I did like that this one was really steamy (and I had already been hearing so much about this one), but otherwise, something about the writing style wasn't really for me.

Angelina M. Lopez delivers another knockout book with her latest release, Full Moon Over Freedom, which comes out on Tuesday!! This is the second in her Milagro Street series, and you may recall I very much loved the first one. In fact, I’ve read and loved all of Angelina’s backlist. She’s a romance writer who *knows* and loves the genre; her passion for the craft and the genre is clear to the reader.
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So about this particular book: our main character, Gillian, is fantastic. She’s complicated, she’s backed into a corner, and she’s imperfect. To me, that makes her such a joy to read. She’s also a mother and a bruja, and there are so many Latinx—particularly Mexican—historical and cultural elements in this novel that I’ve never seen in a romance book before. Nicky, our love interest, is the perfect tortured artist with his own magical journey. God these two are so fantastic to read. I love a second chance romance and I know how hard they are to execute, yet Angelina does a phenomenal job. Did I mention this book is so so sexy? Because it totally is.
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In a way, the whole Milagro Street series feels Angelina’s love letter to magical realism, which is a sort of cultural touchstone for Latinx literature. Full Moon Over Freedom really leans into this without sacrificing the heat and passion Angelina’s known for. It’s a romance novel through and through, but it’s also so much more than that! What an unforgettable book and one of my favorites of the year! 💜

I love this author and her first book in this series and when I had the honor to read book 2 and got to be entranced into the world of Mexican folklore, ghosts, magic, romance, I was all for it!!

We get to meet Gillian the older sister who everyone thought had it all together, but when she is in the middle of a nasty divorce, with kids and she’s broke, she’s back home to Kansas and in a town she didn’t want to come to. When she bumps into her first love Nicky, we all know there were higher powers that brought them together again. This second chance romance kept me glued to my kindle I couldn’t put this book down.

I love how Gillian uses her ancestors, and her craft to guide her out of this wild situation she is in. It was sad to see what Gillian was and what she became because of her marriage, but seeing her flourish and become the woman she was always destined to be was even more inspiring…

I’m telling y’all this author did it yet again!!! This book was pure Magic!

Full of magic, ghosts and second chances, this book had the makings of a 5 star read by fell a bit short for me.

Gillian + Nicky
Small businesses
Small town
Slow start
Family & community ties
Second chance romance
Cheating & lying about it

I loved getting to go back to Freedom and the Torres family on Milagro Street. The visual descriptions of this street are so vivid that you feel like you are there. This time we are following Gillian's story, the oldest daughter that has come home after an ugly divorce that is still in progress. She has her two children with her. She doesn't want anyone to know how bad things have gotten for her. She decides she needs to be bad to get her powers back. This decision is followed by a run in with Nicky Mendoza, the guy that took her virginity and helped her explore her sexuality when she was younger. He's a famous painter but she doesn't know that because she has tried to not keep tabs on him. Their story is fabulous as well as the fact that we get to visit Alex and Jeremiah from the first book as well as all of the family. I hope the youngest Torres woman will get her story next. I'm already ready to get back into Freedom.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own." Thank you Netgalley.

Wow what a book I enjoying read Full Moon Over Freedom. Second Chance romance this is my first book by Angelina M. Lopez I'm looking forward to reading her others books 5 Star read 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟



Happy Reading
Lisa

I had so much fun reading this book. It was a second chance romance and it even started with a hot steamy scene with Nicky and Gillian and I knew I was going to adore this book. I also loved Gillian’s kids, I loved seeing them interacting with Nicky and when her son wanted to hold Nicky’s hand when crossing the road, so cute.

DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.

"Full Moon Over Freedom" delves into the journey of Gillian, the second sister from the Milagro Street series. Gillian's relentless pursuit of perfection has defined her life, spanning both her career and marriage. Yet, as the walls around her achievements crumble, she is forced to confront the feasibility of her lofty aspirations. Returning to her hometown, fate reunites her with the charismatic Nicky, an old flame whose memory she has never relinquished.

As their paths align once more in a professional capacity, the dormant passion between them threatens to reignite.

