Julia feels a bit like a fish out of water in Texas but she's taken steps to fix that. For one thing, she's got a great job at a foundation sponsored by a department store- she helps families and children. For another, she's found her people in a group of ex-New Yorkers. Then Rocco shows up. He's been hired to help take the company public and to do so he's identifying places to cut- and Julia is one of them. Rocco's got an incentive to make money; he needs to help his family. These two start out as corporate opposites but you know, don't you, that they are going to move to lovers. I liked that Julia's Dominican heritage was smoothly incorporated into the story. This has good characters and dialogue (I liked the parrying between Julia and Rocco). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fun read.

Here to Stay is a a variant of the enemies to lovers romance trope – people who meet because of work, but have conflicting professional needs, but fall in love anyway (see also Kate Clayborn’s Beginners Luck).

Julia Ortiz feels threatened by Rocco Quinn when she first meets him – he is the consultant hired to make recommendations that are likely to lead to Julia losing her job, and he hits all of Julia’s lust triggers. Rocco has vowed to be a hard-ass on this job because if he gets a promised promotion, he will be able to move his younger sister and niece further away from their parents, but not away from New York City. Unfortunately, he can’t keep his mind off Julia and he wishes he could just love her without their jobs getting in the way.

What happened next was when I knew that Rocco was going to be a very big monkey wrench in my short-, medium-, and long-term plans of staying off the D and focusing on me.

He blushed.

Of course they are unable to resist each other and their romance is edged with the knowledge that they have a time limit and contradictory professional objectives. There’s some really great pining before they get together, and some pining for permanence once they start a relationship. Rocco commits the cardinal sin of thinking he knows best and making a decision that impacts them both without discussing it with Julia. It’s the kind of boneheaded move that good guys in romance make before they realize how dumb they are. What I loved was Julia’s response, which I would like to see more of in romance – she is/was his girlfriend, not his therapist and it wasn’t her job to fix him. I loved the whole book, but that scene is the reason I will be shoving this book in people’s faces.

Adriana Herrera brings her strengths from the Dreamers series to Here to Stay. Family and found family provide a strong community support. Social justice and social welfare are central to Julia’s life and Rocco understands and respects that. Julia and Rocco are both very good at their jobs, though Rocco is made to understand that the quality of his work is less important than the outcome he delivers. Capitalism, corporate greed, and white supremacy are the real enemies in Here to Stay. For Julia and Rocco as a couple, and individually in their work, the barriers they have to overcome are mostly related to trying to exist in capitalist economy where executive salaries and shareholder dividends are more important than the dignity of people.

Herrera also gives us a white woman scarier than Misty from American Dreamer. Just like with Misty, Vicky was instantly familiar to me. The liberal white woman who thinks she is a benevolent savior, but is actually as destructive as the grasping corporate men.

CW: Verbally abusive alcoholic father, child endangerment, deportation threat

I received this as an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Here to Stay by Adriana Herrera is currently scheduled for release on August 25 2020. Julia del Mar Ortiz is not having the best year. She moved to Dallas with her boyfriend, who ended up ditching her and running back to New York after only a few weeks. Left with a massive, by NYC standards, anyway, apartment and a car lease in the scorching Texas heat, Julia is struggling, except that’s not completely true. Running the charitable foundation of one of the most iconic high fashion department stores in the world is serious #lifegoals. It’s more than enough to make her want to stick it out down South. The only monkey wrench in Julia’s plans is the blue-eyed, smart-mouthed consultant the store hired to take them public. Fellow New Yorker Rocco Quinn’s first order of business? Putting Julia’s job on the chopping block. When Julia is tasked with making sure Rocco sees how valuable the programs she runs are, she’s caught between a rock and a very hard set of abs. Because Rocco Quinn is almost impossible to hate—and even harder to resist.

