About the Book
If someone were to ask Jasmine Santos to describe the last
few years of her life with a single word, it would definitely be a four-letter
one.
After seventeen years—and countless broken bones and broken promises—she knows her window to compete in figure skating is coming to a close.
But when the offer of a lifetime comes in from an arrogant idiot she’s spent the last decade dreaming about pushing in the way of a moving bus, Jasmine might have to reconsider everything.
Including Ivan Lukov.
My Thoughts
Mariana Zapata writes books that are best savoured slowly and
From Lukov With Love is no exception. I would not call it a slow burn romance.
For me, it was more an exploration of Jasmine Santos’ character and the self-awareness
that comes to her as she is faced with professional and personal issues.
Zapata has great talent when writing about and slowly exposing
her heroine’s vulnerabilities and Jasmine is no exception. We get to see the
highs and lows and the frustrations of being a professional athlete that’s not at
the top of her game. It is humbling and at times painful to read. It’s
especially painful when Ivan Lukov, a champion many times over, offers Jasmine
an opportunity that seems too good to be true.
Ivan and Jasmine are no strangers to one another. They have
skated at the same facility for years and Jasmine's good friend is Ivan’s
sister. Irrespective of their constant bickering and insults, it’s clear from
the outset that Ivan’s feelings towards Jasmine extend beyond the professional.
And there are some wonderful moments when Ivan’s support of Jasmine, both
physically and emotionally, is truly romance book worthy. Frustratingly, this
attraction between them remains in the background for the majority of the book,
including Jasmine’s awareness of Ivan’s feelings for her.
When hate becomes love, it truly is like the flip of a coin.
All of a sudden they are in love and that’s it. I do believe they are in love
but I wish they were more vocal about their journey to this point. I particularly
wish we spent more time with Ivan and learned more about him earlier in the
book, especially his thoughts and feelings about Jasmine before his declarations
in the final stages of the book.
Overall, From Lukov With Love is a good read. I enjoyed it but
it’s not my favourite Zapata book.
***
About the Author
Mariana Zapata lives in a small town in Colorado wither her
husband and two oversized children – her beloved Great Danes, Dorian and
Kaiser.
When she’s not writing, she’s reading, spending time outside,
forcing kisses on her boys, harassing her family, or pretending to write.
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