Tender Triumph

Eager to delve into the McNaught world with all the books I have by her that I need to read, it figures I would begin with one of the more poorly reviewed ones.

Story-wise, it starts out intriguing but then would need a bit more to fill it in to keep it as interesting. In the beginning there are clearly cultural differences where the protagonist shows her embarrassing ignorance and unintentional snobbiness to the point it got on my nerves. Through the first date to his stunning announcement, to the bizarre pool party night (what on earth was going on with all THAT?, and then to the awkward parent gathering. It was strange how different Ramon seemed in her presence versus how he was with his associate in the office at the book's show more opening.

The middle half gets even better as things progress, where she admits she has feelings for Ramon and tries to make it work, all the while subconsciously holding backing important parts of herself. Some of these just seemed silly, and I only sat back to wait for the explosion. The end was a disappointing wrap-up, though, bringing this review down a few notches. We don't get to see the scene where she sits down and explains an important element to Ramon. The reasoning behind her I love you avoidance was a bit silly and too forced a dramatic explanation, almost as if the author was searching too much. It's hard to believe Katie could be as clueless as she was with key points, I mean really!

Overall the pacing never harms the book, as things are always happening, plenty of tension is felt, internal struggles often encountered. Each chapter introduces a new plot point that breathes in freshness. McNaughts' writing style is done well with little hiccup. The atmosphere is one of moderate tension that adds to the book when it needs to.

Characters are fun overall. Ramon was my favorite as he had a sense of price hard to top, knew the right way to treat a lady (once you get pass the domineering annoying traits that pop up from time to time.) I felt more sorry for him than Katie. Katie was clueless most of the time and some of her faux pass in social settings just embarrassed me with her misconceptions of the poor. She may not feel herself a snob, but it was clear she was a bit at first. I'm happy to see this changed. I do have some questions, however. Why did she meet Rob at the beginning if she knew she wouldn't give him a chance? Is it insulting to anyone else the pastors opinion should bear so much fruit on the town's decision?

I did not despise Tender Triumph like others, and instead found it hard to tear myself away. The plot was riddled with impracticalities, some of it over the top and too much, while others just didn't make a lick of sense. The ending didn't pay off a lot of built up suspense, and the romantic relationship itself won't be winning any awards. Still, it's not a bad book, though perhaps by McNaught terms. show less

El viernes, un extraño sensual entra en la vida de Katie. Para el domingo, su vida cambia irrevocablemente para siempre. Katie Connelly sumerge su doloroso pasado en una carrera prometedora, un apartamento elegante y relaciones románticas sin complicaciones y sin compromisos. Sin embargo, falta algo vital en su vida y no está segura de qué es, hasta que conoce al orgulloso y tosco Ramón Galverra.

Con su encanto y naturaleza apasionada, Ramón le brinda un amor que ella nunca ha conocido. Sin embargo, todavía tiene miedo de entregar su corazón a este hombre fuerte, obstinado y reservado, un hombre de un mundo diferente, un hombre con un futuro audaz e incierto. ¿Sobrevivirá la relación de Katie con Ramón una vez que desaparezca show more la emoción inicial de su pasión a fuego lento? show less

All the lol's. Kinda (definitely) racist and kinda (definitely) poking fun at women's lib/feminism. It really deserves 0 stars, but I lol'ed all the way through. I probably wouldn't have read this if it hadn't been printed with [b: Paradise |16006|Paradise (Second Opportunities, #1)|Judith McNaught|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386921972s/16006.jpg|967548] and that wasn't the only of the Second Opportunities series that I hadn't yet read.

I felt slightly impatient with Katie, because didn't Ramon prove to her that he loved her and he did everything he could to make her happy? I loved the scene where Ramon met Katie's parents at her house .as Ramon came to declare his intentions.

I generally like McNaught's books, but this one held no interest for me, whatsoever. Definitely not one of her better works.

this book blows; the whole way she portrayed the cultural misunderstandings was so lame; i hated even his accent; the story was so weak and no chemistry between them.

Katie Connelly had rich parents and everything life could offer. Being approached by a man she "assumed" was a spanish gardner, she slowly gave pieces of herself to him and her parents met with their approval. Ramon Galvera has indeed lost most of his millions and was looking for a wife to share his farm land in Spain with for peace and a new future. He ended up financially threatening a man who had borrowed money and was not paying it back. This turned out to be multi millions he achieved in his professional business world. The priest finally agreed to marry the two after he found out that Katie's previous husband had beat her with a belt to make her say she loved him and that was why she was holding back with Ramon.