Here to Stay has it all. Julia is newly single and Rocco is not staying in Dallas long term. They are also in conflicting positions at work, and members of a new group of friends built of new Dallas residents from NYC. The chemistry is high, and the tension is too. I loved getting to see them build a friendship with each other, and build up a found family of friends. Some of their interactions were funny, but most were sweet. I really enjoyed how well I got to know each of them, and their circle. I also like that even when they messed things up it was not because of being silly or making a bad decision, but out of protecting each other and themselves at the same time. The work conflicts, the family dynamics, and the efforts of both to do the right thing for the greater good really made me like them each even more. The only thing that ever took me out of the story was my own hopelessness with Spanish. Thankfully with context and my limited understanding of romance languages I was able to translate the occasional conversational usage and dive right back in. My lacking, not an issue with the book, since it was exactly what these characters would say in the situation, and there were not stymied by my limitations. I really enjoyed how open and honest they were in the sex scenes too, something I have come to expect from the author. They communicate and make consent and talking about what they like and want important and key to the moment.

Here to Stay is another great romance from Herrera. Fans will need to read it, but I think most contemporary romance fans should give it a read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this book. I am providing a voluntary review. All thoughts and views are my own.

I was excited to get my hands on Here to Stay by Adriana Herrera because I’ve seen her Dreamers series all over the place and haven’t had a chance to read it yet. (Reviewing for a book blog can make finding time purely for pleasure reads a bit of a challenge! 😅)

Ms. Herrera has a very fluid and easy writing style. You can really feel her culture and personality come out in her words, which made reading Julia’s POV so delightful. I adored her saucy, spunky, self-assured, independent self so much. And then there’s Rocco. Man oh man, he was such an amazingly sweet, shy cinnamon roll. Except when things got sexy… His personality did a complete 180. Dang near gave me whiplash. I do kind of wish there was a bit of build up to that dirty-mouthed, sex-monster side of him so it didn’t feel so out of the blue and ill-fitting with the rest of his personality, but hey… Who am I to judge? Maybe the guy is just a gentleman sweetie pie on the streets and one heck of a filthy freak in the sheets. 😅😏🔥 But seriously… I adored Rocco. He was everything and a bag of chips. And I adored how much he loved his sister and niece. It was beyond precious.

The story itself was a bit heavy—for my taste—on the side-plot revolving around their work and the conflict it portrayed. I think it was a great plot device and obviously very well researched, but because so much time and energy was spent developing that side of things, we didn’t really get to see as much of Julia and Rocco’s relationship. So much of the romance was off page. In fact, after the first time they have sex, the book flashes forward almost a month and we’re told how much their feelings and relationship had developed. Prior to that, the first 70% of the book was them keeping a very safe distance and talking themselves into reasons they shouldn’t be together. I found it didn’t feel like a developing romance until well past the 50% mark, which was a bit of a bummer considering how much I adored the characters and really did want them to start falling for one another—beyond just the eye-banging, of course. 😉

Overall, I’d say this is less of a classic romance and more of a women’s fiction with a romance side plot. Only with dual POV. That being said, I didn’t even realize that fact until after I hit about 73% in and the whole establishment of their romantic relationship zipped by off page. I started thinking about how the first 2/3 of the book had played out and realized how very different this book was from your stereotypical romance. Sure, there was lust between Julia and Rocco, but no real feelings development beyond a burgeoning friendship until much later in the book than I’m used to in contemporary romance.

While it might sound like I’m being negative, I’m not! I’m seriously impressed with Ms. Herrera’s ability to weave a unique and intriguing story with engaging and lovable characters. I’m not someone who usually enjoys chick lit, so the fact I didn’t even realize that’s what I was reading until I was dang near finished with the book proves how effective she is at storytelling. Plus, it definitely had the HEA, so it’s safe to say the last quarter or so fit nicely into the romance genre. A black moment, a resolution, then all the happies.

HERE TO STAY by Adriana Herrera is a contemporary romance that brings the heat. This is a standalone which could easily become a fun series with ethnic New Yorkers coming together for support and fun in their new surroundings of Dallas.

