A true valentine to Valentine´s.

As I mentioned in my previous post about my Valentine´s book list, it´s been a very long time since I last had the opportunity to read a book thanks to @Booktasters and not because I didn’t want to -quite the contrary-, but because this year I have decided to have an specific theme per month -or at least try to- and ´til now, I didn´t feel like the books they had available fitted with the theme.

But luckily, this month there was The Last Valentine by Felix Alexander, who right from the beginning I got, has the soul of a real poet.

´Cause besides its surprisingly thrilling political-historical story, packed in mysteries; The Last Valentine is really and ode to love and romance, and I mean all kinds of it; from the passionate one, to the possessive one, the obsessive one; the love born of patience and understanding, of words and communication; the love that like a flame is ignited instantly, the one that is everlasting, the one that is meant to be, the one that´s forbidden, earned, given, that destroys and lifts spirits, etc.

This book is all about it, the different notions of love and the actions that people commit because of it, so it shouldn´t come as a surprise that I absolutely loved it!

But the beautifully written narration of Felix Alexander isn´t all there is to this book; since in a surprising twist, the story turned out to be more of a mystery novel and a political-historical thriller. Which I actually found exquisite, ´cause I really felt like it had it all! there was drama -like all love stories use to have-, some intrigue, social comments, historical facts -mainly about Puerto Rico since the story is set there, but also about Latin America countries post

There was drama -like all love stories use to have-, some intrigue, social comments, historical facts -mainly about Puerto Rico since the story is set there, but also about Latin America countries post imperialism-, and a compelling mystery that made me follow each event and character in order to fit the puzzle pieces together -which was actually easy-; and made me excited when I turned out to be right!

Now, admittedly the book started a little slow for my liking, and at the beginning, I didn´t get why it started like it did, but a quarter into the book, it was really difficult to me to stop reading ´cause things just kept getting better and better. And what´s more, Felix Alexander has such a way with words describing the traditions and beliefs of the people from Old Siena; as well as the place, that it actually made me want to visit Puerto Rico just to get a glimpse of the people and the places that inspired him to create this magical and romantic place.

So yeah, color me impressed and completely enthralled ´cause as I mentioned before I really loved this book and if you like to read to read about romance, poetry, exotic places, history, mysteries, chance are you will also absolutely love it! Be it if you have been in love or not.

In fact, if I were to have any complaints it would be only the slow start, but then again it´s really just at the beginning so…, there´s also Olivia Villalobos -one of the main characters-, whose actions I couldn´t get behind and I didn´t understand at all, and at the and seem to me like kind of a terrible person, but then again that´s on me and the perception I got from her, and in the end I didn´t hate her -like other characters in the past- so there´s that.

Anyhow, have you read The Last Valentine? -if not, I can´t recommend it enough- What are you reading right now?

The Last Valentine by Felix Alexander is a sweeping epic saga of multiple love stories within one story.

It is filled with poetic beauty that captures the soul. The scenery and descriptions are penned so beautifully that the vivid scenes come alive in the reader’s mind. Skillfully written in lyrical poetic beauty, The Last Valentine is a treat to be savored. The words flow beautifully straight off the page.

The storyline is unique and very different in that it involves many generations of love stories and unrequited love. I was captivated by Felix Alexander’s words and imagination. The plot is rich and fulfilling.

The many characters are fully developed and multi-dimensional. The author really put a lot into developing, not only the storyline, but the eccentric characters as well.

This novel will take readers away to a different time and place where romance is the main theme.

It’s not like a typical chick lit style read or even a contemporary romance. This is more like the writings of some of the great romantic drama writers of all time.

I fell in love with The Last Valentine and couldn’t put it down, reading into the late hours of the night.

This is a compelling engaging read that I recommend to true literary readers which crave good old fashioned classic romance poetry and stories.

Compelling and beautiful, The Last Valentine is engaging and written with expertise.

This story is for real true romantics, there is a lot of mystery and disturbing twists which adds to the overall greatness of the novel. The satisfying ending is smooth and welcomed.

I truly loved The Last Valentine and would read it again-for unrequited love is the most heartbreaking love of all.

Chick Lit Cafe highly recommends The Last Valentine

Felix Alexander is either a man who knows love, and knows it deeply, or he is a man the heart should fear. His ability to put love into words is nothing short of swoon-worthy, and will melt the heart of anyone who has known love, has lost love, or has been to the depths of suffering only to find the light of love lifting them up again.

The Last Valentine takes murder and politics in a new direction, infusing it with the realities of romance. In the aftermath of the Spanish-American war, Puerto Rican friends Olivia and Isaac take off on a search for the Labyrinth of Love Letters, a safe haven for forbidden lovers that has been lost to legend. Olivia and Isaac fancy themselves Sherlock Holmes out to fulfill the last desire of a mysterious man whose murder will turn their little town of Old Sienna upside down...or right-side up. They get in over their heads as their good intentions find them in a web of lies, love, secrets, betrayals, mystery, and murder. Will the web catch them in its snare, or will the truth finally be unveiled?

The story is filled with one beautiful, relatable quote after another. The murder mystery isn't much of a mystery as you start getting answers early on; however, the story is a puzzle that only gets solved piece by piece. It's a great plot that is enjoyable to follow along with. 

The Last Valentine is told from the points of view of nearly every relevant character, but somehow manages to do it flawlessly, which I tend to find a rarity. The downside to so many points of view is there isn't enough focus individually to develop a connection with any of the characters. The book could benefit from a little more editing as well. There are sentences that are often repetitive, as if the author wasn't certain where or how to put some descriptions, so he left both. (At one point, a character gets intoxicated, and is offered a drink where he is informed that it is a hangover remedy...only a page later to read that the character drinks the concoction which he "later" discovers is a hangover remedy.) There were also a lot of fragmented/incomplete sentences, sentences separated by a period that should have combined the two with a comma, and a handful of typos. 

The writing style is dreamy yet realistic, the emotions are relatable, and the plot is fascinating to unfold. However, there is a fair bit of technical editing that should be done, and I'd greatly love to see a longer story that allowed more time for the reader to truly connect with the characters, which is a necessity of any lasting book. I would hands-down read more from Felix Alexander for his superb writing style alone, but due to the recurring errors and lack of connection, I have to rate the book 3 out of 4 stars. Still, it is one I would most definitely recommend to any lovers of love.