Review Kulti by Mariana Zapata

“Trust me, I’ve wanted to punch you in the face a time or five.” When the man you worshipped as a kid becomes your coach, it’s supposed to be the greatest thing in the world. Keywords: supposed to. It didn’t take a week for twenty-seven-year-old Sal Casillas to wonder what she’d seen in the international soccer icon—
why she’d ever had his posters on her wall, or ever envisioned marrying him and having super-playing soccer babies. Sal had long ago gotten over the worst non-break-up in the history of imaginary relationships with a man that hadn’t known she’d existed. So she isn’t prepared for this version of Reiner Kulti who shows up to her team’s season: a quiet, reclusive shadow of the explosive, passionate man he’d once been. Nothing could have prepared her for the man she got to know. Or the murderous urges he brought out in her. This was going to be the longest season of her life.




AMAZON :  http://tinyurl.com/l289x24

5 STARS

"Every single thing that has ever happened in my life has led me here, Sal. Destiny is a ladder, a series of steps that takes you where you're supposed to go. I am the man that I am, and I have done the things that I've done, to get me to you."

The story is about twenty-seven-year-old Sal Casillas, who is a professional football (or soccer for some of you) player. Throughout her child and teenage years, she had a big crush on now retired German player - Reiner Kulti, he was the reason she started training football in the first place. Years went by and while growing up, she grew out of this infatuation. Now, she is playing for Houston Pipers and guess who took a position as a new assistant coach in her team? Kulti is a dick from the moment he starts working with the Pipers, but our Sal here won't take his shit calmly and quickly calls him on it. That's how their journey starts.

And be aware, the book is long and their journey is long but oh so worth it. And though long it is, I devoured it. The writing is excellent, flows naturally, you turn page by page and never get bored. It's a classic example of slow build up, but it is exactly what made this book magical for me. The tension, the anticipation, it worked so fine here. Sal and Kulti started as kind of enemies, went to friends and then naturally, when they were ready, became lovers.

I loved their banter and bickering. Kulti was very serious and grumpy most of the time but he also had a healthy dose of humor in him, and Sal was no worse.

"I'll be back.
Okay, Arnold.
He's Austrian, not German, you little shit."

"Trust me; I've had the urge to punch you in the face a time or five."

"Have I told you that you remind me of a splinter I can't remove? You're incredibly annoying."

"I was in love with this pumpernickel. God help me, I think I wanted to cry."

Sal was such a likeable heroine, she was sweet, sincere, helpful and generally a nice girl. She, as no one else, was able to get close to Kulti, gained his trust and made him open up more.

"I had a man I respected that respected me, and he didn't care if the world knew we meant something to each other. Our friendship hadn't been given to either of us, we had worked at it. On top of that, I felt something for him even if he was egoistical, arrogant, stubborn pain in the ass. He was my egoistical, arrogant, stubborn pain in the ass."

Kulti, well, he was a man of a few words, and I totally dig that brooding, grumpy kind of heroes. He never said much but once he opened his mouth, here's what came out. Don't you just get swooned on the spot?

"My schnecke. My little snail, do you know that's what it means? It's a term of affection in my country. My love. My snail. I don't want to waste more time. I have nothing to hide and neither do you."

"I've been waiting, and I will keep on waiting until the time is right. You are my equal, my partner, my teammate, my best friend. I've done so many stupid things that you've made me regret - things I hope you will forgive me for and look beyond - but this, waiting a little longer for the love of my life, I can do.
You are the most honest, warm, loving person I know. Your loyalty and friendship amazes me every day. I have never wanted anything more in my life than I want your love, and I don't want to share that with anyone. I haven't done a single thing in my life to deserve you, schnecke, but I will never give up on you, and I won't let you give up on me."

And I loved the names she called him. I have Germany right across the border, been a few times, know the language a bit and I think her nicknames were so darn cute. Just a few...the human Berlin Wall, sauerkraut, German bratwurst, Chocolate Cake, Goddamn frankfurter, German tank, pumpernickel, pretzel face... Kulti didn't stay indebted for long and came up with Taco for her.

And if you read for the nookie than you might be disappointed, because there is almost none, almost... but those two scenes that were here, were effin hot! And the whole anticipation thing was so wonderful that it easily made up for lack of too much sex. And you know what? I didn't care, cause when the book is as good as this one you will get by without it.

Well, to sum up, I would give it perfect ten stars if I could.



And in the end, I just want to say this is why I love GR and my friends here, because I would have probably not read this book if not for Mo and Didi. I've had my sight on it for a long time but never got to it. If I didn't see their updates and reviews, I would probably never read it. So big shout out to you girls, thanks for updates:)