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Courageous Lovers
The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long...
In the years since her divorce, Brazilian-American artist Lucilia Barboa is living as she wants... free. No husband, no kids, and no interest in having either. After completely losing her identity when she was married, Luci is too scared to try love again. Sex however... she has nothing against casual sex. Just not with her tall, gorgeous, tattooed neighbor.
Graffiti artist Rafa Costa has watched Luci avoid him for weeks. When he finally gets the chance to talk to her, he is blown away by the instant chemistry a single touch ignites. Even more so when she offers to spend time with him. Just sex though. On that, she won’t compromise. That should suit Rafa fine since he’s convinced true love is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and he lost his years ago. But Luci quickly becomes as important as the air he breathes.
Embarking on an affair that burns fast and hot through the streets of São Paulo, Rafa and Luci race headlong into disaster. When fears and ghosts from their past collide with their present, they have to decide if they are strong enough to risk everything for love or if single is the ultimate happiness.
CW: explicit (consensual) sex, discussions of past trauma (miscarriage, alcoholism, manslaughter/drunk driving)
In the years since her divorce, Brazilian-American artist Lucilia Barboa is living as she wants... free. No husband, no kids, and no interest in having either. After completely losing her identity when she was married, Luci is too scared to try love again. Sex however... she has nothing against casual sex. Just not with her tall, gorgeous, tattooed neighbor.
Graffiti artist Rafa Costa has watched Luci avoid him for weeks. When he finally gets the chance to talk to her, he is blown away by the instant chemistry a single touch ignites. Even more so when she offers to spend time with him. Just sex though. On that, she won’t compromise. That should suit Rafa fine since he’s convinced true love is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and he lost his years ago. But Luci quickly becomes as important as the air he breathes.
Embarking on an affair that burns fast and hot through the streets of São Paulo, Rafa and Luci race headlong into disaster. When fears and ghosts from their past collide with their present, they have to decide if they are strong enough to risk everything for love or if single is the ultimate happiness.
CW: explicit (consensual) sex, discussions of past trauma (miscarriage, alcoholism, manslaughter/drunk driving)
166 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 15, 2020
72 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 17, 2020
A consistently feminist romance...
This is one of those that is a bit difficult to rate because it’s soooo perfect, it’s almost TOO perfect. From the writing to the characters to how gentle and low angst it is but also how meaningful, to how contemporary themes and outcomes in romance are turned on their heads... this book is doing a lot for something so simple. The story the author wanted to tell and the character she wanted to use to tell it is very straightforward and feminist. This is a story about fear of losing oneself especially in a relationship which always requires some give and take. And I think this is something that isn’t really explored frequently in romance where the end is always the HEA and not the elements of ones personality and dreams one sacrifices for love. Not that sacrifice is bad but there is an element of loss to sacrifice and thus, it is something to fear and not to casually dismiss as inconsequential. And this, it was nice to see this treated in this romance.
The premise of this book is that artist Luci is coming out a divorce and has moved into a cozy, artsy community in Sao Paolo where her neighbour is hot guy graffiti artist/model/YouTuber, Rafa. Luci has just “found herself” post-divorce and is REALLY not looking to be in any sort of relationship that will require compromise or have an impact on her freedom. But with her wild attraction to Rafa, it’s hard to keep things “with benefits” without catching feelings.
I thought this book was VERY well-written. It’s one of those where almost every sentence is perfection; one of those where most of the book is highlighted because there are soooo many quotable moments; where every idea is PERFECTLY expressed. Luci’s sense of self and who she is and wants to be is stellar. Her (the heroine’s) approach to language and casual turns of phrase and analyzing themes like competition between women or comparisons of attractiveness and beauty, is gorgeous without being overly sanctimonious. For example, Rafa says to Luci “x girl has nothing on you (attractiveness-wise,” Luci reminds Rafa that there’s enough room in the world for all kinds of beauty and one person’s attractiveness doesn’t lessen another’s. I mean.... And what I like most about Luci is that she is kind and compassionate even as she states her views on issues and she’s not perfect because sometimes she has to remind herself of certain truths when she feels envy or doubt.
