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A review by bribreez
Under Locke by Mariana Zapata
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Did someone say, tall, dark haired grumpy, tattooed motorcycle man, with the most dreamy blue eyes, and was a total protective softie, YES! I’ll gladly take him! Dex Locke was a man who’s temper got the best of him… majority of the time, but I loved how he softened especially with the introduction of our lovely Iris Taylor.
Once again, Mariana Zapata sucked me into her world of a new story, new characters, and I’ve fallen more in love. Before reading this book, I actually read, “Kulti”, and Dex and Iris had a little cameo in Sal and Kulti’s story. I love how most of Mariana’s characters appear in others books, it’s like an interconnected universe of these beloved characters. So after reading, “Under Locke”, it made me think back to when Iris and Dex were briefly shown in “Kulti”.
Something about this book caught my attention more than Mariana’s other books. Now let me just say that, I love each and every one of Mariana’s books, as well as the character’s, they all have a place in my heart, but for some reason this story spoke to me more. Out of all the books I’ve read by Mariana, I feel like this book was probably my favorite! I loved reading about Dex being an absolute grumpy pants, yet learning to soften his behavior/ attitude when it came to Iris. I loved seeing Iris starting to come out of her shell, and starting to feel comfortable around everyone from Pins and Needles (name of Dex’s tattoo shop). This story was funny, lighthearted with a mix of drama, and angst (the angst curtesy of Dex).
I liked that this story had more going on aside from Dex and Iris’s budding romance. The conflict of trying to resolve the problem with Sonny and Iris’s Dad was interesting and ironically enough, it provided the opportunity for Dex and Iris to get closer since… she had to temporarily stay at Dex’s house, forced proximity trope yay! With the added drama of Iris’s Dad, it gave more conflict to the story, and it was a nice change compared to other Mariana Zapata stories.
The romance was *chef’s kiss, and Dex Locke definitely had me gasping and losing my breathe over a couple of times from the things he said and did…. That man was a masterpiece.
I will say that with all the drama that unfolded and the obstacles that Iris and Dex had to overcome, I genuinely loved seeing Dex go from the ultimate grumpy man, to one that started to make adjustments to himself, I guess in a way becoming a better version of himself. Not to mention, there’s something about a man such as Dex, being so broody and grumpy that seeing act possessive and at times super sweet to Iris made me both swoon and gasp out loud from the things Dex said and did! That man didn’t hold back in showing EXACTLY how he felt about Iris, *insert gif of me losing my mind over this beautiful specimen known as Charlie Dexter Locke.
Overall, this was a great book, and I absolutely loved Iris and Dex. Iris was a sweet soul who, despite the tragic things she had to deal with in her life, was an absolute joy. Dex being a man who definitely had anger management issues, was a man with determination, fierce loyalty, and protective of the one he loved, Iris.