From Lukov with Love

I did not plan to read this book as fast or as soon as I did :) I got it as soon as it came out, because I own all other Mariana's books... although so far I read only one... well, with this one that number have gone up to two ;) anyway... ;) I love her writing style, so buying her other novels wasn't even a question... :) so I bought this one, but had a whole other plan of reading... but then... this one... it's about figure skaters you guys... :) I loved that sport when I was younger... I watched it in the middle of the night if there was a live transmission of world championships and such... but I've never read a book with main characters who do it :) by the way, if you have any other recommendations like this, definitely let me know :) but back to this book :) *sighs* my brain is all over the place today ;) so even though I was suppose to read something else... my mind kept coming back to this one... and it took me like one day to decide to dive into it... I figured that I can just check it out, read a few chapters and just see if it's something I will enjoy at that moment... yeah... I devoured this book practically in one day... and it's quite long :) I just couldn't put it down :) so let me tell you more about the overall plot of the story and our main character and then I will get into all the reasons why I adored it so much :) The main character of the story is Jasmine... I mean, yes, we also have Ivan and their hate-to-love-with-a-weird-friendship-inbetween sort of romance ;) but in my opinion this is a story about Jasmine... about her accepting who she really is, what she's ready to sacrifice to accomplish her dreams, coming to terms with her past choices and just growing as a person... so let me tell you more about her :) Jasmine is a figure skater... she trained basically her whole life, first as a solo performer, and then in pairs... she had success as a junior, but never quite accomplished her dreams as a senior... or once she switched to pairs... I understand why some people may have problems with her... why in some reviews I read you could see people describing her as obnoxious, annoying... but I would use adjectives like stubborn, strong-willed, determined... she's not a kind of person who will stand down from a fight... I loved her for all of that... :) she's a survivor... every time life knocks her down, she gets right back up... now, about a year after her last partner left her, she's working part time and still training on her own... that is until she gets a most unexpected proposition... Ivan Lukov, a guy she hates, her friends brother... an owner of many gold trophies... a guy she hates... he and his coach want her to be his new partner for one year... yeah... that's quite a shocker for her... but it is a chance for her to achieve her dreams... maybe her last one... so after consideration and establishing some rules she decides to agree... the whole book takes place over the span of that year, with an absolutely wonderful epilogue at the very end with the most amazing glimpse into the future :) so now that we have some basic informations out of the way, let me tell you about all the reasons why I loved this story so much :) and the main one is... Jasmine :) again, I understand why some people might not like her, but I really connected with her... and not because we are very similar, although there were times when I definitely could relate to her and the way she was acting... ;) not always the best thing ;) don't get me wrong, she wasn't perfect... far from it, but... she really struck a chord deep within my heart and I was a goner ;) even though she definitely did some super irritating things a few times within the pages of this novel... but each of her flaws and mistakes made her more real, more human in my eyes... I can't count all the times when I wanted to shake some sense into her and the next moment I just wanted to hug her :) like I mentioned before, for me this is a story about Jasmine... about how she changes and grows as a person within that year... how she learns new things about herself... *sighs happily* I loved her character development... and of course we can't forget about Ivan... he was... a big mystery at the beginning of the story... mainly because he speaks very little, and since the whole story is told from the perspective of Jasmine, we have to wait to get to know more about him... but it's definitely worth it :) because we discover, along with Jasmine, that the person he shows to the world... the champion figure skater, is just a small part of him... I adored discovering every little new thing about him... showing us how much more complex he is than what I originally thought... not to mention his relationship with Jasmine... since they have a history of fights between them, it's hard to imagine how them skating together can be sucessful... but they are both goal oriented and determined to make it work... over time and once they slowly start to get to know each other more, they turn into unexpected friends... very peculiar friends I have to add, but friends nonetheless :) and since Mariana can be called Queen of Slow Burn