As you may be able to tell, I liked the heroine a lot. I couldn’t necessarily relate to her, but I understood her and thought she was awesome the way she was and that it was right for her to live her life on the terms she chooses. She was open minded of others but firm in her own truth and her own definition of her identity. One of the major themes of this book was compromise in love and relationships. And this romance acknowledged how bending and compromising are parts of relationship but also explored fears of losing yourself in the compromises you make for love. I thought this was interesting because it is such an uncommon theme for a romance but it is such valid issue in relationships. I loved that the author focused on this theme even though I did feel in the story compromise came across a little unbalanced. Rafa seemed to do all the bending and compromising whilst Luci was just herself, doing none of it. And of course, as a woman myself, this was lovely to see because a lot of times in romance, if someone is going to give up a dream temporarily for any reason, it will be the woman. But at the same time, because there was no opportunity in this for Luci to bend or compromise, it made me wonder what would happen to Luci and Rafa’s relationship the day he decided that he wouldn’t bend and adapt for her, and also made me question under what circumstances Luci would compromise for Rafa without feeling like she was losing her identity.
Outside of Luci and Rafa’s romantic relationship, I loved the relationship building with their siblings and friends. I loved that they both had a network of support and I’m interested in more books set in this world with Frankie, Luci’s brother, and Natali, her BFF, and even Bento, Rafa’s brother.
If I had a criticism of this book, it would be that this was almost a little too impossibly perfect. People were almost too understanding, too apt to say the right thing, too good of friends and siblings, too perfect a boyfriend/partner/lover. And of course everyone wants the perfect friend or partner, but to me, it could have done with a teeny bit more mistake-making conflict. It felt a little one-sided at times like everyone was setting up for things to be perfectly easy and convenient for Luci. Indeed, the conflict in this book mostly stemmed from Luci’s fears around acceptance of her desires and so it was all very intrinsic and character-driven (specifically Luci-driven) rather than plot-driven. And I think it could have done with a little more pushback here and there. As it was though, even with the conflict only being internal, this was still a delightful read. The author’s writing is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL! The way she intertwined her philosophies on love and relationships and identity and women into this romance was pretty much inspirational! There were several sentences and passages I found myself wanting to double and triple highlight and underline and share because they were so apt and meaningful.
If you’re looking for a feminist romance that isn’t all flowers and 2.4 kids and heroine compromising for the hero, I highly highly recommend this excellent contemporary, super feminist, low angst romance.
This is one of those that is a bit difficult to rate because it’s soooo perfect, it’s almost TOO perfect. From the writing to the characters to how gentle and low angst it is but also how meaningful, to how contemporary themes and outcomes in romance are turned on their heads... this book is doing a lot for something so simple. The story the author wanted to tell and the character she wanted to use to tell it is very straightforward and feminist. This is a story about fear of losing oneself especially in a relationship which always requires some give and take. And I think this is something that isn’t really explored frequently in romance where the end is always the HEA and not the elements of ones personality and dreams one sacrifices for love. Not that sacrifice is bad but there is an element of loss to sacrifice and thus, it is something to fear and not to casually dismiss as inconsequential. And this, it was nice to see this treated in this romance.
The premise of this book is that artist Luci is coming out a divorce and has moved into a cozy, artsy community in Sao Paolo where her neighbour is hot guy graffiti artist/model/YouTuber, Rafa. Luci has just “found herself” post-divorce and is REALLY not looking to be in any sort of relationship that will require compromise or have an impact on her freedom. But with her wild attraction to Rafa, it’s hard to keep things “with benefits” without catching feelings.