Julia del Mar’s year did not start out well, but she loves her new job running a charitable foundation and she is making her life in Dallas work. The foundation is run by one of the most iconic high fashion department stores in the world and which was family run, but the siblings have decided to go public.

Rocco Quinn is sent by his New York based consulting company to ready the chain to go public. Rocco is trying to stay above the family feud and do his job. The twins want the foundation to continue, but their younger brother wants it gone. And if the brother gets his way the beautiful Julia will lose her job.

Julia is tasked with introducing Rocco to all the programs the foundation runs. The heat generated between these two is explosive, but both know they are on opposite sides and in a no-win situation.

I was completely drawn into Julia and Rocco’s lives. Ms. Herrera made them come to life with not only their business dilemma, but all the family and friends that were a part of their lives. I feel Julia and Rocco’s romance built at a realistic pace as they both tried so hard to fight their attraction, but the chemistry is just too hot.

I thoroughly enjoyed this contemporary romance and its glimpse at Dominican culture.

Witness the formation of a found family and the buildup of a steamy romance between two people who are working far from home and relatives. Julia and Rocco were wonderfully realistic characters with job concerns, family issues, and the anxiety of dealing with attraction and a new relationship.
#NetGalley

I loved this book! Julia and Rocco had such a fantastic, slow-burn romance. It kept me on my toes until the very end, though! It was amazing to read Julia really come into her own. Her family is wonderful and added a delightful layer to the story. Rocco was a delicious cinnamon-roll of a man, who had an incredibly filthy mouth (YES!). I appreciated how he normalized therapy. The social justice story line in regards to Julia's job was really heartfelt and well-done. I hope we get to read more about the Gotham Exiles Club soon!

Thank you to Carina Press and Netgalley for the free review copy of Here To Stay. I loved this book so much and am feeling book hungover after turning the final page.

Julia left NYC and moved to Dallas, TX for her boyfriend Matt only to break up shortly after arriving. She’s determined to still make it on her own. She takes a job at a department store’s corporate office running programs in their foundation to help local kids and their families. Sturm’s department store is considering going public and Rocco is a consultant who came in to help make it happen - including advising on whether the charitable programs should be cut. Professionally they are on opposite sides of the table - so why are their sparks so hard to ignore?

Julia also puts together a group of former New Yorkers who are new to Texas. As much as I love the romance in this book, I love the found family group of friends even more. I can’t wait for others from the Gotham Exiles to get their love stories in future books. I miss these characters like they became my friends as I read.

I also loved the ways Julia’s and Rocco’s families were part of the story. There are so many different family relationships and I loved how Herrera showed two very different families and how a healthy relationship with a family can mean very different things.

The only part I didn’t love was the business side of things - but definitely willing to look past that for all the rest of this wonderful story. Highly recommend and I can’t wait for the next one!!

I struggled to get into this book. The story was interesting in that the main female gets paired up with the main male, who is there to evaluate a company restructuring. This could mean she loses her job.

The story has a strong cultural element which I liked. At the same time I think this was part of the reason I struggled with this book as I did not understand a lot about the culture.

Julia is starting a new chapter in her life in Dallas, living far from her NYC family, running nonprofit programs for a high fashion retailer, and doing it on her own. Rocco is hired by the retailer to analyze how to make it profitable and go public - what's not profitable is the charity Julia manages...

Adriana Herrera is now an auto-buy for me. No matter what the setting, her characters are rounded people full of complex emotions, usually surrounded by a found family of secondary characters. In Dallas, we have the Gotham Exiles - a group of NYC folk living and working in Dallas who become an amazing friend group.

The attraction between Julia and Rocco is immediate, but the conflict is obvious - Rocco needs to be even handed when making recommendations to the department store's board, and a relationship can't color that. Julia feels the same pull. I really enjoyed the push-pull while they tried to resist their feelings and chemistry, even if the emotional side effects are a bit wringing.

One of my favorite parts is Julia's family and how warm and welcoming they are to Rocco. Rocco's own parents are abusive and negligent with a side dish of alcohol dependence. There's a scene of Christmas dinner with his parents that will ring true to anyone with an alcoholic parent.

