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.

I think I could gobble up Bybee’s “Weekday Brides” books like candy.  I absolutely could not put this one down and finished it in a day. Unlike Fiance by Friday, this one is definitely more romance than suspense, although there is a little drama at the end that kept me (just a little) on the edge of my seat. 

We met Karen and Michael in Fiance by Friday and I was really looking forward to their story – and Bybee definitely didn’t disappoint.  Michael has got to be one of my favorite characters.  He has a big secret to keep and Karen is helping him do it.  I adore the loving, non-sexual relationship between the two and Michael definitely made me want my own gay husband.  He’s caring and funny, charming and saucy, and he’s definitely a fantastic guy to have as a best friend.  I’m really hoping that we’ll get more of his story as the “Weekday Brides” series continues, especially since it looks like his sister might show up in a future story.

Karen has her own issues.  We got to know her a little in Fiance by Friday but didn’t get a lot of the details – she had a hard childhood and now spends her time helping other kids.  She’s caring and giving and funny.  She’s built a great relationship with Michael and is just waiting for the right time to stage their breakup … and then in walks Michael’s brother, Zach.  While trying to fight her attraction for a man who doesn’t know the truth about her marriage, she realizes there is more to Michael’s family life than he lets on and decides to push him into resolving some of his issues.  This, of course, puts her well into Zach’s path but she wants the best for Michael and thinks that she can make it thru a two week family vacation unscathed.  Yeah, you know where that’s going. 

Zach is gorgeous, fun and troubled by being drawn to his sister-in-law.  He’s got his own family issues to resolve and, although they aren’t as impactful as Karen or Michael’s, the Gardner family dynamic makes for compelling reading.  Since we know the truth about Karen and Michael, it is a little easier to handle the attraction between her and Zach, but you know it has got to be a very difficult situation for him to be in.  It’s tough enough on Karen when she knows the truth, but Zach just knows that he is irresistibly drawn to his brother’s wife.  Bybee handles it very well and the interactions between the three are very realistic and emotional.  It made me love Michael all the more and I really want to see him happy and soon. 

If you’ve not read one of Bybee’s books, that’s OK – I think it would be fine to start here.  Characters from previous books do make appearances, since they are all very close friends, but from what I can tell (since this is just my second book) the plots don’t bleed over too much.  Yes, you would have met Michael and Karen before but Bybee does a good job of filling in all the details that you need. 

With bold characters, captivating stories, and a snappy writing style, I think Bybee is going to be one of my go-to authors for a long time to come.