24/7

by Yolanda Wallace

Finn Chamberlain is a travel writer with more passport stamps than friends. Her career keeps her constantly on the go, leaving her precious little time for relationships. And that’s just the way she likes it—until a charged encounter with a beautiful stranger causes her to call her unsettled life into question.
Luisa Moreno is an officer with the Mexican Federal Police. Her chance meeting with Finn Chamberlain was supposed to be a one-time thing, but it leaves her wanting more. When Finn’s life is threatened, it’s up to Luisa to save her. Will Luisa’s rescue attempt be successful, or will she lose much more than her heart in the process?

Genres: LGBT, Romance, Lesbian, Mystery, Lesbian Fiction, Lesbian Romance, Adventure

231 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 15, 2016

About the author

Yolanda Wallace is not a professional writer, but she plays one in her spare time. She has writ­ten seven nov­els, and her short stories have appeared in multiple anthologies. She and her partner live in beautiful coastal Georgia, where they are parents to four children of the four-legged variety — a boxer and three cats.

Yolanda Wallace also writes under the pen name Mason Dixon.

Reviews

[Diane Wallace · Rating 2 out of 5]

'Netgalley ARC provided by The Publisher in exchange for an unbiased review'

**! This storyline started okay but then careen off to a whole other different direction which was both very confusing and frustrating to me as a avid reader but one question that i would like the author to answer in her fictitious mind and while she is busy writing--explain in detail('how can someone fall in love with another person after only meeting a week then jumping into bed and having sex?') ---because a huge part of the storyline in this book was base solely on this purpose plus other bits and pieces of other stuff (no important side story). This was mainly about one of the leading ladies having to deal with many of her flaws & issues about life and the type of work she was doing which was putting a lot of stress in her life (traveling the world & being a writer) -then the next one who even had her own issues and job problems with the Mexican Cartel. The book was not all that bad nor was it all good but the writing and storytelling could have been much better because there was no chemistry driven heat/steam coming from these characters or pages. But the ending was okay

[Tiff · Rating 3 out of 5]

24/7 by Yolanda Wallace is a wild ride through Mexico. Ms. Wallace as always delivers an entertaining read that is fun and well researched. Thrill seekers this is your book.

24/7 begins in a bar in the DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth for you non-Texas travelers) airport. Finn Chamberlain is awaiting her departure to Cancun. Finn is a travel writer/photographer for Bon Voyage magazine. Finn while she resides in San Francisco she rarely spends anytime there. Finn prefers to wonder the Earth and her job is the perfect outlet to do so. Finn is your typical introvert, she would rather be in the background, and tend to keep to herself. All the relationships she has had have been quick, all about sex, and nothing about attachment.

Luisa Moreno is a five foot eight badass. Luisa was a former officer in the Mexican Army and is now headed to Mexico City to become a member of the Mexican Federal Police. She resigned from the Army after finding out that her commanding officer was on the take from the drug lords that run rampant in Mexico. Luisa exudes confidence and is a commanding presence. Finn is instantly drawn to her. This is 100% lust a first sight, and yes our leading ladies take a bid leap right into the sack in a hotel in the great state of Texas.

Finn and Luisa make a connection that is solid and continue to make time for each other even though Finn is in Cancun and Luisa is in Mexico City. I thought this was really sweet, usually I am 100% turned off by insta-love, but in this case it works. The book spends quite a bit of its time building up to the action packed adventure that will bring the book to its crescendo. There is drama, murder, mayhem all rolled into one. Police versus the drug lords and a whole lot of beach vacationers caught in the crossfire. The romance is sweet but it is not the main focus of the book. To me it felt more of a police procedural with side a side-or love, but its good and it’s really fun.

3.5 stars

[Lexxi Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received this book from NetGalley in return for a fair review.*

My first book by this author.

First off – I had an idea that I would be reading one of those ‘danger’ type books based on the book description, but I didn’t realize that it would be both a mystery and a thriller. Plus the nature of the danger was a lot more extensive than I realized.

Second off – issues. I have four specific issues, all of which might be there when the book is officially published, or 1 or more might not be. Keep that in mind. Ack. The second issue turned out not to be an issue. At some point in the book Finn mentioned that she had never seen the pyramids in person. Then much later in the book she said she saw the pyramids in person. My mind was playing tricks on me. No, not what I just wrote, that happened. I just thought they both referred to the Egyptian pyramids. But no, they referred to Egyptian (for having seen in person), and Mayan (for never before seeing in person before now). There might be some section where that is reinforced, where I got the idea wrong, but I think this specific issue was on my end. A misunderstanding on my part. Cleared up when I went looking for it to put into this review.

