Fake It Till You Make It – “Faking Forever” by Catherine Bybee
Catherine Bybee manages to take an idea of what could be just another romance novel and pens a love story with delightful characters, charm and wit to spare and an original plot that is intriguing and sometimes laugh out loud funny. And she does that consistently book after book. In “Faking Forever” we finally get to know Shannon Wentworth who is combining a wedding photo assignment in Mexico with a baby-making vacation. Umm hmm, that’s right. She wants a baby sans marriage. But her plan goes awry when the bride does a Runaway Bride imitation and Shannon has to pick up the pieces. After having already been called a jerk, Victor Brooks blames Shannon for having bad-mouthed him to his fiancé and encouraging her second thoughts. Since he’s already there and took time off from his business, Shannon encourages him to use his “honeymoon” vacation for personal reflection and to figure out his priorities. Shannon and Victor have a rocky start fueled by a mutual dislike for each other. She thinks him an inconsiderate boor and he thinks she is constantly annoyed or annoying, depending on the situation. What ensues is the heart of the fourth book of the First Wives series. It has wonderful well developed characters, witty dialogue, an original plot within the series framework, a bit of intrigue and some titillating love scenes. A bonus for this reader is a new word for my vocabulary – “neurorectologist.” As in “….but the man needed a neurorectologist to remove his head from his butt.” Oh lordy, that is Catherine Bybee at her best. Four and a half stars.
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