Review: A beautifully written and emotional new adult read. Love Aria and Luca!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 13, 2014
An Aria in Venice is a standalone story in the A Musical Interlude series. This story follows Alek's younger sister, Aria (aka Adriana). In the first book, The Prelude, we follow the growing relationship between Alek and Erin. This story is all that is happening to Aria while Alek is chasing Erin. I really loved this because while reading the first book, I knew something was going on with Aria and I was so curious. I am glad Leigh sated my curiosity. I loved Aria in the first book and I love her even more now.I loved Aria in this book. She is the sheltered little sister of Alek and she can't take it. Everyone treats her like a doll and she can't take it. It is now time for her to go out and get what she wants. She wants to officially become a woman by finally getting rid of her virginity. She is being pursued by Luca, Erin's boss, who does get around. He invites Aria to stay with him in Italy to visit his family. While they are together in Italy, Aria finds that people have been wrong about Luca. She learns so much about him and his family, more than she thought possible. What was supposed to be a little ruse between them becomes something more.If Luca has a doppleganger walking around anywhere, please send me an email. I loved him. I wasn't so sure about him before. He just bounced around a lot and didn't seem to care much about much else. I loved that Aria gave Luca a chance. They both wanted to use each other, but I love where it went. Luca was just mouthwatering. I could read his scenes again and again. I loved them. Next to my insane love for Luca, I loved the characters all round. They are so well put together and they are all so complex. Some of those complexities leas to a few twists in the story as well. I was so happy to dive back into this world again and read about these incredible characters again. They are unforgettable for me. they really are.The story was such an eye opener. I love how Aria goes from being a girl trapped under her mother's thumb to a woman with a spine. The connection they had in Italy really steamed up my ereader, let me tell you. I loved how Aria connected with Luca's family specifically Luca's mom. His siblings were torture. I won't tell you why, but there is a lot of hurt in this family. I love that this story was about more than just Aria and Luca getting together, but them resolving some very deep issues, Luca more than anyone.One thing that did drive me crazy was Nikolai. Nikolai is Alek's best friend and he protects Aria. He is also in love with her. He doesn't want to let his feelings be known because she is his best friend's sister. When he has the chance to be with her, he doesn't take the chance. The way he handles the whole situation made me so mad. I just couldn't believe him at time. I didn't hate him, but I definitely wanted to punch him. They definitely have a history and I could have seen them together, but man. It drove me nuts and Aria's mother didn't help. I couldn't believe that woman especially near the end of the book. Again, this is why I love that Aria has grown so much in the book. She really stood up to her. I was so proud.This was an incredible read. I loved this book as much as the first one. I was dying to read things from Aria's side because I knew it would be interesting. It was that and more. This story can be read as a standalone, so reading the first book isn't necessary, but do it anyway because it was awesome. Leigh has such an engaging style. Once you start, you simply can't stop. She will make you laugh, cry, pull your hair out, and set you on fire. If she isn't on your must-read list, she should be. I can't wait for book two in this series. This is definitely a favorite for 2014. Leigh you have done it again. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a beautifully written and emotional coming-of-age story that will leave you fanning yourself.