BOOK REVIEW ⎜Enchanted by You by Hilaria Alexander

MY RATING

A cute and tender romance, engaging characters, set in charming New Mexico elegantly penned by the author. I’ve pretty much read the whole book in one sitting, pleasantly engrossed in the unfolding romance between a dazzling and intriguing good guy and a heroine brave enough to start anew. I was effortlessly swept away by their romantic journey.

Book Infos
Enchanted By You Hilaria Alexander
Enchanted By You Hilaria Alexander

I had no idea that my seven-year marriage would implode during our long awaited and needed vacation to Albuquerque—the city that will change your perspective. Unfortunately, our attempt at fixing everything wrong in our relationship backfired, big time.

My husband left me alone in Albuquerque, with no friends, no family . . . and no idea what my future holds or if I’ll ever find happiness again.

As I begin to move on, I can’t help but notice the man who was there for me during my darkest hour.
Esteban Garcia is the dashing hero you want on your side, even though I’m no damsel in distress.
With his dazzling smile, bright green eyes and golden skin, he’s a brand of gorgeous I’m not used to, and mysterious enough to drive me crazy with thoughts of him.

I wouldn’t be surprised to find out I’ve somehow been enchanted by him . . . or maybe he was my fate all along.

Author : Hilaria Alexander
Title : Enchanted by You
Series : –

Number of pages : 279
Publisher : -)
Release Date : December 4, 2018
Genre : Contemporary

My Review

The cover lure is strong with this one. The blurb promises something sweet and on that point the romance reader in me wasn’t disappointed, but a couple over-stretched plot devices and a flimsy conclusion prevented my total satisfaction.

I’ve felt myself fall into this story quite easily, sympathetically siding with Ines, the heroine, finally taking action after years of feeling miserable in her marriage, being constantly belittled and mentally abused by a careless and ill-tempered husband.
On their last day in Albuquerque, New Mexico, she gathers the courage to voice her concerns to her husband over their last dinner in town, hours before their scheduled trip back to L.A.

Why she was expecting this confrontation to stay civil, I have no idea, but safe is to say, Brad played the part of the hateful bad guy flawlessly, setting Ines to be rescued by the charming restaurant manager, Esteban.

I liked that part, how seemingly genuine and realistic their first encounter appeared, the attraction between them tangible and bewitching at the same time. Considering Ines fresh breakup, I could appreciate how both would second-guess and ponder their course of action, regardless of the temptation to surrender to the obvious chemistry. I really appreciated the author stressing about Ines’ confused feelings about Esteban from the get go. Something is definitely there, for both of them, and I got all the warm and fuzzy feels—albeit uncertain— of a new found romance.

I had no issues with the slow pace the author chose to set for the main characters to be together, as Ines’ divorce was no settled yet, their slowly growing romance felt adequate with Ines overcoming her new single status. However, I felt peeved with the reasons Esteban had to go MIA for weeks, months even, leaving the heroine speculate far too long, alone. Something felt unbalanced to me, partly due to the story told in the heroine POV, I could scarcely understand at times if Esteban was really interested in the heroine, his character appeared uneven at times. Intense and saying all the perfect things one minute, dull and absent the next.

When both eventually get together though, it’s a feast for romance readers, infatuation and delightful moments of happiness.

Despite a charming journey, I must say I felt quite disenchanted with the conclusion of the story.

The big reveal behind all the secret glances and knowing looks between Esteban, her sister and apparently the whole town felt fairly foolish to me. I was expecting something more tangible maybe. Something to appease my cynical and practical mind after the constant teasing of something too big and too meaningful to be disclosed to Ines upfront.

Some nitpicking on my part: Editing / proofreading. In one of the sex scenes, the hero got to roll down a condom twice before intercourse. That was quite comical, but I guess there will be no surprise pregnancy for this guy!?

Too much “smiles that reach the eyes”. I’m totally nitpicking here, but it was recurrent enough that I made a note for it.

Something else gave me a pause. I’m all for being inventive in sex scenes, and giving a peculiar voice to characters, but when you’re having hot and heavy sex, I doubt you’d be describing being horny this way, or you’re Gertrude Elion—or— Dr Susan Love and I apologize :

I can feel the blood rush through my veins and the rapid rise of levels of dopamine and epinephrine in my blood are making me feel already ecstatic.

I know it feels like I had most issues than pleasure reading this one, but I liked it, really! I just can’t help voicing every little thing I may have taken issue with. #SorryNotSorry

Overall, a cute and tender romance, engaging characters, set in charming New Mexico elegantly penned by the author. I’ve pretty much read the whole book in one sitting, pleasantly engrossed in the unfolding romance between a dazzling and intriguing good guy and a heroine brave enough to start anew. I was effortlessly swept away by their romantic journey.

It was my first book by Hilaria Alexander, and I’ll gladly have a look at her backlist and future releases whenever I’m in the mood for something sweet.

Author Bio & Links

Hilaria Alexander never thought she’d be a writer one day. Reader? Yes. Book hoarder? You betcha. Then, she started reading romance – that’s when she felt the need to write a story. Unfortunately, she didn’t listen to her gut, and talked herself out of it A MILLION TIMES. She finally gave up a few years ago, when the urge to write was stronger than self-doubt. She loves funny, sexy romances wrapped with a huge happily-ever-after bow at the end. Her inbox is always open if you want to chat about one of her books.

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