Evie Sanchez is recovering from heartbreak by working at her parents’ Filipino restaurant when in walks Romeo Garcia, the boy she left behind. Only now, he’s a hot movie star surrounded by gorgeous actresses and adoring fans. Bad boy Romeo Garcia never understood why Evie stood him up at the prom. When he rescues her from a flying coconut in the dumpster, he is determined to dig into her heart for the reason. Their mutual attraction and unresolved feelings ignite in a scintillating night of daring sex, and Romeo shows Evie what she’ll miss the rest of her life if she walks away again. Evie lands a part as Romeo’s co-star and falls into her role, totally in love. He plays his part, too, with his romantic gestures and skillful lovemaking. But is the fantasy real or revenge? Evie and Romeo are about to discover if their buried feelings will explode in pure delight or utter disaster.
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Disclaimer: I don't do politically correct. If you find this offensive... My bad.
Taming Romeo is different... in a good way. I've read white romance, black romance, interracial romance, and, dare I say, even interspecies romance. What I've never read is a Filipino romance, until now. Do others exist? Where have they been hiding? I've never specifically looked for them, but I have looked for romance novels with a Japanese or even an Asian flair to them. They are not easy to find. At. All.
I do know a few Filipino people, but they are all girls. So, trying to imagine a hot Filipino man was very difficult for me. Google Images to the rescue. I found a hot Filipino man. Wanna see him? Of course you do!
Well. Hello Hotness! Yeah, he's nice. Who knew?
Alright, so anyway. I really enjoyed this. So great to have something different, where there is so much of the same. The story touched me and I felt so much for Romeo, and for Evie - to a point. She was a little selfish while Romeo, on the other hand, was selfless.
The family and community dynamics played an integral role in the story as well. Evie and Romeo are part of this community, where they all know and care about each other. Not necessarily related by blood but they are all family. The blood family members. Wow! Mothers are plotting. Grown women are being grounded. Sibling rivalry rearing its head. Total crazy, total fun and total pain in the ass for Evie.
Not many romance novels make me hungry, I think other than this one, there is only one other. Food is a major player in some cultures. And although I'm not part of this culture, I do come from one where food equals love and comfort. It was easy for me to see why there was so much of it in the novel.
Evie had some issues to work through and I thought she was doing pretty well. I also thought I knew where the story was headed. I thought wrong. Towards the end, I started getting nervous and twitchy. My heart started to get a little crack in it. Things were headed in a direction I was not prepared for. Then, the sky cleared an angels were singing and my heart was healing. Thank goodness for that.
Now, I'm gonna talk about the naughty parts. Whew... they were steaming hot. Do you understand? This is why I needed that visual aid. If I could've have found that man naked and on a motorcycle, I would have been in heaven. I liked seeing these characters uninhibited. We all know what people do behind closed doors, but that scene with the motorcycle, wow. I wasn't expecting that from Evie. She seems so reserved and I think at one point she does say that Romeo brings that out of her. Well, good for him and her.
All in all. It was great. I really enjoyed it. And I'm excited for the sisters' stories. Also wondering if maybe there will be a prequel of some type that tells the story of Romeo and Evie's parents. That seems like it could be a very interesting story.
*Copy received in exchange for an honest review.
Rachelle Ayala was a software engineer until she discovered storytelling works better in fiction than real code. She enjoys writing love stories and has always lived in a multi-cultural environment. The tapestry of characters in her books reflect that diversity. She is an active member of online critique group, Critique Circle, and a volunteer for the World Literary Cafe. Check out her four romantic novels. Michal’s Window is a powerful, emotional journey as lived through the eyes of Princess Michal, King David’s first wife. Broken Build is a story of healing where a man learns to love and trust the woman who destroyed his life. Hidden Under Her Heart is a heartfelt love story combined with controversy over difficult decisions, and Knowing Vera is a suspenseful, cross-cultural romance mixing an unsolved murder, adventure, and hot, steamy love scenes.
That's awesome that you found a picture of Romeo. Thanks for your review. I'm glad you enjoyed it and hope you'll read more of my books. I'm Asian American so these stories come naturally.
ReplyDeleteKumiko, here is a list of Filipino romances on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/lm/R2DAO5HN7CRPT6/ and one on Scribd http://www.scribd.com/collections/4479124/Favorite-Filipino-Romances
ReplyDeleteThanks! :D
ReplyDelete