Romances for very good reasons, it's not until very late within the story when their relationship turns romantic :) I was more than ok with that, because it gave us the opportunity to be a part of their whole journey... :) *sighs dreamily* and I loved every part of it :) another absoltely fantastic and complex part of this story was Jasmine's family... apparently one of her sisters was the heroine of Mariana's other book, but I haven't read it yet :) all her stories can be read as total standalones so don't worry if you haven't read any of her other novels :) they are a very... interesting bunch :) I think my personal favourite was her mom... for many reasons :) but I don't really want to get into too many details, so you can make up your own opinions while reading the story :) the writing style was once more phenomenal... even though the book is not short, it felt like I was flying through it... reading chapter after chapter, because I could not put it down... Mariana made me fell completely in love with Jasmine, even though she wasn't an easy character... this whole book made my laugh, tear up, sigh in frustration, made all sorts of aaaawwww noises because of some totally adorable scenes... it was a perfect mix of everything I love in books, and I highly recommend you guys to give it a try :)

There is no one who does slow burn better than Mariana Zapata. At this point I'm just stating facts, honestly. I loved this book soooo much I feel like I can't even put into words how happy this book made me feel. Right now I have the biggest grin on my face and my heart feels full, like when you finish the best love story and you just know that they're going to be happy together for the rest of their lives. It's how I feel about Jasmine and Ivan. Because if there were ever two people who were meant to be, it's those two. I love that this was a enemies to friends to lovers romance but I loved even more was how they pretty much weren't enemies at all but it was all foreplay to what everyone could see but Jasmine. I won't even say Ivan because it feels clear to me that from the very beginning, Ivan has been interested in Jasmine and she was the only one clueless to his affections towards her. And that fact that he's been waiting around for her for freaking YEARS makes me love him so much but also makes their romance feel that much more soulmate worthy. I loved pretty much everything about this book but I especially loved Jasmine. I love how perfectly imperfect she is. I love how she is so unapologetically herself and how many would call her an unlikable heroine and she wouldn't give a hoot about it. She is who she is and she never apologizes for it and I loved that about her sooo much. She has worked so freaking hard for her dream, it honestly hurt me that she she kept failing while everyone else around her was succeeding. But what is so great about Jasmine is that she NEVER gives up, not on herself and not on the things that really matter. This book was very much centered on Jasmine's journey as a ice skater and as a person; I would even go as far as saying it was about her journey first, and the romance second. Though as a side note, that one sex scene we got was SO. FREAKING. HOT. Like seriously, hot. Their chemistry was off the charts and that one scene alone made me wish on all the stars in the sky that Mariana would have more sexy times in her books because hot DAMN. So if I loved this book so freaking much, why only 4 stars? Well there were a few things that bothered me: 1. I felt like the writing at certain points was a bit awkward and confusing. For example, many times throughout the book she would say things like "the woman standing next to me said," or "my mom's fourth husband said" and it was just so...weird? We know their names, she literally said them one line before so why did she have to keep referring to them through this characterization quirk? (I don't even know if that is a thing or if it makes sense but I'm going with it for now). It became annoying after a while because I just wanted to shout, "JUST CALL THEM BY THEIR DAMN NAME ALREADY" and at one point in the beginning when she'd done it with their Coach Lee I was genuinely confused when she'd refer to her as "the other woman standing next to me" because I thought maybe I'd missed something and there was more than one coach in the room and I had to keep rereading the paragraph or page over. 2. I feel like I complain about this all the time but while I love how she's so amazing at the slow burn, I feel like she forget that she needs to actually show us them as a couple. Don't get me wrong, I felt their connection and could feel that they'd be perfect together as a couple and they'd last for the long haul but once more it took until 95% for them to actually get together and that didn't really leave much room to show us them together as a couple. And I don't know if it's just a me thing, but while I want the slow burn, I also want the satisfaction of seeing them date and be a couple too. I feel like it gets tricky in this book because technically even though they weren't together and Jasmine was acting oblivious to what was in