The island setting of The Keys is the perfect backdrop for this romantic escapade. Luis is a fireman for the Key West Fire Department, who suddenly finds himself ordered to take a mandatory seven day break to relax from a traumatic incident. Although Luis is resistant to the orders, he doesn’t have an option. This is when he meets Sara, who arrives by plane at the Key West Airport. Luis overhears Sara’s phone conversation and realizes she has a predicament. Her family, including her parents, siblings and their spouses are arriving soon from Arizona. They expect to meet her fiancé - but there isn’t one. Sara desperately concocts a plan to placate her family for the next seven days. With optimistic skepticism, Luis agrees. But the chemistry and attraction between Luis and Sara is already in motion with a momentum all it’s own!
The author writes this with humor and authentic emotions. You’re drawn to the characters and the depth of their feelings. The story is intriguing and this will be one book you can’t put down. The setting, plot, characters and writing style are all a perfect combination for a great, fun read!

Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Publishing and Priscilla Oliveras

Thank you @netgalleh for a copy of Island Affair. Overall, I enjoyed the book and loved how well the author created such a beautiful get away with Key West. I found the story like a bit too unbelievable for Carlos to jump on board to be the fake boyfriend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed Island Affair -- it was a book I could imagine reading pool or beachside, instead of mostly from my couch while staying inside and had my dreaming of a Key West vacation!

This is your classic "fake date" where someone needs a boyfriend for an important family gathering and oops, they fall in love. Even though you knew where it was going the writing was solid, the characters were likeable and went a little deeper than you'd expect, the descriptions of Key West made you want to hop on a plane and it was fun.

A great escape book for those who love a good rom-com!

Island Affair by Priscilla Oliveras
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Social media influencer, Sara has been stood up by her boyfriend at the start of her family vacation in Key West. When she runs into hunky Firefighter Luis at the airport she talks him into standing in as her boyfriend for the week to impress her type A family.

This book was everything I needed to “escape” to a tropical paradise. You can tell that the author grew up in Key West because her love for the location shine through in this book. The descriptions really transported me. I adore a fake dating trope and man am I loving a good guy hero lately. Whew! Luis was sexy, sweet, attentive, family oriented, Spanish speaking..... swoooooon! I loved the Cuban cultural references and Spanish terms thrown in.

I definitely got Unhoneymooners and Emma and Luke vibes from this one. It is a very light, sweet read that will bring a smile to your face. Highly recommend reading it while visualizing yourself on the beach.... with Luis.

HUGE Thank You to @kensingtonbooks and @netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. The cover is so gorgeous I cant wait to grab a hard copy!

⚠️: eating disorder, tragic death

I will leave a review on Amazon or B&N on Apr 28, 2020

Island Affair is a delightful vacation read, I was able to read it in half a day. This was my first book from this author, and I found it to be an enjoyable read. I loved the chemistry between Luis and Sara, Sara has a complicated family dymanic that she must work through in this storyline. I would definitely recommend this read to others.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy from NetGalley and Kensington and this is my fair and honest review.

This book is about Sara Vance, a social media influencer who is beginning her vacation in Key West with her family. Upon her arrival, she discovers that her current boyfriend isn't making the journey to join the vacation. He's bailed on her, and she panics. Not wanting to disappoint her parents, who she feels disconnected from, she enlists the help of sexy firefighter Luis, who she happens to run into at the airport. Luckily for Sara, Luis has just been placed on mandated leave from his job to work through some personal issues he faced in the past. As the two develop a plan to be a couple, they realize that their connection is blossoming into something far more real.
I liked this book! I wish I could give it 3.5 stars, but I decided to round up because it did get better towards the end. The book was well written, the setting well described and interesting. I liked how light and beautiful the setting was. The characters were likeable and the story enjoyable. I enjoyed spending time in this story. The setting offered a lightness to contrast the darkness of what the characters were dealing with. The love story was sweet! Issues I had with the book include how terribly unrealistic it was, at times it was repetitive and extremely cheesy. I thought the beginning dragged on and on and right when I finally connected, it was almost over. I simply didn't find that deepness in the characters, despite their tough backstories. I wanted to connect with them so I would want to continue reading. I suspect this didn't happen until the end because it was predictable. Some parts felt rushed, some felt dragged. However, in the end, this was a feel good, light and fun book with likeable characters. It was a good read!

