Saturday, January 28, 2017

Review: Staying for Good (Most Likely To #2) by Catherine Bybee

"You deserve the world, if only I could give it to you."  - Luke

Staying for Good
Series: Most Likely To #2
Author: Catherine Bybee
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Release Date: January 24, 2017
Source: Publisher for Review

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 Zoe Brown may have been voted Most Likely to Never Leave River Bend, but the paper-thin walls and suffocating air of her family’s double-wide trailer were not what she wanted for her life. Other than BFFs Melanie and Jo, the only thing that kept Zoe sane during high school was her boyfriend, Luke.

She didn’t just leave, she escaped—turning her back on the shame of her black-sheep siblings and imprisoned dad. Now a celebrity chef in Dallas, she can afford all the things she never could have growing up. But when she returns to rustic, ruggedly beautiful River Bend, Zoe has to face all that she abandoned—including Luke.

While Luke was a refuge for Zoe in the past, he knows they inhabit totally different worlds now. Anchored by his parents and his job as a mechanic in his father’s shop, Luke never felt the urge to leave River Bend—until Zoe’s return.

But when the two rekindle their old flame, Zoe is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: remain in River Bend and confront her past before it destroys her, or say good-bye to everyone she’s ever loved…again, this time for good.


Staying for Good, the second book in Catherine Bybee's Most Likely To series, continues with the lives of Melanie, Zoe, and Jo - three high school friends that didn't quite live up to those pesky senior superlatives. Although Zoe was voted Most Likely to Never Leave, she had to escape before her family could strangle the fight out of her, even if it meant leaving her two best friends and her high school sweetheart. Luke always knew something was missing from his life and when Zoe returns to River Bend for their friend's wedding, he knows they were meant to be together. Even if he has to leave the only place he's called home if it means being with her.

I can't tell you how much I adore Catherine Bybee. Not only can she create sweet and sexy romances, Catherine also gives her characters the best supporting casts. That has never been more evident than in this series. For Zoe, family is more than those she's related to by blood. Her family includes Mel and Jo, two friends that stood by her through thick and thin. And now her family includes Luke. Knowing that they are on her side, Zoe is finally able to move on from her tormented childhood. She's able to stand up for herself and put her future before others, something she's never been able to do. I loved watching her growth throughout Staying for Good. With Luke and gang by her side, Zoe blossoms and is finally open to love. Luke was perfect, of course. Patient and kind when need be, forceful and persistent when times called for a bit of tough love. I also love how Catherine adds just the tiniest bit of suspense in her books, just enough to get you hooked. And that ending... Wow! As if I couldn't wait for Jo's book before. Now I'll be counting down the months. Hopefully it won't be too far away.



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 two teenage sons in Southern California.  


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