Kulti

“When one door closes, another one opens. I might just have to do a little breaking and entering to get the right one for me.”

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1. KULTI by Mariana Zapata

SYNOPSIS

“Trust me, I’ve wanted to punch you in the face a time or five.”

When the man you worshipped as a kid becomes your coach, it’s supposed to be the greatest thing in the world. Keywords: supposed to.

It didn’t take a week for twenty-seven-year-old Sal Casillas to wonder what she’d seen in the international soccer icon—why she’d ever had his posters on her wall, or ever envisioned marrying him and having super-playing soccer babies. Sal had long ago gotten over the worst non-break-up in the history of imaginary relationships with a man that hadn’t known she’d existed. So she isn’t prepared for this version of Reiner Kulti who shows up to her team’s season: a quiet, reclusive shadow of the explosive, passionate man he’d once been. Nothing could have prepared her for the man she got to know. Or the murderous urges he brought out in her. This was going to be the longest season of her life.

BOOK REVIEW

Kulti was yet another great book by THE Queen of Slow Burn, Mariana Zapata. I mean really, show me the crazy person who doesn’t like this perfect combination of angsty anticipation of delicious romance and entertaining vivid sports action. You won’t get a cliche girl falling for a rich and famous sportsman who is a total douche but still a desirable fantasy. No. You will get a selfless yet not-taking-your-bullshit heroine who is a professional football player herself with burning passion and a strong resolve to make her dreams come true. You will also get an arrogant and grumpy yet emotional man hidden behind his natural cold reserve, but with an evident determination to succeed in every single aspect of his life, both on and outside the field. And a lethal concoction of such strong main characters is just unstable, unpredictable, and more than likely explosive.

“This is what matters. You are my gift, my second chance, and I will cherish you and your dream. I will protect both of you. I’ve been waiting, and I will keep on waiting until the time is right. You are my equal, my partner, my teammate, my best friend. I’ve done so many stupid things that you’ve made me regret—things I hope you will forgive me for and look beyond— but this, waiting a little longer for the love of my life, I can do.”

It will take some time (to be quite frank, a lot of it but in the best way possible) for the emotional connection and sexual tension between Kulti and Sal to be built, for them to learn more about each other while sharing a hundred cute little moments that will make your hearts skip a beat, no doubt.

I absolutely loved how Sal managed to stay humble and gracious under all the pressure that had come down her way, and I absolutely adored how Kulti managed to demonstrate his commitment and unshakable love toward her. Overall, this was a stunning love story from start to finish, with all the angst and drama, cute family moments, as well as hard training and hard choices around careers that were about to either flourish or get destroyed. That being said, I would wholeheartedly recommend Kulti to absolutely anyone.

“Every single thing that has ever happened in my life has led me here, Sal. Destiny is a ladder, a series of steps that takes you where you’re supposed to go. I am the man that I am, and I have done the things that I’ve done, to get me to you.”