Monday Book Review: BORDER HEAT by Hebby Roman

Border Heat, by Hebby Roman
Published May 2016 by Estrella Publishing

About the Book:

Leticia Rodríguez is a business woman and an advocate for divorced mothers seeking children support. Despite all her accomplishments, she hasn’t recovered from her failed marriage and losing both her parents in a freak accident. The last thing she wants is a sexy Latino attorney pursuing her.

Eduardo Villarreal has two law degrees, one from the States and the other from México. He’s a self-made man and an expert in international law, but like Leticia, his personal life has suffered… the loss of his unborn child, a divorce, and the passing of his mother. And when he learns about the father who betrayed him, he hardens his heart to love… wanting only revenge.

Despite their pasts, Leticia and Eduardo begin an affair. But when she discovers his political ambitions are fueled by vengeance, she realizes he has no room in his heart for love… or her.

MY TAKE:

This is a quiet story of second chances, filled with slow-building sexual tension, drama built out of misunderstandings, small town sensibilities, and emotional yearning that transcend borders.

Leticia lives in a small Texas border town, having dropped out of college to run her parents furniture store after their sudden deaths. Despite the daily struggle to compete with the chain stores, she also finds time to volunteer to help single moms track down their deadbeat husbands. It's in pursuit of this goal that she meets Eduardo, a lawyer from the Mexican side of the border who agrees to help track down the men running away from their child support obligations.

Sparks fly when the pair first meet, but both have been burned before. Each was previously married and dumped by their spouse, and each fears repeating past mistakes or letting anyone get too close. The author gives us alternating points of view from both Leticia and Eduardo, so the reader is privy to the inner fears and secrets they keep from one another.  The author also flavors the story with Spanish words and phrases, mixing them liberally into the dialogue in a way that made the story's setting feel more authentic.

Ms. Roman does a masterful job of painting two broken people both yearning and fearing that second chance at love. I loved the growth of Leticia's character, as she shed her cocoon and spread her wings, realizing her own inner strength and desires, and standing up for what she believed in.

Grab your copy on AMAZON.

Writing Wednesday: Vacation Time!

I'm in Mexico all this week, recharging my battery or "filling the creative well," as Julia Cameron would say. It's kind of a work thing for my day job, but with plenty of free time added into the mix of meetings and mandatory events.

Plenty of time to go Mermaid hunting in the shops around Puerto Vallarta!

What even better for me is that I've been so busy with "work" lately that I ((gasp)) haven't felt like writing. I've been reading (of course) but writing? Not so much. I feel creatively drained, so even more important than ever to get refreshed and inspired.

What do you do to fill your creative well?

Countdown to Christmas: Already Got My Gift!

My husband and I just returned from a week away in Mexico... where we sat on the beach for long, uninterrupted stretches and drank margaritas from noon until night. We wiggled our toes in the sand, took advantage of the hotel's spa, and marveled at the blue green waters and shimmering orange sunrises.

The first week in December is not a popular vacation time in Los Cabos, and the resort was practically empty until the very last day of our vacation. Which was fine with us.

And... I finally got to indulge this fantasy I've had for awhile about sitting on an almost empty beach on a lounge chair with an umbrella and a table next to me, while a waiter dressed all in white trudges across a long stretch of sand carrying a tray filled with drinks just for me. And maybe some french fries.

It was awesome.

It was also interesting to watch the resort prepare for the Holidays. Christmas is pretty big in Mexico, and every morning we'd notice new decorations or some new addition to a holiday display - there were decorated trees in every corner and a plethora of poinsettias all over the place. Check back next week when I get my photos organized to share with you...
 
Big thanks go out to my little sister, who came and stayed at my house to take care of the kids and dogs and keep everyone in their busy routines. I couldn't have done it without her and boy I hope she knows how much I love and appreciate her! (Everyone should have a sister as wonderful as mine!)

Going away in December meant I had to get the Christmas cards done early (check), get the tree up and decorated (check, mostly), and get everyone's schedule organized in a binder so that no one missed a lesson or got left standing around at a bus stop... and I guess everything went smoothly.

I missed my daughter's week of basketball tryouts (she made the team) and my son's first high school winterfest with the music department (he says he was a good helper with selling christmas trees) and my older son's first basketball scrimmage (but I was home in time for his first "real" game last night.)

And now I'm home. Back on Cape Cod where the beaches aren't nearly as warm this time of year, and the ocean isn't nearly as blue. I'm already caught up with both emails and work, and now I know I need to get back to my writing. And enjoying the December Holidays in more traditional New England ways than walking barefoot on warm beaches...

The only problem is that now I know there won't be any big gifts for me under the tree on the 25th. I've had my big Christmas gift already. And I'm okay with that. More than okay.

What are you hoping for under your tree? Are you headed somewhere warm to celebrate the holidays?

I recommend Mexico. Especially if there's a waiter with a tray of margaritas.