Release Day Blitz | Book Review: A Noche Buena for Lonely Hearts by J. L. Lora + Giveaway
.jpg "A Noche Buena for Lonely Hearts by J. L. Lora + Giveaway")
One Christmas Eve, a chance for healing awaits lifestyle influencer Luciana “Lux” Blake in “A Noche Buena for Lonely Hearts,” a heartwarming holiday romance.
Luciana is surrounded by holiday cheer that feels painfully out of reach. While she hides her heartache behind a flawless façade, past trauma crashes the fiesta, prompting her to escape familial chaos.Fate intervenes when she bumps into family friend Oliver Amador, a sexy single papi, longing to escape the shadows of his pain.
When he offers her a ride, their journey takes an unexpected turn, setting the stage for a magical Noche Buena.
One that promises to change everything.
As they bond over their shared heartbreak, Luciana and Oliver strike a one-night deal to create the perfect Christmas Eve together and then go their separate ways. Under the glow of the lights, their connection deepens through shared stories, slow dancing, and steamy kisses that set their souls on fire.But as the clock ticks down to their bittersweet goodbye, the ghosts of the past come barging in. Will Oliver and Luciana find the courage to embrace a new beginning or let their past overshadow the magic of an unforgettable night?
A Noche Buena for Lonely Hearts is a companion piece (prequel) to my upcoming novel, The Spring in My Heart, the next full installment in my A Love for All Seasons series, coming March 6, 2025. It contains a cliffhanger.
My Review
About the author
J. L. Lora is a Dominican-American author of contemporary and romantic suspense. Her stories explore the dark side of good characters—people living in the gray areas of life—playing the cards life has dealt them. Her stories manifest her love for badass alpha heroines and take-your-breath-away alpha men.
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Read an Excerpt
I’m standing in a Baltimore alleyway,
freezing the only family jewels I inherited from my father off. This is
completely against my nature. I was born in the Dominican Republic. My
Caribbean body craves the heat and hates the layers of clothing I’m wearing. I
should be inside with Ayla, drinking hot chocolate. But I can’t have this phone
conversation inside near my daughter. I need to resolve this dispute with my
former mother-in-law before I go back.
“I know you’re her father and probably
want to spend Christmas with her,” Mrs. Morales says.
Probably? Probably want to spend
Christmas with my child?
I try not to laugh at her statement.
Her dismissiveness of me and my feelings is nonsensical, bordering on comical.
I can still hear her, on the day her daughter left us, saying, “She’s gone,
Oliver. I don’t know what else to tell you.”
Shake your mind off that day. It
doesn’t matter anymore.
“I do want to spend Christmas with
her. Every parent wants to spend the holidays with their child.” I keep my
voice as neutral as I can.
She inhales sharply, the sound echoing
on the line. I didn’t mean it as a dig, but the shoe may have fit way too
closely since her daughter is a parent who left our child and
never looked back.
“I just want to spend Christmas with
my granddaughter. You can pick her up after we have our meal tomorrow or the
day after. It’s one day of the year, Oliver. She lives with you
twenty-four-seven. And you get to spend Noche Buena with her. Christmas Eve is
the big night for us, anyway. I’m not asking for it. Just let us have Christmas
together.” Her voice is pleading, and I hate that it’s tugging deep enough to
make me consider it.
It’s Christmas. I shouldn’t have to
share Ayla—not when Mrs. Morales’ daughter is the reason for all this. But Ayla
loves her grandma, and she’s been a good grandmother despite everything. I
don’t want to deprive my kid of more family during the holidays. It’s hard
enough that it’s only the two of us.
And now, you’re going to deprive
yourself of the only family you’ve got.
I wish for the chaos my friend Cam
will have over at his house with his big family around him. But I say, “I’ll
drop her off in the morning,” before I talk myself out of it.
“Thank you, Oliver,” Mrs. Morales says
in a tone that echoes entitlement more than gratitude.
It should no longer bother me as much
as it does. After all these years of having to deal with her one on one, her
attitude shouldn’t be a sticking point.
My phone rings again. This time, it is
the alarm company at the new flip. “Hello?”
“Mr. Amador. We received a code that
your electrical sensors have triggered the alarm system. We want to make sure
everything is okay.”
Electrical alarm? Shit.
“This is a house we just finished
renovating, and it’s staged for sale. We’ve been having some issues with some
of the older sensors. I’m going to head there right now and double-check.
Please send someone the day after tomorrow to replace the faulty sensors.”
I turn to go back inside the building
when a blonde barrels out of the door, in a green velvet dress straight out of
my dreams, and almost bowls me over.
She takes one look at me and freezes.
Like always, I am struck by everything
about her. Her heart-shaped face, luscious mouth, and those eyes—an intense
green like grass after the rain on the lomas near my native town. Luciana Blake
is always a vision I get caught up on. My blood heats up.
