From Lukov with Love

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars | 30,224 ratings

Price: 21.83

Last update: 12-20-2024


About this item

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 17 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.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Sheila M
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this One!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2023
    FINAL DECISION: A true slow burn, this book was exactly what I needed to read right now. A substantive relationship with characters that have depth and interest. New author to me, but I look forward to reading more.

    THE STORY: Jasmine Santos is a talented but struggling figure skater whose career has hit a rough patch. She is dealing with the pressures of her sport, financial difficulties, a bad last partner, and trying to reconnect with her family. She has been floating since separating from her last partner but keeps skating even as people begin to see that her career is over and she should consider teaching. Enter Ivan Lukov, the brother of one of Jasmine's friends. Ivan is a skilled, successful skater who has been pushing Jasmine's anger buttons for years. Despite their history of clashes and differences in personalities, Jasmine and Ivan agree to become skating partners out of necessity -- but only for one year. Along the way, the relationship between the two changes as they develop a complex and evolving relationship that goes beyond the ice rink.

    OPINION: This is the first book by this author that I have read, but it won't be the last. It eschews the overdramatic and grounds itself so deep in reality that I felt that I could meet these two characters at the local ice skating rink. Jasmine is such a complex character: prickly, caring, a perfectionist, a bit of an emotional mess. At first, I wasn't sure about her, but the book does such a great job of bringing the reader into her life that I quickly began to love her quirks.

    Ivan -- oh, simply adorable. The way the book is structured, readers don't know his thoughts in the book. Therefore, we only get to know him through his actions and words and how Jasmine views him which changes as the book progresses.

    The relationship between Jasmine and Ivan builds slowly and felt so real. The book really builds from the characters and doesn't rely on cheap dramatic tricks to draw the characters together. Instead, it is the small things -- helping after a car won't start, babysitting that builds the relationship. The best part of this book? By the time the book ends, there is no question that these two are perfect for one another.

    The family dynamics were amazing here as well. Jasmine has a lot to learn about her family. This book serves as her catalyst for finding what her role is in her family. By the way, I loved Jasmine's mom and her siblings. They are devoted to Jasmine but also funny characters. It really felt like a great family.

    I just loved this whole universe of characters, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

    WORTH MENTIONING: Great for fans of ice skating.

    CONNECTED BOOKS: FROM LUKOV WITH LOVE is a standalone.

    STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.
  • Emily J-H
    4.0 out of 5 stars the burn was soooo slow
    Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2024
    The tension and build up in Mariana Zapata’s books is soooooo good. She creates such a vivid world and story, but really makes you work for the teaspoon of spice she finally gifts you. Once you get there, you just sigh in relief… maybe kick your feet in glee. Small, happy celebrations.

    Jasmine and Ivan have known each other for most of their lives, training in the same facility, one owned by Ivan’s family. Jasmine is best friends with his sister and adored by his parents. But Ivan and Jasmine cannot stand each other. Constantly trading barbs, there is rarely a civil interaction between two. That is until Ivan’s skating partner steps away for a season and he offers the spot to Jasmine, whose partner abandoned her not long before.

    As you can guess with my initial thoughts, I really enjoy Zapata’s books and how she writes a slow burn romance. This one had some opportunity for improvement. I felt the ending was rushed. In her other books there is a little more time built in to fill in the gaps and answer the questions. It drives me nuts when I finish a book and still wants answers.

    What happened with Ivan’s previous partners? He alludes to more of a story but we never get it.
    How long did Ivan have feelings? Again, it is alluded that he cared more than he let on initially and perhaps had some feelings from afar, but I would have preferred it was more spelled out.

    I would recommend this to anyone who loves the film “The Cutting Edge” but without the hockey tie-in.
  • Nissa @ Of Pens and Pages
    5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite MZ book to date!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2018
    I LOVE LOVE LOVED IT. Make way, The Wall of Winnipeg and Me and Kulti, From Lukov with Love is joining you in my 're-read all over and over and over again' pile. This book had Mariana Zapata's signature slow burn that I can't get enough, characters I can't help but absolutely love, and fantastic banter that made me laugh out loud, all the while set in a sport world I don't usually encounter in romance novels (If you know more figure skating/pair skating romances, please recommend them to me!). Plus, Ivan and Jasmine are my favorite MZ hero and heroine.

    Jasmine Santos has been in the figure and pair skating world for as long as she can remember, but at twenty-six and without a partner after he left her in the dust, she might have to hang up her skates. Talented as she is, she hasn't won a gold medal since her junior years, and with people she has attitude problems, it isn't exactly easy to find a new partner.

