Kulti MP3 CD – Unabridged, July 28, 2015

**"Kulti": When Childhood Idols Become Complicated Reality.****"Kulti"** by Mariana Zapata is a captivating romance that explores the complexities of idolization and personal growth. The story follows Sal Casillas, a twenty-seven-year-old soccer player who finds herself in the incredible position of being coached by none other than Reiner Kulti, the international soccer icon she once idolized as a child. However, the reality of having her childhood hero as a coach quickly shatters her expectations, as Sal grapples with disappointment and frustration at the man he has become—a quiet, reclusive figure far removed from the passionate athlete she once admired.As the season progresses, Sal's initial resentment morphs into an unexpected connection with Kulti, revealing layers of his character that challenge her perceptions and rekindle her admiration. Their dynamic is filled with tension, humor, and a slow-burning romance that keeps readers engaged throughout. Zapata’s skillful storytelling and well-developed characters make **"Kulti"** a thoughtful exploration of love, growth, and the complexities of human relationships, ultimately reminding readers that sometimes the people we idolize can surprise us in the most delightful ways. This novel is a perfect pick for fans of sports romance and emotional journeys of self-discovery.

I've read the Mariana Zapata is the Queen of Slow-Burn Romances and that is very true with this book. It's an enemies to friends to lovers and I enjoyed the journey. This is only my second book by this author and I am a fan of her writing.This book takes place in the world of soccer and I enjoyed reading about this sports romance. Sal was a fan and loved Reiner Kulti until she didn't. Having Kulti be her coach was definitely going to be interesting.I enjoyed reading their relationship develop and Sal and Kulti growing closer. Chemistry was there but nothing really happened until about 90% into the book. I liked it because it made it that more special but I also wanted more.The writing was really good and I could not put this book down but considering this book was so long, I felt like it was just going so slow. I did not care for her nickname for Kulti being "German" throughout the whole book. I mean the author used it 241 times in the book. It wasn't always used to reference Kulti but it was probably about 80% or more of the times. It was like the author was constantly reminding the reader that he was German. There were also times where I was confused about the dialogue because I didn't understand the way it was written. And just for reference the word, "poop," was used 71 times in the book. How it was used was a funny thought but then it became excessive to me.Overall, it was a good book in that I enjoyed the storyline and I couldn't stop reading once I started. This book is long and I was surprised at the fast pace that I read this. I enjoyed reading books by this author and I will definitely read more books by her in the future.

“When one door closes, another one opens. I might just have to do a little breaking and entering to get the right one for me.”Wow. Okay.I sit here right now after a week long binge of not one, but two of Mariana Zapata’s books. I just finished one and went straight into the next. Neither one connected, I just really needed to feed the addiction.First of all, I just need to point out that I’ve picked up quite a few books in 2017, and none have held me the entire way through.Until Kulti.This book was on the verge of epic. Hot, slow burn, sexy, addictive and oh so amazing. This was my very first book by this author and now I cannot even believe it took me so long to read one! And I never usually go straight into another book by the same author unless there’s a cliffhanger. But there is just something so brilliant about Mariana Zapata’s books that just had me wanting so much more.In short, Reiner Kulti is a German International Footballer (soccer) and one that Salome (Sal) Casillas has admired since she was a kid. He is also the new assistant coach of her soccer team.Kulti is moody, broody and almost unlikeable before we even meet him. But his attitude aside, I started to like him quite early on. You know he’s battling demons and he’s really just dealing with them the only way he knows how. But one of my favourite parts of this book was how Sal took it upon herself to be the one to step up and help him even when she didn’t want to. She had to be really cautious about how their unlikely friendship was being perceived by others too, so they went about their ‘getting-to-know-each-other’ without anyone really knowing. They tried their best to hide Kulti’s identity as best as they could where ever they went.I do need to point out that this story is incredibly slow burning, but I promise you, Mariana’s words are magic. Without wanting to stop, I read this book over three days (listening mostly to the audio, which was amazing btw). Although their ‘relationship’ was a long-time coming, the chemistry is off the charts, yet I wasn’t in any rush for it to happen (for the most part).“You are the most honest, good thing I’ve ever had. I won’t deny it to anyone.”As I read this book, I kept thinking to myself how wonderfully refreshing Sal was. She had passion and drive, and I loved how she didn’t take any crap from Kulti. She stood her ground and spoke her mind, no matter what the situation, yet keeping honest to herself, to her family and her friends. It was just so nice to see a strong heroine who was following her passion, not letting anything or anyone stand in her way. And it was even more amazing to see Kulti supporting her the way he did. He’d already made it as a professional footballer and to see him take a step out of the spotlight to let Sal shine, was another one of my favourite things about this book. He kind of had this protective alpha thing going on too, and it was totally hot.“This is what matters. You are my gift, my second chance, and I will cherish you and your dream. I will protect both of you.”This book is a full, complete standalone. All 570 epic pages worth, with a perfect epilogue that had me clutching my kindle to my chest, almost sobbing from the amazingness of it all. I honestly grew to love these characters like my own friends. They felt like family. They felt real. Once you give this book a try, I know some of you will love it, you will be hooked!. It might not be for others, but I know in my heart that I will cherish these characters for a long time to come. And Mariana, you have a new fangirl for life <35 ‘Taco’ stars!!It was amazing xx

Amo este libro y todos lo que escribe Mariana Zapata

Eu amei cada parte desse livro e o desenvolvimento da história dos dois. Não conseguia largar a leitura, simplesmente incrível.