Ultimately, this story brought all the feelings. Plus there's a kitten involved. Who doesn't love a kitten?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Here to Stay
Rating: 5 (if possible I would give 10) amazing stars!!
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

Here to Stay is the first book I have read by Adriana Herrera... and it will not be the last!!! I loved it!!! I highly, highly recommend it!!
I don't know where to begin with this review...there was just so much sweetness and hot sexual tension between Julia and Rocco. Because this book is in both their POVs we get to see their feelings for each other are the same from the very beginning. They want to cross that line, but because of their jobs it's a big no. So there was a great build up to finally see them kiss and it was so worth it. The tension there was between these two was so big even their friends could see it. You could see them easily falling for one another.
Here to Stay showed us two sides of how families can be. On one we have Julia's, who could be a little overbearing but with lots of love and on the other side we have Rocco's. His was just so sad and bitter. As a reader you could see why he fell in love with Julia's family. I loved Julia's family, especially when they embraced and welcomed Rocco to their gatherings. Sadly, it is his commitment to making a better life for his sister and niece that he feels torn in doing his job or helping Julia with keep hers.
These two characters had big hearts and when they found each other they just got a little bigger.

Gahhh this book! I'm obsessed with Adriana Herrera and this book just further cemented that for me. I get so lost in her writing and I fall headfirst into the worlds she creates. I loved Julia and Rocco and the life that they make for themselves while far away from home.

There's a big central theme of found family in this book. I loved that so much. They are far away from New York and Julia basically creates this club with people from the city and they definitely become each other's family and support system in Dallas. I loved how they could always call on each other and they'd be right there for support or celebration.

Rocco, what can I even say about Rocco. I love him. He's one of those guys, the guy that thinks he has to carry the whole world on his shoulders. But, in Julia he really finds someone ready to share that weight for him, ready to take some of it from him and I loved them so much. He's just the absolute biggest softie, how can you not fall in love with him? But, also, his dirty talk game will for sure have you blushing. If he can do all that, he's definitely my perfect guy.

I love Julia so much. She's strong and determined and such an understanding person. I love how she's always going for what she wants, standing up for what she believes in. We also get to see her vulnerable, but even when she's down, she's never out. She lets herself be sad, sure, but at the end, she gets up and fights for herself and her happiness. I also loved her family so much. You really get to see how she became who she is through them, through her mom's pushy support and her dad's quiet encouragement. I loved every second we spend with her family in this book.

Julia and Rocco have this undeniable chemistry from the moment they meet, and I loved watching them trying to fight it as much as I loved them finally giving in to it. This was a book I did not want to put down and definitely see myself rereading in the future.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly August New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached).

Here to Stay gave me so many feelings, my chest actually hurts because I was so invested in the storyline. Normally, I feel like the external conflict in a book is like... Whatever, you know? I'm here for it, but I don't get super invested in that OTHER plot but y'all, let me tell you how I was ready to rip this board of a high end department store I could never afford a new one if they made the wrong decision. And this Phil guy? Ooh, buddy, he was enemy #1 in my mind!! And meanwhile, I kept getting salty that this board's decision was threatening to interfere with Rocco and Julia who so clearly belong together. Y'all. The emotions.

Anyway, to clarify, this book is about Julia and Rocco, who have both relocated to Dallas, for Julia that's for at least two years and for Rocco, just a few months. Julia is working for the Sturm Foundation running the most incredible after school program for immigrant children and their families. One of the best parts about Adriana Herrera's books is that every time she crafts a social work program, she is so, so careful to remind readers that people in need of services are first and foremost people, and while meeting their basic needs is obviously important, it's just as important to give them the opportunity to paint or move their body or mediate. Anyway, so Rocco is the consultant brought in for Sturm Department Store, the board of which is considering going public. Capitalism at its finest here. So Rocco's job is basically to figure out what needs cut from the store as it is so it's appealing for investors, which puts him and Julia at professional odds. Since Julia's still reeling a bit from her jerk of an ex-boyfriend whom she moved to Dallas for, only for him to leave her for his side piece, this is an uncomfortable place to be. And Rocco really needs a promotion so he can get his sister and niece away from his parents.

