West Side Love Story by Priscilla Oliveras: Going to a bar and kissing a stranger on New Year’s Eve was 
not the norm for Mariana Capuleta. She was the oldest of the nine girls that Arturo (Papo) and Berta (Mama) Capuleta had taken in and made part of their family and she took her responsibilities as the oldest seriously. Their band Las Nubes’s had been accepted for the Battle of the Mariachi Bands which the winner of the contest would win the prize money and have a chance to open a show for the well-known mariachi singer, Patricio Galan. They are the first all-female band to compete in the Battle, so not only are they representing women in music, but they also needed to win the prize money in order to keep the Community Center open.
Mariana’s heart is torn when she discovers Angelo is a Montero, the enemy of her family. Also part of the Los Reyes band, the reigning champion of the Battle who they will compete with.
Angelo Montero was captivated by the mysterious woman he had met and kissed on New Year’s Eve before she ran away. He was shocked when he crashed a party with his friend Marco and discovered she was part of the Las Nubes band and the Capuleta family, his family’s enemy due to an argument between his Uncle Hugo and Arturo. He works as a CPA for El Rey Properties, his Uncle Hugo’s business, and feels obligated to his uncle since he helped him and his sister Brenda when their parent’s died. He’s ready to step out of his uncle’s shadow and start his own business but doesn’t want to hurt his uncle.
This was a beautiful story of family, love, and new relationships. Angelo and Mariana are so similar and make the perfect couple. Both make sacrifices for their families but are they willing to give up their chance at love?
The book was beautifully written, entertaining, and emotional. The main characters were likable, and their circumstances are heartbreaking. I loved meeting the large Capuleta family and look forward to seeing them again. I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it.
Book Info:
Publication: June 1, 2022 | Montlake |
Two familias in Texas, both alike in dignity, rivalries, and passion…
Having grown up in the nurturing household of Casa Capuleta, Mariana will do anything for familia. To solve her adoptive parents’ financial problems amid their rapidly changing San Antonio comunidad, Mariana and her younger sisters are determined to win the Battle of the Mariachi Bands. That means competing against Hugo Montero, their father’s archnemesis, and his band and escalating a decades-old feud. It also raises the stakes of Mariana’s forbidden attraction for a certain dark-eyed mariachi who sets her heart racing.
To Angelo Montero’s familia, Mariana is also strictly off-limits. But that doesn’t stop him from pursuing her. As their secret affair intensifies and the competition grows fierce, they’re swept up in a brewing storm of betrayals, rivalries, and broken ties. Against the odds, they vow to bring peace. But sacrifices must be made and consequences weighed for two star-crossed lovers to make beautiful music together.