Seriously. This definitely is one of my favourite books. Ever. I can't believe I hadn't read this book before or any by Mariana Zapata - I am obsessed. I didn't think of myself as a fan of slow-burn romance, as I like it but when my friend told me this book was seriously a slow burn, I kind of hesitated but I still bought the book. And it was Best. Decision. ever.Kulti is told from Sal's POV (another reason why I hesitated to read it). Let me tell you if you are a fan of H's POV, don't let this discouraged you to pick it - from page one, this book will catch you. I promise.What I liked about this book was that it was very well written, the story was catching, the forbidden love, age-gap, soulmates, grumpy H + sunshine h trope were chef kiss, Sal and Kulti banter - no, seriously, their banter was the spotlight about this book: if your man doesn't call you taquito, burrito, and your woman doesn't call some kind of German sausage or pretzel face or Berlin (even though you are not from Berlin lol), are they your soulmates? Or don't get me started with ✨ schnecke ✨ I feel so singleI think it goes without saying that I truly enjoyed Sal and Kulti's characters. I need Salomé to befriend me. She is seriously amazing. Her Big Girl Socks on is going to be my motto from on when t(s)hi(t)ngs goes down. I loved her beliefs, her family values, her fierceness, and her competitive soul, she was AWESOME.Kulti, lord. I am not going to lie (or spoil a lot) but he was a hard pill to swallow at first, but once you do, this guy will stay in your system, forever (is this corny, yes lol). He was older than Sal by 13 years, he went through a lot - hence why the trust issues towards everyone, don't hate on him. He is hands down, one of the best Heroes I have read. His devotion and support towards Sal are one of the best things I have read. Not to mention that when he goes 'One-Zero, Taco' or Burrito, Taquito... ✨ schnecke ✨ it makes him the perfect man.Oh! I forgot to mention that the possessiveness from Kulti was 📈📈📈 Franz knew it, I knew it, you'll know it. LOL. It was a whole meal, I tell you.The only thing I wanted to read was from Sal's brother, Eric. He is the character that isn't mentioned often in a book but it leaves an impact when it does. And wanted to know about Jenny and Harlow's Where are they now? thingy.I can't wait to jump to the next story from Mariana Zapata, I'm excited!!

Kulti ha sido el segundo libro que leo de Mariana Zapata pero realmente no estaba preparada para lo que me iba a encontrar.Después del leer From Lukov with Love pues me creía preparada para su slow burn característico, por algo la llaman la reina del slow burn, pero no me esperaba que fuera taaaaaaaaaan slow burn.Literalmente con cada interacción que tenía me ponía a chillar como un fangirl.No hace falta ser fan del fútbol para que te guste esta historia, es intensa, entretenida y está súper bien escrita. Me declaro fan del estilo de escritura de esta autora y uno de mis propósitos de este año es leerme el máximo número de sus libros publicados.Es un libro de casi 600 páginas y se que esto puede echar atrás a mucha gente, pero desde mi humilde opinión vale la pena leerlo. Como se construye la relación entre los personajes es pura perfección, aunque había veces que lo único que quería era sacudir y gritar a Kulti, cuando por fin deja fluir sus sentimientos hacia Sal y deja libre su personalidad lo único que hace es que te enamores de él.Es de mis book crushes favs.Resumiendo, Kulti ha superado mis expectativas, la construcción de la historia de amor, los personajes principales y secundarios hacen que un libro de casi 600 páginas se sienta como una novela de 150.--------------------------------Kulti is the second book I've read by Mariana Zapata but I wasn't really prepared for what I was going to find.After reading From Lukov with Love I thought I was prepared for her characteristic slow burn, they call her the queen of the slow burn for a reason, but I didn't expect it to be soooooooo slow burn.Literally with every interaction they had I was screaming like a fangirl.You don't have to be a football fan to like this story, it's intense, entertaining and super well written. I declare myself a fan of this author's writing style and one of my resolutions this year is to read as many of her books as possible.It's a book of almost 600 pages and I know this may put many people off, but in my humble opinion it's worth reading. The way the relationship between the characters is built up is pure perfection, although there were times when all I wanted to do was shake and scream at Kulti, when he finally lets his feelings for Sal flow and lets his personality free all it does is make you fall in love with him.It's one of my favourite book crushes.To sum up, Kulti has exceeded my expectations, the build up of the love story, the main and supporting characters make a book of almost 600 pages feel like a 150 page novel.

Marianna Zapata you're an icon for Slow Burn romance, i mean seriously she can absolutely write anything and i would gladly read it manyata times, her every book is great and this is one of those epic books. Both characters are amazing and i love you Sal i get so much inspiration from you and Kulti your one the best grumpiest character i love. In future i know I'm gonna read this for the 3rd time.