MF REVIEW: Pura Vida by Courtney W. Dixo (Ohana Surfing Club #2)

PURA VIDA

Ohana Surfing Club - Book Two

by Courtney W. Dixon

Release Date: September 15, 2022

Review

My last of book the year was actually an MF one. My first. Normally I skip MF books in a series, but I loved Courtney’s first book in the series so much, and I became so invested in the family that Kel created with his foster kids that I decided I couldn’t skip one. Especially that of quiet Mateo.

This is an emotional series full of characters that have had to deal with some of the worst things that life could throw at them. And honestly, Mateo’s story will break your heart. And to watch him meet the wonderful Lucy, and fall in the love with the bold and sweet woman, but still struggle to come to terms with his past in order to have a meaningful life with her, was both real and frustrating (in a heartbreaking way).

The family that’s been created between the foster siblings, and Kel (and his Dad) is incredible, they have some much love for one another.

Lucy is young and charismatic and is also struggling with her parent's divorce. She’s frustrating and you want to shake her frequently, but it’s relatable for so many children of divorced/separated parents. She has such a kind heart for Mateo.

Once these two are able to work through some of their pain and hurt, it’s clear they have a chance at a beautiful future.

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Synopsis

To push past the trauma, it takes family and unexpected love to achieve the Pura Vida way of life.

Lucy

I struggled with change, unable to deal with the divorce of my parents, and my dad coming out as bisexual. He found a man to love, and as I tried to adapt, I sought companionship and love with a young man, and foster son to my father’s lover. On the surface, Mateo seemed like any other cute boy you’d want to get to know. Deep down, he was complex and soulful. But that complexity came with a price. He was closed off, making it difficult to get to know him. How could I help him through his pain if he didn’t let me?

Mateo

Life on a stunning island isn’t all it’s cracked up to be for us locals. It trapped us with limited options. Some of us rise above it, while others crash and burn. I was one of those who burned. A traumatic experience as a child left me riddled with anxiety and PTSD, which pushed me over the edge into drug addiction. I’d been clean for four years after finding a new family, but with a chance at finding love, my world threatened to collapse around me as the lure of drugs called to me once more.

Can Lucy breach Mateo’s thick walls enough for her to help him with his pain? Will Mateo resist the hunger of his addiction? Will young love be able to withstand the complexities of life that are tossed their way?

CW: Murder of a parent, homelessness, drug abuse, addiction, PTSD, mental health issues, explicit language, sex, and violence.

This book can be read as a standalone, but like any series, it's always appreciated more if read in order.

This is a M/F New Adult Romance

About DJ Jamison

Courtney W. Dixon loves to write erotic romance. She writes both m/f and m/m stories all in one series to add a variety to her characters. Though there are erotic elements to her stories, they are rich with relationship growth. Even those enemies to lovers, a favorite of hers. Her characters are filled with deep POVs with trouble pasts, full of depth and emotion. She tries to give them complexity and growth as their stories move. And her favorite is to break her main characters down to lift them back up in order to give them their HEA's.

Courtney is also a mixed media artist who's primarily been focused on writing lately. You can find her working in Central Texas with her husband, two boys and two crazy dogs, none of whom know how to knock on a door while she's working.

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