The book has it all drama, romance and humour! The connection between both characters is written well! I do think that it could have finished earlier than it did though, but a good read overall

Well that was a sweet, breezy little read! I've never read anything by this author before, but that gorgeous cover paired with a fake relationship plot made Island Affair impossible to resist. It's the light, beachy kind of read that I was looking for - but it also has an incredible amount of depth, with plenty of serious moments sprinkled throughout the book. Though it's a tried and true storyline with an element of predictability, the characters are real and complex with complicated backstories that are fully explored. I loved the level of depth Oliveras was able to achieve in a relationship that - let's be honest here - sparks over the course of less than a week. There were times when the author's excessive descriptions seemed a little much, but they helped give the characters a real, fleshed out feel.

The story follows Sara, a social media influencer who has always felt like the outsider in her family. When the guy she's been dating bails on her at the last minute, she's left in a lurch - her family has planned a stress-free trip together to celebrate her mother's remission from cancer, and Sara may have embellished the seriousness of their relationship in an attempt to make her mother happy. At a loss for what to do, Sara meets a kind, caring firefighter who is willing to step in. Luis has his own family drama, and helping a beautiful stranger with her problems seems like the perfect escape. As Sara and Luis spend the week together, their friendship - and the spark of something more - grows as they dig deep and get to know one another.

This straddles the line between romance and women's fiction, with family being a huge component to the book. Sara and Luis are the heart of the story, but their closeness comes from facing their demons head-on, and it was an interesting journey to read. It's definitely more laidback than the contemporary romance I normally read - there's a seriousness to the story that gives it weight without being angsty, and though it's sexy, there are no explicit scenes. There were a few times that I struggled with just how descriptive and serious the tone was, but that would really be my only complaint. Sara is an interesting and dynamic heroine, while Luis is such a kind, compassionate hero. I also loved the inclusion of Luis' heritage - so often minorities are depicted in over the top, stereotypical ways, but it felt natural and realistic here. It's an understated romance that was a breath of fresh, and I'd definitely read more by the author in the future. My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. I am voluntarily leaving a review of this tropical romance.

Sara is desperate to prove herself to her Type A family full of doctors. Luis is a Firefighter in Key West being forced to take time off because of his reaction to a bad accident he responded to. They run into each other just as Sara’s boyfriend stands her up for a family vacation. Faced with a week off, Luis agrees to act as her boyfriend during her family vacation.

This book was so fun! I really enjoyed the writing style and the banter between the families and also Sara and Luis. It was such an easy read - I didn’t want to put it down at all! The chemistry between Sara and Luis was great. I got very Wedding Date (movie) The Wedding Date (book) and The Kiss Quotient vibes from this, all of which I really loved. “Fake dating” is one of my favorite romance tropes and this one delivered for sure.

HOLY MOLY was this a great, fun read!! I started off reading this book thinking it would be just another easy romance chick-lit read, but I was so surprised by the depth of this book. Both Sara and Luis have incredible back stories as well as immense character growth with each turn of the page. I found myself unable to put down the book as the sparks flew between Sara and Luis! Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Island Affair is an entertaining and well written romance. Good plot, fun characters and a beautiful setting. I received an arc from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

Book Review
.
Island Affair | Priscilla Oliveras
Pub Date: 4/28/20
.
RATING: 2.5/5
.
SYNOPSIS: Luis is a Cuban firefighter and Sara is a social media influencer. They agree to pretend to date while her and her family are in the Keys for vacation.
.
REVIEW: This cover stole my heart and I was ready for an island getaway. Unfortunately this book didn’t quite do it for me. I loved the multicultural aspect of Luis & Sara, and thought the inclusion of some deeper issues (eating disorder trigger) was written very well. I just realized through this novel fake relationships isn’t my fave trope and Luis and Sara’s chemistry just wasn’t there for me. There wasn’t any tension or angst between them, but at the same time there wasn’t any crazy drama (if you don’t like that). If you don’t want a drama filled romance and enjoy the couple getting along pretty much the whole book along with a tropical setting then this book is for you!
.
thank you @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for this eARC to read and give an honest review!

