This book is challenging to review because it took me a while to realize how invested I was in these characters and the plot itself. What I mean by that is that for quite some time, I probably could have sat After Hours on Milagro Street down and walked away without giving it a second thought. Not because it wasn't good, Lopez is a fantastic writer. But more because the characters and my mood didn't seem to be compatible. I've not really read other reviews, but I have a feeling there are people who may pick this book up and complain that the Alex was unlikeable in some way. Her defense mechanism is essentially to almost aggressively push other people away, for a lack of a better way to describe that. (On my end, that is.) And so, at times, it was frustrating because I wanted the other characters to be able to see past her defenses, but they mostly weren't. And then suddenly, Alex's relationship with Jamison was letting us in and he was SLOWLY starting to understand her too. And all of this culminates in the most emotional third act situation that I've read in a REALLY long time and I was essentially sobbing. It was a lot and ridiculous. But like, the character work Angelina M. Lopez did??? Astonishing. Amazing. So I'm really torn between a 4 and 5 star rating and think I'm going to land on 4.5 and after writing this review, round up here.

Oh, I suppose I should let you know like what this book is about. Essentially, things blow up for Alex in Chicago, so she comes back home because she and her sisters have concocted this plan to run Loretta's (her grandmother's bar) because her grandma has suffered from a fall and blah blah blah. Anyway, there is a ton of family drama and a ghost type situation and also this skeezy man is trying to buy the bar and then Jamison has an offer in too so that he can turn it into a museum. This book has so much happening, but it also never loses focus. I really, really enjoyed this one.

I really enjoyed this read. Not only were the characters fun, but the plot and the overall execution was great. I would have liked more build up to some of the big plot twists and surprises, but I did enjoy it. I enjoyed learning a bit about Mexican American culture along with the romance. I fall head over heels for romances so this book checked that box. Overall, I enjoyed it and will still recommend it.

4/5 stars!

**Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I liked the plot, the heritage and the potential the story had. Unfortunately the main character Alex was annoying for most of the book and it just killed the vibe of the story.

This contemporary romance set in the Midwest and staring a multigenerational family was as a fun and steamy read. The characters were very real and endearing, and the plot was compelling.

It reminded me of the TV shows 'Gentefied' and 'Vida' and the book 'A Proposal They Can't Refuse by Natalie Caña'

I would definitely like to see this become a series. The town is great and there are more than enough characters to follow.

Hot, hot, hot. What a perfect summer romance, enemies to lovers at its finest. Plus a little hint of magic/paranormal?? This was well done, and I'm just super into all the hot professor heroes right now, Give me all of them.

I LOVED this book! It has all my catnip. Strong families, a sexy curvy heroine who doesn't take shit, ghost stories, a mystery, and a really hot guy in glasses.

The writing is incredibly engaging and I highly recommend!

I liked it! It was steamy. I love the family coming to terms with their feeling and understanding that they all love each other.
This was kind of a fast moving book but I like that in books doesn’t allow me to get bored.
It was right up my alley.
Give it a try I promise you won’t the let down!

THE 411...

*•.¸♡ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞. 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐖𝐞’𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. ♡¸.•*

This book kept me up last night as I was determined to finish it and those final few lines gave me goosebumps!! After Hours on Milagros Street is a romance with mystery, paranormal, and historical fiction aspects sprinkled throughout. I love my romance to be complex and the story line to have some depth, this was just that. We meet Alex Torres as she makes her appearance back in her hometown of Kansas. She’s an Alpha plus size Mexican-American female who has made a name for herself as an in demand bartender. Alex has been summoned by her sisters with hopes of convincing their matriarch of a grandmother to sell them her bar so that she may retire comfortably. The problem is that many in the Torres clan view her as a bit louder than the rest of them and a bit of a loose canon. For Alex, her image is something she plays up for the white people she bartends for. “The world expected an angry black woman, and Alex had let it pay her rent” She plans to use what she’s learned as well as her social media presence to put Kansas/Milagro Street back on the map. The town that for many years has been home to Mexican-American working families is struggling to keep the lights on. Jeremiah Post is renting a room at the bar, he is a white college professor whose own backstory is a mystery to all and he’d rather keep it that way. He loves the Torres clan, grandmother Loretta treats him like one of her own and the many aunts, uncles, and cousins who congregate at the bar daily see him as family too. Alex & Jeremiah’s first encounter is 10/10 spicy and hot. Alex knows exactly what she wants and isn’t afraid to go for it, she absolutely DOES get consent even as she’s going through the motions. I LOVED IT!

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS...

Full transparency, it took me a few days to finish this book but I didn’t see it as a negative. The pace is a bit slower than most romance because of the historical fiction/mystery aspects of it but the latter half really picks up the pace. I appreciated the character development we see with Alex who goes from wanting to change everything about the bar to wanting to preserve some of what makes it feel like home to many of Freedom’s residents. Also, Jeremiah’s work as an ally helping preserve the Mexican-American immigrant history of the town and the fact that Alex makes sure that he knows she’s not down with the white savior roles perpetuated by many. Jeremiah’s respectful stance in making sure that he remains an ally in the background, his respect towards her family and the towns roots make him a new fave! This book has a whole lot of heart and the characters quickly come to life including our older generations. Last but not least, the supernatural aspects the author introduced to highlight the racism and bigotry surrounding Mexican-Americans bumped this book to a five star read for me. Consider reading if you enjoy romance wrapped in a bit of a mystery, found families that just so happen to be LARGE families, and angry ghosts.