My only criticism of this book is that I think it's actually a little long. That said, did Herrera perfectly use all of the pages? Yes, yes she did. So is that a real criticism? Not necessarily from me, but I think others may disagree. Basically, if you like found family (Herrera excels at writing friend groups like you would not believe) and you like a good mix of internal and external conflict, this is the book for you. And even if you don't like those things, I would encourage you to try it anyway because I've done a terrible job explaining how this book is so marvelous! I mean, it's just so well done. OH and I almost forgot to talk about Julia's incredible family! And there's a cat!! Y'all, just read this. It's so good. Rocco can be so dumb, but also he's such a soft hero (with the DIRTIEST mouth, I swear) and the chemistry between him and Julia is so hot.

Anyway, thanks SO much to Carina for the opportunity to read and review this book early via Netgalley! Now to go figure out how to buy myself a print copy...

Adriana brings us another tale of starting over and embracing the self throughout the journey. In Here to Stay we follow Julia Del Mar Ortiz and Rocco Quinn on their individual journeys of self discovery while finding each other in the process. This is a brilliant slow burn that will have you up all night reading just to get to their well deserved happily ever after.

I adored this book. Then again, I adore everything that Adriana is writing. She has written another gorgeous tale of found family and finding your HEA in the most unexpected places. Julia and Rocco’s courtship is sizzling hot. Rocco came in with constant consent and I am here for it. The man is always asking Julia if he can touch her or kiss her. I cheered every time it happened. I love when authors normalize consent in books and would love to see more work like this.

There were moments where I was so frustrated with Julia for not reaching for what she really wanted with Rocco because she was afraid of making the same mistakes she did in the past. I was equally as frustrated with Rocco for his constant martyrdom and refusal to put himself first. These two stubborn fools end up figuring it out and diving into their happily ever after. In addition to Julia and Rocco’s story, you also get Julia’s incredibly supportive family and the love and care from Rocco’s sister and niece, oh, and the Gotham Exiles! The story is full of so much heart and genuine love that will leave you thinking about the story for a long time after you’ve read it. Snark also plays heavily throughout and it's the most incredible thing you will experience!

An excellent romance and found family story from Herrera. I always love the author's ability to make you feel like her characters could be part of your own friend group or family and this one did not disappoint. Although I was a bit worried to start off with because the potential for power dynamics related to Rocco and Julia's jobs, my mind was put at ease pretty quickly based not only on how it was actually written into the story and how both characters took that seriously within the story itself. I really appreciate how the characters are allowed to be unabashedly themselves, both with how they interacted with their friends, family and peers, but also their inner monologues. Definitely a slow burn, but also a great story of family and allowing someone to both leave on their own and still keep their friends and family close. Overall, it's a well written and relatable story that definitely needs to be told!

5⭐️

Adriana Herrera is becoming one of my fave contemporary romance authors. Her books sweep me off my feet & the hero of her upcoming release Here to Stay is so heart-grabbing, the heroine so inspiring, that I wanted more than one Epilogue. Or for the Epilogue to be longer. I just wanted more .

Julia del Mar Ortiz is very close to her family but she moved to Dallas from NY so that she could support her boyfriend. & then he broke up with her.

In the time since she’s thrown herself into her rewarding job as Program Director for the philanthropic arm of a major department store. Now she wants to make friends, specifically with other former NYers in her work orbit.

Unfortunately that includes Rocco Quinn, the gorgeous analyst who’s come to assess her company & determine what can be jettisoned before it goes public.

As Julia discovers, Rocco is secretly a big mushy marshmallow. Despite his confidence & sometimes performance of confidence, she notes that he’s also occasionally shy, uncomfortable, etc & in each of those moments my heart is as touched as hers. Rocco’s never had someone take care of him the way that he feels compelled to take care of others (cue the tears ).

