TEST
Oh dear. Here I was hoping that the Encanto line meant there would be some well-written stories about Latinos. Well, they got the Latino part right, but aside from only one or two books I’ve liked, they have to work on the “well-written” part of the equation – most have been rather mediocre. Blue Moon was not even that – it barely escaped being a wall-banger, because when you’re ten pages from the end of the book and you’re rooting for the heroine to end up with the pseudo-villain, something has gone wrong.
Silvia Martinez is more than a little surprised to see Miguel Escudero again. After all, it’s been over five years since she and her former lover parted, and now he is the First Officer in the ship where Silvia will be conducting some marine biology experiments off the California coast. While Silvia is taken aback by his presence there, Miguel never misses a beat, and for good reason – he planned to get on the same ship as Silvia. Although the chemistry between them flares again as soon as they lay eyes on each other, Silvia’s doctorate is on the line with this project, and she also has nemesis Joe Scapino to deal with.
While battling with Scapino, Silvia also has students to lead on the expedition, plus she is trying to find the answers to the mysterious happenings to the sharks of Revillagigedo Island. Despite everything she has on her mind, and her determination to not let her feelings run away again, Silvia succumbs to Miguel’s charms very, very easily. I thought it strange that someone who now courts Silvia with such intensity would allow five long years of separation, so Miguel’s love words and endearments (and there are plenty) seemed over the top. He also seemed a little irresponsible. While Silvia is investigating the scattered shark remains, Miguel plans an idyllic night on the beach, complete with down bedding and champagne, not to mention diving while suffering from a hangover. He claims to respect Silvia and her work, yet can’t help calling her “little Silvia” and hoping that she will give up the life she obviously adores so he can have a family and a sweet wife he can take care of.
Although Silvia knows that part of the challenge on this project is to keep her cool, she hardly ever does. It takes little needling or provocation and her temper gets the best of her, be it dealing with Scapino, Miguel, the captain of the ship, or the band of criminals who are responsible for the damage to the shark population. She is not the only one who acts childish. Poor Scapino can’t escape Miguel’s ire even after he has saved Silvia’s life and tended to Miguel’s wounds. When, near the end of the book, Scapino and Silvia are thrown back together, I honestly wished Silvia would forget Miguel. A hero who changes his whole attitude in the last five pages of a book is not convincing enough for me. Blue Moon is a good first draft for a potentially good story. However, the prose (purple and otherwise) reads awkwardly – maybe because this is a translation by someone else, and the characters need a gentler hand. If you’re looking for an enjoyable Encanto read with a sea theme, I would recommend Sea Siren/La Sirena.
Grade: D
Book Type: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 20/01/01
Publication Date: 2001
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.