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When a man on a mission is derailed by a beautiful woman, will one night ever be enough?
Will one night be his undoing?
Alessandro Cardenas isn’t stepping out on the Miami art scene only for the hottest parties. Someone is forging his late grandfather’s paintings—and he’s determined to uncover the culprit. But when he crosses paths with gallerist Angeline Louis, the boundaries between mystery and seduction become blurred. Does Angeline suspect his ulterior motives…even as she surrenders to his kisses? Does she have secrets of her own? Or can Alessandro trust that their once-in-a-lifetime connection is real?
Review:
In Nadine Gonzalez’s second novel in the Miami Famous series, What Happens in Miami, Miami’s annual Art Basel serves as the backdrop of both a feverish romance, and a possible forgery scandal. Alessandro Cardenas, or Sandro, is an actor on the cusp of international success. Nominated for a Golden Globe and able to make or break an establishment simply by darkening its doorsteps, Sandro is enjoying the fruit of years of hard work and sacrifices. However, not everything glitters in his past. Abandoned by his parents to be raised by his beloved Cuban grandfather, Sandro is on the hunt for the person who is forging his grandfather’s paintings, making a tidy fortune selling them to art collectors both in Miami and all over the country.
As Sandro’s drama unfolds, Angeline Louis, or Angel, is struggling with a difficult history of her own. Smarting from the end of a relationship for which she uprooted herself from Orlando to Miami, Angel is adrift, employed by Gallery Six to be close to the art she loves, but does not believe herself talented enough to create.
Their paths cross when Angel fills in for her injured colleague and delivers a painting to Sandro’s exclusive island for his examination and eventual purchase. However, the mysterious painting comes in second place behind the explosive connection between Angel and Sandro, a chemistry so palpable, everyone in attendance can sense it.
As someone who currently lives in Florida, it’s always exciting to read romances set anywhere in the state, but especially in Miami. Glamorous but also accessible, Miami is a fabulous fusion of Caribbean culture and international influences that is hard to find anywhere else. Gonzalez manages to convey this cultural density through the use of characters and settings that hint, with a broad stroke, at the diversity that makes up this city. The setting is a fitting backdrop to an equally intense, fully textured romance between Sandro and Angel. These are two people who carry the weight of their cultural histories, Sandro in the quest to preserve and protect his grandfather’s art, and Angel, whose family expectations threaten to suffocate the most authentic part of her.
As a romance, What Happens in Miami hits every emotional and sensual beat. The black moment is less an explosion and more of a natural unraveling of a bond that has formed too quickly, and under too many misapprehensions, despite the many things Sandro and Angel have in common. The return from that moment is organic and mature, emerging from a sense of honest emotional growth between the main characters. The setting and events of Art Basel may seem fabulously beyond our reach, but the emotional connection between Sandro and Angel rings natural and true.
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