Once Loved

by Cecy Robson

[kimbacaffeinate]

We met Lety Tres Santos in Once Perfect. As Mateo’s younger sister, she has dealt with the baggage that makes up their family. Lety is in her junior year of college for nursing and determined to succeed. She will not be dependent on anyone but herself. Unfortunately, her past has long tentacles and keeps interfering with her dreams. Lety is a strong female and I instantly connected with her. She has a million reasons to cry wolf, but instead she picks herself up and moves forward. She is still damaged; despite how unjaded she is at times. She has this wonderful ability with her patients and others. If only she would follow her own words of wisdom.

Brody Quaid is the sexy lacrosse star, whom she cut ties with last year and both are still recovering from the break-up. Letty loves our boy Brody but does not want him to be tangled up in the chaos her family creates. After the horrific scene in Once Perfect, she broke up with him. I really liked Brody and his back-story had me shed a tear. I love that he is not your typical bad-boy. He has some hang-ups but his strengths far out way them.

The romance is sweet, and I always have a soft spot for second chance romances. Robson allowed them both to grow, trust and bloom. Their chemistry felt genuine and I loved the banter as much as the tender moments. The romance brings a little heat but it does not swallow the storyline. Letty and Brody are a couple the reader can root for. I love when two people together are better individually.

The story has a lot more depth and offers more than a romance. I loved the unexpected family interaction and smiled during most of the interactions with Brody’s family. It was heartwarming and bittersweet. Edward Moore and little Tommy stole my heart. We also spend time with Mateo, Evelyn and their sister. The madness that is their father has an impact on this story as well. This thread was intense, and I was happy with the direction Robson took it, even as I bit my nails as the tension mounted. We see more interaction with Sophia and Killian. Despite Mateo’s concerns about them I am excited for their story. While I still felt the characters were culturally cliché’ Robson added depth and I saw them more as individuals, which notched up my enjoyment.

Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer