The Forgotten One by Catherine Bybee ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

A dazzling tale of long-lost relatives, overnight riches, and unexpected romance. 

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

November 2024; Montlake; 978-1662517259
audio, ebook, print (383 pages); women's fiction

This cute book is a fun read about a very very rich family.  The characters grab you right from the beginning and you have to keep reading to find out how the family changes and adds to new members.  There are two interesting main characters that are the basis of the story.

Sarah writes for a tabloid - one of those papers that wants juicy gossip to share and don't care if it's true or not - they just want to sell papers.  She refuses to write anything that she hasn't researched and found out to be 100% true.  Her goal is to get a job at a reputable newspaper like the NY Times but before she'll be considered, she has to put in her time at the tabloid.  Her job is on the line and her boss is threatening to fire her unless she can break a big story about the elusive “Maximillian Smith,” unearth his connection to the billionaire Stone family, and dig up some dirt. She agrees to take the story on but plans that her story will only contain the truth.

Max is an ordinary working man.  He lives in a small apartment and pretty much lives hand to mouth.  When he is approached by two strangers with an outlandish story, he doesn't want to have anything to do with them.  They tell him that he is their half-brother.  Their father had died and left a fortune to his children but it was contingent on them finding their half-brother whom they didn't even know existed.  According to them, Max is entitled to one-third of his unknown father's fortune.  When they present DNA evidence, he begins to believe their story and finally accepts that Chase and Alex are really his siblings.  When he meets Sarah, he has no idea that she writes for a tabloid and he quickly becomes interested in her.  His goal is to find his mother - is she still alive?  Why did she leave him at a young age that made him become part of the foster program?  He knows that he will not be able to accept that he is really part of the Stone family until he finds his mother. Sarah agrees to help him in his search.

It's no surprise that there are immediate sparks between Sarah and Max but Max has major trust issues due to his childhood.  What is going to happen when he finds out that Sarah is really a reporter for a tabloid and it appears that she is only acting interested in him to get a good story?

This is a fun book to read.  I enjoyed  Max's relationship with Sarah as well as his relationship with his new siblings.  There is some funny dialogue as everyone gets to know each other.  I enjoyed this one from beginning to end and can't wait for the next book in the trilogy.

NOTE:  This is book 2 of THE HEIRS trilogy.  You can read it as a standalone with minimal confusion but the series is so good that you probably would enjoy reading it in order.  Book 3 is scheduled to be published in June 2025. 

Buy The Forgotten One at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.   

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