Review: Sunstruck

Sunstruck by Mayra Calvani

Twenty-four year old Daniella is an architecture student living with her narcissistic artist boyfriend in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Abandoned by her father at an early age, Daniella always falls for the wrong type of man. Her most enduring male relationship so far is with her 30-pound Turkish angora cat. Thankfully, Daniella's mother is always there to offer a shoulder. Several strange mysteries are threaded through Daniella's everyday life: her ex-husband, Ismael, has just opened an outlandish hotel for animal lovers that has her distraught; Ismael's wife, a rich woman Daniella fondly refers to as "Lady Dracula," has some gruesome ways to keep her skin looking young; Daniella's mother is founding a revolutionary, feminist society called The Praying Mantises; the island's national forest is being depleted of hallucinogenic mushrooms; meanwhile, young girls are disappearing and there's a nut loose dressed as Zorro slashing the rear ends of women who wear miniskirts. Oppressed by all these crazed, eccentric characters, Daniella feels herself falling into an abyss. Then something horrendous happens, making Daniella wake from her stupor and take charge of her life.


Reviewed by: Sandra L
Rating: 4 stars


Review:

First off: the cover—confusing but alluring, like a painting you can’t take your eyes off of.

Then we get into the story. Daniella is a college student—nice, friendly, normal. I wonder why she was hanging out with such weird (and crazy) people, like her art critic ex-husband and his gothic, witch-like wife or her dope-smoking, live-in boyfriend that hates her cat. Was she lost or confused or something?

At times, I felt Daniella had no mind of her own. She says she wants to be “free of men” but yet she does nothing about it. Did she have “daddy issues?” Maybe it would’ve added more to the story if we had learned more about Daniella’s absent father figure.

The whole story has many different points of view, but it is mainly told from the eyes of Daniella—a pro in my column, because I know who is the “star.” I am always concerned with multi-POVs because there is usually a lack of focus; but this book didn’t have that issue.

Another character I found interesting was Zorro, the crazy psycho who makes his mark with a huge “Z” on womens’ bare ass. Very funny!

With Zorro suddenly in the mix, it made me question on whether this was a thriller or a mystery? Was the objective to catch Zorro and bring him to justice?

I thought the whole animal hotel from Ismael, Daniella’s ex, was of little interest to me. At times, I didn’t even read the whole paragraph on it. But don’t be fooled! As you approach the end, strange mysteries—dark and gory—spring out of nowhere and you can’t wait to unravel them all. Is Ismael a mushroom dealer? Is “Lady Dracula” a real vampire? The end will leave you shocked.

The writing was very well-crafted with words so raw, so dark and putrid, and yet so unrequitedly beautiful.

My favorite quote is: “If [Daniella] could choose a place to die, she would choose a bookstore, a coffin made of hardcover mystery books.” (pg. 113) From here, it goes on listing the many different books out there—intelligent, boring, insightful, disgusting, maddening, books that will help you accomplish something in less that 7 days, etc.

Preview Ch 1 of new book by Reyna Grande

Here's a real treat: a preview of the upcoming book by Reyna Grande.

Chapter 1 Preview

Coming up in 2012: More Latina books!

The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande - Coming Fall 2012

From an award-winning novelist and sought-after public speaker, an eye-opening memoir about life before and after illegally emigrating from Mexico to the United States.

After publishing two acclaimed and award-winning novels about the Mexican immigrant experience and the families forced to navigate its twists and turns, celebrated author Reyna Grande reveals her own troubled and triumphant story as an illegal immigrant in the heartfelt memoir The Distance Between Us.
     Born in Mexico and raised by her grandparents after (read more)

         Celebrity Prep by Margo Candela - Coming Fall 2012

Students at the Chaucer Preparatory Academy for Girls call their         exclusive school Celebrity Prep because money, privilege, and fame are part of their everyday lives. Their equally image obsessed parents send their daughters to Chaucer because the perfect complement to their carefully crafted brand is a gorgeous, talented, Ivy League bound daughter…or at least a kid who’s smart enough to stay out of the tabloids and off gossip blogs.

