Review: Fantastic addition to series + standalone!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 15, 2014
Favorite Quotes“‘After all the crazy s*** you just heard, you’re still willing to take a chance on me?’ he asks, closing the distance between us. ‘Everybody deserves to have someone who believes in them,’ I answer, keeping my gaze locked inside his.”“Life doesn’t always wind up fixing itself and leaving a happy ending that comes complete with a boat made out of gold waiting to carry its passengers off into the sunset.”Why I Picked It UpI loved The Prelude and couldn’t wait to read Adriana’s story!PlotThis novel follows Adriana, Alek’s sister, as she fights her long-standing affection of Nikolai and her growing feelings for Luca. I really enjoyed the plot and pacing of this novel. It focused on the romance, primarily, but it also had some other elements thrown in that made it all them ore interesting. This novel runs parallel to The Prelude, so we also see some of Alek as her is pursuing Erin. This novel kept me enraptured for the whole book. It was a really interesting read.Leading LadyAdriana was the female protagonist in this novel. I liked her. She was a very different character than Erin, the lead in The Prelude. I loved that Leigh was able to make two completely different characters that I loved equally in their own ways. Adriana was kind, slightly rebellious, adventurous, and determined. She didn’t let people walk over her for the most part and fought for what she believed in even when everyone around her was discouraging it. She had a terrible backstory that was hinted to in The Prelude, and we get to see that past. It was sad but made me love her character even more because she didn’t let it hold her back.Leading Male“Here comes the twist. But…he’s off limits. He’s my brother’s best friend. Even if he were to notice me, then that little tidbit keeps us from ever being able to be any more than friends.”The two male leads in this novel were Luca and Nikolai. I did not enjoy either of them as much as Alek but they weere very well written. Nikolai was stoic so I wasn’t really able to get a good feel on him. Therefore my affections lie more with Luca. Nikolai was hot and cold and kind of harsh, and I just couldn’t get myself to like him much. Regardless, I’m interested to see what becomes of him in any future novels.Luca was an entertainment all in himself. He was sarcastic, kind of flamboyant, and just an amusing character to read. I thought he was a much better fit for Adriana as their personalities seemed to complement each others better. Luca was kind of a player. However, it was endearing for the most part. He wasn’t mean about his man-whorishness. He just was. But he was faithful to Adriana and that’s all that matters. And his lines that he would say…they were just so poetic and smooth. Swoon.Romance“Moving closer to where I stand, he places his hands over mine, our gazes locking, and I can’t help but recall the way he stood up for me against his older brother. Why did he do that? He didn’t have to. This is a game we’re playing, a charade, nothing more; yet, clearly Luca’s taking our game a bit more seriously than I thought he would. And now he’s choosing to open up to me. The more I learn about the famous designer with the scandalous past and an inability to keep his hormones in check, the more intrigued I become.”I liked the romance in this novel. There were two times: hot and passionate, which was Luca and Adriana. This was my favorite of the two. It started off as a not-really relationship to please Luca’s mother, and then turned into more. They had the chemistry and the adorable factor. And Luca’s mom loved them together! They were pretty much perfect. Then there was the tense, somewhat withdrawn and forbidden romance. This was between Nikolai and Adriana. Adriana had always loved Nikolai but Nikolai refused to act on it because she was Alek’s younger sister. I feel like if it weren’t for that, it wouldn’t have been as awkward of a romance for me. I still feel for him though, because he did love her.Other CharactersAs I mentioned, we get to see some of the events from The Prelude from the Dostov side. It was really cool how Leigh was able to make these novels parallel with the same events.I also wanted to mention that I absolutely adored Luca’s mother, Simona. She was an integral part of the novel and I positively loved her.ConclusionAn Aria in Venice was another fantastic addition to the series, even though it can be read as a standalone. It’s definitely one that I can recommend, especially if you have a thing for romance and a great setting!