So I was pretty knocked out when my little debut novel, Lush Money, got an incredible review in Entertainment Weekly.
But this morning, when I discovered Hate Crush also got a stellar review, I sobbed.
It’s common knowledge in the industry that sophomore efforts are hard and first books written under contract feel like they will break you. I felt like a fraud through much of the writing of Hate Crush, my second book, and when I got it back from my editor for revisions, I re-wrote 50,000 words in 30 days.
Yep.
The only value was — during those 30 days — I felt like I finally knew Sofia and Aish. I finally understood their motivations, innately understood how they would react and behave. By the end of that 30 days, just before Christmas of 2019, I felt like I’d saved Hate Crush. I loved Sofia and Aish and I believed that I’d done them justice. I just wasn’t sure if readers would feel the same.
In a note from my editor after she read those revisions, she said, “This is a beautiful, breathless read.” I believed her. But when my first review for Hate Crush was a mean, 1-star review (a review that the reviewer made sure to post everywhere), I was sure my career was over.
I was sure I’d been right earlier: I was a fraud. The fact that this happened right in the beginning of the pandemic, right when I was in the thick of writing Serving Sin, and planning a stressful move halfway across the country didn’t help my mental state!
So when I say this review means a lot, this review means A LOT!!!
Read an excerpt below and click to read full review…
Hot Stuff: June romances embrace the inherent sexiness of faking it
by Maureen Lee Lenker
Angelina M. Lopez continues her sinfully delicious Filthy Rich series with a second novel that elevates her ability to blend soapy drama with steamy bedroom scenes and gut-wrenching emotion….The two are exquisite character studies: Sofia, a fierce leader of her people, driven by her yearning to feel needed, and Aish, a cocky, dissolute rock star who has to learn to respect the boundaries of the woman he loves. Lopez soaks readers in the heat of their attraction, the palpable tension of the sweep of Sofia’s chic haircut and the inexorable pull of Aish’s lean, tattooed body and cut-glass cheekbones. Her writing thrums with desire, while still delivering knockout twists and turns. Lopez keeps readers gasping with shock and pleasure in equal measure. If her debut Lush Money was exhilarating and heartfelt, Hate Crush is even more engrossing... (Click to keep reading.)