Luna and the Lie

by Mariana Zapata

The problem with secrets is that they’re too easy to keep collecting.Luna Allen has done some things she would rather no one ever know about. She also knows that, if she could go back in time, she wouldn’t change a single thing.With three sisters she loves, a job she (mostly) adores, and a family built up of friends she’s made over the years, Luna figures everything has worked out the way it was supposed to. But when one of those secrets involves the man who signs her paycheck, she can’t find it in her to regret it. Despite the fact that he’s not the friendliest man in the world. Or the most patient.Sometimes there are things you’re better off keeping to yourself.

• ISBN10: 0990429288
• ISBN13: 9780990429289
• Publish Date: 3 January 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: R. R. Bowker
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 626
• Language: English

Reviews

[booksandcats]

My first Mariana Zapata book and I can't believe it took me this long to read one of her works. This was absolutely magnificent and did exactly what I needed.

I adore Luna, I love her kindness and her heart and I love love love Rip and the way he was grumpy, but protective over her.

I think what I loved most is when she had enough of his shit and just stopped caring about him and how it drove him nuts and lead him to actually realize her worth (though I think he always knew that one) and that he had to give her something back, not just take.

[Angie]

YES!
+Age gape! Rip is 15 years older than Luna!
+Luna is a mechanic!
+In fact, Luna in general surprised me. She had a terrible childhood, but she's not angsty and bitter and blaming every bad thing that happens to her on that. She's actually very nice and positive. She's constantly reminding herself that she has everything she needs, and she's always helping others.
+I got oddly attached to everyone...

NO!
-Crazy boring first chapters. Like...they serve almost no purpose except to take up space?
-It's sooo slow and long! But I wanted to know why Rip owed Luna a favor! And what is this "lie"?!?! She kept bringing both things up but never any specifics, which is annoying, frustrating, and seemed unrealistic. If you think about something that much, real memories will surface not just vagueness. We kind of find out the basics at 38%, which is forever in a 600 page book.
-Not enough kissing or sexytimes. Or romance in general.

[Leigha]

A woman and her boss discover love in this adult contemporary romance.

The first book I read by Zapata was From Lukov with Love earlier this year. I enjoyed it despite some issue I had with the writing style. I could get over it because I enjoyed the characters and story. This book? This book, those quirks came roaring to the forefront – and not in a good way.

Zapata is known for slow burn romances. While I enjoy the occasional slow burn romance, I don’t enjoy it when the plot is forced into slow burn too. Not much happens in the story other than the two leads trying not to get together. The very insubstantial plot wasn’t all that interesting, nor was the romance between the two characters. I didn’t think Luna and Rip had an interesting connection, nor was I interested in seeing it develop.

My other big issue with the writing – the repetitive word choices and phrases. If I were to take a shot for the number of times Rip is defined as “big,” “boss,” and “massive,” I’d be in the hospital with alcohol poisoning. Honestly, I think to take those adjectives out of the book would reduce it by a third. I don’t have a problem when a character’s appearance is referenced occasionally, but I do when it is referenced over and over again ad nauseum.

There’s a lot to like about this book. Luna is a positive person, learning to live and love with PTSD. She’s a successful career woman without a higher education degree, which is so so SO important to read about when society is screaming everyone should get a degree. The relationships she builds with others, particularly her coworkers, is a wonderful display of platonic, loving, and built families. But the writing just did not work for me, and I don’t think I’ll be picking up a Zapata novel for a long while.

tl;dr A positive, caring, and career-driven protagonist did not pull me from disliking the insubstantial plot or quirky writing style.