Review: The Whole Time by Catherine Bybee

About the Book

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee comes a tale of a strong-willed dancer exercising her independence and the rich biker she can’t let go.

Salena Barone has broken free of her family and moved into an apartment above the D’Angelos' restaurant, where she works as a manager—without a husband, thank you very much. But even on a restaurant salary, she soon finds herself strapped for cash. Salena’s never been afraid of living on the wild side, though, so she takes on a side hustle that’ll raise big bucks…and eyebrows, if anyone finds out.

Tattooed biker Ryan is the youngest of the wealthy Rutledge wine family and has never dreamed of rings, forever, or continuing the family business. He’s perfectly happy living his own life and helping out hardworking folks in his own way.

When these two independent singles spot each other at a Rutledge-D’Angelo wedding, the attraction is instant. But as their friendship with benefits evolves into something more, the secrets Salena’s keeping—from family, friends, and Ryan—threaten the happily ever after she never knew she wanted.

Review

With the conclusion of The D’Angelos series, The Whole Time, Catherine Bybee wraps up this wonderful series with Salena. Salena has been a tough one to crack but as we see with this book, her hea finally came and it couldn’t have been any sweeter.

With the series, I’m glad Salena was saved for the end. Salena has been labeled wild and troubled but deep down, she has the biggest heart and would fiercely protect the ones she loved. Her love life hasn’t been the greatest but I think mostly due to her protecting her heart from being broken. With someone for everyone, she met Ryan who was a little bit naughty but a great guy. There couldn’t have been two more perfect characters to meet than these two. I couldn’t get enough of them and their journey was worth every page in the book. Two broken people coming together not realizing they were healing themselves together kept me turning the pages.

As usual, we are surrounded by the D’Angelos clan who’s strength and commitment to being there for each other brings love to the book. We get to know more about her parents and really gain insight on why Salena is who she is. Much of the experiences in her family and their perspective had shaped her to make the choices she did. Going through life seeking their approval and love and it being met with an old school mentality really crippled her. So, getting to see her moving out, gaining her independence and finally being in the driver seat of her life, really was a nice journey to see her get to where she was meant to be. Even though her behavior was predictable in the eyes of what people perceived her to be, it was nice getting to see her be able to become the best version of herself.

Overall, this has been a wonderful series with the D’Angelo family. With each book they bring you in as if you’re part of their family. There was something so inviting and memorable about these characters that you just don’t want to let go of. If you haven’t checked this one out, add it to your tbr list.

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