ISLAND AFFAIR:
Thank You to NetGalley, Kensington Books and Priscilla Oliveras for the opportunity to read this book in advance for my honest opinion. All opinions are mine!

The perfect blend of sassy and sweet with a splash of Cuban flair, this romance will have you wishing you were on a summer vacation in Key West.
Sara Vance has made a name for herself as a social media influencer. Between her blog and her media pages she has amassed over 500,000 followers and counting and landed a meeting that could see her expanding her New York business to Miami. That doesn’t stop her family, who are all doctors, from worrying if her career is well, an actual career. It also doesn’t stop her family from worrying about her recovery from an eating disorder that saw her in inpatient care and therapy. Tensions have mounted and Sara has found herself as the odd man out with nothing in common with her family. Now her parents wants to get together in Key West to celebrate their mothers recovery from cancer, and spend time as a family. The only problem? Sara may have hinted to her mother that her boyfriend was going to be proposing soon and promised he would come on the trip and he just bailed on Sara over the phone.
Luis’s family has roots in the Keys going back generations, and being part of that family also means being a firefighter for the Key west Fire Department. After responding to a horrible accident that saw a young woman killed, Luis is put on a week long vacation to get his head on right. A few years before he had lost his fiance in an accident that left him angry and hurt, reeling from her deathbed confession involving his younger brother. It’s as he’s leaving the station that day that he first sees Sara Vance. Never one to walk away from someone needing help, Luis soon finds himself ensnared in a crazy plan to spend the week pretending to be Sara’s boyfriend.
They only have to make this believable for the week, but suddenly sweet kisses are snuck when no one is around and secrets are told and trust is built and the week doesn’t seem like long enough anymore.
Ugh I loved this one. I had a cheesy grin on my face pretty much the entire time I read and for a good while after finishing the book. The chemistry between these two was immediate and steamy and I really loved how complementary their personalities were! I am now dying for a vacation with the clear Key West waters ad white sand. If you’re looking for a book to take you away, look no further!

I am so glad that I grabbed this ARC from Netgalley and Kensington Books. I was immediately sucked into this rom-com from the beginning. I love the diverse characters and the setting in Key West. The entire time it felt like I was there and a part of the story and island describe. The characters were well thought out, detailed, and their interactions with each other were amazing. I loved getting sucked into their banter and watching the story blossom. I struggled a little during the part about ED, but it was well worth reading through. I was pleasantly surprised and engulfed up until the very end. The pacing was also spot on for me as well.

I really appreciated the turning point, or the "thing meant to break them up" being more towards the ending. It really kept you engaged until the last page. The ending felt a little abrupt, but the open ending leaves the reader to imagine the life they think they would live as well. I would love to see more books from this author set in Key West. I felt like the description and detail put into the setting was well thought out to the point I felt like I was walking the streets of Key West with them.

This was a totally good read for summer, when you're at the beach and feeling that ocean breeze.

The story follows social media Influencer Sara Vance on her trip to Key West together with her parents. The perfect family holiday or so it was supposed to be. When Sara arrives at the airport, her boyfriend Ric that was supposed to be spending the week with her family for the first time, bails and leaves her all alone. With the fear of disappointing her parents and making this holiday stressful for her mom, that had been fighting cancer for a few years and was now cancer free, she decides to ask the hot firefighter man standing right next to her that had heard her fight with Ric to pretend to be her boyfriend. Luis Navarro had just been dismissed of his duties for a few weeks so that he could clear his head and have some "me-time" is abruptly approached by this beautiful-blue-eyed-blonde-woman that made is breath be taken away. Since he had nothing better to do and seeing the desperation in her voice and being the "Santo" Navarro he decides to help her.

I really liked the banter between Sara and Luis and their sort of attraction at first sight instead of the whole love at first sight trope. With the development of the story we learn that both characters have dark secrets that they wish for the other not to find out. Sara having an OSFED when she was a teenager and still trying to deal with the relapse that might happen anytime if triggered by any of her family members. And Luis trying to deal with the loss and forgiveness of those that he had once trusted.

