A sweet second chance romance with lots of family conflict and a lush setting that's perfect for an escape from winter isolation in colder climes. My favourite element of this particular story was the Cuban history woven into Alejandro's photographic journey. The images conjured were beautiful and evocative, and for me, the real Anchored Heart of the story. For those wondering, while characters and settings from book 1--Island Affair--appear in book 2, Anchored Hearts isn't reliant on that material, and this book can be read as a standalone.

In the acknowledgements, Oliveras writes, "My hope is that you dive into the books in my Keys to Love series and feel as if you’ve traveled to Key West, made some new friends, came to appreciate island life and the Cuban-Latinx culture, and were able to forget about life’s stresses for a while." I think she nailed it.

Thanks to NetGalley for a arc copy for a honest review.

Anchored Hearts is a 5 star read... I need to read Island Affair..

Happy Reading
Lisa

As a Key West interloper (I've been a few times and cannot wait to go back), this book gave me such a jolt of being back there and feeling all the sunny, humid vibes. Someone get me a pina colada!

Priscilla Oliveras crafts a family dynamic that is charming and complex, full and so very real. I felt like I knew these people, could find their restaurant on the island, walk in, and recognize them from her descriptions.

Alejandro and Anamaria have in-depth compelling arguments for why they broke up, yet they cannot deny the white-hot need still crossing through them. It's easy to fall back in need with each other, but can they figure out being in love for more than just his brief stay.

Much as I liked hanging out with Ale and AM, watching them get more and more honest and realistic about their mutual goals, I also loved the late addition character of Natalia (who I hope is going to be in book three with Enrique?? Please, please, please, let there be a book three and let it be about them!). She is AMAZING.

There is a lot to unpack in this book, from family expectations to feeling stuck in your ways, just because they have been set for you for so long. Cultural pressures to follow in the family business and the value of an artist. There is more. Machismo. Women's place in this world. Father's unbending wills and stubborn sons.

I do think that Alejandro being in a wheelchair and being restricted by its use became a bigger issue than it should have been. It felt like the wheelchair use by an able-bodied person could have been handled with more sensitivity.

There is not really a black moment, we head toward the confrontation throughout the book and I like this approach, it isn't as common in Romance as the sudden fight. The resolution, for me, needed more logistics and closure, I loved the sentimentality of the closing scene, but wish for an epilogue, but truly I wish for book three in which these characters show back up and I get to know more about their adventures.

Overall, Oliveras wanted us to escape with her to the island and this book took me there and made me feel the sand of Higgs Beach between my toes.

Anchored hearts is a Exes to lovers romcom set in Key West. It focuses heavily on family dynamics and Latinx culture, similar to Priscilla Oliveira’s first book. I liked the rhythm and the overlap in families from the first book, while focusing on new characters.

I did find the first third of the book to have a lot of situations where there was a lot of writing about how the characters felt or what they thought they should do, instead of actually having them act out. It made that portion of the book seem a little passive.

Overall it was a quick escape! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was a fan of the first book in the series, Island Affair, and when I saw that there was a second book coming out I just had to read this one as well. This was a bit of a slow burn romance-wise, but once we get into the meat of the story, we see this second chance romance really heat up. These are the kinds of stories that I love to read as a way to wind down and relax with a great book that transports me to another place as beautiful as Key West.

Ok let's start with the positives: hello Cuban culture! romance round 2? Well formed characters. However, we must also acknowledge the bad, the writing was not at all as good as the 1st book, it was almost as if this sequel was rushed, I think the story could have been better and more developed, I wasn't a fan of the ending at all and I expected the whole book to be "spicier. "

This is so far my favorite book in this series, which may be slightly because I am a sucker for a well executed second chance romance. Both of the characters showed that they had grown in their time apart, and were able to be in a place that made it make more sense for them than it had when they were teens. The connection in this kind of romance is much deeper than the insta-love that happens in a lot of other books (and sometimes real life!) and the author perfectly showed how the characters recognized the past that they had together and used that to form the basis of a relationship that they could build upon with the people they are now. Second chance romances should be about acknowledging the change and growth that comes from time apart and embracing it, which is exactly what happened here. We love self aware characters! We love diverse romances that feel authentic in their cultural portrayals! We love multi-dimensional characters! This book was clearly a hit for me!!

A fun reunion story

I was excited to get my hands on this book as I loved Island Affair, the first book in this series. This story is about Anamaria Navarro, a firefighter/personal trainer, who let her first love, Alejandro Miranda, leave to live his dream of being a photographer. He traveled the world and became famous for his work. An injury has brought Alejandro back home and Anamaria has been asked to help him with his recovery. Being together again leads them to rekindle their relationship. But, Anamaria knows Alejandro will leave the island when he is better, so she makes the best of their time together. Will it be enough for Alejandro to change his mind and decide to remain close to home this time?

I really enjoyed this book. I liked seeing how Anamaria and Alejandro rekindled their relationship after all the years that passed. I also like catching up with the characters from the first book. I learned a lot about Cuban culture, as the characters are both from big Cuban families. The author’s descriptions about Key West made me feel like I was right there. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves family drama, romance and a great tropical setting.

I enjoyed the tropical theme of this book and the romance aspect. I also really liked how the Cuban culture of the families came through. However, I found some parts difficult to follow, particularly with the switching between viewpoints. If you’re looking for a tropical escape then this book is definitely for you! I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Such a sweet book. I really enjoyed the first book by this author so I was excited to get this one. It was exactly the kind of book I needed in this moment. I can’t wait to share about this to family and friends

I read and L♥️ved Island Affair! I was so excited to find out there would be a sequel. So needless to say when I received the NetGalley email approving my request I couldn’t wait to dive in!