front of her, they were pretty much acting like a couple for the last quarter-ish of the book. I knew that Ivan was in love with her well before he admitted it and I knew that she had feelings for him too even if she hadn't realized it yet, but I wanted to see them be together longer than half a chapter. I'm not trying to be harsh or mean but it's clear that the author has a formula that has worked very well for her in the past. Hell, her next five books could follow the same formula of: slow burn to the max and then last five precent showing them finally admit their feelings and I'd still buy every single one of them. But at the same time, it's going to get old. And just because something has worked for you before doesn't mean you shouldn't grow as a writer and try new things. I'm not saying she needs to stop doing what she's doing because I love her for it so much but I'm saying maybe tweak it or throw in a curveball or two to keep us readers on our toes every once in a while. 3. And my final complaint would be that I felt like the writing was drawn out. It's not that I didn't love it and I wasn't completely hooked from beginning to end, because I was. But when I was reading, she would take three pages to say one thing and I got the distinct feeling she was just being wordy to be wordy. For example, I didn't need 3-4 pages of inner dialogue about how she was sad that her mom was sad, especially when it felt like it was in a constant loop of the same thing being said four different ways. This kind of ties into my point two where you could've used those extra words/pages or whatever to show us them as a couple instead of feeling like you needed to draw things out for the simple fact that it's kind of what you're known for. Again I don't mean this in a catty or nasty way because I genuinely love this author and her writing so freaking much it's not even funny. But it was just the impression I got a few times while reading. But besides those three things, I absolutely loved this book and felt like I went through the best freaking journey with these characters. Mariana Zapata is easily one of my favorite authors and I love that I can count on her to make me fall so in love with her books, no matter what. I also want to point out that I love her immensely for always having diversity in her books; she is one of the few romance authors that I can say that has multiple books with WOC heroines and I love that she consistently gives it to us. Not only that but she gives diversity in so many other aspects to, like in the topics covered in her books. Her characters are not one dimensional and they very much feel like real people, people who I could know and be friends with. Overall, if you are a fan of this author's previous books you will 100% love this book so hardcore. And if you haven't read anything by her yet you need to jump on the Zapata train and pick up this book asap.

I LOVE LOVE LOVED IT. Make way, The Wall of Winnipeg and Me and Kulti, From Lukov with Love is joining you in my 're-read all over and over and over again' pile. This book had Mariana Zapata's signature slow burn that I can't get enough, characters I can't help but absolutely love, and fantastic banter that made me laugh out loud, all the while set in a sport world I don't usually encounter in romance novels (If you know more figure skating/pair skating romances, please recommend them to me!). Plus, Ivan and Jasmine are my favorite MZ hero and heroine. Jasmine Santos has been in the figure and pair skating world for as long as she can remember, but at twenty-six and without a partner after he left her in the dust, she might have to hang up her skates. Talented as she is, she hasn't won a gold medal since her junior years, and with people she has attitude problems, it isn't exactly easy to find a new partner. But when world champion and darling of the skating world Ivan Lukov and his coach asks her to become his partner, Jasmine knows this is an opportunity of a lifetime. Only thing is she can't stand Ivan, and the feeling is mutual. Despite Jasmine being Ivan's sister's best friend, the two have been at each other's throats since they were teenagers, and the animosity stayed with them even as they grew up. If they want to make their partnership work, they'll have to try to get along, or at least not try to kill each other while they're training. Outside the rink is fair game. But a partnership like theirs needs a strong foundation of trust in each other, and they don't trust each other at all. I laughed so much at Ivan and Jasmine's antics. These two did not hold back at all. They can't spend time together without throwing insults at each other that the people around them don't know whether to be frustrated or entertained. There were times my chest ached and I wanted to kick Ivan where it hurts because some of the things he said were pretty sore points for Jasmine, and honestly for me, too. Jasmine's not innocent either. But all in all, it's pretty innocent; it's become a routine for them to do it that their words do not have as much heat as it sounds. Okay, let me start with my dear Vanya. I'm pretty sure Ivan Lukov is my