Sought-after social media influencer Sara Vance, in recovery from an eating disorder, is coming into her own, with a potential career expansion on the horizon. Despite the good news, her successful siblings (and their perfect spouses) have a way of making her feel like the odd one out. So, when her unreliable boyfriend is a no-show for a Florida family vacation, Sara recruits Luis Navarro—a firefighter paramedic and dive captain willing to play the part of her smitten fiancé . . .
Luis’s big Cuban familia has been in Key West for generations, and his quiet strength feeds off the island’s laidback style. Though guarded after a deep betrayal, he’ll always help someone in need—especially a spunky beauty with a surprising knowledge of Spanish curse words. Soon, he and Sara have memorized their “how we met” story and are immersed in family dinners, bike tours, private snorkeling trips . . . sharing secrets, and slow, melting kisses. But when it’s time for Sara to return home, will their island romance last or fade with the stunning sunset?
Review:
Cute and fluffy with an island setting–what more could you want? 🙂
Island Affair is the first in Priscilla Oliveras‘s Keys to Love series, following the Navarro family of Key West. Luis Nevarro and Sara Vance’s story is a fake relationship/close proximity/holiday romance story, and it was a lot of fun to read. Though the time period from initial meeting to agreeing to fake dating/spending the week with Sara’s family is waaaaay too short, it’s worth it to throw caution to the warm tropical winds and just go with it. Sara and Luis were really cute together, and even if things moved a little on the fast side it was still what I needed to get my mind off of current events. And the rest of Luis’s family? They were pure gold on the page. I can’t wait to see more of these guys!
The Key West setting was drawn so vividly, I could swear I was right there with the characters tasting the salt water tang to the air and feeling the sun on my skin. I don’t even like all the components of Cuban sandwiches, but somehow she had me craving them–Ms Oliveras did a great job of drawing readers into the world she created here, and I didn’t want to leave.
I was a bit bummed that the story ended so abruptly–there’s not a lot of turnaround time between the grand gesture and “the end”. I was honestly surprised when I turned the page and realized that there wasn’t any more story there. Here’s hoping she makes it up to us by giving us plenty of glimpses into Sara and Luis’s future in the next books–this was my first book from this author, but definitely not my last!
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.