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harperhoney's review
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
dimples0508's review
3.0
I'm glad to have read this and I found the plot line to be subtlety interesting but it was hard for me to want to really get into it. Either way, respect to the author.
samnreader's review
The unfortunate thing is I am struggling to connect to this couple. She's too antagonistic and he's a puppy. I love characters that are difficult, but I think Alex is just an asshole - like no one is listening to their elders or family, the family dynamic while lively is doing too much.
I can't, for some reason, ignore the sexual aggression if Alex in the early chapter, and then accused Jeremiah of being acting inappropriately when he gets caught observing her for a moment when she thought was she was alone.
Bottom line, I keep going to any other books rather than this one, so... not for me.
I can't, for some reason, ignore the sexual aggression if Alex in the early chapter, and then accused Jeremiah of being acting inappropriately when he gets caught observing her for a moment when she thought was she was alone.
Bottom line, I keep going to any other books rather than this one, so... not for me.
ctalread's review
5.0
*mild spoilers* Loved this book so much! I wasn't sure that I would love Alex but other reviewers said to give her a chance and I'm so glad that I did. Alex is exactly the kind of FMC that I love: strong, bold, flawed and mildly problematic lol. Alex is peak 'F*ck around and find out' energy. Jeremiah is her perfect foil and absolutely one of my top three favourite male leads of the year - maybe even my favourite. I just wanted to melt into him. I loved how the author gave him so much scope to feel everything and how he's allowed to crave connection. (After I finished the book I totally googled his brother hoping for a redemption arc because I felt like Jeremiah totally deserved to have that.) The way that Alex softens around him is really all of us. He's just that irresistible.
After Hours also has a lot of really cool history about Mexican-American communities in the American midwest and the author does an absolutely beautiful job describing Freedom and Milagro Street. There were times I really felt like I was there at Loretta's watching Alex work, catch up with all of her various relatives while Jeremiah watched from his corner.
I'll definitely read this one again and it'll be amazing because I'll love Alex from the beginning.
After Hours also has a lot of really cool history about Mexican-American communities in the American midwest and the author does an absolutely beautiful job describing Freedom and Milagro Street. There were times I really felt like I was there at Loretta's watching Alex work, catch up with all of her various relatives while Jeremiah watched from his corner.
I'll definitely read this one again and it'll be amazing because I'll love Alex from the beginning.
jgverrero's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This reminded me a lot of the plot from "Romeo and Julieta." I know romance readers don't mind a common plot but it just didn't work for me bc of the super brash FMC.
sarahanne8382's review
4.0
I loved this steamy and substantial romance so much. Alejandra Torres has been running from her hometown of Freedom, Kansas ever since she was forced to leave as a teenager. She's come a long way, working at a trendy bar in Chicago where she's developed a rabid social media following and is known as "the best bitch in bartending", but when her grandmother's help begins to fail, Alex thinks she might be able to rescue the family and the town that didn't want her, before she moves on to an even flashier job in a new city.
When she arrives to discover some white guy who rents a room from her grandmother has swooped in to try to save her family, Alex can only see red. But Jeremiah Post is a history professor at the local college researching the history of the Mexican traqueros, like Alex's ancestors, who moved to the western plains to work on the railroads in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He wants to see the legacy of these hard-working close-knit communities honored, rather than sold out to the ruthless (and racist) developers that are threatening Alex's grandmother.
Both leads have skeletons in their closet and realize that they need to work through their issues and learn to trust each other before than can have anything more than a passionate fling, so I appreciated that they were both grownups. Plus it's set in a small town in the midwest with a big extended family, which are also things I love and can relate to, and the hero's a history nerd.
I almost gave this book 5 stars because I loved it so much, but there were a few minor pacing and plot issues that detracted me slightly from the action, so it's more of a 4.5 stars for me. Definitely for those who like their racy novels to have a substantial story, too.
