­
  • Home
  • Book Reviews
  • Books
    • Monthly Wrap Up
    • Giveaways
    • Book Hauls
    • Events
  • Discussions
  • New Releases
  • Features
    • Top Ten Tuesday
    • Romance Thursdays
    • Movie Reviews
    • TV Series Reviews
    • Waiting on Wednesday
  • Beta Reading Services
  • #LoveOzYA
    • OZYA Interviews
    • OZYA Reviews
  • About
  • Contact
Angel ReadsAngel Reads
  • Home
  • Book Reviews
  • Books
    • Monthly Wrap Up
    • Giveaways
    • Book Hauls
    • Events
  • Discussions
  • New Releases
  • Features
    • Top Ten Tuesday
    • Romance Thursdays
    • Movie Reviews
    • TV Series Reviews
    • Waiting on Wednesday
  • Beta Reading Services
  • #LoveOzYA
    • OZYA Interviews
    • OZYA Reviews
  • About
  • Contact

Mariana Zapta

Tattoos and Football| Mariana Zapata Mini Reviews

Tattoos and Football| Mariana Zapata Mini Reviews

Oct 19, 2020

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!

Recent Posts

  • Books That I Was Surprised That I Loved
  • Completed Series I Want To Finish This Year
  • ARC Book Review | Just Drive by Devyn Sinclair
  • ARC Review: Wild Side by Elsie Silver
  • Another Good Reading Month | February Wrap Up

Subscribe to Angel Reads

Enter your email address to subscribe to Angel Reads and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Bookstagram

angelreads

book blogger 💻| romance books 💜| bookseller 📖
💌 angel@angelreads.com
📚53/150

April was a very good reading month for me, especi April was a very good reading month for me, especially after last month. I had some really fantastic reads in April. I did do a lot of re-reading this month but I had such blast. I re-read Caught Up and Play Along and the first 4 books in the Ironside Academy series. 📚

I read some books that I’ve been waiting for including the new book from Kels and Denise Stone, as well as the new Tessa Hale. ✨

Overall it was such a good month, lots of binge reading series and starting on some new authors. I’m so excited to see what May brings. 🖤

What was your favourite book that you read in April? 

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #romancereads #angelreads #bookblogger #spicybooks #romancereader #romance #smut #recentreads #aprilreads #aprilwrapup
IT’S RACE WEEK! 🏎️ If you didn’t know al IT’S RACE WEEK! 🏎️

If you didn’t know already I love F1, have ever since I was younger and decided that this year it would be fun to combined my love for F1 and reading together. 📚

After a week off we are back at it. We are in Miami this week’s and things are only just heating up. This week I’m reading Falling Off the Cliff  Kanitha P.

…

Formula 1 legend in the making and rising star Thiago Valencia is chasing redemption as well as his second World Champion title. With a tarnished reputation and an undetermined future in F1 that hangs by a terribly loose thread, he can’t afford to lose his seat. Thiago is ready to do anything to redeem himself and erase his past mistakes. When a mysterious woman intrudes on his private party in Monte Carlo, he is certain the universe has brought his polar opposite into his life as salvation. He is sunshine, she is moonlight; he is a bright star and she is a moonbeam.

Destiny takes the wheel, steering Kamari into Thiago’s orbit, but her open disdain and closely guarded heart warn her to stay away. Enchanted by her charms, Thiago is intent on melting her freezing barriers and tearing down the walls shielding her heart.

When Kamari agrees to help him save his future by being his fake girlfriend, the unexpected happens, triggered by a game of lies, secrets and desire.

As they plunge towards the finish line, the race veers offtrack and neither of them are ready to fall off the cliff.
… 

How Race Week Reads Will Work 

On Monday of race week I’ll announce the book I’ll be reading for the week, then throughout the week I’ll be posting stories and my thoughts. And then on Sunday, race day my review and final thoughts will go up.

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #romancereads #angelreads #bookblogger #spicybooks #romancereader #romance #f1 #formula1 #ausgp #raceweekreads #f1romance #sportsromance #fallingoffthecliff #kanithap #fullthrottle
A little late but I am finally getting to share Ra A little late but I am finally getting to share Race 5’s Race Week Reads review. This week I read, Downforce (Pit Lane #1) by Hannah Lily.

🏎️ Review 🏎️

I had so much fun reading this book. I knew I was in for a ride as soon as I started Downforce. It was entertaining, fun, and I just had a good time reading it. And while it does explore some heavy topics, I don’t think it took away from the fun nature of the book.

Right from the start, we can see the tension between F1 Presenter, Olivia Fraser and F1 Driver, Jonah Scott. And while silly at times, it was fun seeing them interact together. Both really didn’t like each other. They both had said things about and to one another that sometimes it caused chaos. And I was here for it.

I did find that at times, just silly things happened. I am not a massive rom-com reader, and there was a lot of falling into one another, and arguments stemmed from nothing. This is honestly just because I don’t like these types of scenes, but it didn’t really make me dislike the book at all.

I loved the whole road trip aspect of the book, it’s different from other F1 books I’ve read so far this year and just made for some interesting banter and lust. I do wish that the road trip was a little longer than it was because I did feel like the romance moved pretty quickly here, but again, it didn’t really affect how much I was enjoying the book.

The romance was this combination of being slow burn and full of angst right at the start, to the road trip happening and then bam. But I loved it, though. The banter between Olivia and Jonah was fantastic. I loved seeing them grow not only with one another but with themselves as well.

Overall, I had a great time reading Downforce and will be continuing the series for sure when the other books come out. The romance was angsty and just felt right. The found family aspect really worked well here, and the F1 aspects were pretty okay. Not the best I’ve seen, but not the worst either. If you are looking for a fun read that has a great romance and a little rom-comy, then pick this one up.
I’ve already had a pretty amazing reading year. I’ve already had a pretty amazing reading year. There have been so many books that I have enjoyed but there are some that I have just loved. 🖤

I didn’t realise before I put this post together that all of these books are from authors I’ve read and loved before. There hasn’t been a Rebecca Yarros book that I haven’t rated under 4 Stars. Elsie Silver is just making me love everything that she writes. Wild and Wrangled may be my favourite in the series. 📖

Three rereads also made it to this list. Binding 13 still makes me gasp and smile all at the same time. And Caught Up and Play Along just hit every time. 📚

I’ve honestly had a great year so far and since making this post a few more books I’ve read I’ve ended up loving. It’s going to be hard to pick my favourites at the end of the year that is for sure. ✨

What books have you loved reading this year? Are any books that made my list on yours? Let me know! 

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #romancereads #angelreads #bookblogger #spicybooks #romancereader #romance #smut #recentreads #2025favourites #onyxstorm #wildside  #binding13 #caughtup #wildandwrangled
Follow on Instagram

GoodReads

Angel - Angel Reads's bookshelf: currently-reading


goodreads.com

Contact Us

Send us an email and I'll get back to you, asap.

Send Message

© 2013 - 2025 · Angel Reads · Disclaimer

Notifications