Since I was between 4 and 5 stars, I'll go with 4.5 stars on this one. I liked it a lot maybe even loved it, but not sure if I thought it was amazing.Here is the blurb:
He’s thirty-eight. I’m twenty-three.
He speaks Spanish. I speak English.
He lives in Spain. I live in Canada.
He dresses in thousand-dollar suits. I’m covered in tattoos.
He’s married and has a five-year old daughter.
I’m single and can’t commit to anyone or anything.
Until now. Because when they say you can’t choose who you fall in love with, boy ain’t that the f*#king truth.
***
Vera wants the experience of a lifetime, so she decides to go to Spain and spend a month teaching conversational English to business men and woman; this way she can forgo spending a summer interning for her major (astronomy). She will get to meet new people have fun all while getting free room and board on a beautiful remote resort. She never expected to meet HIM and fall in love.
Mateo a retired football/soccer star turned business man is captivated by Vera and her free spirit. She is unlike any woman he has ever known. As their time together and sessions go on they grow close and something changes between the two. Feelings get in the way and soon everything Vera thought she wouldn't become she turns into (the other woman).
Vera:"You're married!" I yelled. "I cannot be the other woman!"
Matteo: "You already are the other woman!" he yelled right back.
Guilt consumes her but she can't stay away. She knows this can't go on but she's never felt more alive.
Vera: "I stared at the ring on his finger. I thought about what it meant. Then I thought about what he meant to me."
I'm not spoiling anything because it tells you in the blurb what is going to happen and YES it has cheating! I hate cheating (probably the reason I couldn't give it the full 5 stars) but somehow the author made it work in this book. First, you didn't get to know the wife, in so many books it's a love triangle where you like all the characters and it just becomes frustrating. Second, Matteo was unhappy and truly in love with Vera, he made bad choices but acted in the moment. Third, she felt so much guilt the whole time. I liked both the H/h and I love when that happens in a book. Matteo did piss me off in a certain chapter towards the end of the book and I won't say anything about that because it could be slightly spoilerish but he definitely had me thinking twice about him. Another great thing about this book was Vera's younger brother Josh (which I'm hoping to get a book about). He was so supportive of Vera and her choices.
Josh: "I don't think it can be wrong if it comes from a pure place. I suppose you could be like one of those chicks who just keeps it all inside and secretly pine for someone for their whole life until it kills them. But your not. What you feel isn't wrong, Vera...it's not black and white like that." Another insightful Josh quote.
Josh: "You just fell in love with each other at a very messy time. It's life. It happens. Matteo never set out to fall in love, to hurt his wife..." I'm not wring the rest of this quote because it could be a spoiler. I really thought the age difference would bother me too, but it didn't. Karina Halle just made the whole thing work, cheating, age, and distance. I'm so happy I gave this book a chance.
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