A review by hiddenirises
Red Roses and Black Dahlias by Macy T. Riosa
4.0
I would like to thank the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.
This book was an incredibly emotional ride and despite how heartbreaking it was, I honestly loved every bit of it.
Let me begin by saying that I love the fact that our FMC Sofia is a Latina and through her we get representation of Mexican culture and sufficient use of the Spanish language. As a Latina myself, I always get very happy to see people like me as heroines in books like this. It's all incredibly validating. Sofia as a character is so beautifully flawed and yet so strong. The amount of character development that she experiences as the story progresses is insane. She has learned to protect at all costs and to see her begin to allow for others to take care of her is so sweet. She and Valentina are so resilient and the horrors that they went through had me bawling my eyes out. The sister bond that these two share is everything a sibling relationship should be. I myself, am unbelievably close to my older sister and I love anytime a book depicts such a strong sister bond.
Valentina was as cute as a button and full of innocence, yet wise beyond her years as well. Her obsession with Princess and the Frog was too cute and the fact that Maddox would give her the moon if she asked for it, had me smiling to myself. That little girl has that man's heart and they were absolutely adorable together.
Maddox is a sweet man and was the support system those two girls needed to begin to heal from their horrors. This man's love language was definitely acts of love. There was nothing this man wasn't willing to do for either of these girls and we love to see it. The spice was actually good and did not overtake the plot at all. Maddox was also incredibly patient and understanding with Sofia during these intimate moments so that too was a plus in my book. You can tell that this man really liked her as a person before anything else. Sofia is intelligent, determined, outspoken, strong, selfless, and in general full of love. I feel like Sofia and Maddox work well together and are able to collectively create a household that is healthy for little Valentina.
The mystery aspect of the story was done very well and it very much had me on the edge of my seat. The twist literally had me gasping and taking a moment to stop and reflect. I absolutely love it when books have moments like that as a reader. I was trying to solve the case right along with Maddox and each new discovery in the case took me by surprise. The ending of this book was great and I felt like we got sufficient closure, but the author was still able to masterfully leave lingering questions for the sequel.
After finishing, I have come to the conclusion that this book will now hold a special place in my heart. It will continue to remind me to truly value and protect the relationships that bring me joy in my own life. Especially the one that I have with my own sister because I can say with confidence that we would do anything for each other.
This book has good romance, but it was most definitely not the focal point for me and it thus took back seat to the story of these two sisters. I highly recommend this to those looking for an empowering and emotional story of survival and found families. This was a strong debut by the author and I cannot wait to see what she writes next.
This book was an incredibly emotional ride and despite how heartbreaking it was, I honestly loved every bit of it.
Let me begin by saying that I love the fact that our FMC Sofia is a Latina and through her we get representation of Mexican culture and sufficient use of the Spanish language. As a Latina myself, I always get very happy to see people like me as heroines in books like this. It's all incredibly validating. Sofia as a character is so beautifully flawed and yet so strong. The amount of character development that she experiences as the story progresses is insane. She has learned to protect at all costs and to see her begin to allow for others to take care of her is so sweet. She and Valentina are so resilient and the horrors that they went through had me bawling my eyes out. The sister bond that these two share is everything a sibling relationship should be. I myself, am unbelievably close to my older sister and I love anytime a book depicts such a strong sister bond.
Valentina was as cute as a button and full of innocence, yet wise beyond her years as well. Her obsession with Princess and the Frog was too cute and the fact that Maddox would give her the moon if she asked for it, had me smiling to myself. That little girl has that man's heart and they were absolutely adorable together.
Maddox is a sweet man and was the support system those two girls needed to begin to heal from their horrors. This man's love language was definitely acts of love. There was nothing this man wasn't willing to do for either of these girls and we love to see it. The spice was actually good and did not overtake the plot at all. Maddox was also incredibly patient and understanding with Sofia during these intimate moments so that too was a plus in my book. You can tell that this man really liked her as a person before anything else. Sofia is intelligent, determined, outspoken, strong, selfless, and in general full of love. I feel like Sofia and Maddox work well together and are able to collectively create a household that is healthy for little Valentina.
The mystery aspect of the story was done very well and it very much had me on the edge of my seat. The twist literally had me gasping and taking a moment to stop and reflect. I absolutely love it when books have moments like that as a reader. I was trying to solve the case right along with Maddox and each new discovery in the case took me by surprise. The ending of this book was great and I felt like we got sufficient closure, but the author was still able to masterfully leave lingering questions for the sequel.
After finishing, I have come to the conclusion that this book will now hold a special place in my heart. It will continue to remind me to truly value and protect the relationships that bring me joy in my own life. Especially the one that I have with my own sister because I can say with confidence that we would do anything for each other.
This book has good romance, but it was most definitely not the focal point for me and it thus took back seat to the story of these two sisters. I highly recommend this to those looking for an empowering and emotional story of survival and found families. This was a strong debut by the author and I cannot wait to see what she writes next.