What I'm currently reading
- A Bibliophile Confesses
- Feb 3, 2018
- 4 min read
Right now, I'm reading From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata.
Look at that cover.
I love all things Mariana Zapata. Ever since I read Kulti, I have a new appreciation for slow burn romances. And let me tell they are sloooowww burning. After bingeing on romance novels where there was no delayed gratification whatsoever, I was in the mood for something that didn't have the hero and heroine going at it like bunnies as soon as they met (not that there's anything wrong with that). At a readers group (Sharks of Awesome) I discovered Kulti.
I think Mariana is amazing at making the readers invest themselves into the story completely. She's able to give the reader tingles from simple touches between the characters. The characters don't need to have sex in order for you to be interested. The sex takes the back seat. And finally when they do do the deed, it never disappoints.
Mariana has also made me fall in love with sports romances again, and I don't even like sports. Although I love a good damsel in distress, her butt-kicking, tough as nails heroines are awe-inspiring. They don't take shit from the heroes, or anyone. Her females are stubborn to the point where it's sometimes detrimental, and you feel like reaching into the book and giving them a smack on the head. But you still love them.
For me what Mariana excels at the most, is making the leading characters best-friends. Her characters have an amazing friendship before they fall in love, and it makes their relationship seem stronger. She makes her heroes level-headed, which I have a new appreciation for.
As of right now I'm halfway through From Lukov With Love, and I'm loving it. Jasmine and Ivan's relationship reminds me of Sal and Kulti's, although Ivan is alot nicer than Reiner. I feel for Jasmine, especially with the way her relationship with her father is described. I love the whole family dynamic of the Santos. Ivan is well, an ass sometimes. But he's a well meaning ass.
I'm gonna go back to reading now. I have to finish this book. And now I'll leave you with something that reminds me of Jasmine.
Edited to add: (2/4/2018)
I just finished From Lukov With Love, and I loved it.
First of all, let me tell you a little what the book is about.
From Lukov With Love begins with figure skater Jasmine Santos, who believes her skating career is at an end. Jasmine loves skating with a passion that surpasses everything else in her life. However, her skating career has been littered with disappointments. She feels as if she is a let down to her parents and family because she hasn't been able to win them a medal, unlike her arch-nemesis fellow skater Ivan Lukov. Ivan is the poster boy for skating, having won three world championships, and two Olympic gold medals. He is equally loved by both the critics and his fans, and can do no wrong. Jasmine hates Ivan. She envies his success, and often feels as if he doesn't deserve his wins. She works just as hard, but has amounted to nothing, while Ivan has reached amazing heights. It isn't fair.
Just when Jasmine is contemplating hanging up her skates, she receives an offer. She can compete again, partnering with a successful skater, and win a championship. Basically do all the things she wants to do. The catch? Well, the successful skater she has to pair with? It's none other than Ivan Lukov, otherwise known as the man she refers to as Satan. Can Jasmine do it? Can she put aside her pride for her dreams? Jasmine realizes she has nothing to lose, and so she does. The arrangement is to last for a year, after which Ivan and his coach will help her find a new partner. Jasmine needs all the help she can get. She's never been diplomatic, calls out shit when she sees it, and it has earned her a reputation of being "difficult" and "hot-headed" amongst skaters. Her previous partner has spread rumors about her, and smeared her reputation, something which Jasmine hasn't been able to recover from. Skating with Lukov will help her clear up her image. If she doesn't kill him first.
Jasmine is difficult. She's prickly, defensive, and grumpy, but she has every right to be. She's been kicked while she's down. She's been undermined, and pushed around. But one thing Jasmine isn't, is a quitter. Every time she's been kicked down, she's gotten up. She doesn't expect anyone to take care of her, just does her thing the best that she can. She has a family who love her unconditionally, but Jasmine doesn't realize that. All she sees are the expectations she could never fulfill.
It didn't take me much to start liking Ivan. However, Ivan was an asshole in the beginning, and I did not like him one bit. He wasn't difficult, just a bit misunderstood by Jasmine. Their banter was cute. I could see Ivan coaxing Jasmine out of her shell, and Jasmine slowly letting herself be vulnerable to a man she once hated.
This is Mariana's classic enemies to friends to lovers trope, and no one does it better than her. She can really make you hate a male character, and within the span of the same book fall in love with then too.
All in all From Lukov With Love was an extremely entertaining read. Its a long book, but Mariana's books always are. If you're looking for a slow burn romance, this is the one for you.
コメント