Sheziss's Reviews > Can't Hide from Me

This was fun.



I expected no less from Cordelia.



The Spanish was awesome. I was close to tears with the proper use of the opening exclamation and interrogation signs (“¡” and “¿”), the syntax with the verb and noun conjugations, the use of accents, and the loving nicknames. That “cielito” made me laugh and swoon in equal parts. It’s not that I’m fond of nicknames themselves but I loved how the author made her homework and wasn’t content with online translators.

And yes, there are lots of Spanish sentences, dialogues and isolated words now and then. Not only because of the Mexican cartel, but also because of some of the “good” characters themselves speaking this language. So maybe it can be a little challenging for non-Spanish speakers but I suppose the general idea is understood.

Also, Ángel with accent! I can’t tell how delighted I’m with this.

Ángel is not an angel at all.



There were a few minor mistakes, though. A few forgotten accents. Just the sort that are easy to overlook if you are not paying attention. Nothing really important. Still, I hope they are corrected once this book is released:

Ángel shrugged. “He also had a wife an several girlfriends It was no threat to his machísmo to fuck a man the same way he would a woman.”

Correct word: machismo. But I’m not sure if machismo is the proper word in this specific context. I’d say “masculinidad” fits there, too, maybe even better. Above all after this:

Raúl didn’t respect me - his particular concept of masculinity meant he couldn’t treat me as an equal if he was going to fuck me.

Later we have:

¿Como estás?”

“Pues más o menos.”

Correct version: ¿Cómo estás?

Sometimes names have accents, sometimes they don’t. I’m not delighted with this constant changes but in USA accents tend to disappear. Anyway, there was a character (Mexican) who was called “Manuel Juarez”, no accent, but then the author mentions “Ciudad Juárez” (Mexican), with accent.

This made me laugh. Hard:

“Fucking Spanish! Says he doesn’t like not knowing what they’re saying around him. I told him, ‘Johnny, those fuckers are gonna come to America, they gotta speak American.’ You know?”

Jesus Christ.

My sentiments exactly.

Ángel was undercover in a Mexican cartel. As the toy boy of an important mafioso. Once this mafioso is killed, he’s at risk, to he asks for a way out. The team in charge of this mission is Charles’s one.

And it’s not a nice reencounter.



Charles is black. Ángel is Hispanic. I loved how naturally Cordelia describes the characters. No “coffee skin” or other ambiguous terms, just straight to the point. In my head, Ángel was white, as no further description was provided, with a mischievous glance that makes Charles nervous more often than not. I don’t know if I’m wrong but that’s how I imagine him. Charles is more serious and tries to keep the distances and the anger awake (he also has the biggest cock Ángel has ever seen, which I think is a cliché, but whatever).

I love how shamelessly Cordelia writes sex scenes. They are porny. Every time I read a book of hers, I know what I will get, and I rub my hands in advance. Dirty talk is mandatory with her. And dirty sex. In fact, I was disappointed there weren’t more hot scenes. There should have been more and longer!



Even more, I think this book should have been longer. The love department needed a deeper development. Things are doomed since the very beginning because of a past that none of them can forget nor forgive. So they don’t talk, they don’t form a bond. They fuck instead. Multiple times. Then the relationship seems finished for good after a Big Revelation, and then all hell breaks loose with the stalker taking the reins of the situation.



At this stage of the story, the MCs find out that nothing really matters, only them together. Because of the danger and the oh-my-god-you-almost-died vibes, everything is “solved”. I feel the book should have dedicated a few chapters to the “after”, to the “re-bonding”, the “getting to know each other for real”. But that didn’t happen. Or happened off-stage.

The mystery part was weak. I suck in mysteries but I figured who the baddie was once this character’s good façade makes an appearance. A pity.




So, it was an entertaining read. Not the best by Cordelia, but good enough to hold my attention until the very end.

*****

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*****

Team Review with Adam and Cupkita!



***Copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.***