Review: Taken by Tuesday – Catherine Bybee

Judy Gardner: College graduate Judy stands ready to conquer the world?if she can get 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

Series: The Weekday Brides #5
Release Date: August 12th 2014
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Karen
Rating:

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Reviewer’s Thoughts

TAKEN BY TUESDAY is Rick and Judy’s story.  It’s the fifth book in the Weekday Bride series and each book in this series is a stand-alone.  Judy Gardner and her best friend Meg decide to move to California after they graduate from college.   Judy’s brother, Mike lives in California and offers to let them stay at his house.   Mike is a famous Hollywood movie star and is currently working on location, so Judy and Meg agree to stay at his house while he is away.  Judy’s degree is in architecture and she’s excited to move to LA and start an internship with an architectural firm.  Rick Evans, a former Marine is a big, intense, handsome guy and he handles all of Mike’s security for him.  Rick is attracted to Judy from the moment he meets her and while she is staying at Mike’s house, Rick makes up excuses to stop by and see her.  There’s a lot of chemistry running between them, but Judy’s afraid to get involved because she has career goals and she doesn’t want any distractions and Rick is a sexy distraction.  However, when Judy discovers she needs Rick’s protection, he’s there to help her and he also tries to knock down the walls she has built up.

Catherine Bybee writes a fast paced book filled with intrigue, suspense and protective, macho men.  It’s easy to connect to all the characters and I also enjoyed reconnecting with everyone from the other books in this series.  I immediately liked Rick because he never wavers in his feelings for Judy and is patient with her and never expects more from her than she is able to give.  Rick is all alpha male and I love how he cares about Judy and insists he is the only one who can keep her safe.   I also found it easy to relate to Judy, she’s down to earth, fun loving and eager to work on her career and be successful.  I thought Rick and Judy have great chemistry together.

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

BUY LINKS:

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Taken-Tuesday-Weekday-Brides-Catherine-ebook/dp/B00HST8JT0/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1404345773

B&N:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/taken-by-tuesday-catherine-bybee/1118717410?ean=9781477823774

BAM:  http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Taken-Tuesday/Catherine-Bybee/9781477823774?id=6026033015017

BOOK DEPOSITORY:  http://www.bookdepository.com/Taken-by-Tuesday-Catherine-Bybee/9781477823774

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. 

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.  

CONTACT LINKS:

www.catherinebybe.com

catherinebybee@yahoo.com

catherinebybee.blogspot.com

twitter.com/catherinebybee

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