Tell Me Twice (Los Morales #2) by Nuria Munoz

 

Summary (from the publisher): “A benefit of knowing your adversary since you both had undeveloped prefrontal cortexes is that you possess crucial information on him. Like how easy he is to torture.”

Fin Santos likes his ecosystem orderly and free of interference. As the executive director of Mi Tesoro, his beloved conservation trust nestled in the lush hills of western Puerto Rico, his focus has been laser sharp. But now, the board wants to win over the community before greenlighting his next project. When his infuriatingly competent former academic rival shows up to run the marketing campaign he vehemently opposed, Fin is in for more than some ecological disruption.

A freelance marketing whiz and free spirit, Mari Morales has always thrived in a no-strings environment. And yet, the moment she arrives at the sun-drenched hacienda overlooking a breathtaking riverscape, something shifts. The vibrant community of Mi Tesoro, and even the stubborn, undeniably attractive director with his passionate dedication, begin to weave a heady spell she hadn’t anticipated.

Fin and Mari’s professional clashes are immediate and intense, a fiery echo of their fiercely competitive days back in debate club. And yet, amidst the marketing videos and community events hosted under the starlit Puerto Rican sky, their undeniable spark burns bright. One that proves that, once they get out of their own way, worthy foes can turn into reluctant allies, and even tropical lovebirds.

Tell Me Twice is a kisses-only romcom with no swearing and all the Anne and Gilbert vibes. It’s a stand-alone novel, second in the Los Morales series.

Review: A huge thank you to author Nuria Munoz for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

In this standalone novel, we get to know Mari Morales better. She has worked for years a freelance marketing expert, never tied down to a single place or job. But now she has landed a job promoting Mi Tesoro, a conservation trust in the hills of Puerto Rico. And little does she know before her arrival that the executive director of Mi Tesoro is none other than Fin Santos, her old rival from debate club. While both are stubborn and talented, it increasingly becomes clear that maybe their animosity is really more attraction. 

This is the second book by Nuria Munoz I have read, and it was fun to get another of the Morales' siblings stories. Munoz excels at deeply immersive novels. She transports me to Puerto Rico yet again in this book but a very different scene than in Shall I Stay. I loved the lush wilderness and natural setting of Mi Tesoro that the author says is based on one of her favorite places in Puerto Rico, "Hacienda La Esperanza, which part of the Para La Naturaleza nature nonprofit" (275). I especially loved that Fin's riverbank cabin is based on a country house that the author's grandparents "owned in the Utuado mountains of central Puerto Rico" (275).  The author is also a master at food descriptions! So many vivid descriptions of the Puerto Rican meals enjoyed by these characters: "the vibrant aromatics, the saltiness from the ham, the nuttiness of the pigeon peas, the earthiness from being steamed under plantain leaves - it all makes my taste buds sing and rejoice" (163). 

This was such a sweet love story. I can never resist an enemies-to-lovers trope, and I especially enjoyed that the two in this book have a misplaced animosity that goes back to their youth! This depth to their back story made their almost immediate spark feel believable and authentic. I also like that both characters fleshed out back stories. Both of them have an absent parent for different reasons and this hurt has made them cautious. Fin was such an amazing leading man! He is caring and kind but also clearly attractive and appealing, as the way he constantly keeps accidently going viral thanks to Mi Tesoro social media. 

I did wish the pair had talked more! Late in the novel, much is made about how bad Fin is at texting. These two go days to weeks without communicating, even after they are on the same page about their interest in each other. This felt off to me and I would have liked to have seen the two getting to know each other more. And the speed of their relationship as evidenced in the epilogue surprised me. It was fun getting to see an update on Rico and Lena from book one in the epilogue!

Stars: 4

Related Title: 

• Shall I Stay (Los Morales #1) by Nuria Munoz