favorite MZ hero. He's different than the rest of the author's heroes. He's cocky but not to the point of being conceited, charming, and more outgoing than the previous heroes. He's affectionate and teasing, and has more to him than meets the eye. He's a celebrated athlete, but you can't begrudge him for his fame and success because you know well he worked hard for it. That's what makes him perfect for Jasmine. He understands her pains and struggles as an athlete, and knows better than anyone of the sacrifices they have to give to be where they are. And he's funny as heck! Jasmine, unlike her shy and reticent older sister Ruby (heroine of Dear Aaron), is outspoken and does not hold back to tell others what she's thinking. She's confident in who she is as a person and will never pretend to be something she's not just to please others, and you know what, that's what I admired about her the most. Because of that, people often mistake it for being mean and unapproachable. I have a similar outlook on life as Jasmine, and it hit me in the feels when I learned more about her. She's 100% focused on her career, and because of that, she's lost time she should have been spending with her family and everyone she loves. She seems emotionally detached, but truly she's kind-hearted. If you've read DA, Jas was a teenager then and honestly, to me, she seemed selfish or conceited. She's grown since then after finally realizing how much her family has sacrificed for her to reach her dreams, and she's making a conscious effort to make it up to them. But as I've said, Jasmine isn't a touchy-feely person, and she's still trying to figure out how to make it up to her family all the while trying to understand her real goal in her career and her frustrations. It's one of her biggest struggles here, and we get to see how she overcomes that. I loved watching this part of her, the growth Jasmine has to go through in From Lukov with Love. I loved the Santos family dynamic! Jasmine and her mom, Jas and her brothers and sisters (plus their significant others and children), it was such a treat to read about them! You can see it in her family why Jasmine is the way she is. They're not outwardly affectionate towards each other in a conventional sense, but the strong love is obvious. They tease and hurl insults at each other but will threaten bodily harm on people who they think would hurt their brood. Special mention to James who's the best! It was so funny when he and Jas bickered. The family dynamic felt authentic, even her strained relationship with her father. And as a Filipino, I have to confirm that some of the parents (luckily not mine) tend to think the same as Jasmine's father who believes that a college degree and a nine-to-five office job is better than anything else. While this book is full of funny antics, it has its fair share of angst, too. But other than that, there are a lot of feels! When the two decides to become friends, it's obvious how compatible they were, and then when they started caring for each other??? AHHHH. Feels! I love it when guys are affectionate and sweet and thoughtful and ahhh. I can't. From Lukov with Love is a standalone so people don't need to read Dear Aaron to appreciate it, but I still recommend reading DA first since it was set a few years prior to Lukov. But if you've read Dear Aaron already and loved them, you'll see a little bit more of #Ruron here! Fans of Kulti and enemies to lovers romance will love From Lukov with Love! It will make you laugh, tear up, and fall in love, not just with Ivan and Jasmine, but with figure and pair skating, as well. Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Best Friend's Brother, Sports—Pair Skating POV: First Person, Female POV Standalone: Yes

Omg!!! I love Ivan and Jasmine so freaking much!! Their banter is so silly and funny!!! This book had me cackling like a mad woman!! The writing was superb and the amazing slow burn kept me at the edge of my seat. I love Jasmine's relationship with her mom and siblings so much too. Their convos are so awesome!! And her mom calls her Grumpy!!! I loved Jasmine's character from the moment I started reading. Maybe because we are so similar lol, but I immediately wanted to know more about her and what happened in the past that made her think and behave the way she does now. I also wanted to know everything about her relationship with Ivan as they were growing up. I loved Galina and her tough love and Coach Lee not having their silly arguments. I love how sweet and understanding Ivan is with Jasmine when she needs him to be. I loved how she could confide in him and how he never judged her. Their private moments were everything❤️❤️❤️. And he went to get her when she felt bad after her mom's accident, and made her hot cocoa and took her to his room at the rink. And he hugged her and the things he told her were just perfect. And the way he took care of her when she got sick!