The Love Conspiracy by J.J. Arias is a steamy, slow burn, ice queen, age gap romance about finding love with the person you least expected to.
Veronica Marin is a fierce 40-year-old lawyer who is a force to be reckoned with. She loves control and has it at work and at home, or so she thinks. When a stranger turns up at her door exposing her husband, Gabe, as a liar and a cheat, Veronica’s world as she knows it is shattered. Not that Veronica shows it, in fact, her icy facade only hardens as she swears to track down all of Gabe’s unsuspecting partners, expose him then file for divorce.
Ally Franco has it all, a loving family, a stable relationship, and a bright future. At 27 her career as a yoga instructor is thriving, she’s happy and content. That is until Veronica shows up and tells her that her fiancé is actually her husband and suddenly that bright future looks bleak.
Ally decides to work with Veronica to help her uncover Gabe’s lies, but as they work together, they also uncover an undeniable attraction to one another. Can you really be attracted to your ex’s wife/fiancé? And as those feelings grow will Ally and Veronica risk all for a chance at true love?
Writing
This book is extremely well written, I was sucked into the storyline after the first chapter and never wanted to be let go. The writing is real and raw and the emotions the author conveys were felt deep in my chest. The dialogue is effortless, and I reread several exchanges between Veronica and Ally.
This author knows how to describe a sunset so you see the colours, a fire so you feel the heat, and a pool that sounds so inviting you want to take a dip. I saw and felt it all and it was luxurious.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
I’m head over heels in love with Veronica Marin, she’s strong, fierce, and shiver-worthy icy. Even when her life has been shattered this woman holds her head high and refuses to be broken. She’s one of those women whose presence is felt in every room she enters. But as we know these beautiful creatures with icy walls are usually broken inside and Veronica is no different. The truths she now knows and the realization that she was in fact not as in control of her life as she first thought have left her feeling unstable. Cue Ally.
Ally Franco is one of those caring beautiful people that you can’t help but like. She is the sunshine to Veronica’s rain clouds and it’s not long before bit by bit she starts to shine through those stormy clouds and helps Veronica see a life she didn’t even know she wanted. That’s not to say that Ally isn’t also broken by Gabe’s betrayal, she’s devastated but the thing about Ally is that she sees the bigger picture, is willing to let go and start to heal and when that healing is over, she makes it clear that Veronica could be her future.
I loved the storyline, the main characters, the side characters, and the beautiful settings. The romance is slow to build, the tension at times almost unbearable, but when it explodes the heat is enough to burn your eyes. It’s dreamy and delicious and left me aching for more.
This is one of those books where the ice queen does a complete and believable 360 by the end. It’s a journey filled with anguish and self-discovery, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Heads Up
The main theme of this book is cheating but neither of the main characters cheat.
The Conclusion
If you love an icy but redeemable character, then this one is for you. This story is one of self-loathing that leads to self-discovery. It’s a book where you go on a believable journey with someone who manages to completely turn their life around. Veronica Marin is strong and fierce, a force to be reckoned with. But she’s also lost and broken, it takes a woman whom she thought she would hate to open her eyes to the possibility life has to offer. This is a delicious slow-burn romance, filled with tension and longing from Ally and struggling denial from Veronica. It’s a slow-boiling pressure cooker and when it blows the heat is all-consuming.
This book held me in the pages from the first chapter. At times the anticipation was almost too much, but only almost because I loved every minute of it. The hurt, the laughter, the joy, and the pain are all perfectly balanced and together they create a kaleidoscope of emotions that left me breathless.
This is a quick go read it from me and be prepared to feel all the feels and love it.
Excerpt from The Love Conspiracy by J.J. Arias
Unable to stop competing, even with herself, even when there were much bigger things to worry about, Veronica tried to force her body not to hurt. Despite herself, she tried to follow Allison’s instruction. Tried to do the best damn downward dog the world had ever seen.
“May I?” Suddenly Allison was behind her. She’d moved like a silent assassin around the room and appeared with a lethal strike. “You’re misaligned, and I don’t want you to sustain an injury.”
