build expectations. And expectations can be dangerous... sometimes.
I was afraid my attachment to the original will blind me with this one but it didn’t!
I loved it!

Fool me once they say…
Well, fool me over and over again if that's what a happy ending looks like.
Yeah of course, people got hurt, some died… But who cares? We got our happy moment at the end and the big lovely shocking surprise.
Who would want to miss such a book?
Not me!
I can’t wait for the second First Wives.
Fingers crossed!

As the old saying goes, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on ME.” I still hear those words in Jimmy Doohan’s inimitable Scottish brogue, as the first time I ever heard this adage was in Star Trek: The Original Series in the episode “Friday’s Child”.

Although Fool Me Once is the first book in a spinoff series from Weekday Brides, you don’t have to read any of the first series to jump into the second. There are enough explanations about Alliance to get new readers right into the thick of things. But the Weekday Brides are awesome, so if you like Fool Me Once, you’ll love them, too.

The women featured in Fool Me Once and the First Wives Club are all Alliance veterans. Shannon, Avery and Trina were all contract brides, married to rich and/or powerful men in name only, for a year or so, in return for huge payouts at the end, when the inevitable divorce occurred. As intended. As contracted for by both parties.

Except it only works some of the time. Lori, the heroine of this story, is the legal brains behind Alliance. She writes those iron-clad pre-nups and sees all her clients from initial interviews to after-care when the divorce is final and the gossip inevitably hits the fan.

It doesn’t always work. About a quarter of the Alliance-arranged contracts have turned into real marriages. Considering that the divorce rate for non-arranged marriages is 50%, these are not bad odds. But Shannon, Avery and Trina are special cases.

Shannon made the mistake of falling in love with her ex. Two years later she still hasn’t gotten over it. Avery just got her divorce, and is ready to party. Trina’s situation is the one that ends in tragedy, and that sets this story in motion. Trina’s husband-in-name-only committed suicide while they were still married. As if that wasn’t enough, his mother died a few days later, leaving her entire fortune, not to her family, but to Trina. Who is overwhelmed with guilt and constantly in the cross-hairs of the paparazzi – and her father-in-law.

Lori may not believe in love and marriage after years as a divorce lawyer, but she does believe in taking care of her friends. And all of these women are her friends as well as her clients. Trina needs a getaway. And she needs company to help her get out of her funk, as well as to shield her from the press. It seems like a brilliant idea to get away for a week on a high-class cruise in the Mediterranean – but that just puts them in the midst of a whole new set of problems.

And that’s where Reed Barlow comes in. He seems like one of the solutions – not for any of the former Alliance brides, but for Lori herself. He looks like the perfect end to her very long dry spell, and the chemistry they ignite feels more than just physical. That he lives close enough to Lori’s home base in LA to make a continuation of their shipboard romance possible seems perfect. And so does Reed. Maybe just a little too perfect.

Because Reed isn’t part of the solution, he’s part of the problem. At least until he re-discovers his inner hero and changes sides. Too late to save their relationship, and possibly even too late to save Alliance and its secrets.

Or is it?

Escape Rating A-: Fool Me Once is a marvelous cross between romantic suspense and women’s fiction, and I loved every minute of it. As I have all of Catherine Bybee’s books that I have read so far. The number of kindle locations in Fool Me Once made me think that the book was a bit longer than the 350 pages it claims to be, and I didn’t care.

The women’s fiction angle comes in because so much of the backbone of the story is the relationship between the four women. They call themselves the First Wives Club because they’ve all been divorced, including Lori. But instead of the usual version, where the first wives got thrown over for the newer, younger model, these women ended up mostly where they thought they would, with a few kinks in the road. Instead, went into the arrangement intending to trade their contracted sugar-daddy husbands for newer, probably younger models who are their own choices.

Of course, the best laid plans of mice, men, and women often go astray. But the relationship that forms between these sisters-of-choice is forever. Readers who like Shannon, Avery, Trina and Lori will fall right in with them. They are all strong women with their own distinct personalities, but they are all different. It’s easy to identify with one or all of them, and that’s what makes the book.

