Monday, August 06, 2012

A Spanish Awakening by Kim Lawrence

A Spanish AwakeningA Spanish Awakening by Kim Lawrence
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I squeezed this on in between review reads. I needed a quick, satisfying romance, something I could read even though I wasn't feeling great. It did the trick.

My Thoughts:

Megan was a bit frustrating to me with her self-esteem issues. I understand why she had them, but I think her brain was turned off. I think that Emilio couldn't have been more clear about his feelings unless he hit her over the head with a club and drug her off to his cave. I'm glad he didn't do that. He did take her off to his penthouse and then picked her up and put her in his limo at the end, so close enough. I wanted to say, "Girl, this guy is into you!" I mean, no man goes to those extremes for a woman he doesn't care about. The other thing was her insistence on hanging onto what happened two years ago. Stuff happens, and people say mean things. You have to move on and not put your confidence in with others say about you. Your confidence has to come from within. What I did like was her concrete reasons for remaining a virgin. I am not one of those readers who scoffs at a virgin heroine. I don't find them unrealistic or dated. Nor do I doubt that a woman a certain age can be a virgin. It does happen, more than the media tries to present. What I have a problem with is the neblous-minded accidental virgin so common. Yes, that can happen too, although I think they are overrepresented in the fictional virgin arena. There are more than a few virgins due to a lack of opportunity, and I can go along with that. But at the end of the day, there are some virgins by choice. I like that Megan was one of those. I can see why she made that choice based on her parents' actions and its affects on her upbringing. I also found it realistic when she decided not to be a virgin anymore when she encountered Emilio. He was the man of her dreams, the only man she wanted. He wasn't married anymore, and she went into their encounter with open eyes. So that part was suitable to me as a reader. As I said, my major issue was her self-esteem issues. It didn't ruin the read, but definitely knocked down my rating to a four star.

I liked Emilio. He knew what he wanted and went after it. He was honest enough to realize that his actions two years ago weren't rational and were based on his jealousy and his uncontrollable love for Megan, doomed to be denied since he was married. I loved that he was determined to be faithful to his wife, even if it was a convenient marriage. Fidelity is a huge stickler for me. To have a hero who believes in it is a real plus for me. I think he was very patient with Megan, through her determined actions not to believe he wanted her for her. He sure does know how to show what he feels. Another thing I love in a hero.

End Verdict:

Not a ground-breaker, but a pleasant read. Nice pick-me-up for a Sunday when I wasn't feeling very well and just needed something relaxing to read. I love a good love story and this one had some aspects that appealed to me despite its shortcomings.

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