Review: The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata

Publication date: July 4th, 2023

Pages: 475

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Mariana Zapata's most beloved book, The Wall of Winnipeg and Me--now with new exclusive content!

Vanessa Mazur refuses to feel bad for quitting--she knows she's doing the right thing. The thankless job of personal assistant to the top defensive end in the National Football Organization was always supposed to be temporary. She has plans for her life, and none of them include washing extra-large underwear one more day for a man who could never find it in him to tell her good morning, congratulate her on a job well done, or wish her a happy birthday--even when she was spending it working for him.

The legendary "Wall of Winnipeg" may be adored by thousands, but after two years Van has had enough.

But when Aiden Graves shows up at her door begging her to come back, she's beyond shocked. Mr. Walled-Off Emotions is actually letting his guard down for once. And she's even more dumbstruck when he explains that her job description is about to become even more outrageous: something that takes the "personal" in personal assistant to a whole new level.

What do you say to the man who is used to getting everything he wants?

Available at:

Plot: Vanessa and Aiden's story was unlike most of the stereotypical football themed romance stories. Don't get me wrong, it of course showed Vanessa as being the studious misunderstood loner who was the only one who didn't fall all over themselves when in the presence of Aiden's star power. But it was different in the sense that Vanessa didn't sit and pine for Aiden like so many of the other female protagonists of such a story would have. She got fed up with his aloof attitude and once she was capable of leaving, she had no desire to ever look back. Of course, Aiden didn't realize what he had until it was gone and had to try to find a way to pull her back in. Offering her a way out of financial debt and setting her up for success in the future if she were to help him out with his own issues was a no brainer. I really liked the slow discovery of their feelings for each other and how the author didn't put an emphasis on sex like most romance novels do (even in the romantic comedy department). In truth, the plot was extremely slow burn to the point where the characters never even shared a single ounce of intimacy until he final 50 pages or so. I feel that this was an excellent choice by the author because, while it frustrated me to no end, it forced the characters to have a deeper connection than they may have had if sex was introduced too early on. I liked that the author put little snippets in the book that could harken back to a few other standalones featuring beloved side characters. Masterfully done to not make a reader feel obligated to read the rest of the "series" but keeping the characters connected.

Characters: I loved these characters. Aiden with his stoic quietness that almost made me wonder if he was a little be autistic with how he operated. He didn't like people, he liked his life just so, he had a stringent vegan diet of safe foods, and he abhorred emotional connection especially of the physical variety. Even if the author wasn't trying to display a little bit of inclusivity there, Aiden was a darling of a character. He was blunt and to the point which I feel we need more of in reality. Then we have Vanessa; determined and diligent. She knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to go for it. She didn't take criticism without standing by her morals and aiming to prove everyone wrong. Her job was fascinating and one that I would have loved to learn even more about. She had a good heart and I couldn't find a thing dislikable about her.

Writing: The writing was beautifully done. The comedy was slipped in so well that you didn't see it coming until it hit you right between the eyes. It is what got me to openly chuckle into the pages of my book when normally I will just smirk and think to myself, "that was funny". Vanessa had the comedic timing of a professional and Aiden's dry humor complimented it perfectly. The only thing that I found I didn't enjoy was when the author kept calling Aiden's, ahem, equipment by its biological term. There is something about it constantly being called 'penis' that makes the romance of the scene a bit more like a biology lesson than the culmination of hundreds of pages of smoldering heat finally reaching its precipice. But other than that... I can't complain at all.

Overall: I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. I honestly skipped over it a few times in my library haul when it came to selecting my next read. Apparently my daughter has better taste in books than I do as she picked it up and told me to read it next because she liked the pretty colored cover. I think as far as slow burn romance goes, this was glacial, but once it heated up the entire iceberg melted and dripped off the pages. I loved the characters, the world, the chemistry, and it even had a cute puppy! There isn't much more you can ask for in a romantic comedy.