While "Full Moon Over Freedom" delivers a heartwarming and fervent romance, it didn't quite captivate me like its predecessor did. Gillian's relatability is evident, but her perspective didn't engage me as much as her sister Alex's did in the first installment. The narrative heavily centers on Gillian's personal struggles, encompassing a fractured marriage and life-altering choices. Yet, these themes didn't resonate with me as strongly. Despite the fervent romance, the lack of a gradual buildup left me wanting, especially given the protagonist's past relationship. As an aficionado of slow-burn romances, this aspect left me somewhat unsatisfied. Still, it's worth noting that this book boasts a formidable female lead and, for enthusiasts of magical realism, it holds the potential to charm.

In the acknowledgments at the conclusion of the book, the author reveals that Nicky Mendoza holds the distinction of being her inaugural Mexican American hero. Nicky's portrayal is so compelling that it left me yearning for an even deeper exploration of his character. Haunted by the specters of trauma and profound loss, Nicky's journey is a pivotal one. However, his personal evolution somewhat recedes into the background, juxtaposed against Gillian's arc, until the story's final chapters.

Wow, really enjoyed Full Moon Over Freedom! I liked how the characters were working through their traumas and it created a more emotional romance story. At first, I was annoyed with Gillian but the character development was great. I loved seeing reestablished a life after her divorce. Also, I liked how paranormal things were incorporated with Gillian and Nicky working together to lift the curse. The author also included historical elements with the influence of Mexican American immigrants and Mexican American culture.

I was thrilled to received this ARC so thank you Net Galley, HARLEQUIN - Romance (U.S. & Canada), Harlequin, and Angelina M. Lopez!

I love this entire book with my whole heart! Gillian has lost her magic and Nicky feels heavy the loss of his brother, they are reunited unexpectedly on the old road no one uses anymore. This is the best friends to lovers, second chance, bruja vibes and found family. But the my favorite part is how the author Angelina M Lopez uses history from her hometown to weave into the book, the mix of the Hull baby case with La llorona and gave the a happy ending. Gillian and Nicky’s character growth is also to be noted, the emotional distress these characters made me go through is not okay.

There’s something about the way that Angelina M. Lopez writes her female main characters that really just speaks to me. They are oftentimes messy and falling apart, don’t have all their shit together. They are usually a work in progress, trying to climb out of the wreckage of their life and trying to make a new beginning. It’s inherently hopeful and also sometimes a bit dark, as is the case here with Gillian, the oldest of the Armstead sisters, in the midst of a very messy divorce, and has lost her magic. An unexpected run in with Nicky, the boy who she asked a long time ago to give her sex lessons, now a renowned artist, leads to a summer of finding herself, reaffirming her roots, and reclaiming her magic. The book is in turns dark and mysterious, sexy and seductive (that Nicky has one filthy mouth), and ultimately a story about a woman finding purpose and learning to trust, in herself and those she loves.

Content Warninigs: toxic marriage, emotionally abusive ex, former drug abuse, death of family off page, family drama, both current and in past

My first read from Angelina M. Lopez and i was impressed! This book was a steamy romance filled with so much history and vibrant Mexican culture! In Full Moon Over Freedom, we return back to Freedom, Kansas to follow Gillian and Nicky, who were teen lovers and have reunited years later.There was so much fun tension and angst between the two of them. I loved their slowburn and how they kept trying to fight their feelings for each other in order to prevent getting hurt again. A must read!

Um... my brain doesn't work now. 🙃 I genuinely don't know how I'll ever find the words to describe how utterly beautiful this book is.

The way everything was written and described was so freaking beautifully. I cried multiple times. I didn't actually know that this was the second book in the Milagro Street series, but I didn't feel like I needed to read the first book. However, if the first book was even remotely similar, then I'm reading it asap. I genuinely loved this book.

The plot of this book was so freaking good. I felt connected to it as soon as I read the first page. The writing, again, was just immaculate. Everything felt fast-paced, yet it was still slow enough to have so much detail. I kept loving certain descriptive phrases and the way that certain things were written. I'm just in awe.

These characters are near to my heart. Gillian and Nicky are precious little angel babies. They definitely aren't perfect. Don't get me wrong, but I just wanted so badly to bundle them up in a cozy blanket and keep them safe.

Gillian's story of strength and power makes her easily one of my favorite fmcs EVER!! She was so powerful and brave and lovely. Her connection to her magic and the way she reclaimed it in a new way was moving. Her acceptance that she would need to rely on her family and friends and not do everything by and for herself resonated so hard with me. As an older sister and eldest child myself, I related to her. I just feel such kinship with her.

