5+ stars for If Only You Knew by Anastasia Abboud #romance #bookreview #mustread
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  • N. N. Light
    • Feb 28, 2023
    • 3 min read

5+ stars for If Only You Knew by Anastasia Abboud #romance #bookreview #mustread



Title: If Only You Knew

Author: Anastasia Abboud

Genre: Contemporary Romance


Book Blurb:


Fly too close to the sun and you’ll get burned. Zechariah knows that only too well. But he hadn’t flown to the sun. She'd come to him. And he's absorbing her rays, wanting, needing, desperately reaching for more.


But the sun can’t shine in a cave, which is where he belongs.


Zechariah’s unappealing appearance has caused him nothing but grief all his life. Even his mother rejected him. How could someone as beautiful as Augusta Mae Anderson want to even be in the same room with him? Yet he's drawn to her – mind, body, heart.


Augusta Mae has never met anyone like Zechariah Baroudi. He doesn’t see her as a shallow, stupid blonde like everyone else does. Brilliant himself, he appreciates her hard work and her intellect, respects her. He accepts her for who she is and seems to understand her without even trying.


And he has the most beautiful eyes…


Too bad that his bodyguards – aka, his obnoxious brothers – won’t leave them alone. Too bad they're fighting with everyone they love because they’re together.


Too bad Augusta Mae and Zechariah could lose the love of a lifetime.


Note: this is the tenth anniversary edition of this book.


My Review:


In this heart-wrenching romance, the question of beauty in the eye of the beholder is answered. Love, true love, shines for all to see. I know Anastasia Abboud can write romance but this book solidifies her as one of the best romance authors in today’s market you haven’t heard of yet. You’ll want to settle in for this romance and you might want to have a few tissues handy.


When it comes to descriptive narration, no one does it better than Anastasia Abboud. She describes scenes with such clarity, you can envision it all: characters, setting, weather, clothing, smells, touch, and more. She also describes nuances such as emotion and desire, so the reader is fully immersed in the story.


The characters are vibrant and leap off the page. I connected with both Zechariah and Augusta Mae. They are such an interesting couple. Both are attracted to each other, but both have been burned by past heartbreak. The dynamic is easy to spot (beastly versus beautiful) but there is more interplay under the surface too which I found fascinating to read.


The romance is hard to define as it is a mash-up of several tropes. It’s realistic, modern-day romance with a few twists. I like the progression of their relationship because they didn’t just jump in the sack. It’s a build-up of emotions warring with each other. Reading this is like falling in love, only better.


If you’re a romance reader, you need to read this book! I strongly recommend this book.


My Rating: 5+ stars


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Author Biography:


For me, playing is the best -- playing outdoors in nature or in my garden, experimenting in the kitchen, spending time with those I love. I also enjoy disappearing into a good book, attempting crafts, learning, writing, exploring, discovering. I especially like to mix it up and have yet to perfect any of it; and I've come to realize that perfection's not the point. It's all wonderfully fun. That's the point!


​I prefer authentic and natural, be it food, lifestyle, people. I passionately enjoy both history and science, and certainly sociology to a degree, and I am most truly a romantic.


​​My husband and I have been married for over forty years. We reside near Houston, Texas, surrounded by loved ones. We have a blast with our little grandchildren.


​I thank God for this wonderful life.


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Reviewed by: Nancy

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