After reading YOU HAD ME AT HOLA, I liked it enough to download the second book in the series. It showed promise and had strong characters that I felt brought flavor and excitement to the story. Plus I was on the hunt for another romance novel that was equal parts fluffy and entertaining. I have to admit, I liked this one WAY better than the first book. In fact, I feel like this should have been the first book in the series. Michelle’s character was complex in an unexpected way and I think a lot of women can relate to her.
If you are a fan of romance novels, especially modern romances, this book will likely catch your eye and offer you something new. I like that Michelle is a working professional female with her own baggage to unpack, I think this describes so many women today who are trying to do it all—-work, stay fit, climb the corporate ladder, juggle family, their sexuality, and of course find love. Plus this book has the added layer of culture and representation which I thought really made this book relevant and exciting.
Now that I have read this one, I am even more excited to read the next book that will no doubt be coming out soon. If you haven’t discovered this series yet, it should be. You can certainly read the books out of order, I could easily have picked this book up and not been lost at all, so do not let the fact that this is a series detour you from reading a fun, second chance, spicy romance with a lot to enjoy. This one left me satisfied and eager for more of the Primas of Power!
Summary
Hi Mich. It’s Gabe.
After burning out in her corporate marketing career, Michelle Amato has built a thriving freelance business as a graphic designer. So what if her love life is nonexistent? She’s perfectly fine being the black sheep of her marriage-obsessed Puerto Rican-Italian family. Besides, the only guy who ever made her want happily-ever-after disappeared thirteen years ago.
It’s been a long time.
Gabriel Aguilar left the Bronx at eighteen to escape his parents’ demanding expectations, but it also meant saying goodbye to Michelle, his best friend and longtime crush. Now, he’s the successful co-owner of LA’s hottest celebrity gym, with an investor who insists on opening a New York City location. It’s the last place Gabe wants to go, but when Michelle is unexpectedly brought on board to spearhead the new marketing campaign, everything Gabe’s been running from catches up with him.
I’ve missed you.
Michelle is torn between holding Gabe at arm’s length or picking up right where they left off—in her bed. As they work on the campaign, old feelings resurface, and their reunion takes a sexy turn. Facing mounting pressure from their families—who think they’re dating—and growing uncertainty about their futures, can they resolve their past mistakes, or is it only a matter of time before Gabe says adiós again? (Summary from Goodreads)
Review
Normally I am not a huge second chance romance fan. However, this was less second chance romance and more unrequited love story. Michelle and Gabe were long time friends who were just about to start a romance when Gabe moved to LA. For ten years they haven’t had any contact, only to reconnect again as adults. I don’t know that I loved the reasons why they were apart for so long as teens/young adults, but I loved that they reconnected as adults and explored their attraction—–fully. This book was much MUCH more spicy than the first book. Not that it was all sex sex sex—-but it sort of was at times. There was A LOT of emphasis placed on their sexual attraction and chemistry along with Michelle using sex more as a means of control in her former relationships so if you are expecting a more R rated book, this one is that and MORE. And while there was a lot more sex in this one, there was still a pretty substantial story and I didn’t feel like the sex was gratuitous.
In the book, it’s noted that both Michelle and Gabe had bisexual tendencies. I don’t know that this had any bearing on the overall story. It wouldn’t have changed anything about the story or romance in my option so noting their sexuality just didn’t seem relevant. Same with the fact that one of Gabe’s nieces/nephews was transitioning. It didn’t have any impact on the story so I found myself wondering why any of this was even thrown in? It seemed irrelevant and unnecessary. I understand the need to be inclusive and normalize sexuality in mainstream literature etc but in this case I just didn’t think it added anything to the story and it felt like it was just thrown in without any real reason.
Overall though, this was a pretty solid romance. The shared fan fiction story was a little cheesy but I thought it worked for them and the sex scenes were hot and sexy. I liked that Michelle’s character had some baggage and was a little less open to love and romance than Jasmin in the first book of this series. I thought the evolution of Gabe and Michelle’s romance worked well and I enjoyed watching it unfold. I wasn’t sure that I fully bought into Gabe’s reasoning for staying away so long but I think it is a realistic representation of a man with insecurities which is rarely seen in the romance genre. Traditionally the leading man is ‘bold, brave’ or ‘successful but with relationship baggage’. In this one, Gabe is successful but has FAMILY baggage and self image issues and I thought it translated nicely within the story.
Book Info and Rating
Format: Paperback 387 pages
Published: September 14th 2021 by William Morrow Paperbacks
ISBN: 0062959964
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: romance
The Lit Bitch 