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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
Romance novel where woman hires man to be her fake boyfriend while on vacation with her family in the florida keys and they end up falling for each other.
You guessed it - another super quick, fun beach read. Super predictable yet fun with witty banter and a hot firefighter to boot. Totally a “date for hire” set in Key West type of trope, but for a beach read, I ain’t mad.
I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review. I enjoyed Island Affair, and perhaps it is closer to a 3.5 stars. Unfortunately before I read the book, I had to cancel a trip to Florida. So even while I was looking for an escape, at times it felt like salt on my wounds, although not intentional. The beginning of the book, we meet Luis and his brother Carlos. The reason for Luis's mandated week off the fire department is explained, but not really focused on the immediate event that lead to this time off, that's not looked at as a gift by hard working Luis. He comes upon Sara at the airport who just found out her boyfriend isn't showing up for her family vacation. Sara needs someone to bridge the gap between herself and her family. As the youngest with much older siblings, Sara doesn't quite feel like a part of her family, raised mostly by her Cuban nanny while her parents were being doctors. Sara has a successful marketing and social influencer business in New York. Her past comes up, as having had an eating disorder in college. I thought this was a more unique "baggage" than other tropes but this whole "hired to play boyfriend " without actually money exchanging hands- to falling in love in less than a week was a little hard to believe. Sure, right time, right place and Luis and Sara are perfect together. They both come from big families with difficult sibling dynamics. I've never been to Key West so I enjoyed that popular tourist destinations were mentioned. But yet not enough details about the food, but I'm a foodie. Make yourself a key lime pie and enjoy this quick paced sweet romance.
A fluffy and cute story about forgiveness, self love, and the strong bond of family.
I found myself wanting just a little more and was disappointed that we didn't get an epilogue.
I loved Luis and Sara. Their dynamic was so much fun to read. At times, it all felt a bit rushed but at other times, I felt like I was reading two people that have known each other for a long time.
I found myself wanting just a little more and was disappointed that we didn't get an epilogue.
I loved Luis and Sara. Their dynamic was so much fun to read. At times, it all felt a bit rushed but at other times, I felt like I was reading two people that have known each other for a long time.
First of all, I absolutely loved this book that I won from @kensingtonbooks . It was definitely the right read at the right time. I connected right away to the characters of Sara and Luis, instantly being immersed in the story. I am a sucker for a wonderful romantic comedy book and this book fit the bill perfectly. I loved @PriscillaOliveras writing and her choice of setting. Cannot wait to read more books in this series when they are published!! #IslandAffair @kensingtonbooks #PriscillaOliveras
I just loved and devoured this book! What a delightful vacation book, whether you’re actually on vacation or you just want to pretend you’re on one. I really liked both main characters so much, which is a high bar to hit to like them both — I cared about each of them and could understand their struggles, and I wanted them to make it work.
They both have big complicated families and the author does a great job explaining the hows and whys of each of their problems with their families, but I never doubted how much they loved their families and their families loved them.
I love the fake relationship trope and this book did not disappoint, all the way down to there's just one bed!
Such a charming book and I can’t wait for the next one out later this month!
They both have big complicated families and the author does a great job explaining the hows and whys of each of their problems with their families, but I never doubted how much they loved their families and their families loved them.
I love the fake relationship trope and this book did not disappoint, all the way down to there's just one bed!
Such a charming book and I can’t wait for the next one out later this month!
Sara Vance is different from the rest of her family. Her parents and siblings are all successful in various medical fields, while she is a social media influencer whose closest venture into medicine was when she dressed as a sexy nurse in college for a sorority party. Their differences have always made her feel like the odd one out, something she has struggled with since college. But now she's been called to Key West for a week-long vacation, so the family can reconnect and relax together as her mother recovers from recent chemo treatments. Upon landing in Florida, the vacation immediately gets off to a rocky start when Sara's boyfriend calls to tell her he won't make it and their relationship isn't working out. Concerned that showing up without the boyfriend (sort of fiancé, as she exaggerated to her family) could stress out her mom and make Sara feel once again like the odd one out, Sara seeks the aid of the hunky firefighter she meets at the airport.
