Kulti

De: Mariana Zapata

Narrado por: Kyla Garcia, PJ Ochlan

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.

©2015, 2024 Mariana Zapata (P)2024 Mariana Zapata

Thanks

Loved the bonus epilogue:) Thank you, Mariana. The characters in this book now feel like old friends that I just had the chance to catch up with.

Fantastic new audio!!

The duet performance of this audiobook really brought it to life for me. I’ve read this book before a couple times and the previous audio almost made me DNF it the first time. It makes such a difference to have a duet audio and voice actors who can do decent accents.

Truly Enjoyed

M.Z. did it again. I love her slow burn books. Sometimes it's just what I'm looking for. This one was no different. Characters were engaging and well thought out. The father was one of my favorites ever! The narrators were phenomenal and I just really enjoyed it.

Zapata never disappoints!!!

One slow burn romance with sports and dedication and great character development. The actors were amazing too. These are the only books I ever read more than once.

LOVE IT

I have reread this book so many times and now I can't stop listening to the audio book! I love it so much

Forever a Favorite

I've loved this story since I found MZ's books and Callie's narration has a special place in my heart but this new duet version just reinforced this to forever be a favorite.

kulti!!!

I am addicted. this is book 3 for me a d I can't wait to start the next. the characters are described so perfectly I can visualize them as if my friends and family.

5 stars always

This was a great remake. I still love Callie’s narration more BUT I’d never give MZ any less than a 5 star rating no matter what!

Still a comfort read

I loved the original, but I think I love this new version even more. Having the duet narration is great!

Outstanding, contemporary, enemies-to-lovers, sports romance

At age 27, Salome (Sal) Casillas has been playing soccer for 21 years, ever since she became the Number One Fan of the 19-year-old German, international soccer phenomenon, Reiner Kulti. His brilliant playing inspired her to be a professional soccer player like him, and in her teens she had a massive crush on him as well. Up until Kulti injured her older brother in a soccer match and almost ended his career when Sal was 17. On principle, out of loyalty to her brother, she has hated Kulti ever since.

Then, out of the blue, Kulti, who is currently 39, is hired as the assistant coach for her professional, women’s soccer team in Houston. He retired two years before, has been out of the limelight since then, and the silent, standoffish man with a stonelike face seems nothing at all like the passionate dynamo of the soccer field. What has happened to Kulti, and what in the world is he doing here?

I am a huge fan of sports romances between two elite athletes, and especially when they are stars in the same sport, as is the case in this book. The scenes in which Sal and Kulti are battling each other in cut-throat, pick-up soccer matches are especially fun, even to someone like me who knows zero about soccer and has never played the game or watched a match. Zapata puts in enough soccer details to make the sports scenes colorfully authentic, but not so much as to be overwhelming to us soccer newbies.

The slow evolution of the relationship between Sal and Kulti, from enemies, to wary acquaintances, to friends, is absolutely wonderful. Kulti and Sal are both fascinatingly complex characters. Kulti starts out somewhat obnoxious, but Sal is so consistently compassionate, outspoken and filled with integrity, it is completely believable to me that Kulti’s strong growth arc is inspired by becoming her friend.

I love the nicknames Sal and Kulti have for each other. Sal calls him, “Rey,” which is Spanish for, "king,” and his German pet name for her is very cute as well.

I absolutely adored Sal’s father. What a wonderful, loving man! The two of them are best friends, and reading about their relationship is as satisfying in its way as the main romance.

As is typical of this classic, Zapata, slowburn, contemporary romance, there are only two, brief sex scenes in the whole book, toward the very end, and they are not at all coarse. They are tenderly passionate.

I was ecstatic when I learned that MZ had re-released the audiobook version of this novel with a duet narration! The female narrator voices the dialogue of all of the female characters in the book plus Sal's introspection. The male narrator voices the dialogue of all of the male characters in the book. Ideally, this would be the way every single romance novel is narrated. Both voice talents provide a terrific performance.