Lydia San Andres

After reading Amalia's story, Alliance with His Stolen Heiress, I looked forward to reading her sister Lucía's story. That book ended with Amalia, her husband, and Lucía headed to Europe, where Lucía would study music. I was half expecting to read of her life in Vienna and finding love there. Instead, this book picks up five years later, as Lucía and the others return home.

The book opens with a prologue that takes place the day before Lucía leaves for Europe. She encounters a young man, Leo, who draws her attention. Their meeting is fun, and you can see Lucía trying out her feminine wiles on Leo. The meeting ends with a toe-curling kiss that affects both. But she is gone when Leo returns to visit her the next day.

Fast forward five years. Lucía, Amalia, and Julian have returned. We get the impression from Lucía's thoughts that she has given up her music. We also learn that she and Leo exchanged letters for about a year before he abruptly stopped writing to her. Lucía thought they had something special, and his actions broke her heart. When she unexpectedly encountered Leo in town, she was stunned and angry to find him cold and dismissive toward her.

The events of his life have changed Leo over the past five years. Previously a dreamer interested in writing poetry, he is now focused on work and earning as much money as possible. His guilt over some of those events causes him to believe that a future with Lucía isn't feasible.

Matters become complicated when Lucía chases him after an evening encounter. She wants an explanation, but before that can happen, they witness some strange activity on one of the boats in the harbor. When that boat goes up in flames, Leo and Lucía are accused of setting the fire. Barely avoiding capture, a friend helps them escape, but they are forced into each other's company while they look for a way to prove their innocence.

I found the progression of their relationship frequently frustrating. There is no denying their attraction, but their stubbornness gets in the way of exploring what's behind it. Though Leo believes he can't have a future with her, he can't stop feeling protective of her. This leads him to go overboard in his attempts to keep her safe, which makes Lucía more determined to do things her way. She's tired of being looked at like a china doll, but her frustration with Leo leads to poor choices on her part, confirming Leo's belief that she needs protecting. It takes trouble catching up to them for Leo to finally see Lucía as the capable woman that she is. That confrontation was well done, and I enjoyed witnessing the bad guy get his comeuppance.

I ached for Leo and Lucía as pieces of their backstory were revealed throughout the book. Each had self-doubts to overcome before being ready for a future together. Fortunately, they could see past the doubts and provide the support each other needed to move forward together. The epilogue was good and gave an excellent update on their future.

I also enjoyed the author's vivid descriptions of the locations. The underground lakes were especially intriguing.… (mehr)

The Caribbean setting/characters were the main reason I bought this one since there still aren’t many historical titles featuring that part of the world, I thought that would make for a fairly unique reading experience, a window into a time and place I don’t know much about, but aside from food descriptions, setting and culture didn’t play as big a role in this one as I’d hoped.

Those extra setting and cultural details would have made this a little more vivid, but I would have been okay with this novel lacking somewhat in that department had the story been more compelling, unfortunately the conflict keeping this couple apart mostly relied on flimsy excuses on Sebastian’s side of things (burned by a woman in his past, his humble beginnings, his need to protect anyone he loves, etc.) plus there was also a one note villain, which is never my favorite thing.

It also did not help matters that Paulina was never anything less than eager to be with Sebastian, which to me felt a bit off, as the marriage to Sebastian is yet another thing her brother has forced her into and after a lifetime of having her choices taken away, it would have made sense had she pushed back on the idea, but right away she pines for this man she hardly knows to come to her bed. It’s a personal preference thing I guess, but I would have rather seen it take some time for Paulina to come around to being married, seeing some resistance from her would have been more interesting to me than the shopping sprees that ensued, although the shopping certainly provided an aspirational element that readers who fantasize about luxury will appreciate.

There was a segment of the story that I truly did enjoy, an altercation over a goat offered up a good bit of dramatic tension. I really liked how Paulina took action there, how she and Sebastian interacted not only with each other in those scenes but also with other members of the community present, had there been more moments like that, scenes a little more dynamic, I’m sure I would have liked this more, that said, I have seen this book on plenty of recommendation lists, so don’t let this review stop you if this book grabbed your interest, maybe it’ll be a better fit for you than it was for me.… (mehr)

Good book. Amalia and her younger sister have been kept under the thumb of their controlling uncle ever since their parents' deaths. Amalia is very independent and chafes under Francisco's restrictions. She's even more frustrated when he refuses their request for Lucia to study music in Vienna. Determined to break free, Amalia hires Julián to kidnap her and plans to use the ransom to finance their escape.

Julián is the son of a wealthy family but is treated as a failure by his father when he refuses to cooperate with his unethical business practices. Julián's cousin Victor, who has been Julián's nemesis since childhood, is the one his father favors. Julián also suspects his father of interfering with his relationship with a local woman. When Amalia hires him, he's glad to help, as he also suspects that his father and Francisco are in cahoots.

The kidnapping scene was excellent and immediately showed the sparks of attraction that flared between Julián and Amalia. The banter between them is amusing, with Amalia's intensity running up against Julián's devil-may-care attitude. When it becomes evident that no ransom is forthcoming, they race back to Amalia's home to discover her uncle and sister gone, and Amalia's disappearance is described as an elopement.

