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booktalkwithrae's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is my first time reading a book by this author, and I have heard that this author is repetitive… But boy I did not expect it to be that repetitive.
The amount of times that this main character talked about her family, but always said the same thing… it got annoying. Which is unfortunate because the point of the strained family dynamic helps create an understanding of the character and her history, but in the end every time she brought up her family I was frustrated. Not to mention the main characters dialogue also felt extremely repetitive and overall made the book way too long. It got to point where when the couple finally got together, there was no satisfaction.
The main character herself is also very infuriating. Being in her head throughout the whole story, just became frustrating with the repetitiveness. Her constant thought process was in never-ending loop and I just wanted to yell at her to move on. Everyone in her life was a problem, she complained about everything, and she became a very unlikeable character because of it. Thus, making it very hard to enjoy the romance.
The romance was not as swoon worthy as I would’ve expected, especially for how long it is. It’s strange because I feel like the book needs to be severely shortened however, I would love to have seen more of a buildup of characters romance. The storyline was definitely there. It was not executed well. I wonder if this book was duo perspective if the relationship growth would have translated better.
The audiobook was so well done. If you do want to try this book out, I highly recommend listening to the audiobook because it was so good.
The amount of times that this main character talked about her family, but always said the same thing… it got annoying. Which is unfortunate because the point of the strained family dynamic helps create an understanding of the character and her history, but in the end every time she brought up her family I was frustrated. Not to mention the main characters dialogue also felt extremely repetitive and overall made the book way too long. It got to point where when the couple finally got together, there was no satisfaction.
The main character herself is also very infuriating. Being in her head throughout the whole story, just became frustrating with the repetitiveness. Her constant thought process was in never-ending loop and I just wanted to yell at her to move on. Everyone in her life was a problem, she complained about everything, and she became a very unlikeable character because of it. Thus, making it very hard to enjoy the romance.
The romance was not as swoon worthy as I would’ve expected, especially for how long it is. It’s strange because I feel like the book needs to be severely shortened however, I would love to have seen more of a buildup of characters romance. The storyline was definitely there. It was not executed well. I wonder if this book was duo perspective if the relationship growth would have translated better.
The audiobook was so well done. If you do want to try this book out, I highly recommend listening to the audiobook because it was so good.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Violence
nikkiblack17's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Violence, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Body shaming
hereiskyra's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
These two really snuck up on me. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel at the beginning and it definitely took some time but I fell in love with both of them like they fell in love with each other.
Something about this book was just comforting. It felt a little like a warm, strong hug when you’re having a tough day. The kind of hug I would like to imagine Zac would give (who, by the way, is a big ole teddy bear and he deserves everything he wants in the world).
There is something magical about a book that has you intensely invested in the love of two characters who haven’t even kissed at 80%.
She is the queen of slow burn romance that doesn’t lose your interest along the way.
It feels like you follow the entire journey from start to finish with these two. I think it’s being with Vanessa and Aiden for so long in the day to day that makes it that much sweeter when they finally admit their feelings for one another. It isn’t a rushed timeline or a forced end goal because we need on page romance. It’s worth the wait because it feels so genuine and honest to the characters and their individual development.
I love me some spice but this special Mariana Zapata brand of slow-burn is absolutely unmatched. You have so much time to get attached to the characters emotionally and their relationship has room to breathe that when they do finally have their moment, everything is that much better.
Van’s family sucked. I hated all of them and I’d like to think they all got cut off (except little bro, of course) because she deserves better and needs to protect her peace. But even though they are all terrible, I enjoyed the depth of her background and just how far she’s come.
And I need a book about Big Texasssssss! Ugh. Just the sweetest.
I have no doubt this book will be on my list of favorites for a long time. Never thought I’d say that about a romance novel with barley any romance in it but these two absolutely have my heart!
Tropes:
Marriage of Convenience
Grumpy x Sunshine
Football Romance
Spice:🌶️
Something about this book was just comforting. It felt a little like a warm, strong hug when you’re having a tough day. The kind of hug I would like to imagine Zac would give (who, by the way, is a big ole teddy bear and he deserves everything he wants in the world).
There is something magical about a book that has you intensely invested in the love of two characters who haven’t even kissed at 80%.
She is the queen of slow burn romance that doesn’t lose your interest along the way.
It feels like you follow the entire journey from start to finish with these two. I think it’s being with Vanessa and Aiden for so long in the day to day that makes it that much sweeter when they finally admit their feelings for one another. It isn’t a rushed timeline or a forced end goal because we need on page romance. It’s worth the wait because it feels so genuine and honest to the characters and their individual development.
