Lightning In Her Hands by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland | Audiobook Review

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Gifted—or cursed—with the power to influence the weather, one woman must embrace her wild heart in the next electric romance from the author of Witch of Wild Things.

Teal Flores is desperate for two things—control over her gift of weather, and a date to her ex’s wedding. The first isn’t possible until she finds her long-lost mother, but the second has a very handsome last-ditch solution: Carter Velasquez.

Carter needs Teal too. His chance at receiving an inheritance is dependent on him being married by age thirty (blame his traditional Cuban grandmother), so who better to pose as his wife than Teal? But fake marriage and cohabitation prove tricky when mutual attraction charges the atmosphere—quite literally for Teal, whose volatile emotions cause lightning strikes.

Together, Teal and Carter embark on a quest to find her mother and the answers she’s searching for. But along the way, they’ll discover something even better: a love that can weather any storm.

Why Did I Listen To Lightning In Her Hands by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland?

Lightning In Her Hands by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland features nature based magic — and I am truly  always sold on magical realism, particularly when it is written by Latinix authors. I had listened to The Witch Of Wild Things and LOVED it and figured that the same would hold true with the companion novel. One quirk I have is if I start a series in audio format, I like to keep listening to it via audio. 

What’s The Story Here?

Lightning In Her Hands follows Teal Flores who is the sister of Sage from The Witch Of Wild Things. Teal does not have control over her weather power. In fact, strong emotions really impacts her power. And well, Teal has a lot of feelings. She thinks this may have something to do with her mother who left when she was very little. Also, aside from struggling with her power, Teal’s ex is about to get married and she is invited to the wedding. She needs a date and well, she strikes a deal with her former best friend Carter. Only, the date becomes a little more when she enters into a fake marriage with Carter so that he can get his hands on some money that is being passed to him. Oh, and Teal carries a bit of a torch for Carter, but he won’t even entertain the idea of them being more than friends.

How Did I Like Lightning In Her Hands?

There is a part of this book where Teal asks Reddit for advice and as someone chronically online and also addicted to Reddit, I loved that. I loved the different tropes in this book too and was thrilled to see how the relationship between Teal and Carter developed. I felt like there were some definite obstacles, but the way it was handled was well written. Also, the growth Teal had was awesome. She starts out the book definitely a mess and as someone who has definitely been through some things — which makes sense, she had just left an abusive relationship in the previous book. FYI, the ex having the wedding is not the abusive ex. So, Teal has to also build up her confidence too. I truly felt so much for her. And well, I think the different things that had happened to her really makes her happy ending truly feel well earned and like there is a big payoff.

H0w’s The Narration?

The audiobook of Lighting In Her Hands is 9 hours 10 minutes long and narrated by Marcella Black. I listened via Libby at 2x speed. Overall, an enjoyable listen. No notes for improvement. This audiobook was a solid companion on my commutes and during my cleaning. I now find myself looking for and hoping for book three for the third Flores sister, should that come out, I will certainly be planning to listen to it.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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