Sunset eyes, waves of golden-brown hair, cute little butt… I wanted to make her smile, but I had no idea when she did, she’d steal my heart. I say try and stop me…Īngelica Treviño was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review of this steamy/sweet forbidden romance. It’s a fun, unpredictable ride and has a storylne that kept me interested. I enjoy the author’s writing, I liked the Romeo and Juliet elements, I liked both of the characters, but there wasn’t enough to make me connect to them emotionally. They’re honestly probably only in about 25% of the book together, and a solid 15% of that is focused on steamy scenes.

And I probably would’ve figured out a way to be okay with that if these two had spent more time on the page together – out of the bedroom. Everything that comes after that is the struggle to make their relationship public. We get a brief (VERY brief) introduction to Angel and Deacon, then the story jumps forward to when they’re adults, in love, and sexually active. You know that feeling when you start a book, and you think to yourself, “wait, what did I miss?” That’s what it was like for me. Right from the start, I sort of felt like I was jumping into the second half of a duet. As the two struggle with getting their families onboard with the relationship, Angel and Deacon are disheartened by all of the obstacles in their path. But Deacon is ready to build a life with Angel, and that can’t happen if no one knows they’re together. There are (vague) reasons why they should despise each other, so they’ve never made their relationship public. It was insta-attraction for these two, and they’ve been together in secret ever since. The story follows Angel and Deacon, two star-crossed lovers who met when they were teenagers. So while I did enjoy the Romeo and Juliet vibes, I needed a reason to actually connect to this couple – and that didn’t happen. It’s much more focused on the angst and all of the reasons they shouldn’t be together. That means that there’s VERY little “romance” in the story. Our couple has already been in a relationship for SEVERAL years when the book begins, and when they do see each other, they spend all of their time in bed. On the other hand, they don’t actually spend all that much time together.

I loved how committed these two are to each other and their unwavering desire to be open about their relationship. On one hand, there were twists and turns paired with a deep love that’s obvious.

When We Kiss by Tia Louise