Review: Treasured by Thursday by Catherine Bybee

Title: Treasured by Thursday by Catherine Bybee
Weekday Brides Series Book Seven
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Suspense
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

The seventh and final tale in the dazzling, heartwarming, and pulse-racing Weekday Brides series.

Gabriella Masini: She’s a woman haunted by her past, with the scars to prove it. She believes that fairy tales are for other people. An elite matchmaker at Alliance, she’s great at crunching numbers, but something doesn’t add up with her latest prospective client: a billionaire bad boy with his own secrets. When Gabi refuses to be his temporary wife, Hunter forces her hand with an offer she can’t refuse. But marriage to a man like that could never last…or could it?

Hunter Blackwell: Only his bank account is bigger than his ruthless ability to obtain anything he wants. These days, he has a secret reason to settle down, at least for a while—and he thinks the sensual and sassy Gabi will fit the bill perfectly. But when their marriage of convenience becomes downright dangerous, Hunter must decide how far to take his vow to honor and protect Gabi forever.

Review:

Treasured by Thursday, the final installment in Catherine Bybee’s Weekday Brides series, is another marvelous romance with a few suspense elements. This delightful novel pairs up Gabriella “Gabi” Masini, a matchmaker at Alliance, and Hunter Blackwell, a billionaire in desperate need of a wife. After Gabi deems him an unsuitable candidate for Alliance, the ruthless businessman does a little digging into her background and coerces her into a marriage of convenience. The sparks fly between them, but will trust issues and baggage from their respective pasts keep them from acting on their growing attraction for one another?

Beginning about eighteen months after the events of the previous book, Gabi is settled into her new life in CA and her career with Alliance. Although she has made new friends and is happy with her life, she is still a little traumatized by the abuse she suffered at the hands of her deceased first husband, drug smuggler Alonzo Picano. Her personal life still might be a bit of a mess, but professionally, she is on top of her game and Hunter’s background sets off enough alarm bells to disqualify him as a client for Alliance. Unfortunately, Gabi underestimates Hunter and she is quite alarmed by the information he finds after his investigation into her past. Realizing she has been outmaneuvered, Gabi agrees to marry him, but only if he agrees to her somewhat outrageous conditions.

Hunter is sexy and charming, but he is also a little unscrupulous when it comes to forcing Gabi to marry him. He is a loner, estranged from his family and he is all business, all the time. He is a brilliant businessman, always thinking ahead to his next venture but he is rather cold and calculating. When it comes to Gabi, Hunter does not think past what he needs and he will do whatever it takes to achieve his goal of finding a wife. His surprisingly sweet side is revealed soon after they marry and it does not take long before he is infatuated with Gabi.

Unfortunately, Hunter left out a few pertinent details about his personal life and his past eventually collides with Gabi’s with disastrous results. Despite the extra security measures, danger comes at them from all sides and Gabi inadvertently puts herself in harm’s way when she reacts without thinking things through.  This part of the storyline is a little predictable but there are enough twists and turns to keep the story moving at a brisk pace.

Treasured by Thursday is an entertaining, action-packed novel with a wonderful cast of appealing characters. Catherine Bybee puts another unique spin on the marriage of convenience plot device and the resulting love story between Gabi and Hunter is quite captivating. Old and new fans are sure to love this magnificent final installment of the Weekday Brides series.