First issue: Power play during sex. ‘She enjoyed the power play. Giving up her own in order to submit to Finn’s. So different to what she was used to’ (exact quote). I had to stop reading when I read this part. Briefly. It’s vaguely unfortunate. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the comment or issue, it’s just that it’s kind of a cliché in lesbian fiction. One or another woman, at some point, makes some comment like ‘normally she is in command, but now she isn’t, and she liked the feeling/giving up control’ (not an exact quote). It’s the concept of a strong woman finding pleasure/fun/etc. by giving in, by allowing the other to have control. It is, more than anything else, my own fault. I just read a book (or three) right before this one that had the exact same sentiment. So it gets a little weary-ing to keep coming across it. Luckily it just gave me brief pause and did not otherwise ruin the book. Not an issue that impacts the rating in any way.

Second issue: pyramids. Turns out to not be an issue.

Third issue: Ending. I liked everything about the book, for the most part. Beginning, middle, and the end. Except for the last paragraph. I, for obvious reasons, can’t be more specific. It’s not an issue that impacts the rating, though.

Fourth issue: Both Luisa and Finn have this habit of constantly talking to themselves. Out loud. Luisa, if I recall correctly, only talked to herself when she first arrived in her apartment, though maybe she also did so at other times. Finn, though, seems to be constantly talking to herself. I don’t mean internal monologue, I mean literally mouth open, words coming out, addressed to herself. It’s vaguely distracting. Though I’ve known plenty of people who ‘do that’ in real life. Since I put this thought down for most of the other issues: the talking to themselves issue does not have any impact on the rating or enjoyment of the book.

Characters
This book is one of those two person point of view type books. Told from the point of view of Finn Chamberlain and from the view of Luisa Moreno.

Finn Chamberlain is a travel writer for a print magazine. A comment is tossed out about it being one of the few print ones still around (or something like that). Her job apparently consists of receiving phone calls to immediately head to anywhere in the world on roughly no notice (I guess there might be 24 hour notice, that might be what that 24/7 title might be about; I might be dim as it finally hit me what 24/7 is actually about (I think) - she gets 24 hour notice for a 7 day working vacation). She prefers the kind of trip where she can wander the location herself. Set her own agenda. That is not her current assignment, though. Her current assignment sends her to Cancun, specifically to be a member of a tour group called SOS (Sisters of Sappho; hmm, that’s also the name of a series of pornographic videos, I did not know that). SOS is a tour group for lesbians. She’s originally from Montana, but has seen lots and lots of the world now ('my passport has more stamps than most people have in theirs'), and now has an apartment in San Francisco.

Luisa Moreno is an ex-military person (I do not recall if it was ever mentioned if she was enlisted or an officer), who, because of an issue involving corruption, moved from the military to the police. Specifically the Mexican Federal Police. She has a strong sense of honor, and a need to serve her country. This is difficult, in some ways, when that country is Mexico, and corruption is rampant. Especially with how much control the drug cartels have.

Others: Ryan, Jill, Aurora, and others are members of the tour group. And, as might be expected, lesbians. Jill and Ryan are friends who may or may not want to be more than friends. Aurora is described as an African-American woman with a large Mohawk, is in a wheelchair, and is on the older side of the tour members.
Javier Villalobos, and Mrs. Villalobos. Mrs. Villalobos is Luisa’s next door neighbor and Javier is her grandson (Mrs. Villalobos grandson, not Luisa’s grandson) who works as a vender near Chichén Itzá. Mrs. Villalobos keeps trying to set Luisa and Javier up.
Director Chavez is Luisa’s boss in the Mexican Federal Police.
Ruben Huerta works in the Records Management. The first coworker to be friendly to Luisa. The others jeer and leave rats on her desk.

Romance
The romance is different than ones I’ve come across before (I’ve a vague feeling that I have used this expression relatively numerous times this year). It’s one of those that seemed doomed from the start. Being, as it did, start with a ‘quickie’. As I’ll probably mention in the plot section, Luisa and Finn meet at the Dallas airport. At a bar in the airport. They feel a connection between the two of them, and they hurriedly act on it in the limited time they have before their two separate planes take off.