The romantic suspense angle has its moments of extreme danger, but also plenty of intrigue and mystery. It’s clear at the beginning that Reed enters into the story with an agenda that is funded by someone else, someone who does not have the best interests of any of the women in mind. Although Reed changes sides (he has to or this wouldn’t be a romance) the person who set him in motion is not happy or satisfied, and will probably come back to haunt Shannon in particular and Alliance in general.

But the real mystery and danger in this story comes not from Lori and Reed, but from Trina’s case. Trina’s entanglement with her late husband’s family has caused a lot of resentment, and someone is willing to go through Lori to get to Trina, putting both of them in danger. The threat is very real and nearly catastrophic. At the same time, Trina’s unexpected inheritance provides her with a way forward that no one expected at the beginning. The ongoing story of her new adventures looks like a lot of fun.

When a hero screws up as much as Reed does (and sister does he ever) I usually need for the hero to do a really, really good grovel for the heroine to justify taking him back. While I’m not sure Reed groveled quite enough, he did save her brother’s life. That makes up for a lot of grovel. This HEA is earned!

At some point in this series, there might be a real “fool me twice” possibility. Shannon is, after all, in love with her ex. I can’t help but wonder whether her eventual HEA will be with him, or whether she’ll manage to finally wash that man right out of her hair. And I can’t wait to find out.

Fool Me Once is book one in the First Wives series and it's a spin-off of the Weekday Brides series! I'm a huge fan of Catherine's and I absolutely loved her Weekday Brides series so I've been looking forward to this. I love Catherine's writing. She always makes me laugh, swoon and tear up. Add in a little suspense and it's a perfect combination. These are the divorced women from Alliance and their lawyer, Lori. When tragedy strikes Lori decides to orchestrate a first wives vacation for the women. A Mediterranean Sea cruise. When a chance meeting with the sexy Reed makes Lori forget the purpose of the trip, her friends encourage her to let loose a little. Fun, sexiness, and adventure all ensue. But when they get back to their real lives, danger is chasing them. What if meeting Reed wasn't by chance? Can the overly cynical Lori recover from being lied to? Oh man! I love these new characters. Reed is sexy and Lori is one tough cookie. I'm excited to see more of these women and more of the Alliance family. It was so great to catch up our old friends.

"You said divorce wasn't going to be painful."
"Your divorce was final before Patron and Detective Dan."
"Was that his name?"
"He was firm."

"So no scuba diving?"
"Oh my God, where did you find this guy, Lori?"
"At the bar."

"He's big and has a perfect resting bitch face for the job."
"Can guys have a resting bitch face? I thought that was only women."
"Not sure, but he had one. Don't you think?"

A new series for Ms. Bybee. With all her fans wanting more of the Weekday Brides series Catherine found a way to add on when there are no days left. Lori Cumberland divorce attorney meets Reed Barlow Private Eye, on a cruise through the Mediterranean. They both have secrets. A romantic setting, great plot, compelling characters and twists and turns, an awesome read. A great start to a new series while allowing you to also keep up with the characters from her last series. Loved it.

In book one of the First Wives Club, Catherine Bybee's spin off series to the amazing Weekday Brides, Alliance owner Sam and Divorce attorney Lori rush to the side of one of their clients when tragedy strikes, and they realize they may not be doing enough for their clients after the dust settles on their divorces. When Lori and Sam decide they should help to ease the transition for some of their more high profile clients, Lori plans a Mediterranean cruise, far from prying eyes and media scrutiny.

While attorney Lori is there to help build connections between the three women with her on the cruise and act the mother hen to the women she's with, she can't deny the instant attraction she feels to Reed, a fellow passenger they meet at the welcome party. Reed definitely has some ulterior motives for joining up with their group, and his attraction to Lori is a complication he neither expected or needed.

