Reviewed by Morgan
Title: Pura Vida
Author: Sara Alva
Narrator: Joseph Northton
Series: Love Has No Boundaries
Heroes: Simon/Juan
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 2 hours, 23 minutes
Publisher: Sara Alva
Release Date: August 7, 2015
Available at: Amazon, Audible
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: Simon has found himself in an open relationship for the summer—though not by choice. Instead of wallowing, he’s decided to make the most of a family vacation to Costa Rica by hooking up with the first hot guy available. Trouble is, he has no clue how to go about doing that.
Luckily, he runs into someone with a little more experience. But when the moments of lust turn into something more, Simon isn’t so sure he’ll be able to return to his old relationship. And there’s no way to hold onto this new one, either, as thousands of miles will separate them in only a few short weeks. Either way, he’ll have to learn to let go.
This story was written as a part of the Goodreads M/M Romance Group’s “Love Has No Boundaries” event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
Review – Book: Simon left school knowing his boyfriend was going to be exploring other relationships, despite his preference for monogamy. So he decides to “explore” a little himself.
He meets Juan on a moonlit walk on a beach. Juan is a local boy who saves baby turtles from poachers. In a moment of braveness, they embrace and realize the other is gay. But their relationship can’t work, can it? Juan lives in Costa Rica and Simon has to go back to school in a week…
In the end, we get a very nice HFN and we learn a lot about turtle conservation!
**
So, this book fit into the niche of NA – but read more like a YA with a little bit of sex thrown in. Nothing wrong with it, but I think it would have done better to commit to either making it a bit more sensual or leaving the sex as fade to black.
While I loved the imagery and descriptions of Costa Rica, at times it felt a bit like a travel-log and a bit preachy in regards to the turtles.
I didn’t buy the “long-term” of their relationship, and though I was happy for them at the end, I didn’t have a lot of faith that it would really work out. Maybe if the epilogue had been a bit longer with them later in life, I would have bought into it more…
Review – Audio Book:
The narrator totally made this story for me. His accent was amazing and he really did well with the emotions and the tone of the story. Listening is the best way to experience this story.
Overall Impression: I liked it
*I received a copy of this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review.*
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