All afternoon—more like the past two
years—I’ve been watching her from afar, memorizing all her expressions and
types of smiles, like the one that blooms on her lips, replacing the haunted
expression she walked out of the house with.
“Oliver.” The sound of my name on her
lips is soft and breathy, bringing on a smile of my own.
“Hello, Luciana. How are you?”
The smile slips from her lips, and her
head turns over her shoulder to look back inside the door. When our gazes meet
again, she’s got that spooked look again.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes…” She shakes her head. “No…” And
then sighs.
“Is the mob chasing you?”
She blinks and chuckles. “It’s worse
than the mafia.”
“That bad. Ex-boyfriend?” I ask,
hoping her douchey ex is not around.
“Way worse. My—” She shakes her head.
“I need to get out of here. I’m going to call an Uber. Can you do me a favor?”
Anything you want.
I nod. “Yes.”
“Can you pretend you didn’t see me?”
How the hell can I do that when I can
vividly remember every moment I’ve spent in her presence?
The first time I met her, at her
brother’s house, her hand was soft and delicate in mine. Her flustered smile
etched itself in my psyche. She had flowers in her hand and the sun shining
behind her. Luciana’s light was brighter.
“I don’t think I’m that good of a
liar.”
“What do you mean?” she asks, the
frown lines deepening on her forehead.
“I can’t pretend I didn’t see you,
Luciana…” My eyes linger all over her face. “It would be impossible for anyone
to do that.”
There’s a catch in her breath, and her
lips curve again, tugging at something deep in my chest. I want to be closer to
her. Like we were at Winter and Grayson’s wedding, when the world and everyone
in it disappeared while we were standing by the champagne table. That day, I
didn’t seize the opportunity, and I told myself if I had the chance again, I
wouldn’t miss it.
“You don’t need to call an Uber. I can
drop you off.”
She shakes her head. “You don’t have
to do that. I don’t want to make you leave the party.”
“I actually need to step away. I need
to check on one of my renovations.”
“On Christmas Eve? Is everything
okay?”
“Yeah. One of the sensors triggered
the system’s alarm, and the company just called.” I flash the phone in my hand.
“Sounds serious.” She peeks over her
shoulder again.
“I think the alarm may be faulty, but
I want to be sure. I can drop you off and go check.”
She shakes her finger. “Absolutely
not. We need to go check your place first to make sure it’s not an emergency.”
I’m not going to waste this chance.
“Let me tell Ayla I need to step away and see if Adri can keep an eye on her
for me.”
The two quick calls take two minutes.
“Okay, let’s go.” I lead Luciana
toward the parking area, where I catch a glimpse of my red work truck, and
wince. She’s used to luxury cars with sleek leather interior. I have this
worn-out SUV with an aux input.
But as I lead her to it, she acts like
nothing is out of the ordinary. I open the door for her and come around to the
driver’s seat.
“My car is not top of the line. I’m in
the process of buying another one since I use this one so much for work.”
“First, you’re doing me a favor by
driving me. Second, this is the cleanest car I’ve ever seen. Third…” She puts a
hand over the vent. “She can hear you and will get her feelings hurt.”
I laugh. “How do you know it’s a she?”
Her eyebrow quirks. “Am I wrong?”
“No.”
“What’s her name?” she asks.
“Apple,” I answer.
Now it’s her turn to laugh. “Apple?”
I chuckle. “Ayla named her when she
was five.”
She trails her fingers over the
dashboard. “It does fit her. She looks like a red delicious.”
No, you look delicious. Instead, I say, “Right. So, I
haven’t seen you for a while. How have you been? I mean, before the mafia
started chasing you.”
She rolls her eyes. “I’ve been well,
going back and forth between here and New York. My job is still there.”
“Cam mentioned that you want to move
here permanently.”
She nods. “Yeah. My family is here now
since he and Chase have settled in Baltimore.”
I put the car in drive. “Can you do
your job fully from here?”
“Yup. I can do my job from anywhere,
Oliver. I just need to make my space here more functional.”
I love the way she says my name, but I
force myself not to dwell on it. “That’s cool. It would make the move easier.”
She shrugs. “In some ways.”
“Right. You have a boyfriend.” I say
that even though I heard through our common circle of people that they’re not
together anymore.
“No. That’s over.” Her voice is soft.
I put a hand over hers without
thinking and then move it away. “Breakups are hard.”
Her head is down, looking at the hand
I just touched. “Yeah, but necessary. I just hate that the whole world knows.
Everyone gets to have an opinion about shit they know nothing about. But it’s
over for good, and I’m not going backpedaling this time.”
“Good. You’ll find someone better,” I
say.
And I mean it, because I’m better.
I wouldn’t fumble the ball like her ex.
She looks from the road to me. “I
think so too.”
Enter Giveaway
Enter for a chance to win a $25.00 Amazon gift card, perfect for holiday shopping or grabbing a few books. Giveaway ends November 21st, open to anyone who can accept a US Amazon gift e-card.
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