Both go into it expecting nothing more than a fling, though it is out of character for Luisa to act such. But two events occur at the time of the 'quickie' that make them think it might not be a one time thing. They exchange telephone numbers, and Finn gives Luisa a pig (I’ll admit that I got a little misty-eyed, oddly I know, when that pig got handed over). That little pig had gone with Finn everywhere, all over the world.

As I mentioned, the romance is different than one I’ve explored before. Started with a quickie in a hotel room. Followed by telephone calls while both are separated by many miles (one located in Mexico City, the other in Cancun).

Feelings developed on both sides. And . . . um . . . stuff. I do not know how to close this section.

Sex
I sometimes have a separate section for this topic, and sometimes do not. Mostly so I can say something like “yes, there is graphic sex that takes place in this book”. And, so: graphic sex occurs. For some unknown reason, my life seems to involve reading books that have sexual encounters, mixed with ‘other stuff’. And those sexual encounters seem to almost always happen while I’m on the train. No idea what’s going on there. Other than something I previously mentioned, that ‘power play’ comment, I liked what occurred. And as I tend to say, that’s all I’m going to say on the subject.

Mystery/Thriller
Once Luisa starts her job with the police, she is given the task of continuing an assignment her missing predecessor had been working on. Investigating the Jaguar cartel and trying to determine who the secretive leader might be. Plus unraveling several other mysteries along the way. And this isn’t just something to say that Luisa is doing while Finn is off on a working vacation, Luisa is actually shown doing investigations and interviews. Putting the pieces together. Etc. And clues she picks up are instrumental in solving the mystery.

The thriller part . . . I’m not sure how to mention it without risking spoiler stuff. Let me look at how the book is described again. Yeah, I can’t mention what occurs. This is annoying. I kind of wish this was mentioned in the book description so I could then make comments on it in this review, but I can’t. Let’s just say that somewhere along the line, the investigation that Luisa is conducting, and the working vacation Finn is on, merge and danger explodes all around them.

Plot
The book is structured into days. With a chapter that takes place before the vacation in Cancun and one that takes place after. The events, not including those two other chapters, take place over a seven day period of time.

During each day, the women follow their separate paths. After arriving at her new job, Luisa spends each day investigating the Jaguar cartel, while Finn experiences whatever the resort has to offer. At the end of each day (sometimes during the day, and sometimes a connection fails to occur for the night call) the two talk on the phone.

Somewhere along the line the danger/element of risk ratchets up until the book turns into a thriller/suspense tale. I can’t really be more specific without being all spoiler-y and stuff. I rather like it, though. I can say that much. My heart was beating fast, my breathing, at times, was also kind of fast, my irritation level with humanity was at a heightened level (here referring specifically to the really annoying people who refused to stop entering/leaving/walking near me while I attempted to read). Exciting all the way around.

Setting/Location
In terms of setting/location, there’s one specific thing I wish to note before I move on: I did not realize that the first meeting between Finn and Luisa would occur in Dallas. I had this vague idea that they would first encounter each other in Mexico. Only reason why I thought that, I suppose was because I wasn’t using my brain. Yes Luisa is a Mexican Federal Police officer, but that doesn’t mean she is bound to only travel within the confines of Mexico. So . . . now that that is out of the way.

The book takes place in four specific locations, and three ‘additional’ moving situations (I won’t mention these specifically in a separate paragraph – I’m referring here to airplane flights, boat chases, and bus trips). The book opens in the Dallas airport. And a hotel in Dallas. Nearish to the airport, I assume. Other than conveying the idea that the people are in an airport bar, and in a hotel, which was done well, I had no real connection/feeling for Dallas. Nor did I expect to do so.

The second location that the book wanders around in is Mexico City. Completely, in terms of main characters, wandered around in by Luisa. Some things were added, monuments, the difference air has (humid; lack of – because of elevation) to improve upon the concept of ‘this is Mexico City’. I felt like I was in an apartment building, police station, etc., then out and about visiting a jail and then a rural town like village. The apartment building and police station could have been anywhere. The rural town location felt like Mexico.

The third location that the book wanders around in is Cancun. This is one of the few moments when a book wanders around in a foreign country, and I have firsthand knowledge of the location. You know what Finn does in Cancun? Stay in the resort, walk on the beach, and go to Chichén Itzá (which isn’t in Cancun, but is something people can and do like to visit while vacationing in Cancun; since it is a nearish Mayan city). So, my first hand knowledge is, for the most part, useless.