When she arrives to discover some white guy who rents a room from her grandmother has swooped in to try to save her family, Alex can only see red. But Jeremiah Post is a history professor at the local college researching the history of the Mexican traqueros, like Alex's ancestors, who moved to the western plains to work on the railroads in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He wants to see the legacy of these hard-working close-knit communities honored, rather than sold out to the ruthless (and racist) developers that are threatening Alex's grandmother.
Both leads have skeletons in their closet and realize that they need to work through their issues and learn to trust each other before than can have anything more than a passionate fling, so I appreciated that they were both grownups. Plus it's set in a small town in the midwest with a big extended family, which are also things I love and can relate to, and the hero's a history nerd.
I almost gave this book 5 stars because I loved it so much, but there were a few minor pacing and plot issues that detracted me slightly from the action, so it's more of a 4.5 stars for me. Definitely for those who like their racy novels to have a substantial story, too.
gabyhat's review
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment and Racism
Minor: Alcoholism and Abortion
kiaw's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lost_in_novels's review
2.0
2.5 stars
UGH.. this book had so much potential!!
The story is about Alex, a very fierce woman that comes back to her small hometown in Kansas to take the lead on the dying family restaurant business. However, her taking the bar is not guaranteed because Jin her way there is this handsome super nice professor that wants to transform the place in a museum-like.
Ok, things that I enjoyed. I liked the representation and how the author entertained the history of mexican immigration in the story. How important those communities were to the development of so many cities. I liked the family dynamic and how that can be a safe heaven but also the source of a lot of grief. I am Brazilian and we also have this love to exasperation feeling regarding our bigger family.
I also enjoyed Jeremiah. His character was adorable! A cinnamon roll that has some strong opinions in bed. Lastly the consensual spice scenes were super damn hot so that alone gave an extra star to the book.
HOWEVER, I didn’t like Alex. And don’t come at me saying that she was supposed to be unlikable. I get that.. I actually bypassed a ton of here attitude to finish the book and not DNF it in the first 20%. First of all, as a lot of people here in goodreads said, I didn’t like that first encounter she had with Jeremiah. I thought it was not really consensual and I felt actually awkward reading that. Second all the times she belittled him and his performance in bed. OMG that made me get so annoyed with her. He did not deserve all her lashings and terrible words.
For a long ass moment I was like.. why you are so angry? And we will learn about it in the last 15% of the book and I get that the reason was pretty bad but I still didn’t think that atoned to how she treated people that just wanted to help her throughout the whole story.
UGH.. this book had so much potential!!
The story is about Alex, a very fierce woman that comes back to her small hometown in Kansas to take the lead on the dying family restaurant business. However, her taking the bar is not guaranteed because Jin her way there is this handsome super nice professor that wants to transform the place in a museum-like.
Ok, things that I enjoyed. I liked the representation and how the author entertained the history of mexican immigration in the story. How important those communities were to the development of so many cities. I liked the family dynamic and how that can be a safe heaven but also the source of a lot of grief. I am Brazilian and we also have this love to exasperation feeling regarding our bigger family.
I also enjoyed Jeremiah. His character was adorable! A cinnamon roll that has some strong opinions in bed. Lastly the consensual spice scenes were super damn hot so that alone gave an extra star to the book.
HOWEVER, I didn’t like Alex. And don’t come at me saying that she was supposed to be unlikable. I get that.. I actually bypassed a ton of here attitude to finish the book and not DNF it in the first 20%. First of all, as a lot of people here in goodreads said, I didn’t like that first encounter she had with Jeremiah. I thought it was not really consensual and I felt actually awkward reading that. Second all the times she belittled him and his performance in bed. OMG that made me get so annoyed with her. He did not deserve all her lashings and terrible words.
For a long ass moment I was like.. why you are so angry? And we will learn about it in the last 15% of the book and I get that the reason was pretty bad but I still didn’t think that atoned to how she treated people that just wanted to help her throughout the whole story.
evelina96's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I feel a bit ambivalent towards this book. Overall I enjoyed it but I found Alex really hard to like which made me not enjoy the romance as much. However, I enjoyed that it focused on family and heritage and their quest to save the family-owned bar.