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️. Chapter 17 was not what I was expecting at all. Jasmine's dad is just such an arse!!!! I was so mad. It felt like I was sitting there and I wanted to stab him in the eye with a fork. I felt so bad for Jasmine. I couldn't help but cry when she finally broke down in Ivan's arms. And he was just perfect!!!! He loves her so much even if he hasn't told her yet. I just can't help but smile and sigh every single time he hugs her and tells her how amazing she really is. He truly is perfect for her ❤️❤️❤️. I also loved how her brother came to her and hugged her and told her he loves her and how her mom and Ben are so supportive of her, too. I was so proud of Jasmine when she spoke to her dad at the LC!! He definitely needed to hear how she feels. I'm so mad that he can't support her like she deserves!!! Ugh!!! Luckily, Ivan was ready with a Hersheys kiss to make her day better❤️❤️❤️. I just LOVE how much he knows her, even better than she knows herself sometimes. He's always ready to get her out of her own head and be supportive and amazing while still being an arse😁❤️. And her family called him to get her out of her funk. They know he's the only one who can get through to her. And he's just as stubborn as she is and loves her so much!!! And then he kissed her and it was so unexpected and sweet❤️❤️❤️. And he got her a new bracelet and kept her old one for himself!!! Can this man be any more perfect?!?!?! And her dad came to see them compete!!! And Ivan mouthed "I Love You" to her right before they skated!!!❤️❤️❤️. And her dad had the best sign at their long program. And those last few chapters and the epilogue were just so awesome and perfect!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️Ivan Lukov will forever be one of my favorite book boyfriends!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

On paper is the perfect book for me and I was so excited to finally get to it. While it did make me nervous to read such a long romance that I knew was going to be a real slow burn, I was up for the challenge. In the end this book was a disappointment for me. First of all the thing I was most excited about was the fact that this was about figure skating. I absolutely love figure skating, I have since I was a kid and if I had one athletic bone in my body I would have loved for it to be a figure skating bone, but sadly we saw very little of the figure skating. At 60% in Jasmine and Ivan were just getting getting on the ice and didn't even have a routine yet. It's not until like 85% or maybe higher that they even make it to a competition. For me I think that was the most disappointing. Also disappointing for me was that this was single POV. I really did like Jasmine as the heroine of this book BUT 500 plus pages of being in her head was exhausting. Ivan was a character that I loved just from what we see from Jasmine, but I could have really fallen in love with if we got the opportunity to be in his head. Again I liked Jasmine a lot, but she was too much at times; always in her head about how no one could love her, how she is not good enough and how she will never be able to repay people for the things that have done for her. But then she would have these moments when her dad was terrible, or other people said nasty things about her that I understood her. For me Ivan was a great hero for Jasmine, he was so strong, determined and caring. He had so many moments of sweetness and I loved seeing how he took care of Jasmine. As far as the relationship between Ivan and Jasmine, I hate to say it but I was not feeling the chemistry. This is enemies to lovers, so by the time Jasmine realized she didn't actually hate Ivan and that she loved him I was like "okay, I can see that" he's been her rock, he's done so much to support her. But I could not see lasting love for Ivan. I could see friends, but not lovers. Speaking of lovers, there is a sex scene and it is open door, but honestly I feel like there was no build up to it, and it kind of felt like it was just thrown in there because it is a romance. Again I think being able to be in Ivan's head would have really helped with that. I definitely didn't understand why this book was 500 plus pages. There were so many things thrown in that just didn't need to be thrown in, and things that I understood why they were happening but just lasted too dang long. Without getting into spoilers there was a whole chapter where something happened to a family member of Jasmine's and they didn't call when when it happened and it was a whole chapter of Jasmine beating herself up for not being someone they called right away. I honestly think this book could have been at least 150 pages shorter and accomplished the same thing. With all of that said, I did not hate this book. Even though I'm sure it seems like I did, I enjoyed a lot about this book. Mostly they revolved around Ivan taking care of Jasmine in some way, I also love the glimpses we got of Ivan's life off of the ice, I loved Jasmine's big family, I did love the glimpses we got to see of the skating, and I did enjoy the epilogue (even though I wish we got to see some of the things discussed in the epilogue on page). I have two other books by this author and I will give them a try eventually. I have heard that her books follow the same formula so I am happy to know what to expect going in.

