Review: Romance is Relevant Again!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 16, 2013
Sheila Donahue finds herself hired as a translator for a mysterious billionaire named Cruz Terranova. She then finds herself swept up in romance, adventure, and even danger. Through the twists and turns of the plot, I laughed, gasped, and of course, had a few, erm, personal moments. Honestly, through Heart's straightforward but still engrossing writing style, I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole story!Sheila is not your average romance novel heroine: she's not a virgin, she's not helpless, and she's actually interesting! She's an independent woman who is very realistic and relatable. All the characters follow this vein, no ridiculous names, no unbelievable special abilities. This is a realistic love story set in post-Hurricane Sandy New York City and I love it!This is not your average romance novel either. You will find no "heaving bosoms" here, just very well-written and intense sex between two consenting characters. The build-up to the romance is nice as well, it's very refreshing to read a story where the leads don't jump into bed within five minutes of meeting of each other. The lack of cliches in Heart's work is part of what made it an absolute joy to read.There is only one fault I can find in the entire work, the usage of the phrase "Get out of here now before I rape you." This is said by Sheila to Cruz and despite the context of the scene and the author's intention (which I'm sure was not ill) this did take me out of the moment and offend me. Rape is never a laughing matter. There would have been a million better ways for Sheila to articulate the gratitude and affection she would be feeling in that scene that aren't so problematic. Also problematic was the unsafe sex before monogamy/test results, but to each their own. It was hot, but safe sex can be hot too!Overall, Castilian Heat has been one of the most exciting books I've read so far this year! I'm thrilled at the prospect of a sequel and am dying to know what happens next!