I thought this book was VERY well-written. It’s one of those where almost every sentence is perfection; one of those where most of the book is highlighted because there are soooo many quotable moments; where every idea is PERFECTLY expressed. Luci’s sense of self and who she is and wants to be is stellar. Her (the heroine’s) approach to language and casual turns of phrase and analyzing themes like competition between women or comparisons of attractiveness and beauty, is gorgeous without being overly sanctimonious. For example, Rafa says to Luci “x girl has nothing on you (attractiveness-wise,” Luci reminds Rafa that there’s enough room in the world for all kinds of beauty and one person’s attractiveness doesn’t lessen another’s. I mean.... And what I like most about Luci is that she is kind and compassionate even as she states her views on issues and she’s not perfect because sometimes she has to remind herself of certain truths when she feels envy or doubt.
As you may be able to tell, I liked the heroine a lot. I couldn’t necessarily relate to her, but I understood her and thought she was awesome the way she was and that it was right for her to live her life on the terms she chooses. She was open minded of others but firm in her own truth and her own definition of her identity. One of the major themes of this book was compromise in love and relationships. And this romance acknowledged how bending and compromising are parts of relationship but also explored fears of losing yourself in the compromises you make for love. I thought this was interesting because it is such an uncommon theme for a romance but it is such valid issue in relationships. I loved that the author focused on this theme even though I did feel in the story compromise came across a little unbalanced. Rafa seemed to do all the bending and compromising whilst Luci was just herself, doing none of it. And of course, as a woman myself, this was lovely to see because a lot of times in romance, if someone is going to give up a dream temporarily for any reason, it will be the woman. But at the same time, because there was no opportunity in this for Luci to bend or compromise, it made me wonder what would happen to Luci and Rafa’s relationship the day he decided that he wouldn’t bend and adapt for her, and also made me question under what circumstances Luci would compromise for Rafa without feeling like she was losing her identity.
Outside of Luci and Rafa’s romantic relationship, I loved the relationship building with their siblings and friends. I loved that they both had a network of support and I’m interested in more books set in this world with Frankie, Luci’s brother, and Natali, her BFF, and even Bento, Rafa’s brother.
If I had a criticism of this book, it would be that this was almost a little too impossibly perfect. People were almost too understanding, too apt to say the right thing, too good of friends and siblings, too perfect a boyfriend/partner/lover. And of course everyone wants the perfect friend or partner, but to me, it could have done with a teeny bit more mistake-making conflict. It felt a little one-sided at times like everyone was setting up for things to be perfectly easy and convenient for Luci. Indeed, the conflict in this book mostly stemmed from Luci’s fears around acceptance of her desires and so it was all very intrinsic and character-driven (specifically Luci-driven) rather than plot-driven. And I think it could have done with a little more pushback here and there. As it was though, even with the conflict only being internal, this was still a delightful read. The author’s writing is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL! The way she intertwined her philosophies on love and relationships and identity and women into this romance was pretty much inspirational! There were several sentences and passages I found myself wanting to double and triple highlight and underline and share because they were so apt and meaningful.
If you’re looking for a feminist romance that isn’t all flowers and 2.4 kids and heroine compromising for the hero, I highly highly recommend this excellent contemporary, super feminist, low angst romance.
March 20, 2020
I Enjoyed everything about this book there was nothing I didn't like about the book. I Like the setting,the writing style,the plot,the plot twists and the characters in the book were amazing.I would gladly reread it again.
March 15, 2020
Artist Luci is living her life as she wants since her divorce and has instant attraction to her neighbour graffiti artist Rafe. When their past demons come back to haunt them, will they survive? This is a good story which had me intrigued and hooked throughout and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Want to read
April 16, 2020💝
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
💝
June 11, 2020
I received a free copy of Courageous Lovers in exchange for an honest review. This was a quick and easy read. I enjoyed the depth of the characters Lucilia and Rafa. I also really enjoyed the Brazilian background, and the introduction to some of the culture and history there.
Overall, this was a book that I would recommend.
Overall, this was a book that I would recommend.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews