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A review by annyway47
Fiancé by Friday by Catherine Bybee
1.0
This book was below average, even among the books of the same genre.
Issues I have with this book:
1) Poor editing. There were typos, punctuation errors and word misuse. English is not my first language, not even my second, but even I know that this sentence:
And when he gripped the back of her hair, and pulled her into his embrace, he took control
makes zero sense. You can't grip the BACK of someones' HAIR.
2) Bullshit. Seriously:
Gwen met Neil’s hazel eyes, which changed color with his mood.
The next time I read that someones' eyes change color with their mood I'm gonna set the book on fire.
3) Characters' complete and utter lack of personality. What do we know about Gwen? She's British and blond. Mmmmm... Yeah, that tell us zero about the kind of person she is. She really has no interests in life, no ambitions and no values. All we get is a bunch of excuses for why she doesn't have a personality (being a sheltered lady and all that).
What do we know about Neil? He's ex-military and has PTSD. Ok, the first is something he NO LONGER is, the second is a condition, not a personality trait. I assume after the events in the book he will get better and/or seek help. And after that, what will be left of him? The fact that he is, apparently, hung like a bear?
4) Portrayal of women. All the women in these series don't have a life, they just pass the time until they get married. Jeez, people, we're not in the 1800! All of them quit working the moment they get married, as if working is a necessary chore you are relieved of when a man starts taking care of you. UGH. Get a life, girl...
Also, the portrayal of both men and women is sexist in the extreme.
5) Portrayal of sex. Ok, so Gwen is over 30 years old, but never had enjoyable sex, were in love and/or in a long-term relationship? She's never even seen an attractive man in porn. Mmmm... That's kinda strange. And don't give me that lady bullshit. Being a lady doesn't mean you're never in love or attracted to anyone.
It just the authors way of making her inexperienced at 30. You can't make her beautiful and a virgin at that age, so the author just takes away all the pleasure from her previous dealings with men. So that her love/sex with Neil is special.
Being experienced does not equal being dirty, and being in love several times in a lifetime does not make the love not "true". Love and sex can be special even if you had previously enjoyed that with someone else.
6) The author wasn't even trying. The plot and characters are so simple, predictable and cliche. Can you even consider that a book? It's just a rehash of every other romance book ever. And not even a good one. There's zero originality in any part of the book. The evul villain, the controlling lover. UGH, give me a break...
7) Gwen keeps taking Neil's attempts to protect her as signs of "caring". Can't you remember that he's a professional bodyguard? The man's only doing his job and you keep harassing him! It's not fair to hit on someone you employ. If the genders were reversed, there would be so much outrage about this...
Don't waste your time on this.
Issues I have with this book:
1) Poor editing. There were typos, punctuation errors and word misuse. English is not my first language, not even my second, but even I know that this sentence:
And when he gripped the back of her hair, and pulled her into his embrace, he took control
makes zero sense. You can't grip the BACK of someones' HAIR.
2) Bullshit. Seriously:
Gwen met Neil’s hazel eyes, which changed color with his mood.
The next time I read that someones' eyes change color with their mood I'm gonna set the book on fire.
3) Characters' complete and utter lack of personality. What do we know about Gwen? She's British and blond. Mmmmm... Yeah, that tell us zero about the kind of person she is. She really has no interests in life, no ambitions and no values. All we get is a bunch of excuses for why she doesn't have a personality (being a sheltered lady and all that).
What do we know about Neil? He's ex-military and has PTSD. Ok, the first is something he NO LONGER is, the second is a condition, not a personality trait. I assume after the events in the book he will get better and/or seek help. And after that, what will be left of him? The fact that he is, apparently, hung like a bear?
4) Portrayal of women. All the women in these series don't have a life, they just pass the time until they get married. Jeez, people, we're not in the 1800! All of them quit working the moment they get married, as if working is a necessary chore you are relieved of when a man starts taking care of you. UGH. Get a life, girl...
Also, the portrayal of both men and women is sexist in the extreme.
5) Portrayal of sex. Ok, so Gwen is over 30 years old, but never had enjoyable sex, were in love and/or in a long-term relationship? She's never even seen an attractive man in porn. Mmmm... That's kinda strange. And don't give me that lady bullshit. Being a lady doesn't mean you're never in love or attracted to anyone.
It just the authors way of making her inexperienced at 30. You can't make her beautiful and a virgin at that age, so the author just takes away all the pleasure from her previous dealings with men. So that her love/sex with Neil is special.
Being experienced does not equal being dirty, and being in love several times in a lifetime does not make the love not "true". Love and sex can be special even if you had previously enjoyed that with someone else.
6) The author wasn't even trying. The plot and characters are so simple, predictable and cliche. Can you even consider that a book? It's just a rehash of every other romance book ever. And not even a good one. There's zero originality in any part of the book. The evul villain, the controlling lover. UGH, give me a break...
7) Gwen keeps taking Neil's attempts to protect her as signs of "caring". Can't you remember that he's a professional bodyguard? The man's only doing his job and you keep harassing him! It's not fair to hit on someone you employ. If the genders were reversed, there would be so much outrage about this...
Don't waste your time on this.