LuAnn and the Latin Lover is a second-chance romance with more mature protagonists, set in and around an RV park in South Padre Island, Texas.
Widowed and living in reduced circumstances, LuAnn is shocked to discover that her new neighbour is none other than the boy who used to work for her father when they were kids. Joaquin is all grown up now, though, and despite LuAnn telling herself that a tattooed, eyebrow-pierced, Harley riding bad boy isn't her type, sparks fly between the pair.
I really enjoy seeing a romance between older protagonists. While LuAnn's exact age isn't stated, I figured that she has to be around fifty, and Joaquin being four years younger made for some interesting scenes when he confessed his boyhood crush on her.
However, I struggled to warm to both the protagonists. LuAnn seemed incredibly uptight, and her insistence on 'marriage or nothing' was really off-putting. Joaquin, on the other hand... when we were introduced to him in the early pages of the book, my mental image of a guy in his late forties who wears a transparent black mesh shirt and leather biker pants TO A WEDDING... well, let's just say it wasn't a pretty picture.
The book has some really interesting themes to explore, including the difficulties of being an involved single father with an obstructive mother in the picture, and of reconciling oneself to reduced circumstances in life. There were a couple of pretty hot sex scenes, and all in all I did enjoy the book. I just wish I'd been able to warm to the protagonists a little more.
Four stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through ReadingAlley.