And Julia is fantastic. She’s brave, confident, into fashion, & as she reveals to Rocco, passionate about her role in providing safe spaces for children who are undocumented immigrants and/or have parents who are. Throughout the romance Julia has to learn how to negotiate fighting for herself & making a potential compromise for a beloved.

I kinda wanted more specific introspection on the ethicality of them pursuing a relationship when so much is on the line, but otherwise their relationship plays out beautifully. There’s a lot of yearning, a lovely slow burn, & it’s ultimately super sexy.

Add to all of this a nuanced & often loving portrayal of family life (especially Julia’s Dominican mother & Puerto Rican father), humor, & shared bonding over Queens, & Here to Stay gives me nearly everything I could ask for.


Here to Stay is out on 08/25. Thanks to @harlequinpublicityteam & Netgalley for my complimentary copies of the book; all opinions provided my own.

​#Sponsored #HarlequinPublicityTeam #HarlequinBooks #CarinaPress #AdrianaHerrera #HereToStay #latinxrom #ContemporaryRomance #EnemiesToLovers #WorkplaceRomance

3.5 stars

Thank you to Harlequin Books, Carina Press for a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was my first book by Adriana Herrera and I enjoyed it! It's a slow burn with lots of tension but once Julia and Rocco got together, it got quite steamy. The story reminded me so much of The Trouble with Hating You and The Boyfriend Project, so if you liked the writing style and plots of either of those, I think you'd be a fan of Here to Stay. I loved the diverse characters in this book - I haven't read too many books featuring Latinx characters (something I'm trying to fix), so this book gave a good insight into the the Dominican, Puerto Rican culture. The food sounded so delicious! Herrera did a great job inserting Spanish into the dialogue with context so a non Spanish speaker can still follow along. Herrera also incorporated the undocumented immigrant issue in the country within the story and I thought she did it in a way that raised awareness without being too strong handed.

TW - Domestic violence and deportation of immigrants. These were included at the beginning of the book and I thought that was nice since not too many authors include trigger warnings.

Oh, Julia and Rocco- they were just so darn cute. I am really loving these office/workplace romances. If you enjoyed The Boyfriend Project or The Trouble With Hating You, I would definitely recommend Here to Stay. This was my first book by Herrera that I have read, but I am definitely looking forward to more of her romance books in the future. I really enjoyed the incorporation of family and culture in this book. I thought that Rocco was so cute and adorable, and there were many relevant aspects that the author touched on. Julia's culture and family were a lovely addition to the story, and I enjoyed getting to know all of the characters. I thought this was a fun book, and I enjoyed reading it. My only complaint about the book was that I felt like it took a little too long for the characters to actually connect. I think it was a little more than 200 pages in before they finally had any physical contact, and I think I wanted a little more steam (which I can't believe I am even saying)! I will be posting a review on my bookstagram account. Thank you to Harlequin Publicity Team for giving me the chance to read this book!

I did not know what to expect when I picked up this book. I knew I was in for a sexy and spicy romance, but the depth of characters and the friendship sprinkled throughout the book made this one I couldn't put down.

Rocco was sweet and sensitive, but not TOO sweet and sensitive. He did his job so he could save his sister and niece from the verbal abuse he put up with when he lived at home. He thought he came to Dallas to do a job, but when his office crush endangers his dream of getting his sister away from his parents, he will have to choose between love or family.

Julia is a fierce, strong, independent Dominican-Puerto Rican woman. She has the job of her dreams, running a center for newly immigrated children and families, but she knows the company that funds the program is considering getting rid of it as it goes Public. Rocco should be her nemesis, but the more she learns about him, the less she is able to separate her work life from her love life.

This is definitely a slow burn romance and when our heroes get together, the sparks fly. I was thankful that the ending wasn't drawn out and I got the HEA I wanted to see.

I loved the incredibly diverse cast both in culture and sexuality. A must read for romance fans who like their romances on the hot and heavy side.