4.5/5 stars From Lukov with Love is a contemporary romance set in the world of competitive figure skating. It can be read as a standalone. However characters from Dear Aaron (Ruby and Aaron) have a small part in this book (and you will see what happens to them in the future). Jasmine is Ruby's little sister. This book is typical Mariana Zapata. The book is super long. And the romance takes forever to even begin. But the story is really strong. The narrator is 26 year old Jasmine. She is a figure skater. I enjoy figure skating and was thrilled when I realized that it was such an important part of this book. Jasmine is unlike any other female narrator that I've ever read. She is tough. She swears a lot. She is stubborn. But I loved that she was so different from the usual heroine. One of my favorite things about this book is Jasmine's family. I loved all of the family dinners. And all of Jasmine's family members were so interesting and unique. I feel dumb that I did not put together that Ruby (from Dear Aaron) and Jasmine were sisters. I wish that had been mentioned in the book blurb or had been more widely mentioned before release. I think that I would have gotten more out of this book if I had realized this connection. Ivan Lukov is the other main character in this book. He is also a figure skater. I was fascinated by Ivan. It was interesting to only get to see him from Jasmine's POV. I think that this would have been a completely different book if we had gotten his POV. I really enjoyed this book. It was very long for a contemporary romance. But it didn't feel long. I was extremely invested in the story and the characters. I hate insta-love. So I do like that MZ takes her time when developing friendships or relationships. But I am a bit torn. I would really like to see more of the actual romantic relationship take place in the book. It's crazy to me that at a certain percent towards the end there was still no romance. I was a bit worried that this book might be too predictable for me. But there were actually quite a few things that happened that I was not expecting. So that was good. The ending is everything for me. And I felt like for a 500+ page book I was disappointed that some of the things that I wanted to see were not shown. The epilogue was not bad. But it was set in the future. It was nice to read about what happened to Jasmine. But it felt like so much of her life was summarized vs shown. Overall, if you like figure skating or are a fan of the slow burn then this book will be for you.

I love From Lukov with Love. It's one of my favorite books from Mariana Zapata, a real page turner that gives me sleepless nights staying up reading. For starters – I love Dear Aaron and From Lukov with Love shows the future of Aaron & Ruby but in a way that gives updates on their life now rather than overshadow Jasmine and Ivan story. The book is set 4 years after Dear Aaron epilogue. They now have 2 kids and are expecting a 3rd. Ruby is still making Jasmine and now Ivan costumes. We got more details about their marriage – they eloped and are happy. Moving onto Jasmine. Jasmine was biracial, half-filipino, and a figure skater in her 20s with a learning disability. She was a strong-willed character who knew who she was and what she wanted. However she has like most people, a desire for their parents acceptance. She didn't feel seen by her dad, and she didn't feel accepted, her dreams conflicted with his idea of success. That was something I believe a lot of people can relate to. Who you are versus who your parents want you to be can be at odds and decisions you make can be decisions they dislike but Jasmine never gave up, she fought for her dream and stayed true to her sense of self. Rather than please others, she lived her life for her and not for other people approval. Going back to Dear Aaron briefly, that’s where Ruby and Jasmine were different. Ruby was a people pleaser, but she started to change that and stand up for herself. She became her own person whereas Jasmine has always been her own. I liked how it doesn't pay out to please others and sacrifice your own happiness but it’s better to be true to your authentic self. Back to Jasmine, aside from admiring her for staying true to herself, I also admired her kindness in helping others when bullied. Although she was a strong character, she appeared to have a hard time being vulnerable and expressing her feelings. She tended to bottle them up and then they explode however with Ivan, she slowly opened up to him and confided in him. She also didn't like others helping her or taking care of her. Ivan was incredibly sweet. He had a lot of good qualities. He loved and cared for rescues. He defended her before she even knew he liked her, and he cared about her for as long as he knew her as a friend of the family. He was relatable. He was a homebody who preferred it because he didn't liked to be watched and talked about (who does?). Besides that he was supportive and affectionate. He talked about his feelings, allowed himself to be vulnerable. He had no problem expressing himself. He was observant - noticed Jasmine had a learning disability and when she had rough days, knew she liked Hershey kisses and would offer them to her when she was low. He took care of her when she was sick, by her side offering support when needed, and comforting her when upset. He was a good friend and love interest for Jasmine. He balanced her out. His speech at the end of the book when he told her he loved was so sweet - how she can have 10 other people as her favorite but she'll always be his favorite person. Sa-woon. Finally my favorite scene of the book is when Ivan comforts Jasmine after she confides she doesn't feel like she's enough, that she's not good enough but Ivan comforts her and tells her she is enough and always will be. Jasmine feelings like she couldn't keep her parents together is common in divorced kids. My parents divorced and I blamed myself for a long time. All in all, 5 stars. I love Mariana Zapata books for the character development, romance, and relatable characters and experiences. Bravo!

