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J. Santiago is a graduate of Villanova University and the University of Pennsylvania. She gets her love of sports from her fifteen year career in the field and a houseful of boys who love to play. A former English and history teacher, she understands and embraces the power of stories in our lives.
Reviewed by Heather Osborne for Readers' Favorite
Bliss by J. Santiago is a contemporary romance novel surrounding the meaning of family and coping with loss. Lena “Maggie” Pryce has always been shaken by the death of her brother, Gabe, on the soccer field, as a result of a sudden cardiac episode. His death at fifteen had a profound impact on not only his sister, but his closest friends. Eight years on, the friends have bonded together to form the organization Play for Gabe. The companions, including one of Gabe’s best friends and former teammate, J.C. Callahan, coach soccer for young kids, also want to expand into a non-profit, advocating for AED placement and EKG tests for all sports players, as well as a scholarship program. J.C. is thrown for a loop when he realizes his teenage crush, Lena, known to him as Maggie in their youth, is the mother of one of his players, Nicky. The strong pull of attraction still lingers, and J.C. wants to kindle a relationship with the woman he has always coveted, but Lena sees J.C. as a reminder of things she wanted to forget. Will they be able to reconcile their differences and find love in the wake of the memory of a brother and friend?
What initially drew me to this novel was that the author donates a portion of the proceeds to heart screening organizations. My own son has a congenital heart defect, and I am a strong proponent of EKG tests for children and infants. There have also been some close friends whose children have suffered sudden cardiac episodes while playing sports. Once I got into the story of Lena and J.C., I recognized so many of the same emotions felt by my friends upon the deaths of loved ones. I particularly can understand Lena’s mentality of not wanting to know why Gabe’s episode happened, even though my own son’s heart condition was found when I was pregnant. The underlying romance of wanting to lean on each other, and seek some sort of solace in each other’s memories, was a nice added touch. Bliss by J. Santiago touched me in a way I cannot even begin to describe. From this heart mom, thank you for raising awareness of such an important topic through a beautifully written novel.