    But when world champion and darling of the skating world Ivan Lukov and his coach asks her to become his partner, Jasmine knows this is an opportunity of a lifetime. Only thing is she can't stand Ivan, and the feeling is mutual. Despite Jasmine being Ivan's sister's best friend, the two have been at each other's throats since they were teenagers, and the animosity stayed with them even as they grew up.

    If they want to make their partnership work, they'll have to try to get along, or at least not try to kill each other while they're training. Outside the rink is fair game. But a partnership like theirs needs a strong foundation of trust in each other, and they don't trust each other at all.

    I laughed so much at Ivan and Jasmine's antics. These two did not hold back at all. They can't spend time together without throwing insults at each other that the people around them don't know whether to be frustrated or entertained. There were times my chest ached and I wanted to kick Ivan where it hurts because some of the things he said were pretty sore points for Jasmine, and honestly for me, too. Jasmine's not innocent either. But all in all, it's pretty innocent; it's become a routine for them to do it that their words do not have as much heat as it sounds.

    Okay, let me start with my dear Vanya. I'm pretty sure Ivan Lukov is my favorite MZ hero. He's different than the rest of the author's heroes. He's cocky but not to the point of being conceited, charming, and more outgoing than the previous heroes. He's affectionate and teasing, and has more to him than meets the eye. He's a celebrated athlete, but you can't begrudge him for his fame and success because you know well he worked hard for it. That's what makes him perfect for Jasmine. He understands her pains and struggles as an athlete, and knows better than anyone of the sacrifices they have to give to be where they are. And he's funny as heck!

    Jasmine, unlike her shy and reticent older sister Ruby (heroine of Dear Aaron), is outspoken and does not hold back to tell others what she's thinking. She's confident in who she is as a person and will never pretend to be something she's not just to please others, and you know what, that's what I admired about her the most. Because of that, people often mistake it for being mean and unapproachable.

    I have a similar outlook on life as Jasmine, and it hit me in the feels when I learned more about her. She's 100% focused on her career, and because of that, she's lost time she should have been spending with her family and everyone she loves. She seems emotionally detached, but truly she's kind-hearted.

    If you've read DA, Jas was a teenager then and honestly, to me, she seemed selfish or conceited. She's grown since then after finally realizing how much her family has sacrificed for her to reach her dreams, and she's making a conscious effort to make it up to them. But as I've said, Jasmine isn't a touchy-feely person, and she's still trying to figure out how to make it up to her family all the while trying to understand her real goal in her career and her frustrations. It's one of her biggest struggles here, and we get to see how she overcomes that. I loved watching this part of her, the growth Jasmine has to go through in From Lukov with Love.

    I loved the Santos family dynamic! Jasmine and her mom, Jas and her brothers and sisters (plus their significant others and children), it was such a treat to read about them! You can see it in her family why Jasmine is the way she is. They're not outwardly affectionate towards each other in a conventional sense, but the strong love is obvious. They tease and hurl insults at each other but will threaten bodily harm on people who they think would hurt their brood. Special mention to James who's the best! It was so funny when he and Jas bickered. The family dynamic felt authentic, even her strained relationship with her father. And as a Filipino, I have to confirm that some of the parents (luckily not mine) tend to think the same as Jasmine's father who believes that a college degree and a nine-to-five office job is better than anything else.

    While this book is full of funny antics, it has its fair share of angst, too. But other than that, there are a lot of feels! When the two decides to become friends, it's obvious how compatible they were, and then when they started caring for each other??? AHHHH. Feels! I love it when guys are affectionate and sweet and thoughtful and ahhh. I can't.

    From Lukov with Love is a standalone so people don't need to read Dear Aaron to appreciate it, but I still recommend reading DA first since it was set a few years prior to Lukov. But if you've read Dear Aaron already and loved them, you'll see a little bit more of #Ruron here!

    Fans of Kulti and enemies to lovers romance will love From Lukov with Love! It will make you laugh, tear up, and fall in love, not just with Ivan and Jasmine, but with figure and pair skating, as well.

    Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Best Friend's Brother, Sports—Pair Skating
    POV: First Person, Female POV
    Standalone: Yes

  • Best Sellers in

     
     

    Trails and Tribulations: The Running Adventures of Susie Chan

    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 201
    13.35
     
     

    A Light in the Dark: Surviving More Than Ted Bundy

    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 194
    18.8
     
     

    A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca

    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1428
    17.46
     
     

    River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile

    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 3306
    17.72
     
     

    Finding Ultra (Revised and Updated Edition): Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering M

    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 6576
    17.72
     
     

    Bravey: Chasing Dreams, Befriending Pain, and Other Big Ideas

    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1313
    15.75
     
     

    MeatEater's Campfire Stories: Discoveries, Revelations & Near Misses: Campfire Stories

    5 5 out of 5 stars 3
    13.78
     
     

    Young Woman and the Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Inspired the World

    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 152
    22.04