★ 10/08/2018
Oliveras’s marvelous third Matched to Perfection contemporary (after Her Perfect Affair) tackles domestic violence and policing in Chicago’s Puerto Rican community with superb nuance. Sparks fly when social services advocate Lilí Fernandez confronts police officer Diego Reyes at the scene of her client’s domestic assault. Diego’s dedication to his neighborhood and Lilí’s desire to make a difference in Humboldt Park showcase how different approaches to good deeds can clash. Their attraction is strong and only grows as they continue to encounter each other, but incidents in their pasts inspire them to caution. Diego gradually shares his turbulent family history with Lilí, but he must overcome guilt about his sister’s longtime addiction and sort things out with her before he can truly commit to a romantic relationship. Familial assistance from both sides is needed to help the protagonists identify what’s truly important to them. Oliveras’s tangled, topical conflicts between multidimensional characters blend with lovingly portrayed family life and an intricate, realistic plot, enmeshing the reader in her created world. Agent: Rebecca Strauss, DeFiore & Co. (Dec.)
Praise for Priscilla Oliveras’s Matched to Perfection series:
“Readers will feel utterly carried away. . . . Whether you’re well-versed in Puerto Rican culture or completely new to it, Oliveras welcomes readers into a space that feels both familiar and new and exciting. . . . A romantic, diverting melody.” —Entertainment Weekly on Their Perfect Melody
“Oliveras’ tangled, topical conflicts between multidimensional characters blend with lovingly portrayed family life and an intricate, realistic plot, enmeshing the reader in her created world.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW, on Their Perfect Melody
“Sexy, sassy, and overflowing with music, complex emotions, and family-loving Latinx American and Puerto Rican characters, this romance is a compelling, often joyful read and perfectly wraps up the 'Perfection' trilogy.” —Library Journal on Their Perfect Melody
“Rising author Oliveras continues her excellent contemporary Matched to Perfection series featuring three Latina sisters, following the acclaimed. . . Oliveras infuses warmth, intelligence, and emotion into this refreshing read.” —Booklist, STARRED REVIEW, on Her Perfect Affair
“Oliveras tops her excellent debut, His Perfect Partner, with this revelatory, realistic second romance . . . Oliveras’s integration of cultural and class differences, familial expectations, and career objectives into the couple’s romantic decision making immeasurably enriches a moving plot about good people making difficult choices.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW, on Her Perfect Affair
“Oliveras makes a perfect debut with a sweet, sassy, traditional romance. Readers will laugh and cry and be uplifted…Oliveras is an author to watch.”
—RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars, on His Perfect Partner
“Oliveras takes all the right steps in this sweet romance. Oliveras’ refreshing tale is the start of a very special trilogy . . . Packed with emotion, humor, and memorable characters. Fans of Samantha Chase will enjoy this heart-tugging love story.” —Booklist, STARRED REVIEW, on His Perfect Partner
2018-12-16
A tough Chicago cop can't stop thinking about the softhearted victims' advocate who drives him crazy in ways both good and bad.
Lilí, the youngest of the three close-knit Fernandez sisters, is a victims' advocate at a clinic on Chicago's West Side. After experiencing some difficult times, she is determined to help those who suffer from injustice, especially women and children. Her caring approach clashes with the hard-nosed tactics of cop Diego Reyes, who has seen it all and doubts that violent offenders can change. Despite clashing professionally, Lilí and Diego are attracted to one another, an attraction that deepens when they realize they share a love of music. Diego plays classical guitar, while Lilí once danced and sang with her father's trio. They both believe that "Familia primero": "The faraway, almost blissful expression on Diego's face as he spoke about his mami was like a lasso looped around Lilí, drawing her to him. It spoke of a kindred yearning for those who had shaped their lives, and continued to do so, even though they were no longer with them." Lilí's loving, boisterous family entices Diego, but he has familial secrets, keeping him frustratingly elusive. The third entry in Oliveras' Matched to Perfection series returns readers to the multilayered, nuanced portrayal of Chi-Town, from Lilí's posh condo in the Loop to the working-class neighborhoods Diego patrols to the middle-class suburb of Oakton where the Fernandez sisters were raised. New readers will have no trouble jumping in, although the action picks up right where the second book ended. Oliveras (Her Perfect Affair, 2018, etc.) tackles domestic violence and substance use disorder with nuance and empathy, though at times her depiction is limited by genre requirements, as when Lilí and Diego smolder at each other over a crime scene.
A surfeit of mental lusting only slightly mars a rich romance between two very different Chicagoans of Puerto Rican descent whose clashes over social justice are less important than their love of music, family, and each other.
