Coming from different sides of the track, Lety Tres Santos and Brody are opposites as can be, Lety is from a very abusive family with ongoing issues, She barely makes ends meet and to boot shes about to lose her scholarship, She is tired, jaded and feels unworthy to be with Brody, but she should know not to judge a book by its cover.
Brody may be from the upper east side as they call it he is rich and from a close knit family, He is smart, sporty with plenty of friends and girls at his beck and call but little did she know that they are similar in more ways than one.
Once Loved by Cecy Robson was intense and emotional, They go through so much both physically and emotionally, Their relationship takes a beating, and they will fight right back for their love, It was very sweet and romantic, Somehow, they stayed strong enough to hold on to each other when the whole world is against them,
Hearing Letys side of the Tres Santos family story is even harder then Teos POV, I think being that she is a woman in this culture makes it even worse, Im just glad she is strong enough to do something more for herself, Though she had Teo and Brody for support, she is determined to do things her way, I wish she was comfortable enough to ask but with her background, I cant blame her for wanting to stand up on her own.
I do applaud her for having the balls to do so,
I think this book, Once Loved is more New Adult than Contemporary compared to the first installment, Once Perfect, Being that Lety and Brody are
both in college, and a bit more angst their story that is making it so, I cant say, I love this couple less than the previous couple but they certainly didnt top their story, I still love Teo more,
I love seeing Teo and Evelyn, Its always nice to see that even after HEA, their lives continues and in this case still a very big part of the current characters of the series.
Teo is just so dreamy, We also get a peek of whats going on with Sophia and Killian, and there is definitely something going on with the, Im very excited to see Sophia come out of her shell and with a big panda like Killian helping her out,
Cecy tackles not only abusive familial issues but cultural as well, I know for a fact that these issues are very real and still happening in this day in age, Infidelity, drug abuse, child abuse, battered women, . . the list goes on. Per Cecys note: Dont lose sight of your future because of the hardships of present or your past, . . there is help. I couldnt agree with her more,
ARC provided by publisher Don't want to miss any of our posts sitelinkSubscribe to our blog by email! ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review
.
stars.
WOW! This book packed a seriously emotional punch, My heart broke for Lety, Brody's determination to win Lety's heart was definitely swoonworthy, While their journey to their HEA was definitely not easy in the end it was well worth it,
I wish I liked this more sadly it is very forgettable
,SHANYN'S REVIEW
,Stars
I LOVED Lety and Brodys story!!! You meet both characters in “Once Perfect”, and I was drawn to Brody right away.
There was something about him, that I wanted more! I am so glad the second book was about them!!! I could NOT put this book down! There was just enough romance, angst, and humor.
I am swooning over Brody!!!!
“Someone like Brody was never supposed to fall for someone like me, I was a minority from the wrong side of town, He was the popular athlete who came from wealth and who all the pretty, dramafree girls swarmed, waiting for their chance to pounce.
”
You meet Letys family in the first book, Her father is a drug addict, who abuses all of them in order to get money for his addiction, And, her mother believes in the old Spanish beliefs that you dont divorce, So, she lets him abuse herself, and their children, without stepping up, Lety wants better for herself, on her own, and will never depend on a man, She is going to school to be a nurse, while also workingjobs to just get by, She will never depend on anyone, but herself, and is determined to do it alone,
“When I was accepted into Saint Judes, I was out of my mind, I was awarded scholarships, a chance to distance myself from my family, and an opportunity to become a nurse like Id always dreamed.
When I told my mother, you know what she said, . She told me that she was glad I was getting an education, This way, when my husband started beating me, Id at least be able to support myself, ”
Brody comes from a wealthy family, He is a lacrosse player, great student, RA for campus, and every girl wants him, But, Brody only wants Lety, He fell for her freshman year, but they had a hard break up, Now that Letys having a hard time, he wants to be the man for her again, but thats hard when Lety keeps trying to push him away.
She believes shes not the girl for him, because of her past, But, not all families are perfect, even if they have money,
“Id missed him, Last year had been lonely without him, We were so close, our freshman year, Wed laughed, wed dated, and then everything turned to primal shit, ”
“Brody, Im not trying to hurt you, Why cant you just accept that Im not the best person for you”
The chemistry between Brody and Lety was amazing! I loved their banter, and found myself rooting for them throughout the book.
They both have secrets in their past, and until they can both open up, and trust, each other with those secrets, you can feel there is something in their way.
“I surrendered myself to you, when I realized I loved you, Lety, It was easy. It was right. And Id do it again, Im still me. Letting go like that isnt about allowing yourself to be mistreated, Its about trust. I want you to trust me the same way, But I cant make youand I wont try, ”
There were so many times I wanted to scream into my kindle, ”Lety, just forget your damn father, and be with Brody!!!!!” I wanted to reach in and shake her hard!!!