FINAL DECISION: A true slow burn, this book was exactly what I needed to read right now. A substantive relationship with characters that have depth and interest. New author to me, but I look forward to reading more. THE STORY: Jasmine Santos is a talented but struggling figure skater whose career has hit a rough patch. She is dealing with the pressures of her sport, financial difficulties, a bad last partner, and trying to reconnect with her family. She has been floating since separating from her last partner but keeps skating even as people begin to see that her career is over and she should consider teaching. Enter Ivan Lukov, the brother of one of Jasmine's friends. Ivan is a skilled, successful skater who has been pushing Jasmine's anger buttons for years. Despite their history of clashes and differences in personalities, Jasmine and Ivan agree to become skating partners out of necessity -- but only for one year. Along the way, the relationship between the two changes as they develop a complex and evolving relationship that goes beyond the ice rink. OPINION: This is the first book by this author that I have read, but it won't be the last. It eschews the overdramatic and grounds itself so deep in reality that I felt that I could meet these two characters at the local ice skating rink. Jasmine is such a complex character: prickly, caring, a perfectionist, a bit of an emotional mess. At first, I wasn't sure about her, but the book does such a great job of bringing the reader into her life that I quickly began to love her quirks. Ivan -- oh, simply adorable. The way the book is structured, readers don't know his thoughts in the book. Therefore, we only get to know him through his actions and words and how Jasmine views him which changes as the book progresses. The relationship between Jasmine and Ivan builds slowly and felt so real. The book really builds from the characters and doesn't rely on cheap dramatic tricks to draw the characters together. Instead, it is the small things -- helping after a car won't start, babysitting that builds the relationship. The best part of this book? By the time the book ends, there is no question that these two are perfect for one another. The family dynamics were amazing here as well. Jasmine has a lot to learn about her family. This book serves as her catalyst for finding what her role is in her family. By the way, I loved Jasmine's mom and her siblings. They are devoted to Jasmine but also funny characters. It really felt like a great family. I just loved this whole universe of characters, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. WORTH MENTIONING: Great for fans of ice skating. CONNECTED BOOKS: FROM LUKOV WITH LOVE is a standalone. STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

Dare I say best slow burn book? Because I ate this up !!! It's one of my favourite books for sure and I defently recommend it.

This author! She amazes me every time I read one of her books. They are always slow-burn romances featuring real people with real-life issues. They are beautifully unhurried and a great study of human nature in all its forms. "There wasn't anything wrong with me. I stood up for myself. I stood up for other people." Jasmine Santos has dedicated her whole life to her sport. She's missed out on education, a social life, friendships beyond her close-knit family and the figure-skating world, and romantic relationships. Once a promising, rising star, something has been holding her back. Now, at 26, people seem to have already written her off, and her reputation is not quite stellar. "The brother to one of my only friends. The man who had not once said a kind word to me in over ten years. That's how I knew him." Ivan Lukov is figure skating personified. He can do no wrong. He's the golden boy of the ice. He's also a major thorn in Jasmine's side. One comment to him, when she was a teen, set the course of their acquaintance. Everybody knows that they can't stand one another. Then her number one frenemy and his coach approach her with an unthinkable opportunity that will give her a shot at winning a coveted gold medal, and revive her flagging career. This book was EVERYTHING! "You. Matter. To. Me. You." Like so many of this author's female characters, Jasmine is a strong, determined, no-nonsense woman. She doesn't sugarcoat anything. She might be blunt, but I loved her integrity and her work ethic. Like any elite athlete, she had her fair share of doubts, especially about all the things she's sacrificed in the name of her sport. I loved how she soldiered on with her first love in the face of disappointment and bad press; her refusal to justify her actions to anybody. Underneath her tough facade, she was a loving person who thought the world of those closest to her, and she had a propensity to stand up for the underdog. "Regardless of what happens, you will always be the best partner I've ever had. You'll always be the hardest working person I've ever known. There will only ever be you." I like to think of Ivan as a typical MZ hero. As her books are usually told from the female POV, we have to pick up clues to how the hero really feels, and what he thinks about the heroine and certain situations. Ivan was a match made in heaven for Jasmine. He was talented, commanding, and stubborn. He gave as good as he got and I loved that he enjoyed her snark- revelled in it, even. He was so fawned over as superstar that I'm sure he loved that she spoke to him so irreverently! LOL. I loved that he knew just how to treat her in any given situation. It was so clear how well he knew her and that he really cared about her and respected her as a person, as well as an athlete. He was pretty darn swoony! This book was humorous because Jasmine is such a snarky person, who doesn't mince her words. However, it also really tugged at my heartstrings - from quite early on, in fact. I was constantly wiping my eyes because I empathised with her struggles. She's such a tough cookie on the outside but, underneath, she had a big forgiving heart, and was just as vulnerable as the next person, with her doubts, her insecurities, and her anxieties. This was a fantastic, compelling read, with ice-hot chemistry between the two main characters. I loved EVERY. SINGLE. WORD. #TopRead2018

1 or 2 pages got ink spot but overall it's good.