𝗧ropes: close proximity, opposites attract, hate-to-love, grumpy sunshine

Content Warnings: mention of alcoholism, racism, bigotry, microagressions

This was an enjoyable read.
After hours on Milagro street is about Alex Torres, a badass bartender from Chicago as she goes back home to Kansas to try to help her grandma and take over the local bar. However, things don’t go as smoothly as plan and in the process she runs into a white rich guy that seems to be invested on her family more than he should and just won’t go away.
The premise is fun but I had trouble relating to the main character Alex and how at times she was mean to other people or her family but it was all easily forgotten because “she care to much or doesn’t want to get hurt” I also felt it was longer than it needed and the resolution way to quick, like the author crammed a lot of plot lines but then had trouble trying to resolve everything in the last 10% of the book.
Although it was fun read not sure I will be looking forward to other books by this author at this time,

This book had a strong start and then it just, fizzled out for me. The tension disappeared and the pacing slowed down to the point that the book did not hold my attention. I will not be sharing a full review of this title outside of NG. Thank you.

A solid three stars.. It was a rough start and I was afraid I was DNF but the story just got more intriguing and better as it went on. I became more invested in the characters and my view towards Alex softened when we learned more about her. Honestly, I found her overly rude and I still think she held on to that beef with her mom too long though I understand why it was so hard to forgive her father.
I enjoyed Jeremiah even though he could be a bit too judgemental but even that softened too.
Top notch UST.
Great dramatics.
I would read more by her.

Opposites attract and rivals-to-lovers! Love those tropes!

Alejandra came into town with a bang hehe, see what I did there.

Her grandmother is ready to sell or hand over her restaurant/bar but everyone has different ideas on what to do with it.

Besides her family there is a college professor also involved renting out a room on the 2nd floor.

He's trying to help preserve the history and it takes her a long time to trust that he has their best interests.

Wow these two were 🔥. She was so aggressive and knew what she wanted. But also used innuendo as a defense mechanism.

Despite her attempts she can't resist the professor. 

There is a long history in this town involving wills, deeds, curses and rampant racism.

This was a super steamy romance but was mixed with history, heritage, treasure hunts, town lore, family dynamics, systemic racism (and learning how to be an ally without going to jail, that one is hard people are awful).

Totally enjoyed all the different relationships portrayed and the Alex and Jeremiah's push and pull relationship. 

✨Adore this cover and her curves. Just wish he was about a foot taller. Since he's a giant puppy😉

Thank you to angelinamlo HarlequinPublicityTeam & HarlequinBooks for having me on this tour and the gifted copy.

The forced proximity and opposites attract combo is unmatched! Jeremiah and Alex are such a lovely couple and their story is so freaking good!

I'm not sure why I took so long to read this book. I absolutely loved it. It came through in so many different aspects. Romance, check. Spice, check. Story, check. Characters, check. And really there is so much more I could go into from the elements of magical realism to the interesting history tied up in a romance. I am so here for this book. I also love a good reverse grumpy / sunshine trope. I will say the enemies to lovers aspect was hard for me to read because it did get mean at time. Alex does go to far in the beginning and personally for me that is hard to read, but it was written in such a way that the more you know about her the more you understand where she is coming from. Another thing I enjoyed about this book was learning about communities and histories of many Mexican American communities in places like Kansas because of the railroad, that was new information and I loved it. So over all, this book made me swoon, it kept me guessing with the plot and the backstories, and it taught me something. I love when books do those things individually, but when they can do them together, then you know you have something special.

I'm giving up on this book at the 15% mark. The main character just isn't for me. First of all the sex scene in the first chapter was good but felt weird since the characters had literally exchanged 5 words to each other. Their fight scene immediately following was confusing and I just hated it.
I love an enemies to lovers, and was looking forward to the pitch of a little paranormal and Mexican-American history notes. But it's not for me.

Sparks fly immediately in this one. I didn’t expect this story to jump right in, but it did and I was all in!
.
Mild mannered Jeremiah is a professor and according to Alex in the way of her grandmother’s bar, but when an outside force threatens them all they join together to fight for a legacy.
.
This one is full of emotion, passion and family. This was fast paced and loved it.

Thank you #carinapress and #NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review

This book gave me all the spice I had been missing in my life, though it took a minute for the initial moment in the first chapter. I loved the dual perspectives and that they gave us some funny moments as well as endearing ones as well. I really really liked this book and I ate it up every moment that I could, especially because I was anticipating the spice. I also really like the twist in the story at the end. I would actually love to see more in this stories' world.

Spicy, smart and yearning, After Hours on Milagro Street is one of the most atmospheric reads of the year. I loved how Jeremiah and Alex's story unfolded against a wonderfully colourful and richly described world. They were perfectly matched in passion and wit and the equilibrium they find against a wonderfully painted canvas of supporting characters was beautifully rendered. They're competitive and strong but with hearts of gold and the attention to the soul of the community balanced with the rocky road paving their eventual happy ever after was rewarding!

This book starts with a bang. Literally.

Alex, the black sheep of her family, has returned home to take over her grandmother's bar, but Professor Jeremiah is both renting an upstairs room and in competition for the bar.

The story is steeped in history, family ties, and a little bit of magic. Angelina M. Lopez creates a fully immersive story that takes you somewhere you haven't been before. There's definitely a lovers-to-rivals-to-lovers thing going on, and some elements of small town romance (everyone knows everyone).

I'm trying to explain just how rich the story is. Set in Kansas, in a town with deep Mexican-American roots, there are multiple generations of both Alex's family and another's at play. And to solve a mystery and save the bar, Alex has to team up with Jeremiah to learn more about her family history and track down a treasure.

It's just.... lovely. Recommended.

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

Great read.

Alex is back home to claim her family bar after years away. She meets the tenant Jeremiah, and will these opposites attract?