New to all this manufactured glitz is 14-year-old (read more)

           Lost in the Light by Mary Castillo - Coming Fall 2012

Dori Orihuela is on the verge of losing it all: her family, her badge and now her sanity. Under investigation for a fatal shooting and recuperating from a bullet wound, Dori prepares to fix-and-flip a 120 year-old Victorian mansion where she not only sees a ghost, but she also talks to him.

She befriends the ghost (read more)







Check out these upcoming titles!

Review: Mad About the Boy

Mad About the Boy by Suzan Battah

Julia Mendoza is driven by the success of her business. Since her husband Carlos passed away at such a young age, her business By Design is her number one priority. In her late twenties she works too hard and doesn’t take time out for fun. Annoyance with a pesky ex-friend has her begging one of the local surfer’s with a cheeky smile in the grocery store to pretend he’s her boyfriend. Suddenly, life takes a sudden detour from her business plan; much to the delight of her boisterous Latin American family.

Christophe Augustine is groomed to take over his father’s successful chain of luxurious hotels. With a wealthy French-American background, Chris has been given privileges that not many have. He works hard, plays harder but seeks approval and recognition above all else. Family is a top priority for him as he fights for custody of his young brother. His parent’s divorce has not diminished his faith in romance. When a gorgeous Latino woman changes one boring morning into an interesting game of role play, though reluctant to help at first, he soon realises she’s not like the string of other women he’s known.

A romantic first date ending dramatically doesn’t stop Chris from wanting to know Julia more. And for Julia, she’s all for a bit of fun but when things get too serious she’s running the other way. Too alike, in some ways and complete opposites, in others ways, Julia and Chris fumble through fun moments, annoying confrontations, passionate times and heartbreaking revelations.

Love has no boundaries when soul-mates meet but when one is ready to love and the other one isn’t...




Reviewed by: Marcia C.
Rating:

Review: It was interesting how Julia and Chris met in the beginning with Chris being shanghaied into a ploy. That instant spark between is a rare thing these days.

 

Although it did seem that they were trying too hard at times—he was too busy trying to come out like Mr. Perfect, and she was busy trying not to look like a fool in front of him, which was both endearing and ridiculously funny. Still, there was no denying the burgeoning passion between them, even though it may have been a little too intense from the start.

 

I liked how there was an emotional struggle with Julia. The guilt over her late husband played a major interference in her romance with Chris, which brought a challenge for them and pushed the plot forward. Her remembrance of Carlos and how they came to be was genuinely heartfelt. I was especially impressed that Chris was not afraid of Julia’s resistance and still continued to pursue her. Although I’m not sure about dating someone you work for. That would just complicate things—and it did!

 

This was a good illustration of the ups and downs of a relationship (probably the reason why some people avoid them.)

 

The fact that Julia was Latina was something I could relate to; however, I felt that her ethnicity was too muffled. A few Spanish curse words along with Mendoza for a last name didn’t quite make Julia “Latina enough” for me. The summary made a big point of saying that she was Latina, but I needed the story to actually show it (it’s the old “show, don’t tell” rule.) Honestly, I got more French than anything else. In the story, the author would simply state that Julia was speaking Spanish, but she wouldn’t actually speak it.

 

The author’s devotion to the craft was evident in the writing. I really love it when writers put the care and efforts in their work and it all shows in the end. I only wish more effort was put into the editing phase as there were some errors.   

Q&A with Suzan Battah

Livin' la vida Latina is proud to present...Mad about the Boy by Suzan Battah.

Check out the preview!

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1. What was your inspiration for this story? What prompted to you to write about a Latina?
   A: I love romance and so writing love stories is natural for me. I have family in Venezuela who I recently met for the first time in 2010. I've always adored the Latino culture and language and being from a multicultural background prompted me to write a multicultural romance. I chose to write from a Latina perspective because I found the culture and people are so vibrant, passionate and dynamic--it was a perfect fit for my leading lady.

2. Was it your intention to write a story about two people from different backgrounds, like West Side Story?
   A: Yes, of course. There are so many cultures in this world and love is not limited to one culture. There are  not many books that I've read with such diverse characters from different backgrounds. I really wanted to explore this within a relationship. I come from a multicultural background myself with Lebanese parents. Growing up as an Australian with a Lebanese background, I loved the idea of exploring a more ethnic relationship by understanding the differences myself. I also have family in Venezuela and I adore the Latino culture. My grandfather a long time ago lived in Venezuela. The romance between Christophe and Julia is entirely fiction but I do draw upon some of my life experiences to give a more emotional ride for the readers.