This begins a roller coaster ride of twists and turns as Julián and Amalia hurry after her family. The scene on the boat voyage involves a gossipy acquaintance, a midnight feast in the ship's kitchen, and a confrontation with thugs determined to return Amalia to her uncle. Matters become more complicated when they find Francisco has bargained Lucia's hand to Julián's cousin Victor. A confrontation reveals Julián's other reason for helping Amalia, leaving her feeling betrayed. Julián attempts to trick his father into revealing information, and Amalia suffers another kidnapping, this time a real one. There are heart-stopping moments when Julián races to the rescue, and they struggle to escape her captors. The final confrontation was fantastic. I loved seeing Amalia take the lead and expose her uncle's shenanigans. I also loved seeing Julián get to deal with Victor.

The development of the relationship between Julián and Amalia had its ups and downs. While their chemistry is undeniable, Amalia has trust issues regarding men. She is determined to avoid marriage, which is one of the reasons she wants control of her inheritance. Julian has reacted to his father's disdain by developing a rebellious reputation. Underneath that reputation is a man with a good heart, his own sense of honor, and a belief that he is unworthy of love. As they spend time together, Amalia shows Julián that his father is wrong. At the same time, Amalia begins to trust Julián, though that trust takes a hit when she learns of his other reason for helping her. I loved Julián's determination to protect her and seeing how he begins to earn back her trust. I especially liked the ending, where he shows how well he understands her and her fears.

I'd like a book that follows Julián, Amalia, and Lucia in Europe. Not only to keep up with Julián and Amalia but also to see if it lives up to Lucia's expectations.

#netgalley… (mehr)

Good book with an out-of-the-ordinary historical setting. The story takes place on a sugar plantation on a small Caribbean island in 1904. I enjoyed the exotic location and the look at a different lifestyle than the more plentiful Regency/Victorian settings.

Paulina is a twenty-one-year-old woman who has lived under the thumb of her older brother Antonio since their parents died when she was much younger. He is extremely controlling, keeping her a virtual prisoner on their increasingly deteriorating estate. Antonio is driven by what other people think, so he talks big and gives the impression of great wealth. He is actually deeply in debt, but that doesn't stop his gambling and spending. He chooses Paulina's clothes and dictates where she may go and who she may talk to.

As the book opens, Paulina has been permitted to go to a store in town to purchase things for a party her brother is giving for her birthday. There she meets their new neighbor, Sebastian, who lives on the plantation next door and purchased the sugar mill that belonged to her family. They make quite the impression on each other, and Paulina invites him to her party. Sebastian turns her down because he spends most of his time working and has reasons to avoid romantic entanglements. But when Antonio arrives and sees them talking, he says terrible things about Sebastian and drags Paulina forcibly from the store. Sebastian suddenly changes his mind about the party and tells her he'll be there.

I ached for Paulina because it became evident that Antonio is abusive, selfish, and just plain mean-spirited. The party that night was not all that great, and Paulina spent most of it watching for Sebastian to arrive. I loved how he paid attention to her. Their interactions were respectful and respectable, but he didn't stay long. After the party ended, Antonio made wild accusations and threw Paulina out of the house in the middle of a storm. With nowhere else to go, she went to Sebastian. I loved how he took her in and cared for her. It was easy to see that there were sparks between them, but Sebastian is an honorable man. Unfortunately, they were caught in a compromising position the next morning by Antonio and two guardsmen. Again, he made wild accusations against Sebastian, ending with Sebastian being thrown in jail.

Then Antonio's diabolical plan comes out. He claims that Sebastian has dishonored Paulina and must marry her or stay in jail. Though Sebastian tries to refuse, eventually, he gives in because he worries about what will happen to his mill employees and those he's responsible for. He is furious, believing that Paulina was in on the setup. Though they are married, he is determined to find a way to annul the marriage.

I liked seeing the relationship between Sebastian and Paulina develop. Sebastian refuses to believe that Paulina wasn't involved and tells her not to expect anything from him. Paulina is hurt that he thinks she would do such a thing. I liked seeing Paulina's sweet nature slowly win Sebastian over, eventually convincing him that she is innocent. I enjoyed seeing her get involved in life there, fitting in as if she belonged. I especially enjoyed seeing her constantly surprise him with the things she could do. Sebastian, hurt by a deceptive woman in a previous relationship, resists the idea of risking his heart again. But the more he gets to know Paulina, the more she gets past his walls. He warmed my heart when he took her to town and gave her all the decision-making power. It was easy to see the feelings growing between them, but Sebastian resisted giving into them.

Trouble comes when Antonio first tries blackmail to get money from Sebastian. When that doesn't work, his desperation leads him to other attempts. I was glued to the pages as his actions took a dangerous direction. I ached for Paulina as she discovered how low her brother would go. Sebastian's protectiveness for the woman he realizes he loves puts his life in peril. The scene between him and Antonio had me on the edge of my seat until it was all over.

I loved the ending and seeing where they were two years later. I enjoyed seeing how happy Sebastian is and that Paulina has the life she could only dream of before her marriage to Sebastian.

#netgalley… (mehr)