Review by Booklist Review
The second novel in Oliveras' delightful Key West trilogy, following Island Affair (2020), features Anamaria Navarro, a female firefighter and paramedic who also owns a rising fitness business. She is dismayed when her mother asks her to look in on an injured family friend, Alejandro Miranda. Anamaria hasn't seen the now famous photographer since their painful breakup after high school and she doesn't want to be distracted from her work or business plans. Alejandro's father barely speaks to him, he's still so angry that his son took off on his own instead of working at the family restaurant. Back in Key West, Alejandro begins to see reasons to stay this time, including Anamaria and a chance to show his photographs in an exhibit on the island, a longtime dream. The Florida island setting is only part of the appeal of this character-driven, second-chance romance between smart and badass Anamaria and sexy and artistic Alejandro as they slowly realize that successful relationships have room for both partners' professions and dreams. Another draw: Oliveras' portrayal of family and social media ties is reminiscent of Alisha Rai's romances.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Oliveras keeps up the tropical vibes of Island Affair in her lukewarm second Keys of Love romance. When Anamaría Navarro's high school sweetheart, Alejandro Miranda, left Key West to travel the world more than 10 years ago--leaving behind both his family and her shattered heart--Anamaría swore she'd never speak to him again. Now 30 and working in the family trade as a firefighter and paramedic while building her burgeoning personal fitness brand, Anamaría feels her life is finally coming together. But when a hiking accident forces Alejandro, now a famous photographer, back home to recuperate, Anamaría and Alejandro struggle to deny the spark that reignites between them while juggling their families' expectations for their future, and their own assumptions about their past. Watching the underdeveloped exes dance around their feelings grows tiring as their dithering drags on, but Oliveras's authentic portrayal of Latinx family life and picturesque descriptions of the Keys keep the pages turning. This sunny rom-com won't melt hearts, but it's good for an armchair getaway. Agent: Rebecca Strauss, DiFiore & Co. (May.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Former childhood sweethearts reunite after 12 years apart in this emotional romance set in balmy Key West. Anamaría Navarro is a woman who isn't afraid of hard work, balancing her job as a firefighter paramedic with her own business as a personal trainer. She's motivated, driven, and begrudgingly ruled by her well-meaning Cuban mother. It's because of her Mami that Anamaría has agreed to visit the family home of Alejandro Miranda, a man she'd hoped never to see again after their painful separation more than a decade earlier. Alejandro isn't pleased to be there, either. A highly sought-after international photographer, Alejandro spurned his father's dream of having him work in the family restaurant to pursue his passion. Now, after a serious fall in Puerto Rico has put his leg in a "cyborg-looking contraption," he's back in Key West to recuperate--and his family has called the one person he most wanted to avoid. When Alejandro left, he'd hoped Anamaría would join his jet-setting lifestyle. Instead, his pushing her became the catalyst for their breakup. While both Alejandro and Anamaría lived full lives apart, their meddling families never lost hope that they'd find their way back together, even if they require a hefty nudge. Oliveras has perfected the second-chance romance trope with Alejandro and Anamaría. Their anguish is so real that the book should come with tissues. The Key West setting is vibrant, adding a blessed touch of armchair travel to the current global circumstances. Wonderfully soapy, this is a romance to read in one sitting. A stunning romance of first love found again. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