3. How did you come up with the title?
   A: Mad About the Boy was based on the dynamic song by Dinah Washington. When I first heard this song, I fell in love with it and it suited the romance between Christophe and Julia.  

4. What was your favorite thing about writing this story? What was your least favorite?
   A: I loved every part of writing this novel! It was so much fun to write and I love hearing feedback from readers that have loved every minute of reading the book. The challenge with writing this book was the publication process. I finally decided to self publish and have never looked back.

5. What is your process for writing? Do you do an outline first?
   A: I used to just start writing, but have recently begun to plot a complete outline of a story and its characters. Things sometimes change and sometimes they don't, but that's all the fun.

6. Do you feel this story would inspire Latinas? How so?
   A: I hope it will inspire not just Latinas but every woman to chase their dreams, live and love passionately, have fun, laugh lots and dream big. There is nothing you can't do if you set your mind to it.

7. Are you working on anything right now? If so, would you please share with us?
   I've recently published my second novel BaSatai: Outside In, a YA Urban Fantasy novel. I'm currently working on two movie scripts and the 2nd novel in the BaSatai series.

8. Where can we learn more about your work? Do you have a website or blog
   A: You can read reviews of my work on GoodReads or at my Blog and Website.

        www.suzanbattah.com

       www.goodreads.com/suzanbattah

       http://suzanbattah.blogspot.com.au/

9. What do you like to do when you are not writing?
   A: I love to dance--Salsa, Merengue, Rock and Roll! It's my favorite hobby. I also enjoy reading, movies, and going to the gym.

10. And, finally, what do you think the future holds for today's Latina?
    A: The future looks promising if you take your own dreams into your own hands and work hard to get to where you want to be. Success is open to everyone.

 A review on her book is coming up next.

"Eye on Hawaiian Gardens" Video Featuring Sandra Lopez

Check out author Sandra Lopez in this fabulous TV interview for "Eye on Hawaiian Gardens."

Book Review: More than this

More than this by Margo Candela


She doesn't know his name and he doesn't know hers, but they just might be perfect for each other. Alexander Velazquez, an ambitious lawyer from a working-class neighborhood, and Evelyn Sinclair, a daughter of privilege trying to make it on her own, are strangers living parallel yet very different lives. Alex finds himself deeply entrenched in the life of an unredeemable client, and Evelyn realizes she's committed herself to a company with questionable ethics.

They are both brokenhearted workaholics constantly trying to keep up with the demands of family and friends. What they both want is to find meaning in their lives; what they're doing is looking in the wrong directions. As they watch each other through their office windows, all they can do is wonder about what might happen if they took a chance on the stranger across the street.




Reviewed by: Bela M.


Rating:


Review: This whole book is written in the POV of Evelyn and Alexander--the two main characters or "lovers" in the plot. It is in the classic "He said, She said" format.

At first the story was kind of slow at capturing my interest, but then things gradually picked up when I started getting into Alex's character, especially when he is about to propose to his girlfriend (I was sure that this is something ALL guys go through at some point--the "what the hell am I doing?" phase.)

Alex and Evelyn get their first "hit and miss" at the airport as they head back to San Francisco. The whole book consists of nothing but the "hit and miss" of these two characters. And as they go about wondering about the person across the building, they each go about the personal and professional turmoil in their lives.

Some scenes, I admit, I skipped because they were just too boring to read, like Evelyn's shopping excursion with her sister and friend. Who cares about the prada whatchamacallits? Other times, I felt that the story had a few too many characters, although Sigrid was fascinating--she was one those types that I can't stand: a scary girlfriend and an even scarier ex-girlfriend. Whooo, if I were Alex, I would've left her too.

I liked that this book had the classic Margo Candela humor that we've come to love in her other books, and I was impressed how well she was able to write the male POV; but, still, it did nothing to compensate for the constant frustration of having to go back and forth between each character. I practically had to re-read some parts to figure out where I left off with each one.

Quite frankly, I think I built up this book too much, mainly because of all the media hype--it wasn't worth all the good gab it got. I liked "Good-bye to All that" better. I think it was her best book ever.