Title: Valor On The Move Author: Keira Andrews Main Characters: Rafael Castillo & Shane Kendrick Genre: Contemporary Romance Length: 250 pages Publisher: KA Books Date of Publication: September 9th 2015 Story: He’d give his life to protect the president’s son. But he never expected to risk his heart. Growing up gay in the White House hasn’t been easy for Rafael Castillo. Codenamed “Valor” by the Secret Service, Rafa feels anything but brave as he hides in the closet and tries to stay below the radar in his last year of college. His father’s presidency is almost over, and he just needs to stick to his carefully crafted plan. Once his family’s out of the spotlight, he can be honest with his conservative parents about his sexuality and his dream of being a chef. It’s definitely not part of Rafa’s plan to get a new Secret Service agent who’s a walking wet dream, but he’s made it this long keeping his desires to himself. Besides, it’s not like Shane Kendrick would even look at him twice if it wasn’t his job. Shane’s worked his way up through the Secret Service ranks, and while protecting the president’s shy, boring son isn’t his dream White House assignment, it’s an easy enough task since no one pays Rafa much attention. He discovers there’s a vibrant young man beneath the timid public shell, and while he knows Rafa has a crush on him, he assures himself it’s harmless. Shane’s never had room for romance in his life, and he’d certainly never cross that line with a protectee. Keeping Rafa safe at any cost is Shane’s mission. But as Rafa gets under his skin, will they both put their hearts on the line? Me and this book: To be honest, I stopped reading for a while, a total of two weeks I think because of finals week at school and this was the first book I’ve read since then. Can I just say that it was the perfect comeback for me. It made me more excited to see what else I’ve missed since hell week started. Review: Every family member of the whitehouse has their own codename and for Rafa, it’s Valor. Valor meant having the qualities of a hero, which was totally the opposite of who Rafa thought he was. Being the youngest son of the president wasn’t easy for Rafa and living in the whitehouse proved to be harder than expected, his movements and actions monitored every second by the Secret Service. Having bodyguards wherever he went, Rafa rarely feels like he has time for himself. Aside from sneaking late night cooking sessions in the kitchen, that was the only time Rafa truly feels free. Add to that being gay but hiding in the closet was bad enough, he has his mother, the first Lady, pressuring him about the perfect future she had planned out for him. Little did she know that Rafa has his own plans for the future. Then enters Shane Kendrick, the newest assigned protection of the Secret Service. Finally being able to reach his dream of working at the whitehouse, he accepted the proposal of having to protect the president’s son. Though protecting the president was what he truly aimed for, he figured that protecting the son was one step closer. Upon arriving though, everyone told him the exact same things about Valor, that he’s the tamest out of the Castillo siblings and that he should be thankful for it. Thinking that the job would be a piece of cake, he got blindsided when he realized that Rafa was more special than what he thought. Spending time with Rafa turned into something he wanted instead of being an obligation. His heart and his job colliding with each other before he knew it. The whole story was completely entertaining. Just that plot got me thinking a lot of contradicting ideas about the story itself. The president’s son and a secret service agent. It was cliché in a sense that the main gist of the plot can be seen in multiple books, forbidden lovers, age gaps and whatnots. So what was more entertaining was how the story was played out, how the events were set out to make the readers feel that the story was realistic and not corny. And I’m proud to say that this book nailed that. Having both point of views of the characters, it felt more engaging as I saw how their dilemmas and problems affected their choices. I love how the story made me feel light hearted and at the same time, saddened by the underlying fact that the two simply cannot be together. Being in the position they were in, it was just impossible for them to have a HEA but halfway through it, it got me rooting for the two. Which just proved how into I was in reading this. The family drama midway was spot on as well, that’s the time where my tears just kept on coming and I felt genuinely saddened for Rafa and what he went through. And the action at the end was good, it wasn’t that detailed as I would have liked but I could totally see the big picture. Sometimes action scenes doesn’t need to be overcomplicated to be good. Overall, I really liked this book. It’s got everything I want, the drama, the age gap, the guilt, the regret, the sweetness, the action, the amazing (super hot) sex. EVERYTHING. It was just played out so well, my only comment is that I wish I got to see a little more of that ending. It ended kind of abruptly for me that’s all. Favorite Line: “You wanna see that face when you wake up every morning?” Shane rolled the question around in his mind, his heart beating loudly in his ears. He exhaled. “I do. I really fucking do. This is crazy. I’m out of my mind.” |
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February 2016
"Without a doubt, there was no place, nothing as exotic or rare, as that moment right there with him. Never again could I claim miracles didn't happen." |