Backstrokes by Dylan Madrid

After almost being expelled from a prestigious Chicago music conservatory for a prank gone wrong, twenty-two-year-old pianist Crawford Paul returns home to Northern California for what he predicts will be another boring summer. Concerned his scholarship is now at risk, Crawford accepts the only job he can find: accompanying a glamorous seven-year-old named Isabella to a community swimming pool for lessons. There, Crawford is befriended by a nanny named Nina, an aspiring fashion designer who finds it difficult to hide her disdain for children.

When Crawford meets Armando Leon, a lifeguard and Isabella’s swimming instructor, he accepts Armando’s offer to help him overcome his fear of water by way of private swimming lessons. As friendship turns into a summer affair, their lust for one another turns to love. When Crawford receives a chance of a lifetime audition, he is torn between returning to Chicago or staying in California to start a new life with Armando. As the end of the summer inches closer, Crawford and Armando fear they will be separated forever.

I will start off by saying that this was a really sweet romance story.  It had just the right amount of romance, love, sweetness, and “awwwwww” moments that made it a great read for me personally.  Not only was this a romance story, but it also shows how important friendship is for people.  And even if you lose contact with your friends, they will always be there for you when you need them the most.

I do think that the title of this book is very misleading, because while there is references to swimming, that wasn’t the main story that was happening in it. When I started reading it, I was expecting for more swimming things to happen, and they didn’t.

I really did like the characters of the story though. I believe that Mr. Madrid did a great job describing them all to the degree that I could visualize them while reading the story. I have to say that my favorite character would have to be Crawford though. Even though he was a bit… strange to me, I still enjoyed him quite a bit.

I am very happy that the sex scenes, if you would call them that, were done the way they were.  There were no excessive details that were given; it was more you find out what happened after it happened. I didn’t feel like I was in the bed with them while it was happening, I just got to find out the emotions behind everything that happened afterwards.

Overall, I would say that if you are looking for a sweet romance that will bring a smile to you, then you should really check this book out.