After reading the holiday collection, Heating Up the Holidays from Loveswept, I wanted to read more titles by each of the three authors. Luckily for me, Serena Bell has a new book coming out on November 11, Yours to Keep, and her publisher shared it with me.
I don’t care where you fall on the topic of immigration issues, but whatever lines in the sand you may have drawn, read Yours to Keep and your world view may shift dramatically. I had a great deal of experience at navigating some of these issues through an educational institution I used to work at , which had a blind immigration status admission policy. Unfortunately not all institutions or organizations have an option like my former one and Yours to Keep is a window into the world of someone who came to this country with all the right documentation then through tragedy and mis-chance became “undocumented” and whose daily life is filled with fear of discovery.
I love this book on so many levels. First of all it’s a beautifully written contemporary romance. Secondly the characters are just perfect and I so enjoyed the teenagers – and their rebellions – who added so much to this story. Third, it’s a story that needs to be told. We need to see the “who” behind the issues. And finally, I loved the description of the ESL classes as having taught a few knew that these were spot on, and hilarious.
Serena Bell is an amazingly talented writer and I do hope that you will join me in reading both this book and her story in Heating Up the Holidays. Yours to Keep could also be added to a list of holiday-themed books as some of the action occurs over Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it’s a real love story and you’ll fall in love too with Ana, Ethan (Dr. Handsome), and his son Theo. Five stars and the only thing that would have made this better is if there had been a recipe included for habichuelas, the Dominican red beans & rice dish that Ana prepares.
From the Publisher
Yours to Keep by Serena Bell
A Loveswept Contemporary Romance
Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept
ISBN 9780345549730
Price $2.99
Serena Bell makes her Loveswept debut with the captivating story of a woman living on the edge—and the man who’s destined to love her.
Ana Travares has been looking over her shoulder her whole life. Her U.S. visa expired when she was a young girl, and if her secret is discovered, she’ll be forced to return to the Dominican Republic. Ana allowed herself to get close to someone once before—and after he broke her heart, she swore never to make the same mistake again. But when a handsome doctor asks for her assistance, she fantasizes about breaking all her rules.
Even though pediatrician Ethan Hansen is a natural when it comes to little kids, as the single father of a teenage son he just can’t seem to get it right . . . except for the Spanish tutor he’s hired for his son, Theo. Ana has managed to crack Theo’s shell—and he isn’t the only one taken with her. The sexy tutor has fired up Ethan with a potent mix of lust and protectiveness. But as he starts to envision a future with Ana, Ethan is devastated to learn the truth about her citizenship. Somehow he’s got to find a way to help her—and hold on to the woman he’s falling hopelessly in love with.