After returning to California, Reed and Lori find their lives continuing to intertwine. The deeper Reed falls and realizes the depth of his feelings for Lori, he realizes he can't sell her or her clients out to his boss. But now he's dug himself in so deep, will he be able to pull himself out of the web of lies he's built? And when it all comes crashing down, will Lori ever be able to forgive him?

Like all of Bybee's books, Fool Me Once is filled with romance and intrigue. Both Lori and Reed are realistic characters, the types of people you would know and connect with. Lori's reluctance to let any man in is so believable for a divorce attorney that's been through a failed marriage of her own as well. But despite the intrigue around the start of their relationship, they are both easy to like and well worth rooting for.

Book 1 also introduces us to the women that make up the rest of the First Wives Club, and I look forward to each of their stories. Fool me once is a must read...and its a nice bonus for fans of the weekday brides to "visit" with some old friends.

You never know what you really would be getting when reading a Catherine Bybee book. On the outside, each book can definitely hold its own as a great contemporary romance novel. Read a little bit further, you get well defined, multilayered characters and a romantic suspense in the making. Pretty soon you will be amazed on the intricate story line balanced well with the main characters developing romance. Fool Me Once is definitely a Catherine Bybee book. The first in her new series, First Wives, Fool Me Once is also a spinoff from her popular Weekday Bride series. And yet again, Ms. Bybee delivers in her great characters, well thought out plot and melding her two series together without one overpowering the other. Fool Me Once is a definite page turner, romantic suspense at its best!

Fool Me Once is a spin off from the brilliant Weekday Bride Series but you do not need to read that series to enjoy this book.
Lori is a divorce attorney but she is also a partner in the Alliance which is an agency that creates fake marriages for the rich and famous with both parties well aware of what they are signing up for. Lori is good at her job and is happy matching other people up the last thing on her mind is her partner but that is all about to change when she takes 3 clients who have become friends on a luxury cruise.
Reed is the guy she falls for but why is he on the cruise and does Lori really want to know his history.
Fool Me Once is Lori and Reed's story but the secondary characters play a big part in this book so I'm hoping they will get their own stories. If this book is anything to go by Catherine Bybee has once again given us another brilliant series. I love Catherine Bybee's style of writing and this book is one of her best, it's beautifully written, the characters are loveable and i love how we get to see where the characters from previous books are without them taking over the story.

**Advanced copy provided by NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review**

In this new series from Catherine Bybee, we are introduced to a group of women who have ties to characters we've met in one of her previous popular series, "Weekday Brides". These women have been brought together by Lori Cumberland, the divorce attorney who handled their divorces and she herself has been divorced. This unlikely group of women become fast friends and dub themselves the founding members of the "First Wives Club".
Lori has arranged for the group of women to take a cruise in a location far from home where no one will hopefully recognize any of them. It wasn’t long after the ship set sail that Lori finds herself coming face to face with an attractive stranger, one who seems persistent on getting to know her better. Unbeknownst to her, this stranger has a purpose for being on that ship along with Lori and her friends. Reed Barlow, a private detective, was hired to be there to get information for his client and what better way to do that than to spend as much time as he could with the women. What he didn’t count on was enjoying his time with Lori as much as he did. The more he got to know her, the more he wanted to know. Was this a job to him or was she becoming more?

As she has in previous books, Catherine has woven romance, intrigue, friendship and danger into a wonderful read. I can always count on her to write a book that has me yearning to read the next page and at the same time dreading reaching the end because you don’t want it to be over. A bonus in this series is also being able to take a glimpse into the lives of the characters we’ve met and loved before. Catherine Bybee has delivered once again! Now I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in the series!

Lori and her friends have set up a great business, however when things fall apart they have to put a lot of pieces back together. She doesn't plan on finding love or to be trusting again.
Reed's vacation is a ruse he is hired to get information but getting his information leads him to a place he doesn't want to be.
This book has a lot of suspense and romance. The drama however was a bit too much for me. There were too many things going on and I felt like I was being pulled in a million directions.

** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**