The family and I mostly didn’t stay in the hotel. Except for an occasional use of the pool, that is. It was connected to a beach, but none of us visited said beach. Mostly because the beach was said to be quite rocky. Instead we went to Cozumel to do beach/snorkel stuff. Which no one does in this book (nor should they have had to just because I did, heh; on the other hand there is a boat chase that mentions ‘a small island’, it’s vaguely possible this unnamed ‘small island’ might have been Cozumel – more than likely that ‘small island’ was Isla Contoy, or Isla Mujeres, especially since an island of 250 miles, Cozumel, isn’t exactly small. Hmm. Isla Mujeres looks puny in comparison to Cozumel on the map, yet has a given area of 425 miles – I give up. hehe).

Right, but a visit to Chichén Itzá did occur in the book, and I did also visit Chichén Itzá. I assume the book is supposed to be contemporary, i.e., sometime around 2015 or 2016. And I visited a decade or two ago (I can’t be more exact, it’s possible it was literally 2 decades ago). So the fact that one of the best memories of my life consisted of running up and down the temple stairs while everyone else crawled, while the same temple is described as being roped off doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Maybe it wasn’t roped off when I went, but is now. Allowing the vendors onto the land, though, is confusing. I can see them deciding to safeguard the ruins by roping it off. But to do that while also allowing vendors onto the land seems counterintuitive. Since there were no vendors allowed onto the land when I went. They were all outside the gate (being that these events of mine occurred 2 decades ago, my memory might be faulty; though there is a ‘gift center’ and like that is in the book, and in my recollections). And yes, there is an important moment when Finn happens to visit a vendor at Chichén Itzá, but she could have done that outside, since there is time spent outside the gate. So, long and short – I had a good sense of the pool area of the resort, one room (Finn’s), the beach area nearish the hotel, and Chichén Itzá. Also, the trip in the bus, plus the views from said bus (driving along, looking out and seeing really run-down, 3rd world like dwellings barely standing up), vividly call back memories of my own trip on a bus in between my hotel and Chichén Itzá.

Overall
Bah. Here I am doing a run through of my review to try to catch a few mistakes (likely failing), and I come to this section. And see it blank. Mmphs.

Overall, I rather loved this book. Somewhere along the way I thought that I might end up giving this book somewhere around 4 stars, or the like, but by the time I was done, the book was firmly in five star territory. So, um, I liked it, and stuff. Yay?

I liked this book. I recommend this book. If you want to know what Cancun is like outside of a resort, this isn’t the book to read. Otherwise, there is nothing to detract or keep me from recommending this book.

February 2 2016

[MaxDisaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
I couldn't shake the feeling that I started Luisa and Finn's story from the middle. And I'm not sure how I feel about that.
Otherwise it was nice. I liked the MCs, the investigation was decent (albeit a bit predictable) and the writing style suited me.
I kinda hope there is a continuation.

[Pippa D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finn Chamberlain is a travel writer who loves adventure. The fact that the constant travel gives her the perfect excuse to avoid any relationships at all is a bonus, until she meets a gorgeous woman in an airport lounge. Luisa Moreno is on her way to start her new career with the Mexican Federal Police, when she has a detour with Finn.

Unexpectedly, the interlude prior to take-off starts something new for both of them. And while Finn is reviewing a retreat for lesbians in Cancun, Luisa is settling into her new job in Mexico City. Neither expected their paths would cross again, or that their lives might be in danger as a result.

Part romance and part thriller, Wallace has managed to balance both genres well within the book. Clearly an experienced author, she has created likable and gutsy characters, and given us a plot that delivers unexpected turns. The plot is a little far-fetched at the end, but the story fits well within the genres.

The scenes of the lesbian resort in Cancun have a lot more colour than the ones in Mexico City, but that could partly be a result of the difficulty of fitting the research done on Mexican cartels and policing into that story strand. Wallace has clearly done a lot of research, and explains it well enough for someone with no knowledge (me) to have an idea of how the cartels and the police fit together.

To give you any more than that would really spoil the book. Suffice to say that this is well written, lots of fun, and has some genuine thrills at the end.

Advanced reading copy provided by NetGallery for an honest review.

