Over the past couple of months, I’ve been slowly reading my way through Mariana Zapata’s backlist and newer titles. So today I thought I would share my thoughts on some of the recent ones that I have read. I’ve had an up and down relationship with Mariana Zapata books. I’ve really enjoyed some and then just liked some. You can also check out my mini-review of Luna and the Lie.
Today I’ll be reviewing Under Locke and Hands Down. It’s a mix of a backlist title and her newest release.
Under Locke by Mariana Zapata
Pages: 496
Publish date: January 19th 2014
Publisher: Mariana Zapata
ISBN: 9780990429203
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU
He was my boss, my brother’s friend, a Widower, an ex-felon, and a man I’d seen casually with a handful of women. But he was everything that gripped me, both the good and the bad. Worst case scenario if things turned awkward between us, I could go somewhere else. I’d gotten over epic heartbreak before, one more wouldn’t kill me.
After moving to Austin following six months of unemployment back home, Iris Taylor knows she should be glad to have landed a job so quickly… even if the business is owned by a member of the same motorcycle club her estranged father used to belong to. Except Dex Locke might just be the biggest jerk she’s ever met. He’s rude, impatient and doesn’t know how to tell time.
And the last thing they ever expected was each other.
But it was either the strip club or the tattoo shop.
… she should have chosen the strip club
Under Locke:
I think this has to be one of my favourites of the Marina Zapata that I’ve read so far. One of the things that Zapata is very good at slow-burn romances. And when I say slow I mean very slow. But it’s different and I really enjoyed that.
Under Locke follows Iris Taylor who has recently moved to Austin to be with her half brother. She is broke and just wants a fresh start. And when Sonny gets her a job at a tattoo shop owned by his friend Dex, she thinks she is finally on her way to starting again. But Dex Locke isn’t all that nice. He is hot-headed, rude, impatient and a jerk at times. But as they spend more time together Iris and Dex get to know different sides to one another and sparks start to fly.
Iris was an interesting protagonist. I didn’t love her like I normally do with a female protagonist, but as the novel went on I grew to like her. Iris just needs to help in life. She feels lost and doesn’t even know when to begin and when she lands the job at Dex’s place, she thinks she can get that start. One of my favourite things about Under Locke is that the reader gets to see Iris grow throughout the novel and not only find herself, but those around her.
Dex is great. It took me a long time to get to like him as a character. However as the novel went on and Iris got to know him better, I enjoyed him more. Dex is stubborn and impatient and at times that made me really dislike him. But like Iris, he grew throughout the novel and let go of his demons.
The romance was interesting, to say the least. It’s a very much slow burn and I liked seeing both Iris and Dex slowly fall for one another. It’s a hate to love romance for sure and it was really well done. The romance moved nicely and I liked the built-up and the tension. It was hot and sweet at the same time.
Overall, I loved reading Under Locke by Mariana Zapata. It’s got a slight MC undertone and you know that I love my MC romances. I adored the slow burn of the romance. It’s different to see it and I enjoyed the change. In saying that at times I did feel that it went a little too slow. I adored the banter between Iris and everyone at the tattoo shop, it just made the novel that much more entertaining. The romance was great and I had a fantastic time reading it. I think this is a great one to start with for sure.
Photo by Lucas Lenzi on Unsplash
Hands Down
by Mariana Zapata
Pages: 548
Publish date: July 2nd 2020
Publisher: Mariana Zapata
ISBN: 9781953262004
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU
Before he was Big Texas, he was Zac the Snack Pack.
Bianca Brannen knows time—mostly—heals all wounds. Including those, your once loved ones might have unintentionally given you. (Those just take longer.)
She thinks she’s ready when a call has her walking back into her old friend’s life. Or at least as prepared as possible to see the starting quarterback in the National Football Organization. Before the lights, the fans, and the millions, he’d been a skinny kid with a heart of gold.
Waltzing out of Zac Travis’s life should be easy. Just as easy as he walked out of hers.
Hands Down:
This is Mariana Zapata’s newest release and my least favourite of the books that I’ve now read. I couldn’t connect with the characters and the story. And it was way too long.
Hands Down follows Bianca Brannen as she is dragged back into Zac Travis life. Friends from a young age they connected right away, but as they got older they started to drift. So much so that they haven’t talked in some time. But it was good for Bianca, and then she is dragged back into this life and old feelings rise to the surface. Will she survive being back in his life again?
Bianca was pretty easy to get along with, I didn’t mind her as a protagonist. However, it was hard to connect with her. In saying that I did enjoy Bianca’s character arc. The reader is able to see her grow throughout the book and find herself.
On the other hand, I didn’t like Zac all too much. He didn’t feel real. One of my favourite things about romances is how real the characters can sometimes feel, and I didn’t get that here. I kept on waiting for more from him and I didn’t get it. There were times where I was thinking I was going to start liking him and then he did something stupid.
The romance is a mix of second chance plus friends to lovers and I didn’t love it. I normally love age gap romances, but I don’t think it was done great here. The age gap isn’t big, but it felt strange. I think it was mostly to do with how Zac talked about and to Bianca that made it hard to read. Heaps of reviews mentioned this, but the number of times he refers to her as ‘kiddo’ just put me off the romance.
Hands Down also felt too long. It was over 500 pages and for a contemporary romance that just way too much for me. There was so much angst and drama, that it did a little too much for me. I did like that the romance was another slow burn. I’ve come to learn that Mariana Zapata is pretty good at writing great slow-burn romances.
Overall Hands Down by Mariana Zapata was an okay read. I had problems with it, but I didn’t hate it. It’s probably my least favourite of her books that I’ve read so far, but it won’t be stopping me from trying more. The romance was okay, I wasn’t able to fully connect with the characters and that made liking the romance a little harder. It’s a decent read and fans of Mariana Zapata will enjoy it.
Photo by Project 290 on Unsplash
And that is it for these mini-reviews. Have you read these Mariana Zapata books? What did you think of them? What is your favourite of her books? Let’s Chat!
To Love and to Loathe by Martha Waters: This one just sounds fantastic. I’ve heard some really great things about Martha Waters. And this one grabbed my interest as soon as I read the synopsis. Rom-coms aren’t always my thing but this sounds like it’s going to be fantastic.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters #1) by Talia Hibbert: I finally have my copy of this one and I’m so excited to pick it up. I’ve been wanting to read this for ages. I have been limited in the books that I can buy the last few months. However, now I have it and I’m so excited. 
Hostage to Pleasure (Psy-Changeling #5) by Nalini Singh: This is the book that I’m currently up to in the series and I can’t wait to read it. I’m adoring this series – you can check out my series review so far to see how much. I’m so excited to read more about Dorian. 
