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Review
3.5 stars!
A returned soldier on a heartbreaking mission, a girl running from real life, and an emotional story of long-time love realised. It’s a dramatic and intense romance set in the beautifully exotic town of Granada in southern Spain, as a tortured hero finally gets the chance he always wanted with the older sister of his best friend, and the love of his life.
Trent and his best friend Degan grew up together, and when they hit 18 they enlisted together. Just before they left for training and deployment, Trent took the chance of a lifetime and made a move on the only girl he has ever loved, Degan’s older sister, Danika. They shared one steamy kiss before he flew out, but it was enough to cement her place in his heart.
I had to leave. The kiss was a goodbye when we’d never said hello.
Four years later and Trent is home following deployment to Afghanistan. Shattered and broken by the loss he experienced over there, his first priority is to find Dani and deliver news that he is still struggling to come to terms with.
Dani is a nomad who has spent the last few years travelling from place to place, experiencing all that she can and leaving little trace of herself. She has created her own little world, living in blissful ignorance of what is happening outside of her little bubble.
After some investigating, Trent finds Dani teaching languages in the town of Granada, Spain. He immediately enrols in her class and travels to find her (cue epic reunion) and though he shatters her world, he stays on to support and spend time with her, finally taking the chance to tell her how he feels and try to see if he can finally have the one woman he has always loved.
“Don’t get too many ideas. You’re the annoying friend of my little brother, who’s all grown up now.”
“Thanks,” he said with a sarcastic snort. Then his gaze locked on mine. “You’re the phenomenal sister of my best friend, who I’ve wanted my entire life.”
This is such a gorgeous romance. From heartbreaking despair, Trent and Dani slip back into their easy friendship, and their feelings for each other that have been simmering away in the background (or in Trent’s case, blazing) are rekindled as their chemistry shoots to a new level now that he’s all grown up and ready to claim his girl.
“I want to be with you. In every way.” I reached over and held her hands. “I want to spend all the time I have on this earth with you. I learned in the army that I don’t have much time. We can’t take any second for granted. And I’m not wasting any moment I have with you.”
The exploration of their feelings is beautifully written, but they have hurdles to overcome. Firstly, they are still struggling with their grief, and Trent is fighting to deal with the trauma of what he endured while serving, there’s the forbidden element as Trent is technically a student of Dani’s, and she has to get used to not thinking of Trent as her little brother’s best friend. And then there’s Dani’s resistance to becoming involved on a deeper emotional level. They have a lot to figure out, but they are open and honest about everything, and I really enjoyed their journey as they work through it all and discover a passionately intense love that sweeps them both completely off their feet.
“I love you. Always have. Always will.”
I loved Trent. He has a huge heart, and he’s not afraid to show it, and his absolute devotion to Dani is beautifully written in a way that shows his commitment but without him becoming a doormat. He’s strong yet sweet, sexy, swoony and beautifully romantic, and that combined with his emotional torment make him an absolutely irresistible.
I did struggle with Dani though and found her a bit overly flighty for me. She’s very bohemian, and seemed quite juvenile at times, and I admit I had some difficulty fully connecting to her and her beliefs. There was a lot of talk about connecting with the universe and the like, and I would sometimes find myself zoning out, but it’s who she is, and watching her and Trent finding their happy place despite their differences was gorgeous.
I also really liked the setting of the story. There are vivid descriptions of the buildings and the beautiful environment of Granada, giving the book an enticingly exotic feel as the Spanish culture was explored.
I enjoyed this book. It’s well paced and beautifully written with lots of emotion, beautifully romantic and heartfelt, with a swoony, steamy love story.
3.5 stars.
A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Love in Translation
