Review: NOW AND ALWAYS by Charity Pineiro

Summary: Connie Gonzalez is a driven, ambitious woman who is one of the FBI’s best agents and determined to prove herself in a man’s world. Assigned to the Miami Bureau, Connie soon finds herself going undercover in Miami's glamorous South Beach area. An injury throws her together with the very rich and tempting Dr. Victor Cienfuegos. Victor is everything Connie should avoid, but despite the risks of her work and allowing any distractions, Connie cannot deny the attraction between herself and the sexy physician. Will danger keep them apart or is their love strong enough to survive for now and always?



Reviewed by: Celia
Rating: 3 stars

Review: Two lovely girls. One hot doctor.

Dr. Victor Cienfuego has been looking for a new receptionist ever since his previous, incomparable one took maternity leave. So far, no one has been able to keep his office running in an orderly and productive fashion. But could young and inexperienced Carmen Gonzalez be exactly what he’s looking for—as a receptionist and as a lover? There was no denying the spark.

Carmen’s sister, Connie Gonzalez, is a smart, inquisitive FBI in-training agent. She kind of reminded me of Mary Gross from the movie, Feds—she was the brainy, nerdy chick who knew all of the police protocol but knew nothing about combat until she learned that a nice, swift quick to the groin would always bring the jerks down. And it seems that she might be just what the good doctor ordered.

Both raised as good, Catholic school girls, Carmen and Connie have very different views on love and relationships. I could relate to Connie the most especially since “she had always been so busy with her ambitions, that she had paid little heed to the woman buried inside of her.” (44) Always the shy spinster, she never paid the slightest bit of attention to men…until Victor stepped up the plate.

Could a cop and a doctor make it work? Possibly, especially since they both tend to live the same lifestyle—forever chained to a cell phone for any sudden call of duty that could whisk them away in a second’s notice.  Could they be any more perfect for each other?

Still, I could understand Connie’s uneasiness concerning his wealth and good looks. I couldn’t, however, understand why she needed to turn into this sex-starved vixen around him. Why can’t good girls stay good?

At first, I thought that this would involve some love triangle between the doctor and the two sisters, especially since they both invoked the same reaction from him. But it’s not the case at all. Perhaps it would’ve made things a little more interesting by adding this potential conflict in the story. But it’s your typically sweet, contemporary romance…except with a uniquely crafted twist of hunting down a serial killer; although the focus might’ve placed a little too heavily on the steamy, erotic romance than anything else.

A short-paced novel with likable characters but with a conventional plot.