From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata

 

"Love to me was honesty. Being real. Knowing someone's best and worst. Love was a push that said someone believed in you when you didn't."

Release Date: February 1st, 2018

Genre: Contemporary romance, sports romance, fiction

Rating:

Summary:

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. 

Review:

I definitely missed the From Lukov with Love train - but better late than never, as they say!

I absolutely adored this book! 5 out of 5 bunnies, easily! This is my second sports romance novel, and I am 110% HERE. FOR. IT. Specifically because it is an ice-skating sports romance. I have lazily loved figure skating since I checked out a book at my school library as a kid that was about Michelle Kwan. What a queen. So then to read Icebreaker first then From Lukov with Love, it really allowed me to get into the brain of a figure skater.

I am normally a proud member of the friends-to-lovers trope club BUT the rivals-to-lovers in this book had me SWOONING. This was such a slow burn, but it was completely worth it and made the most sense. Jasmine and Ivan had despised each other for years. It was going to take a lot of name calling, blood, sweat and tears to get these two to see eye-to-eye but it was worth the wait! The love for each other didn't happen overnight: it was gradual, painstakingly slow, and then one day, BOOM! Struck by lightning and there was no turning back.

Jasmine is ABSOLUTELY NESTA CODED. Come to think of it, Jasmine and Ivan are ABSOLUTELY NESTA AND CASSIAN CODED. There, I said it. I absolutely can see so many parallels between the characters and I'm a sucker for it. Jasmine was such a multi-dimensional, complex character. I loved her strength, tenacity, and passion. I hope to achieve all my goals in life while conjuring the determination of Jasmine Santos. Side note, Ivan with all of his rescue animals, SO PRECIOUS. Always get you a man who loves animals, green flags all around.

I am normally not a fan of epilogues, they tend to ruin things for me in the long-run...but this one was perfect and adorable. No complaints at all.

This was such an amazing read. Once again, better late than never. Pick up this stunning sports romance novel! You can thank me later!

Hugs & kisses! 

Quotes:

"You are who you are in life, and you either live that time trying to bend yourself to make other people happy, or...you don't."

"But my mom had told me once that regret was worse than fear."

"I could have been the bigger person, but fuck it, I was five foot three and I wasn't built to be that person ever."

"Nothing and nobody would ever come between my dreams and me."

"When you want something bad enough, you can always make it happen."

"Love to me was honesty. Being real. Knowing someone's best and worst. Love was a push that said someone believed in you when you didn't."

"You're enough. You will always be enough. Hear me?"

"That's the girl I know. The one I partnered up with. The one I think is the best - and you better not ever ask me to repeat that because I won't."

"I believe in you. In us. Regardless of what happens, you will always be the best partner I've ever had. You'll always be the hardest working person I've ever known. There will only ever be you."

'Because I'm okay with you having ten other people be your favorite. But you're always going to be my favorite person," he finished. "Always. No matter what."

"This was my partner. This was more than my partner. He was my other half." 

Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borrison

"I don't believe in fate, or kismet, or any rule or reason to the universe and all its random, wonderful, terrible happenings. But I do believe I found Luka when I needed him the most, and I like to think my mom played a part in that. It's a comfort." 

Release Date: November 10, 2021 

Genre: Contemporary romance, Christmas romance, fiction 

Rating: 

Summary:

A pasture of dead trees. A hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons. And shipments that have mysteriously gone missing. Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland on Stella Bloom's dreams.

In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she's loved since she was a kid, Stella enters a contest with the Instagram-famous influencer, Evenlyn St. James. With the added publicity and the $100,000 cash prize, Stella might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There's just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on her application and said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only...there is no boyfriend.

Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just stopped by for some hot chocolate and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process. But fake dating his best friend might be the best Christmas present he's ever received. 

Review:

I'm a bit overdue on this review for a Christmas romance novel, so while I know everyone has moved on from peppermint mochas and Christmas music, just bear with me! 

This is the third Christmas romance book I've ever read in my existence. This is very exciting! I love reading themed books that match a holiday or season. It really gets me in the spirit. This book was SUCH a warm, comforting hug. This is 100% a comfort read for the holiday season. 

B.K. Borrison does a phenomenal job with the descriptions to really make you envision this magical small town and Christmas tree farm. I absolutely adored the small town vibes. I also discovered there are three other spin-off books based off of the characters in Lovelight Farms! I absolutely cannot wait to read those books as well! I really enjoyed all the characters in this book and I cannot wait to go on more adventures with them! 

If you know me, you are pretty familiar with my dislike for the fake dating trope. The miscommunication, the deceit, and third-act breakups. It is always the same and always predictable. NOW THIS BOOK RIGHT HERE. This book did it for me. It knew exactly how to win me over. It was so well done. I didn't find myself cringing or dreading any parts of the fake dating. It helped immensley that Luka and Stella are already such amazing friends prior to the fake dating scheme. Now, this continues my lifelong struggle of choosing which I love more...friends-to-lovers vs enemies-to-lovers? Because this is is such a fantastic book filled with the friends-to-lovers trope. Luka and Stella are so perfect for each other, absolutely fated. I loved reading about their connection, chemistry, and how well they've integrated into each others lives. 

I think this is truly such a cozy, feel-good romance that you could read it even when it's not Christmas BUT it does make it more magical when you're reading this with a cup of hot cocoa, a warm blanket, sitting by your lit Christmas tree like I did. Definitely recommend picking this up to be your FIRST read for the 2024 Christmas season! 

Quotes:

"The magic is in the details, my mom always used to say. And these details are perfect."

"I don't believe in date, or kismet, or any rule or reason to the universe and all its random, wonderful, terrible happenings. But I do believe I found Luka when I needed him the most, and I like to think my mom played a part in that. It's a comfort."

"Luka filled the empty places in my life slowly, carefully, with his easy smile and stupid jokes. He brought me back to myself."

"This feels like an oversimplification of a complicated addition to an irreplaceable relationship. I've watched enough romantic comedies to know that this is probably going to end badly for one of us, and my money is on me." 

"There's a special kind of magic on nights like this, a certain sort of nostalgia when the past intermingles with the present and flirts with the future."

"And isn't it silly, to love the way someone's things look like next to yours? Little bits and pieces of a life lived in parallel."

"Leaning on other people doesn't make your achievements any less yours, La La. You can trust me to help you carry the load. You don't have to do all of this alone. I know you can take care of yourself. You've been doing that as long as I've known you. But let me hold your hand while you do it, okay?"

"It's hard to love someone without restraint. To give yourself over to the swell and pull of it without fear of what might happen. I think it's only natural to hold a part of yourself back and protect what you can."

"I'm going to love her in all the quiet ways, the slow ways, the loud and obnoxious ways. My heart has been moving steadily in that direction since she fell down the steps of a hardware store, right into my arms."