Book Review: From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata

I am slowly but surely making my way through Mariana Zapata's backlist and loving every second. The banter in From Lukov with Love was fantastic. I loved the slow burn to Ivan and Jasmine coming together. This was a truly wonderful story!

From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata

If someone were to ask Jasmine Santos to describe the last few years of her life with a single word, it would definitely be a four-letter one.

After seventeen years—and countless broken bones and broken promises—she knows her window to compete in figure skating is coming to a close.

But when the offer of a lifetime comes in from an arrogant idiot she’s spent the last decade dreaming about pushing in the way of a moving bus, Jasmine might have to reconsider everything.

Including Ivan Lukov.

4 out of 5 stars

I adored From Lukov with Love! I fell in love with Ivan and Jasmine and loved the development of their relationship. There was this amazing tension and verbal sparring between them that I couldn’t get enough of. I loved their banter, the way they slowly came together, Jasmine’s growth, the vulnerable and emotional moments, and finally seeing everything click into place. This story was filled with so many little moments that had me sighing and getting excited for their HEA.

Jasmine and Ivan had this cutting but fun back-and-forth that could be outright hilarious, and the more I learned about them and understood the why behind it, the more invested I became. Jasmine was stubborn, determined, and hardworking, but also her own worst critic. It was sometimes hard to see how harshly she talked about herself at times. I loved watching her slowly let her guard down and open up to Ivan. Ivan seemed so broody at first, but I loved watching those layers peel back through Jasmine’s eyes and seeing how sweet, supportive, and swoony he really was. The more I learned about him, the more I loved him. There were these pockets of emotion as they really got to know each other that had me choking up. And those looks from Ivan? They made me melt! The build to that moment when they finally connected was awesome.

There was a large cast of characters, including Jasmine’s loving and supportive family, and I enjoyed getting to know everyone. They were a fun group, even if some of the teasing felt a bit over the top at times. I liked seeing all the different relationships and bonds. I really liked Ivan’s coach as well, and how she sometimes had to referee Ivan and Jasmine’s bickering, it was entertaining!

This was such a wonderful, heartfelt story with a great build. Mariana Zapata does a slow burn like no other. Told from a first-person single POV, I liked it all, but it really hit its stride for me in the second half when I got a better feel for Ivan and Jasmine started to really grow. I had a fantastic time reading it!