Synopsis
Valentina Cruz no longer exists.
One moment, she was wrapped in Emilio’s arms, melting into his kiss. The next, she was witnessing the unthinkable: a murder in cold blood, ordered by her father and carried out by her boyfriend. When Emilio pulled the trigger, Valentina disappeared. She made a split-second decision to shed her identity and flee her life of privilege, leaving the glittering parties and sultry nightlife of Miami far behind.
She doesn’t know how to explain to herself what she saw. All she knows now is that nothing she believed about her family, her heart, or Emilio’s love, was real.
She can change her name and deny her past, but Valentina can’t run from the truth. The lines between right and wrong, and trust and betrayal, will be blurred beyond recognition as she untangles the deceptions of the two men she once loved and races to find her own truth.
- Goodreads.com
Review
Valentina has
run away from home and is holed up in a small decrepit apartment in Montreal
after witnessing a horrible murder directed by her father and executed by her
boyfriend (and also one of her fathers henchman), Emilio. A few months later, everything
is going along smoothly (well as smoothly as one could hope living alone in a
new city, on the run from your family and living a sudden life of scarcity
after years of luxury, when Emilio pops back into her life after a chance
meeting at an art gallery.
Emilio’s
explanation of what happened ‘that night’ force Valentina to look at her life
differently, but can she really trust him after what she saw him do?
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I’ve noticed the rather mixed reviews regarding this book, some people with either really liked it, and others were left wanting more. I am the former. This book ticked all the boxes for me in regard to thrills, mystery and suspense.
So let’s talk
about characters. Valentina is the epitome of a rich girl...
... and yet
she’s left everything behind to try and sort through the events of that night.
I wouldn’t say she’s easily likeable but she’s not the worst character that I’ve
encountered and there is personal growth and development.
"He can't possibly know that the precious three hundred dollars in my wallet would have been a single shoe in my old life. Lunch on South Beach with my sisters. A trim and blow-dry at Petra's."
- Jessica Martinez (Kiss Kill Vanish)
Emilio kept me
on my toes. Just like Valentina, I didn’t know what to think of him, was he
lying to us? Or was he a poor misunderstood guy who got caught up with the
wrong people. Yes, he did kill someone, but when he goes to explain why
(basically Valentina’s dad is a big time crook, who will have his family slaughtered
if he disobeys) you can’t help but feel that while he made some bad choices, he’s
stuck between a rock and a hard place and he wants to get out. Valentina’s back
and forth with Emilio while somewhat annoying at times is realistic. She doesn’t
know if he’s telling the truth or if he’s lying to cover his own arse, that
mixed with teenage love has got her all confused and turned upside down.
Marcel did not
appeal to me in the beginning. He starts off as starts off a bit of a conceited
jerk, but begins to mellow out after an event in his life forces him to sober
up. His friendship with Valentina is vital as it comes at a time when both are
at the peak of loneliness. The more time they spent together the more I liked
him.
Ok so there’s a
bit of a love triangle, but it’s not terrible. On one hand you have Emilio,
there’s history there, but also betrayal and deceit. Marcel on the other hand,
is a drug induced playboy, with daddy’s money to spend at his leisure, but who’s
refreshingly honest and open with Valentina.
Regarding plot I
really enjoyed the story. There were some slow bits her and there, but there
was always enough mystery and unanswered questions keeping me going. There were
some great twists that I did not see coming at all that only added to the
suspense, and there were some characters I was never really convinced of their
true intentions till the end.
Overall enjoyable
and kept me guessing throughout, satisfying ending and a lot of personal growth
in the characters.
My Rating 4/5
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