[Pin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yolanda Wallace is one of my trusted authors. Her books are always better than the average, and 24/7 is no exception. Although the exception is the amount of mystery, hostage drama, police procedural and action in it. That is not something I'm particularly looking for in a romance novel, but here it is done well -- interesting, intense and logical.
The setting was interesting and rare for this literary niche (Cancún and Mexico City), and the main characters are nice enough, although not particularly memorable just as their romance is not particularly convincing. I'm not quite satisfied with the happy-for-now type of ending.
3.5 stars

*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*

[Nolly Frances Sepulveda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it from beginning to end. The interactions between Finn and Luisa in the short time that they knew each other, be it the phone calls or the time spent thinking about the other was really sweet. Like from the words of a song, "It only takes a minute to fall in Love" that's how this story felt to me. Excellent.

[A.W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finn Chamberlain is a travel writer who meets Luisa Moreno at an airport and they spend a few hours together at a nearby hotel. Finn is headed towards Cancun meanwhile Luisa is on her way to Mexico City as an officer for the Federal Mexican Police. Once the officer starts work, she sets out to catch the mysterious leader of the Jaguars, one of the most powerful drug cartels in Mexico City.

I enjoyed both of the main characters' growth throughout the book. As much as I liked both characters, I'm not sure how much I believe their relationship together, especially since they slept together for a couple of hours and they went their separate ways and are apparently in love in span of a week.

I very much liked the thriller aspect of the book, I thought it was rather intriguing and well-written.

I'm not sure if I would re-read this book again and that is the reason for the 3 stars. However, as always with one of Yolanda Wallace's books, it was a delightful read.

Review also posted here: http://wp.me/p4Pp9O-ac

I was given a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely my favourite Yolanda Wallace book so far. I really, really liked the characters and thought that she did a good job of making the love at first sight believable in the way she described it. I know a lot of people roll their eyes, as do I, when you have a love at first sight story that is just not realistic and too mushy mushy. I thought this romance was sweet and liked how the relationship slowly developed through the book where both felt a pull towards the other which had them reaching out to one another.

I also enjoyed the crime story that was a major part of this book. It kept the page turning for me and I was interested to see how it played out. As I have felt in other books that are romance/crime action it is hard to provide enough detail in either aspect. I thought Yolanda did a good job however as a romance lover I would have loved more romance. And as someone who enjoyed a good crime I thought some parts of how the crime story played out just didn't quite hit the mark for me. It felt rushed especially because this drug group was made out to be huge and it felt the resolution was almost too quick and easy.

I also would have loved to hear how the secondary characters on the tour went as well in the last chapter.

In saying that as I said before the characters were the hero’s for me in this book. They are lovable and I wanted to read more about these two. Enjoyable read I would definitely recommend. I have rated this book 3.5 starts but have rounded up because even though there were parts that didn’t hit the mark for me I still really enjoyed the read and felt it deserved to be rounded up.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review.

['Nathan Burgoine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yollanda Wallace's 24/7 was a book I read while I was on vacation in Hawai'i. (Yes, I was kind of trying to go for a vacation read theme about a hot place while visiting a hot place on vacation. I'm a nerd.) Here we meet Finn, a travel writer who isn't so good at making long-term connections, and Luisa, an officer with the Mexican Federal Police.

They have a very quick—and fiery—connection that they both enjoy, never really thinking they'll encounter each other again, but when the all-woman resort adventure Finn is enjoying for work turns out to be an opportunity for them to maybe get to know each other since it's within range of Luisa's life, things get a bit more complicated. And then, when the criminal element Luisa is trying to defeat also gets involved? Things go from complicated to deadly. 

Wallace has a real knack for turning up the tension and for heart-stopping thriller moments. Also? I rooted for those ladies something fierce.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the ride even with a little action thrown in for go measure and taking place in Mexico was great as well.

Arc given by NetGalley for a honest review.

[Ameliah Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!
Finn Chamberlain is a travel writer. Instead of her usual solo trip this time she goes to a resort filled with lesbians. Luisa Moreno is on her way to Mexico where she will start a new job as a Federale. The two women meet during a layover and quickly make use of a nearby hotel for a few hours. The women stay in contact with each other but before long their paths will cross again after a drug cartel over runs Finn's resort and Luisa comes to her rescue. Will she be able to save the women in time? Will Finn be lost to her forever? Will Luisa live long enough to tell Finn how she really feels? Those questions and more will be answered if you read this amazing book!