¿POR DÓNDE EMPIEZO? 🤧😭✨ De Lukov with Love es un libro romántico de enemigos a amantes, de combustión lenta, sobre dos patinadores artísticos, Jasmine e Ivan, que deben emparejarse después de que ambos se encuentren en circunstancias difíciles, dejando de lado sus diferencias y su aversión mutua por el otro. Adoré a Jasmine y su personalidad desde el primer capítulo. Ella es la definición de una mujer fuerte (tanto física como emocionalmente), valiente, decidida y ruda. Ella es intensa y ruidosa la mayor parte del tiempo, pero de la mejor manera, y me encantó leer sobre todo lo que dijo, hizo, o la forma en que reaccionó a las cosas que la rodeaban. Los lazos entre ella y los miembros de su familia eran tan buenos, y sus relaciones eran tan dulces de leer. Tenemos a Ivan Luvok. Si bien Jasmine lo presenta en primer lugar como un pinchazo, arrogante e irritante, pronto podemos empezar a vislumbrar rasgos de su verdadero carácter: dulce, considerado y justo alguien por quien me enamoré perdidamente. Me encantó su discusión con Jasmine y cómo trataron de molestarse el uno al otro en cualquier oportunidad que pudiera presentar. Pero también cómo lentamente vemos que se cuidan unos a otros, se sienten cómodos y a gusto cuando el otro está cerca, y los pequeños actos y gestos con los que comienzan a tratarse a medida que avanza la historia. El romance fue TAN. MALDITO. BUENO. Increíble Maravilloso Cada pequeña cosa, una mirada, un gesto, una palabra entre Ivan y Jasmine era mágica, y estaba tan bien escrita que no me cansaba de ellas. Eran absolutamente adorables tanto individualmente como en su conjunto, y el tropo de la combustión lenta y de enemigos a amantes era fenomenal. He visto a todo el mundo hablar de lo maravillosas que son las lentas quemaduras de Mariana Zaapta, y estoy aquí para confirmar y elogiar tales afirmaciones. La forma en que pasaron de ser enemigos, a compañeros, a mejores amigos, a amantes fue increíble y una transición tan lenta y dulce que no se sintió apresurada ni provocada en ningún momento. En conclusión, este libro bien podría ser mi nuevo romance independiente favorito absoluto. Todos los libros de Mariana Zapata están ahora en mi tbr y puedes esperar que venga gritando a tus dms sobre lo bueno que es este libro. Ivan y Jasmine me han robado completamente el corazón y no lo voy a aceptar de vuelta.

I really thought this book would be okay but I didn’t expect to fall in love with the MC. It’s not every day that you read about an unapologetic strong female. There are a lot of strong characters out there, but Jasmine really knows herself and owns her sh*t and doesn’t want to change the way she works. I loved the whole book, the whole story that still managed to surprise me by not using the expected blown-up drama and miscommunication trope. It had everything to keep me up way too late for a couple of days, and make me feel more confident about my own flaws.