Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
After reading Amalia's story, Alliance with His Stolen Heiress, I looked forward to reading her sister LucÃa's story. That book ended with Amalia, her husband, and LucÃa headed to Europe, where LucÃa 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 LucÃa and the others return home.
The book opens with a prologue that takes place the day before LucÃa leaves for Europe. She encounters a young man, Leo, who draws her attention. Their meeting is fun, and you can see LucÃa 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. LucÃa, Amalia, and Julian have returned. We get the impression from LucÃa'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. LucÃa 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 LucÃa isn't feasible.
Matters become complicated when LucÃa 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 LucÃa 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 LucÃa 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 LucÃa 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 LucÃa 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.
#netgalley
The book opens with a prologue that takes place the day before LucÃa leaves for Europe. She encounters a young man, Leo, who draws her attention. Their meeting is fun, and you can see LucÃa 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. LucÃa, Amalia, and Julian have returned. We get the impression from LucÃa'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. LucÃa 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 LucÃa isn't feasible.
Matters become complicated when LucÃa 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 LucÃa 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 LucÃa 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 LucÃa 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 LucÃa 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.
#netgalley