Luis Navarro has just been given mandated time off from his firefighter duties when he meets Sara. Known as "Saint Navarro" on the island, he crazily agrees to be her pretend boyfriend for her family vacation.
Though it starts out pretend, Luis and Sara's relationship starts to turn into something very real as they get to know each other over the course of the next few days. Can they both move on from the baggage of their previous relationships to embrace this new island affair?
I'm a sucker for fake-relationship tropes, so I knew I had to give this one a shot. It did not disappoint. I liked that this wasn't a typical "chick-lit" story and that each character had a little bit of history and baggage in their lives that they each had to deal with. Trigger warning - Sara is recovering from an eating disorder and it comes up quite a bit throughout the book.
I think my only negative about this book is that there were quite a few phrases and lines in Spanish along with descriptions of various meals and traditions, but no translations. Sometimes it was clarified in the context what the person said or thought; other times it wasn't. I really wanted to know what they were saying! It could have been an opportunity to learn more about the family and their culture and I feel like I missed out a little bit.
This is the start of a series and I would definitely continue on. Nice, light reads, especially now in the time of COVID.
Thank you to Bookish First and Kensington Publishing Corp for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Luis Navarro has just been given mandated time off from his firefighter duties when he meets Sara. Known as "Saint Navarro" on the island, he crazily agrees to be her pretend boyfriend for her family vacation.
Though it starts out pretend, Luis and Sara's relationship starts to turn into something very real as they get to know each other over the course of the next few days. Can they both move on from the baggage of their previous relationships to embrace this new island affair?
I'm a sucker for fake-relationship tropes, so I knew I had to give this one a shot. It did not disappoint. I liked that this wasn't a typical "chick-lit" story and that each character had a little bit of history and baggage in their lives that they each had to deal with. Trigger warning - Sara is recovering from an eating disorder and it comes up quite a bit throughout the book.
I think my only negative about this book is that there were quite a few phrases and lines in Spanish along with descriptions of various meals and traditions, but no translations. Sometimes it was clarified in the context what the person said or thought; other times it wasn't. I really wanted to know what they were saying! It could have been an opportunity to learn more about the family and their culture and I feel like I missed out a little bit.
This is the start of a series and I would definitely continue on. Nice, light reads, especially now in the time of COVID.
Thank you to Bookish First and Kensington Publishing Corp for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to Kensington Books for the advanced reader's copy of Island Affair.
The book opens with Luis getting put on mandatory leave from his work as a firefighter for a week. As he's leaving the house, he comes across a young woman, Sara, arguing on the phone near his truck. Sara's boyfriend was supposed to be joining her family vacation in the Keys to help her prove herself to her über successful family of doctors.
With Luis out for the week and Sara in town for the week, she does the crazy and asks Luis if he'd be willing to pose as her boyfriend. With nothing else to do, he agrees.
The book was essentially what would happen if The Proposal and The Wedding Date had a baby. While predictable, I thought the book was super cute and I blew through it rather quickly. This is the first in a series, and while it wasn't my favorite, I may still pick up the next book if I walk past it on the library shelves.
The book opens with Luis getting put on mandatory leave from his work as a firefighter for a week. As he's leaving the house, he comes across a young woman, Sara, arguing on the phone near his truck. Sara's boyfriend was supposed to be joining her family vacation in the Keys to help her prove herself to her über successful family of doctors.
With Luis out for the week and Sara in town for the week, she does the crazy and asks Luis if he'd be willing to pose as her boyfriend. With nothing else to do, he agrees.
The book was essentially what would happen if The Proposal and The Wedding Date had a baby. While predictable, I thought the book was super cute and I blew through it rather quickly. This is the first in a series, and while it wasn't my favorite, I may still pick up the next book if I walk past it on the library shelves.