The Last Valentine

A Labyrinth of Love Letters Novel

Romance - Suspense
308 Pages
Reviewed on 06/24/2017
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Felix Alexander is an American-raised U.S. Army veteran, author, poet and philosopher of Spanish, Mexican and Puerto Rican descent.

Father to a 12 year-old daughter and 10 year-old son, he devotes his visitation time to his children, and pursues the scent of his muse.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Caitlin Lyle Farley for Readers' Favorite

The Last Valentine is just one of many secrets in the Puerto Rican city of Old Sienna. When Olivia finds a bloodstained love letter in her father’s coat, she becomes entranced by the poetic longing scribed on the page. She resolves to place the letter in the legendary Labyrinth of Love Letters. Even the discovery that the letter is a stolen piece of evidence in the unsolved murder of an unidentified man does not deter her from her goal. Olivia convinces her close friend, Isaac, to help her. Little does the pair know that some of the Labyrinth’s secrets are deeper and darker than the letters exchanged between forbidden lovers. One of those secrets would mean death for Olivia if she were ever to discover it.

The Last Valentine is a novel of romantic love in all its forms, from happy ever afters and the loneliness of unrequited love, to the tragedy of impossible, secret romances confined to whispers and the cover of darkness. There were times when I thought it was glorifying the unhealthy side of romance a bit much, but it works in the context and fits the theme. Felix Alexander’s writing is poetic and evokes a great sense of mood throughout. This is accentuated and refined by its '30s setting and the classicist attitudes of this era. The characters all intertwine and connect with each other, often in ways I didn’t anticipate, and their motives direct the plot down a path littered with deep, dark secrets.

Maureen Dangarembizi

The Last Valentine by Felix Alexander is a tale filled with dark secrets, forbidden romances, and stone cold murder. Set in Old Sienna, Puerto Rico in 1935, the book takes us on an adventure filled with mystery. The story begins when an unidentified man is murdered in Old Sienna. The only evidence, a bloody love letter, disappears from the police evidence, reawakening an old rivalry between Chief Inspector Sedeno and Inspector Javier Villalobos. The letter lands in Inspector Villalobos’ daughter’s hands, triggering a search for the mythical Labyrinth of Love Letters. Olivia Villalobos and Isaac Quintero not only find the Labyrinth, but uncover dark secrets powerful men are willing to kill for.

Felix Alexander has a unique, old school poetic voice. His descriptions of Old Sienna are very vivid. The background settings in this book are so well executed that you can see yourself transported through time into the Puerto Rican town. The Last Valentine is filled with unexpected twists and turns that kept me turning the pages. Infidelity and forbidden love are a strong part of this story. The writer's poetic prose brought out the romance and tragedies associated with love affairs. The characters in this book are very well defined. The story has a lot of narration, but the great plot makes up for the lack of dialogue. The story also had a number of sub-plots that tied in nicely with the climax. Secondary characters had a huge part to play in this story. It felt like the whole community of Old Sienna was involved in the past and the present.

Kathleen Hill

The Last Valentine: A Labyrinth of Love Letters by Felix Alexander takes place in Puerto Rice in the late 1800s. It is a story about a young girl, Olivia, who believes nothing is stronger than love. When she finds a love letter, she knows it belongs in the Labyrinth of Love Letters, even though it is evidence in a murder and the labyrinth may be just a myth. With the help of her best friend, Isaac, she risks her life to return the letter to where it belongs. She knows deep in her heart that the labyrinth truly exists. On this journey, she learns the secrets she always wanted to know, and some that others would kill to keep hidden. Will she ever learn the secrets Isaac is keeping from her? You will have to read the book to find out.

Felix Alexander did a wonderful job writing this story. The characters were well thought out and believable. Though it was confusing trying to keep track of the characters in the back stories, the main story was very touching. It is a combination of romance, mystery, and a bit of history. The Last Valentine is not your typical romance. It is not a boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back type of story. It did not end the way I had hoped, but that made it better. A lot of romantic stories are predictable; this was not. I recommend this to anyone looking for a story about real love with added mystery and a bit of history.