Sustain an injury? She could almost laugh.
Her fingers were on Veronica’s hips, the light touch stunning her into silence. Of all the things she’d planned for their meeting, having Allison stand behind her while she was bent over and fighting the desire to puke was not one of them.
“You’re so tight.” Allison’s voice was alarmingly low and her grip disturbingly sure. “If you bend your knees a little, you can take the pressure off of your hamstrings and lift your hips higher to get the balance right.”
It took all of Veronica’s self-control not to kick back like an irate horse.
“How’s that? Better?” Allison splayed her hand on Veronica’s lower back, no doubt feeling the perspiration drenching Veronica’s dri-FIT tank top. Her touch was so light, so caring. Veronica would have preferred a jab to the kidney. At least that would’ve been honest.
When the class was finally over, Veronica took her time drying the sweat off her face while leaving as much of her makeup as intact as possible. She pulled her hair-tie out to redo her signature low bun. With her long, straight brown hair slicked back, she engaged phase two of her plan.
Nearly all the other students were gone when Veronica saw her opportunity. She rolled up her mat and strapped the carrier to her shoulder. Casually, as if it didn’t feel like having her teeth pulled out by a nearsighted squirrel, she drank from her water bottle and strolled toward Allison, who was busy wiping down the studio’s mats.
“That was a great class,” Veronica managed, but couldn’t bring herself to smile. She wasn’t that good at faking it.
Allison turned around, a spray bottle in one hand and a balled up paper towel in the other. Her smile was blinding. If Veronica were a man, she’d understand the attraction. Smooth olive skin, still naturally luminous and blemish free. Big eyes, honey-colored and bleeding with innocence. Even the tiny beauty mark near her upper lip seemed designed specifically for luring in the peacock with the prettiest feathers.
“I’m so glad you enjoyed it.” Allison didn’t smile as much as she beamed. “Usually I have to help new students quite a bit, but you did great. You’re very athletic.” She set down her cleaning supplies next to the stack of black mats.
“Well, you’re… quite the instructor.” It was the best compliment she could muster. “Have you been teaching here long?” Coating her words in a friendly tone was more painful than the throbbing ache in her stomach.
Allison swung her light brown ponytail off her shoulder like she needed to make room to think. “Going on two years.” She effervesced like the Alka-Seltzer Veronica had plopped into her mug that morning instead of her usual coffee. “I’m originally from West Palm Beach. Only an hour north and it feels like another planet.”
Bringing her water bottle to her lips, Veronica forced herself to wait a beat. She didn’t want her to know she was being cross-examined. Didn’t want to spook her before she was sure. She took a long sip before asking, “What prompted the move?”
A flash of color ignited Allison’s cheeks and Veronica knew she wasn’t long for this game. She was a direct person, not built for pretense. “I moved for a boy.” She laughed. “I always say it like that, but obviously forty-two isn’t a boy.”
Forty-two. The number was a rock slicing her esophagus before landing in the highly acidic stomach that had been trying to kill her for a week.
Allison continued, her sweet expression undeterred. Her mouth was moving, but Veronica couldn’t connect the consonants and vowels in any meaningful way.
When Veronica regained control of herself, Allison was still talking. “I love Miami, though. I’ve gotten to meet so many amazing people. I feel like West Palm is all retirees and New York transplants. Have you always lived in Miami?”
Veronica nodded. “Born and raised.”
Huge eyes fixed on her, bright and brimming with interest. If Allison found it at all strange that a woman she’d never seen before was asking her questions, she didn’t let it show. Could she really be so unsuspecting? Could she not know? She didn’t think the girl recognized her. How could that be?
While Allison prattled on, the ultimate question grew inside of Veronica, its tentacles wrapping around her stomach, her lungs, her heart as it swung up her chest and out of her mouth. “And how long have you been fucking my husband?”
In an instant, the brightness in the young woman’s eyes curdled.
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Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 979-8394675829
Publisher: Indie Author
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