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5++++ STARS!

Of course I LOVED this! Minus Lingus, which I haven't read yet, I've adored every book by MZ, especially KULTI. Damn, that book. Left me in the worlds worst book slump ever, lasting from May to July of last year. Seriously, my favorite book. Period. I'm not even exaggerating. Let's not get off topic here, because I could talk about Kulti for hours.

This wonderful gem was in the vein of Kulti. The hot, who-gives-a-shit attitude, sexy and taciturn sports icon. In this case, The Wall of Winnipeg was a Canadian football player named Aiden Graves, playing in the US. This was a modern marriage of convenience story that turned into the real thing.
Vanessa Mazur is an assistant to Aiden who ultimately leaves that position to pursue her dreams. It doesn't help that Aiden was an asshole to her, didn't remember she existed half the time and couldn't care less about what she wanted out of life. Everything changes when she leaves, think: You don't know what you've got till it's gone. after some serious groveling and an offer she couldn't refuse, Vanessa returns to Aiden and agrees to marry him so he could get residency in the US.

The book is pretty much how their relationship progresses from not being one to being something so much MORE. If you've read this author you know she likes the slow burn. I do, very much. It's more realistic, more tension-filled and more beautiful to watch over the insta-anything. And when I say slow, I mean S-L-O-W. Vanessa and Aiden have to tackle the past between them, their complicated situation and the consequences of what happens when two people finally, truly see each other. More so for Aiden. He had to earn his hero status and I think he did in spades.
He reminded me of Kulti in that way. Both men were not afraid to tell it how it was, regardless of how brutal the truth sounded. They were also intensely quiet and radiated some serious attitude, sometimes cocky other times aloof. But they both also loved on a grand scale. The people they cared for were treated like gold, especially their women.

This was an emotional book that dealt with loss, abandonment and resilience. I teared up a few times--surprise, surprise--but also laughed and swooned. I loved how both Vanessa and Aiden fell for each other but did it without knowing how the other felt. I thought Vanessa was the best kind of heroine, and very characteristic for MZ. She was self-deprecating, kind, loyal, honest and funny. She stuck by Aiden when others wouldn't have, always had his back and gave him so much.
Aiden was the same, these two suited each other perfectly. Of course there was heat, but it's not till the end because of the way their relationship progressed. But it's so worth it. I prefer quality over quantity in romance and MZ delivers every time. The epilogue was very sweet and left me with a silly smile on my face. I can tell already this is one of those books that will creep up on you at odd times, it was so, so good. If I had one teeny, tiny criticism it would be the abundance of Vanessa's internal dialogue. This book was kinda long and I think it would have worked just as well without so much inner ramblings. Doesn't matter though, because this was well written, engaging and absolutely beautiful. Loved it.