As Long As You Love Me

July 7, 2023

Originally published on Wattpad as Kiss and Tell, Leal makes her print publishing debut. Catalina Diaz Solis, nearing the end of her internship at an engineering company, is doing everything she can to impress the company executives and secure an open full-time position right after she graduates from the University of Central Florida. Gabriel Cabrera, her rival and the handsome big man on campus, is a thorn in her side who always seems to get everything he wants so easily, making her loathe him. Catalina needs the job to extend her visa to stay in the country. She cannot bear to go back to the turmoil in Venezuela after her brother was killed in a political protest. She's stunned when Gabe, after discovering the high stakes for her, makes a proposal. Gabe needs a convincing girlfriend for all the upcoming nuptial activities in his family, and in exchange, he will step out of the running for the engineering job. Who could turn down this offer? VERDICT Leal, who is Venezuelan, adds depth to the fake-relationship trope with the backstory about the ongoing crisis in Venezuela and an unexpected twist, making this read stand out.--Nicole J. Suarez

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 25, 2023
Professional rivals make an unlikely deal in this mismatched romance from Leal (Hot Like Ice). With the expiration of Venezuelan Catalina Diaz’s student visa rapidly approaching, Catalina is desperate to land the only open position at the engineering firm where she’s been interning. But that means she’s up against fellow intern Gabe Cabrera. Everyone loves Gabe—though the one person he really wants to charm is Catalina. He knows how much Catalina wants the job, so he offers to back out of the running if she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend at his brother’s wedding. The flimsy reason for this ruse is to teach Gabe’s racist mother a lesson, a plotline that doesn’t quite work. After their date, Gabe repeatedly helps Catalina out of sticky situations—up to and including proposing a green card marriage after Catalina’s application for a visa extension is denied. Along the way, they’ve each fallen for the other, but, as neither has confessed their feelings, each believes their relationship is still just for show. Can these two admit their love before it’s too late? The pair’s damsel in distress/white knight dynamic grows frustrating, making it difficult to root for their happy ending. Fake dating fans will be better served elsewhere.