And Nicky, poor, tragic, sad Nicky. I can not begin to explain the complicated and difficult expectations this man puts on himself. The way he blamed himself for literally everything hurt so much. He deserved love and deserved good things. And watching him grow enough to believe that himself made me want to cry.

The love they shared together also HURT SO BAD. The amount of time they lost just because they didn't think they were good enough for the other was HEARTBREAKING. I'm so glad they found their way back to each other. The way he was DOWN SO BAD for her from the first interaction we saw from them made me love them so much more.

I am desperately in love with this book, and I desperately wanted it to be longer.

Thank you to the Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. 4.5/5 stars

Full Moon over Freedom follows Gillian, the sister of the FMC in the first book, and Nicky, her childhood friend and crush.

In After Hours on Milagros Street, Gillian isn't the most likeable character and it isn't until this book that you see where she is coming from and what is going on behind the scenes.

Even though this book had some tropes I'm not a fan of, I thought they were done really well and enjoyed it immensely. I loved Gillian's relationship with her magic and how the people in her life helped her find it. I also very much enjoyed the end and how everything tied together and was resolved.

Like the first book in the series, this book discusses interesting history that most people haven't heard. I highly recommend both books in this series!

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in Angelina M. Lopez's Milagro series, One Night on Milagro Street - it was a fantastic tale about the difficulties of the Mexican American community in the small town of Freedom, Kansas, and the Torres family trying to keep their grandmother's bar alive and operating in a very run-down area of town when a predominantly white male population was trying to run them out of town.

Full Moon Over Freedom continues the saga of the Torres family, when the prodigal daughter Juliana (Gillian) returns to town after a horrible marriage ends in a nasty divorce and custody issues. It begins when she almost literally runs into her high school flame (and dirty little secret) Nicky, and tells their story.

The writing and storytelling in this book is just as beautiful as the first - I was drawn in from the very first sentence and had a hard time putting it down. I loved the whole thing! A solid 5-star and wish I had the audio for this one as well (I had the audio for book one, but the ARC ebook for this one). This one deserves a re-read once I can get my hands on the audio, because it was just that good!

I absolutely, completely and wholeheartedly recommend this book to everybody - it was a fantastic read, fantastic writing, and a fantastic #ownvoices representation of the trials and tribulations of small town American life of a Latine family in this day and age (yes, all of the terrible things that happened in both books are still happening - the racism, gross generalizations, misunderstandings, all of it, and it's very sad we can't all just get along as a single community as we should). A great addition to the #23for23 challenge!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Harlequin Romance, and this is my honest feedback.

Angelina always writes with so much heart and passion. This book was so full of love, second chances and redemption and of course immersed in the culture that Angelina always writes with so much heart. A plot that simply swallows you up and makes you stick glued to the book the entire time. Gillian and Nicky pulled my heart strings and made me feel all the feelings. The paranormal elements of the book were a huge YES for me, made the intrigue even bigger.

I'm in love with this series and I can't wait to get a paperback of this title.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader's copy.

This was a slow build and took me longer than most to get into. I’ve read plenty of series out of order but this one did make me feel a lot more out of the loop and like I wasn’t 100% sure what was going on or who people were. I felt like the dynamic between Nicky and Gillian was very list-driven and not as emotional as I wanted it to be, and it just missed the mark for me in a couple ways. I wasn’t really aware of the magic element going into it, and ended up enjoying that part of the plot more than I expected to, but overall felt like it all fell a little flat and was just okay.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC. I absolutely loved the first milagro street book and the second book in the series did not disappoint. This is a second chance romance with a bit of a supernatural twist. It was a little less spicy than the first book but made up for it with more angst and sexual tension. What I love most about Lopez's female MC's is that they are never easy, instantly likeable women. There is so many layers to peel back and you learn to love them as they grow and change in the story. I also love this series for featuring a type of Latine community that isn't always focused on. A community that is several generations American but still Latine in it's roots. Can't wait for more from this author and this series.

I love the world of Milagro Street: there's passion, it's colourful, lively and made me wish I could visit and meet these characters.
I love After Hours on Milagro Street and was more than happy when i was invited to read this one.
It's another compelling, lovely and well plotted story featuring colourful and strong characters with a pinch of magic and a perfect bruja.
I rooted for Gillian and Nicky, had fun, and want to read another book in this series soon.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine