Summary
A stormy past leads to an unexpected reunion.
Lourdes Daniels’s divorce came with a fallout: losing close friend Anthony Renaldo. Now she’s ready to heal their rift under one condition…this time, she’s protecting her heart at all costs. But when a surprise and very public kiss fast tracks them to the bedroom, Lourdes is suddenly seeing Anthony in an entirely new way…
After spending five years at arm’s length from Lourdes, chainsaw artist Anthony Renaldo isn’t about to miss his second chance. Proving his prowess in bed is easy, but getting Lourdes onboard for more is practically impossible. He has a choice to make: settle for less with Lourdes once again, or convince her that he’s worth the risk.
Review
First of all, I don’t get the title. Ant isn’t a bad boy, he’s the sweetest man ever. The crush, though, is real. And it might be what I enjoyed the most.
So we have Lourdes, who’s been betrayed by her cheating–and overall terrible–husband, and doesn’t trust anyone anymore. She hasn’t dated since her divorce almost two years earlier, and she doesn’t see love in her future. She doesn’t see Anthony either, as he was a friend of the married couple, and he made a mistake that broke their friendship too. She has friends, she has her job, and that’s it.
Circumstances put Ant back in her life, and they decide to mend their relationship. Except that it isn’t easy for Ant: since he saw Lourdes for the first time, he’s had a crush on her, only keeping a leash on his feelings because she was engaged, then married. And he kept up appearances for her sake, and the sake of his heart. Now the husband isn’t in the picture anymore, and there’s so much potential between them.
So yes, we have the main male character who’s been pining for the main female character for a few years, but who’s never acted on his feelings. Give me a man with feels any day, I’m all for it. He often shows his vulnerable side, sometimes hidden behind anger and frustration, but he’s definitely sensible. And one of the aspects I loved the most was the fact that he’s a manual worker–though more an artist than an artisan. He’s successful in his trade, but he’s not a billionaire. Plus he has a learning disability. Ant was a unique character, and I loved him.
I was more wary of Lourdes. I get it, her husband’s betrayal was awful, but she disconnected herself from her feelings–she didn’t want to risk hurting again–so efficiently that she has no idea of what she feels for Ant. That alone puts a strain on their relationship once they get together. Between Ant who’s afraid to admit what he felt for a long time, and Lourdes who refuses to acknowledge her feelings, they don’t start on the right foot. Yet I loved watching their relationship develop. They have cute and sweet moments, and also very sexy moments.
They also don’t live in an isolated bubble. They have common friends, and there are a lot of ensemble scenes when Lourdes and Anthony interact with them. Some of those scenes help moving the relationship forward, as they both show other sides of themselves in various situations–good side or bad side. I haven’t read the books related to this one, so I didn’t have any particular feelings for the friends, but I got enough information in this book to understand who they are and where they’re coming from. It didn’t feel too much like fan service.
And in order to build a coherent world, the author sprinkles clues about who will end up with whom in the upcoming books of the series. It’s still a standalone, but the series should definitely be read in order. And now I can’t wait for the next book!
Quickie
- Series: Evergreen Cove #2 (can be read as a standalone, but linked to another series by the same author)
- Hashtags: #small town romance #friends to lovers #age gap
- Triggers: past cheating
- Main couple: Lourdes Daniels & Anthony Renaldo
- Hotness: 4/5
- Romance: 4/5
- + long pining from the man? love it
- – I get where Lourdes comes from, but she should get in touch with her feelings
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