one of my favorite things about this series is that the lead characters that the series is built around are latino. the hernández family is cuban and are pillars of miami society. meanwhile, maya pascual is a puerto rican from el barrío. she and javi first met in school, but he was already dating his now ex-wife, and they weren't crossing any lines.
until, of course, one night where maya confessed how she felt about javi. but he had just proposed and so he didn't tell her how he thought she was beautiful and funny and how the sparks between them scared the living daylights out of him because how could it be possible to maintain that kind of passion. he was supposed to lead an exemplary life. so maya was left feeling rejected and less than, even though the problem was more crappy timing and overdeveloped feelings of obligation and responsibility.
when javi's marriage didn't work out he went on a bender, his whole life he'd done everything exactly right. and all he had to show for it was a divorce and alimony payments. his bender ensured that he'd lost his family's vote of confidence, since he's screwed up one too many times and left his sister holding the bag. when he re-encounters maya he is stunned and elated to finally have a second chance with the woman he should have had more courage to pursue.
except maya isn't going to make it easy for him. she's been rejected before. she has no interest in going through that again. she loved javi and he broke her heart. and since then it's never been quite whole. she's never been quite whole. and opening herself up to more pain and hurt doesn't seem like a smart idea.
but there is that chance that things can end up quite differently.
at first maya is intent on one night to get the tension over with. she thinks perhaps closure is what she's been missing all these years. but javi slowly gets her to see that maybe there is a chance for happiness if they stick together. maybe things don't have to be so hard. maybe it's as easy as saying yes at the chance to be together. maybe it's time to say yes to the things that make you happiest. and for javi, the answer is clearly maya. it's always been maya in spite of his inability to make the correct choice before.
but getting maya to trust him and believe in their second chance is going to take a big, billboard-sized gesture. and seeing how they get there is well worth the read.
**dusk until dawn will publish on april 18, 2017. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/kensington books (lyrical shine) in exchange for my honest review.
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