Series Name: Spanish Love Deception, # 1
But then Aaron spoke again, “I’ve never been scared to work for something, Catalina. Even when all the odds are against me.”
The way those words hit me was close to making me gasp for air. As if that statement had carried extra weight and taken a swing at me.
The Spanish Love Deception was an absolute delight. I truly cannot believe it took me this long to read it.
Catalina Martín desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding. Especially since her little white lie about her American boyfriend has spiralled out of control. Now everyone she knows—including her ex and his fiancée—will be there and eager to meet him.
She only has four weeks to find someone willing to cross the Atlantic and aid in her deception. New York to Spain is no short flight and her raucous family won’t be easy to fool.
Enter Aaron Blackford—her tall, handsome, condescending colleague—who surprisingly offers to step in. She’d rather refuse; never has there been a more aggravating, blood-boiling, and insufferable man.
But Catalina is desperate, and as the wedding draws nearer, Aaron looks like her best option. And she begins to realize he might not be as terrible in the real world as he is at the office.
I cannot believe I let this book sit on my bookshelf unread for as long as I did. What was I thinking! This book was freaking amazing. I could not believe how quickly I became obsessed with Lina and Aaron’s fake and real relationship. I know I was hesitant to read this book because I’m not a huge fan of fake dating tropes, but I should have realized that I was in good hands because Elena knows how to write a romance that will give you all those swoony feelings. There is just so much to love about this book, so you will have to forgive me because there will be some major gushing on my part.
First, let’s talk about the story. I was a little worried because this book is a little beefy, and going into this book; I thought it would be taking place just over the course of three days (which is how long Lina was going to be in Spain for the wedding). My fear was that the plot was going to be slow and would be repetitive. Once again, I was wrong. This book picks up a few weeks prior to the wedding when Lina is panicking because she told her family she was bringing her boyfriend to the wedding. The problem is she doesn’t have a boyfriend, and the thought of going to this wedding alone and facing her ex-boyfriend and family makes her want to crawl under a rock and never come out. Aaron (her co-worker) overhears Lina panicking to her best friend and offers to be her date, which would be a sweet gesture if Lina didn’t despise Aaron and have this rivals/enemies relationship with him.
Ok, so I thought I was in for this traditional rivals/enemies to lovers story, where both characters can’t stand each other, but over time, they fall madly in love with each other. That is not the case here. It became pretty clear to me by the second or third interaction between Lina and Aaron that Aaron is harbouring some major feelings for Lina. The problem is the big, gorgeous dummy just can’t seem to figure out how to express those feelings in such a way that would show Lina that he likes her. Instead of trying to sweep her off her feet, Aaron often comes across as abrupt and cold. For me, what made this book so addictive was this delicious combination of sharp, witty banter and also these hidden moments where Aaron was incredibly swoony. The majority of his romantic gestures aren’t grand or out in the open. Instead, they are quiet and often hidden. There is this really heart-racing subtext to a lot of the things Aaron says or does. It had me wanting to read more because my soul craved more of those gestures.
This book has great pacing, and Elena does a fabulous job at creating a story that just doesn’t focus on this upcoming wedding. The secondary storylines are incredibly interesting. There is lots of drama happening at Lina and Aaron’s workplace, which I ate up. The secondary characters are fun and just the right amount of quirky to have you chuckling. Lina’s family are loud and vibrant, and even though they can come across as meddling, they really love Lina and want her to be happy.
I loved everything about these two; every page these two were on was steeped with delicious, lusty tension. There were definitely moments in this book where I just wanted to shake Lina in hopes that she would finally realize that the gorgeous man in front of her was head over heels in love with her. If you like your romances where the hero falls first and harder, then this book is for you. Elena is going to build up that tension and have you on the very edge, and when you think you can’t take anymore, she will keep on edging you, but all the anticipation is worth it. That quiet and proper man becomes quite the dirty talker, and the spice is oh-so-nice. When Lina finally acknowledges her feelings for Aaron, she is reluctant to give in to those feelings. Aaron will be her boss, and a past relationship has shown her that dating your boss can end disastrously. Lina’s inner struggle and growth are centred around trusting and believing in Aaron. It’s Lina’s reluctance to give in to those romantic feelings which are the main hurdle this couple has to overcome.
The Spanish Love Deception is chef’s kiss romantic perfection.