“I love you, I wanted to say.
But I didnt. Love made you vulnerable to pain, If my mother had taught me anything, I t was that, ”
This was a great second book in this series, and I cant wait to see what else Cecy comes out with! You definitely need to read Lety and Brodys story! I know you will find yourself screaming, laughing, and crying throughout this book.
. and you will love every minute of it!
“I was ruining everything between us, But I didnt know how to stop it, My actions, my feelings, didnt become manifest overnight, They were a lifetime in the making, ” This review was originally posted onsitelink Addicted To Romance sitelink Summary
Lety let the damage of her past come between her and the man she met and fell in love with.
But this time Brody isn't going to let her go without a fight, Brody fell in love with Lety but he knows that she is hurting and he refuses to let it continue to happen, But Lety has to do some damage control from what her father has done, She is at risk at losing her funding for school, and so she is going to have to work overtime to make it work.
Her new job is aiding in a father and son who both have physical disabilities due to a accident, She never imagined that this torn family would be Brody's family and tensions are high between them, Lety soon realizes how different of an uprbringing Brody had compared to her, And even though she knows that she isn't good for him she isn't ready to let him go yet but Brody is determined to show her how right they are together.
. .
The Hero
Brody's life may seem like he has everything going for him, Good grade, socially accepted, financially set for life but his life is not what it really seems, He has his own past trauma to deal with, and is still in love with the woman who broke him, Brody can't fully understand the reasons behind Lety and why she hurt him, but he recognizes the same pain in her eyes that he feels.
Brody was such a wonderful and sweet hero, I love how supportive he is of Lety and never judges her or her past, He makes his own mistakes and has his own inner demons that he battles with, but I enjoyed the way that he treat Lety.
He is charming, protective and has a gentle but firm presence that you just want to see more of, And he is so playful and loves to tease her, Definitely a character you don't want to miss out on
"If we're not sleeping, then what will we do
"I'm not discussing what happens when we're alone, Brody.
"
"Will we kiss"
"Brody"
"Will we touch"
"Brody.
"
"Letz, we're adults"
"Then behave like one, I'm working"
The Heroine
Lety grew up in a home where abuse was commonplace, Her father was extremely controlling and abusive and paid no consequences, Her mother just let it happen and blamed her own children if they fought against their father, Lety is now in college, and with her brother Mateo having gone against their father, she assumed that her life could get better and she wouldn't have to fear her own father.
But he is coming back into her life in destructive ways and she fears what it will do with her relationship with Brody.
Lety is strong willed, courageous and hardworking, I love how much she is willing to sacrifice to make a better life for herself,
Plot and Story Line
Once Perfect was a outstanding story and I just fell in love with these characters and seeing more of the Tres Santos family.
Lety is next in age, and is Mateo's younger sister Mateo was our hero in book one and boy I loved her strength of character.
I love her inner strength especially when you know the type of home that she has grown up in and it was pleasant.
She struggles with trust and affection except from her siblings, She can be very prideful at times, she doesn't want anyone to do anything for her or help or, I understand why, considering how she was raised, but she also learns that its okay to accept help from those that care, The real changing point of the story is Brody, He is the steady rock in the relationship and I loved that, He never gives up on Lety even when she tries to push him away, Their story is full of drama and suspense and growth, We see slow positive changes happen with these characters and I love seeing the character growth that defines this story, Cecy Robson kept me fascinated and captivated by their story,
The Cover
I just love the way they did this cover, . . it reflects the story so very well, I like the stance of his pose and the way the light and shadows reflect the tone of the book,
Overall View
Once Loved is a heart winning romance that captivates the reader with powerful emotion, pure talent of writing, a story that will pack a punch!!
sitelink Click To Buy On Amazon
foogallery id""
sitelink
sitelink I call dibs on Brody Quaid!!!! He's everything that I love in a BBF.
He's smart, he's funny, he's kind, he's a little bit broken, but not enough to stand in the way of loving Lety, Oh and did I mention that he's HOT!
Besides the fact that I fell in love with Brody from the very beginning of the book, I really fell in love with everything about this book.
Lety has a heart of gold and thrives on helping others as a way to escape the shitty hand that life, ie her parents, have handed her.
Her story is heartbreaking and at times really hard to read about, The saving grace is the strength she shows and her determination to avoid making the same mistakes her mom made, Even though that same determination contributes to her unwillingness to accept help and love from Brody,
While my favorite part of the story is the romance between Brody and Lety, I enjoyed the aspect of family and the dark side of Lety's life just as much.
This was my first read by Cecy Robson but the writing was great and really pulled me into the story and the characters felt like friends of mine.
I will definitely be reading the previous book for more of Mateo and Eve's story and for the next book in the series for Sofia and Killian's story.
I received an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review,