Their Perfect Melody

Starred review from October 8, 2018
Oliveras’s marvelous third Matched to Perfection contemporary (after Her Perfect Affair) tackles domestic violence and policing in Chicago’s Puerto Rican community with superb nuance. Sparks fly when social services advocate Lilí Fernandez confronts police officer Diego Reyes at the scene of her client’s domestic assault. Diego’s dedication to his neighborhood and Lilí’s desire to make a difference in Humboldt Park showcase how different approaches to good deeds can clash. Their attraction is strong and only grows as they continue to encounter each other, but incidents in their pasts inspire them to caution. Diego gradually shares his turbulent family history with Lilí, but he must overcome guilt about his sister’s longtime addiction and sort things out with her before he can truly commit to a romantic relationship. Familial assistance from both sides is needed to help the protagonists identify what’s truly important to them. Oliveras’s tangled, topical conflicts between multidimensional characters blend with lovingly portrayed family life and an intricate, realistic plot, enmeshing the reader in her created world. Agent: Rebecca Strauss, DeFiore & Co.

December 1, 2018

The last thing victim's advocate Lilí Fernandez needs when she answers a terrified call from one of her clients being attacked by a violent spouse is a hotshot, macho cop barring her way. But Chicago PD officer Diego Reyes is not happy about letting the little spitfire he pegs as a society miss into an active crime scene, no matter who she is. The fireworks ignite between them from the start, and the sexual magnetism heats up, but with initial misunderstandings and similar social goals but conflicting ideas of how to get there, anything more than friendship seems out of the question. Serious abuse and drug issues, gritty urban neighborhood ambience, and genuine Cubs enthusiasm add a realistic touch. VERDICT Sexy, sassy, and overflowing with music, complex emotions, and family-loving Latinx American and Puerto Rican characters, this romance is a compelling, often joyful read and perfectly wraps up the "Perfection" trilogy. Oliveras (Her Perfect Affair) lives in Gainesville, FL.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2019
A tough Chicago cop can't stop thinking about the softhearted victims' advocate who drives him crazy in ways both good and bad.Lilí, the youngest of the three close-knit Fernandez sisters, is a victims' advocate at a clinic on Chicago's West Side. After experiencing some difficult times, she is determined to help those who suffer from injustice, especially women and children. Her caring approach clashes with the hard-nosed tactics of cop Diego Reyes, who has seen it all and doubts that violent offenders can change. Despite clashing professionally, Lilí and Diego are attracted to one another, an attraction that deepens when they realize they share a love of music. Diego plays classical guitar, while Lilí once danced and sang with her father's trio. They both believe that "Familia primero": "The faraway, almost blissful expression on Diego's face as he spoke about his mami was like a lasso looped around Lilí, drawing her to him. It spoke of a kindred yearning for those who had shaped their lives, and continued to do so, even though they were no longer with them." Lilí's loving, boisterous family entices Diego, but he has familial secrets, keeping him frustratingly elusive. The third entry in Oliveras' Matched to Perfection series returns readers to the multilayered, nuanced portrayal of Chi-Town, from Lilí's posh condo in the Loop to the working-class neighborhoods Diego patrols to the middle-class suburb of Oakton where the Fernandez sisters were raised. New readers will have no trouble jumping in, although the action picks up right where the second book ended. Oliveras (Her Perfect Affair, 2018, etc.) tackles domestic violence and substance use disorder with nuance and empathy, though at times her depiction is limited by genre requirements, as when Lilí and Diego smolder at each other over a crime scene.A surfeit of mental lusting only slightly mars a rich romance between two very different Chicagoans of Puerto Rican descent whose clashes over social justice are less important than their love of music, family, and each other.

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Starred review from September 15, 2018
Lili Fernandez loves her older sisters and their families but gets frustrated when they don't think she can handle the tough situations she deals with as a victim's advocate in Chicago. It pushes her buttons when Officer Diego Reyes warns her against getting too involved with a client struggling with an abusive alcoholic husband. Diego has seen the effects on his family when his sister became entangled with abusive boyfriends and drugs, and he wants Lili to listen and protect herself more. Lili can't resist the handsome man she sees playing Spanish guitar and working at the youth center while trying to help his community, though his warnings irritate her. Lili, who teaches self-defense and helps women in danger, is an appealing and uniquely powerful heroine, and Diego's arc is also well crafted by rising star Oliveras, and the chemistry between him and Lili burns through the pages. Readers will love the loving but interfering family scenes, especially when sister Yaz invites Diego to dinner without warning Lili. Fans of Samantha Chase's Shaughnessy series will also enjoy Oliveras' Matched to Perfection novels, including Her Perfect Affair? (2018).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)