I love me some spice but this special Mariana Zapata brand of slow-burn is absolutely unmatched. You have so much time to get attached to the characters emotionally and their relationship has room to breathe that when they do finally have their moment, everything is that much better.
Van’s family sucked. I hated all of them and I’d like to think they all got cut off (except little bro, of course) because she deserves better and needs to protect her peace. But even though they are all terrible, I enjoyed the depth of her background and just how far she’s come.
And I need a book about Big Texasssssss! Ugh. Just the sweetest.
I have no doubt this book will be on my list of favorites for a long time. Never thought I’d say that about a romance novel with barley any romance in it but these two absolutely have my heart!
Tropes:
Marriage of Convenience
Grumpy x Sunshine
Football Romance
Spice:🌶️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Abandonment, and Violence
garbage_mcsmutly's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Bullying, Cursing, and Torture
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Addiction
Minor: Car accident and Violence
mels_reading_log's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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
3.5
This is a grumpy/sunshine, fake marriage, slow burn, sports romance novel. Both of the main characters have childhood trauma and trust issues to work through. I really enjoyed the transformation of Aiden, as he opened up and became more comfortable with Vanessa.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Addiction, Sexual content, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Car accident, Sexual harassment, Violence, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse
sea_tea_books's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
3.0
Happily Ever After. Spicy scenes (eventually).
And now, the cons:
Such a slow burn; like, too slow. The pacing was odd. It felt like the story was riding at 20mph through a school zone for 90% with a few bumps along the way, then suddenly floored it to two spicy scenes at the very end. The result was a clunky story that abruptly ended just as the story picked up steam. Was this why the author included not only an epilogue but also bonus content at the end, to compensate for the abrupt ending?
This book should come with trigger warnings due to themes of childhood trauma, parental alcoholism, and domestic violence within toxic families in both main character backstories.
Not a fan of the main character Vanessa continuously threatening violence against others. And the other main character Aiden being emotionally dysregulated on a daily basis. Let's not normalize these issues by excusing rage and threats as unavoidable consequences of her upbringing, or accepting rudeness and apathy as the norm because he's just a grumpy guy.
Finally, a small pet peeve (pun intended) of mine is when people claim being a pet owner is the same as or similar to being the parent of a human being. In the About the Author section, Mariana Zapata calls her dogs "her...oversized children" and she wrote "child" when referring to the dog Leo in the story. We'll have to agree to disagree on that one, Mariana.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Abandonment
storieswithannej's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Proper review to come.
All I know for now is that I love this book and made me feel so much. I just can’t put all these feelings into words now. BRB, swooning over Aiden.
All I know for now is that I love this book and made me feel so much. I just can’t put all these feelings into words now. BRB, swooning over Aiden.
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Physical abuse, and Violence
jackiemcee's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Child abuse and Violence
lkahre's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
relaxing
slow-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Drug use, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Child abuse, Car accident, Addiction, and Alcohol
intensej's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Vanessa "Van" Mazur has worked as a personal assistant for Aiden Graves, award winning defensive end for the National Football Organization, for two years. Aiden has never shown any interest in being friendly with Vanessa, and she is ready to move on and focus on her graphic design business. After he humiliates her and doesn't stand up for her, she quits on the spot. Aiden finds her after several weeks and asks her to come back to work for him. When Van learns that Aiden's work visa is about to expire, she jokingly suggests that he find someone to marry in order to obtain his green card. Aiden seizes on her idea and claims that he likes her as much as he likes anyone. Can Van set aside her crush on Aiden and keep to the rules of the business relationship they have established?
I loved the premise of this book. Aiden was a really charming and realistic character. I liked seeing Val's loving relationship with Aiden's roommate, another professional football player, Zac. Zapata really drags things out in this book, and the slow burn was almost too much. I felt like there should have been more sex scenes in this book for how slow the relationship moved. I found the constant references to Van's abusive childhood to be too intense for a contemporary romance. I wish there was another book that followed Zac's story, but this appears to be a standalone. Fans of sports romance and marriage of convenience tropes will love this book.
Content: mentions of child abuse, some swearing, some fighting, sex
I loved the premise of this book. Aiden was a really charming and realistic character. I liked seeing Val's loving relationship with Aiden's roommate, another professional football player, Zac. Zapata really drags things out in this book, and the slow burn was almost too much. I felt like there should have been more sex scenes in this book for how slow the relationship moved. I found the constant references to Van's abusive childhood to be too intense for a contemporary romance. I wish there was another book that followed Zac's story, but this appears to be a standalone. Fans of sports romance and marriage of convenience tropes will love this book.
Content: mentions of child abuse, some swearing, some fighting, sex
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Sexual harassment