This story is intense, exciting, a bit erotic, romantic and very, very good!! Wrought with danger I loved the story line. It is a bit of a stretch but if you just go with it, it is so much fun. The characters are dynamic and lovable, well Luisa and Finn are, the drug lords not so much but they were good at being bad.

I liked the interaction between Finn and Luisa as they were falling for each other. It was fun to see them change and grow as their situations changed. Both of them had a rare courage and did their best to save the lives of the women at the resort and each other. I also enjoyed being invited to watch each woman in their daily lives and interactions with those they worked and spent time with. The villains wonderful too. They added so much gritty fear and tension. This book was a magnificent read and I can not wait to read it again!!

[Romana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luisa and Finn were great. The romance was well written and I enjoyed the characters. The mystery was a bit obvious, but I was reading a romance, not a detective story, so that was all fine. An enjoyable read with an interesting set up -for the vast majority of the book our main characters are in touch only by phone.

[Jamie Zaccaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun romance with two awesome characters and a truly interesting setting. Underneath all the fun were some hard-hitting messages about acceptance and what happens when you just meet the one. I would be happy to read more from this author.

[L E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wait, is there another booking coming? I hope so! I like the book and could only wish that indeed one dedicated officer could bring down cartel within their first week of work but enjoyed the story none the less.

[F. · Rating 2 out of 5]

It starts with romance, plods along with action and finishes with love. I don’t think this is a spoiler, given the genre.

The premise was fun, and some of the scenes were nicely set up. The twists were too obvious to be surprises and that was a bit disappointing. It’s not quite the edge of the seat stuff I’d been hoping for.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received and ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. So, here it is.

So, I don’t normally go for YA books, but I’m doing a reading challenge this year, and in order to check off one of the boxes, I need to read a YA book. This one looked pretty interesting, so I thought I’d give it a go. It’s not what I consider a typical YA, in that it’s told entirely through chats, texts, online posts, etc. and I like the novelty of that. I may be getting a bit older, but as a millennial, my life is absorbed in chat and text, and I spend more of my life than I care to reveal on Tumblr.

Gena and Finn meet online and bond over their mutual love of some terrible TV show. Finn is not long out of college and looking for a career and settling down with her boyfriend. Gena is a somewhat troubled teenager just beginning college. Fandom is a powerful thing, and it unites these two strangers and provides the base for a friendship that grows stronger over time, leaving Finn questioning her feelings for her boyfriend. Are they best friends? Are they more? The pair must figure these things out as they also navigate the world of fanfiction, recap posts, and cons.

It takes a bit of getting used to, but the unconventional way of storytelling lured me in and kept the plot moving quickly and nicely. I can’t say I loved the actual story (a little too much teen and early twentish drama), but I can appreciate some of the characteristics of our main duo. Both are going through pivotal times in their lives and their friendship (and the love of a television show) gives them something to hold onto in their quickly changing lives. As a lifelong sci-fi fan and longtime Tumblr user, I can empathize with how easy it is to devote oneself to fandom.

Anyone who has ever loved a TV show will see a little of themselves in these characters, and even if, like me, you’re getting old and hardened, you can probably remember a time in your life where you questioned your attraction to a friend and felt your life spiraling out of control as you are hurled toward adulthood full throttle. It’s easy to get through this one in a few sittings, and the brief glances of these characters’ lives give more insight into who they are than a 300 page description could provide.

[Penelope · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an honest review thanks to Netgalley. I like Yolanda Wallace's other books a lot, I had always rated them high, but this book was different. It took me awhile to see if it was good different or not, but I found myself needing to rate it a three. I liked the action, and I liked listening to Luisa's investigation but the shortness of the time the two women knew each other and how they fell for each other by quick conversations on the phone. It wasn't entirely believable to me and lowered how I felt about this book. It does have great crime and investigation, and I really liked Luisa. If your looking for a quick easy romance/crime this is your book.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm from Mexico and the details where amazing, every time I read a book about something related to us it's just stereotypes and really bad misspelled words and phrases, so it was a pleasant surprise reading something well written

*SPOILER ALERT*

and being from Michoacan myself I knew who the bad guys where the moment Michoacan roots appeared xD

[Sascha Broich · Rating 4 out of 5]

The probability that the boss of a drug cartel is the nice elderly lady neighbor is negligible. And the hostage situation at the end could be argued about. But the story itself was okay.