I am a sucker for the second chance romance trope! Anchored Hearts was just what I was looking for to escape winter in MN. It was fun, flirty, and entertaining. I again enjoyed the tight-knit overbearing Navarro and Miranda families. I liked how Anamaría and Alejandro were both strong, independent well developed characters. They had history and good chemistry. I just felt like they could have had a little more🔥.
I love the way Oliveras sprinkles in words & sentences in Spanish. She does an amazing job of making you feel like you’re actually there in the beautiful tropical surroundings, soaking up the Cuban culture and devouring the delicious foods!

3.5 lovable ⭐️’s. If you’re looking for a cute, slow-burn beach read, you will enjoy this one! Pre-order your copy today. Anchored Hearts is avaialble 4/27/2021.

Thank you @netgalley @prisoliveras and @kensingtonbooks for the #gifted ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#AnchoredHearts #PriscillaOliveras #NetGalley #beachread #escaperead #romcom #bookish #booknerd #booklover

I did not love the first book in the series, but had seen some strong reviews for this one so I decided to give it a shot. Unfortunately this series just isn't for me.

I LOVE 💕 💕 Priscilla Olivera’s writing. I love how her writing is light and fun, and interspersed with words and sentences in Spanish that add to the stories she tells us.

I’ve said this before, but it still holds true in this books and series: Priscilla Oliveras is awesome depicting Latino families and how complicated they can be, still showing us how love a sense of community are a central part of these relationships.

I also loved Anamaría and Alejandro. I have to admit that I don’t generally like/enjoy second-chance-at-love tropes. I just find that generally these books have either veeery unhealthy relationships or senseless breakups and fights; BUT this was not the case with this book. Having said this, I truly enjoyed reading about Anamaría and Alejandro growing and figuring out who they were, both professionally and to one another, and how we need to get to know ourselves in order to love and relate to others.

I would definitely recommend this book, and the Keys to Love Series (here’s hoping we get more books in this series. Something tells me Enrique’s story is on its way 🤞🏽 ).

I gave this book 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5️⃣ (closer to 4.5 stars)

Pair with a margarita (please use organic limes in honor of Anamaría 🍋)

**NOTE: I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher via @Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books/Zebra for the eARC of Anchored Hearts in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVED Island Affair, and when I saw the sequel was coming out, I was beyond excited. I was even more excited when I was approved to read it early. While Island Affair followed Luis Navarro, Anchored Hearts focuses on his younger sister Anamaria, which I was thrilled about because when she appeared in Island Affair, I liked the strong character that she was.

I found this one started a bit slower than Island Affair, but the story quickly ramped up and I found myself transported to the Keys and becoming a part of the Navarro family. Another great escape read and the ending was perfect - I caught myself smiling and sighing when it was all done! If you're looking for a perfect escape, read this book (and series!)

I certainly love the Keys to Love series, and I hope more will be coming!

This story has an interesting start. Alejandro is a wanderlust photographer who is on bad terms with his father and is temporarily sidelined in the town he hasn’t stopped running from due to a bad leg injury. Anamaria is the burgeoning fitness guru determined to not to veer too far from her home town and family despite the prospects that exist for her growing independent business beyond Key West. We are given a solid foundation for a romantic showdown, one head strong former couple with two different understanding for why they separated, two families with no understanding for boundaries plotting to get them back together, and two careers that seem to be the perfect diversions for the reverse parent trap scheme in play. I wish I could say I enjoyed how this story unraveled, but I was left with the feeling that the resolution came too quick and elements that once seemed important were left abandoned.

I loved this book! It was heartwarming and strong. It was exactly what I needed with everything going on in the world! A happy little escape!

2 STARS

I was confused most of the time with this book and didn’t enjoy most of it, sadly. The romance between Alejandro and Anamaria didn’t seem real and I felt like I was rolling my eyes a lot. It was boring and I kept wondering when it was going to get better, but it didn’t.

I did, however, enjoy learning about the Cuban culture and characters who really added to the story. Both the main characters were flat, but their families made it seem more relatable.

I also read this during the winter time, so reading this book with beach vibes definitely made me wish I was at the beach!!


Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, as well as Priscilla Oliveras. This book will be released April 27, 2021.

A second chance romance with meddling Latina moms... this is always promising premise! The dialogue in Spanglish is very well done, it felt authentic and wasn't distracting. The set up—he's injured and is stuck needing her help—is the prefect situation to will force the two main characters past their grudges and to each other. Fun and charming!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Anamaría is an amazing and strong woman. Rooted deeply in the Keys and her strong ties to her familia, she works as a paramedic and run a fitness business encouraging healthy nutrition and loving oneself.

Alejandro has no relationship with his father after leaving his father's restaurant behind to pursue his interest in photography. Now he is a world renowned photographer stuck in his parents' after a serious injury.

And Anamaría and Alejandro's two matchmaking mamis scheme to throw them back together. Their second chance romance comes with a tangled web that makes it tough to envision how they could ever be together.

This story centers on family, where we come from, and how we are shaped by our roots. I greatly enjoyed the nod to the environment with mention of efforts to save endangered species and of the damage that the islands have sustained from hurricanes. And learning more about the Cuban-Latinx culture in Key West and Operation Peter Pan was fantastic.

This was such a tough book to put down. I deeply enjoyed it.

I did enjoy the culture included in this book, the bits of Spanish used in dialogue and the big families the character's had. The concept of the one that got away was intriguing but I didn't feel a huge spark between the characters when they finally did pursue eachother romantically again about 75% of the way into the book. It didn't seem believable enough for me. Overall I liked the book, but I did feel that book 1 in the series was written with more depth and more enjoyable.