The story does have a slow start but when they start scheming to fool her parents and start to know one another better and understand each flaws and fears the story starts to pick up the pace. I liked how the plot developed however I do think that Sara and Luis fell in love for one another too quickly which made it a tiny unrealistic for my own liking. I also loved the whole Cuban culture represented throughout the book and get to know better some of its costumes. I do think however that to someone who already knows Spanish some lines might be unnecessary. Since the author decide to translate every single line of whatever the character is saying in Spanish in the line right after.

“No puedo creer esto, ” he murmured. That made two of them. She was having a hard time believing she’d concocted this crazy plan herself.
"No puedo crer esto!" he murmured.
That made two of them. She was having a hard time believing she concocted this crazy plan herself."

"Cuidado con lo que pides.
Sí, Mamá Alicia, Sara silently promised, she'd be careful what she wished for."

I get it that it has to be translated otherwise the person who's reading won't know what the character is saying, but for me that already knows Spanish was just redudant and threw me off of the story. However it does get less and less or I just got used to the translation coming right after a Spanish phrase. That would be my only complain in this book which is great.

The ending was pretty predictable but a good ending nonetheless and I totally recommend reading this book! It was a really good must read adult summer romance.

This was my first book to read by Priscilla Oliveras and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will definitely read more of her books in the future and there will be a sequel to this book involving some of the same people (focused on either Annamarie or Enrique?) which I will definitely obtain. I read this book all in one day - it was an easy read that quickly made me feel connected with the characters.

The story starts off with a young woman, Sara, getting off an airplane in Key West where she is to meet her highly successful family of doctors for a 7 day family vacation (that they have never taken before). Sara is the youngest in the family and she feels alienated because she does not have a medical degree - in fact, she earns her living from being a social media influencer. The rest of her family finds this to be a career that they don't understand (and obviously not worthy of choosing as a career) so they always tend to treat Sara differently. They feel she needs a man that can take care of her - because surely no one can survive just from being a social media influencer, right? So when Sara's "boyfriend" (actually someone she chose because she felt like her parents would approve of him, but she hasn't felt the "sparks" with him herself) calls her as she lands to inform her he isn't coming for the family vacation, Sara panics. No one in her family has ever met Ric - they have only heard of him through phone conversations with Sara. She needed Ric to be there to keep her family from worrying about her - it's far easier to deflect than to confront the issues head on anyway.

Luis, a firefighter battling some of his own demons, is leaving the airport where he had been visiting his brother (also a firefighter, but stationed at the airport terminal) hears her side of the conversation with Ric and afterwards, he asks Sara if she is okay. She looks at him while thinking in her mind maybe she could just find a pretend boyfriend for the next seven days. Luckily for her, Luis has the next seven days off work due to his personal issues. Surprising both of them actually, Luis agrees to be her pretend boyfriend and they agree to keep it strictly platonic. What comes next is the next seven days of adventures with her family, some of Luis' acquaintances that spot them together while being "touristy" and even with Luis' family. There is drama, happy times, sad times and even some humor.

I was provided this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The opinion above is mine without biases.

This was a cute book that I read over the course of a weekend. I enjoy a good fake relationship trope, however I felt this one was a little hard to believe. The meet cute between Sara and Luis is a little unrealistic, but they had good chemistry. I also liked that it dealt with some heavier subjects that romance novels sometimes don't touch upon. There were a few parts where I felt the book dragged but overall it was a nice read!

This was a sweet rom-com novel with a fake relationship trope set in a picturesque tropical setting. I could definitely see this as a movie a la The Proposal. The chemistry between Sara and Luis was sizzling, as much as they tried to stop it since they’re only pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend to get Sara’s parents off her back.

Thought there’s plenty of romance and lightness in the story, it also deals with some heavier topics: familial problems, betrayal, eating disorders. I appreciated that they were done tactfully well.

I was bored through chunks of the novel though. There was lots of, I don’t know what to call it, inner monolouging? and info dumps that didn’t add a whole lot to the story. However, this stems from my personal problem with adult realistic fiction, and is in no part the novel’s fault. I just don’t like that style of writing.

If you love adult romance, I’d say give this one a try! It was a nice romantic escape.

BRB booking myself a vacation to the Florida Keys! 3.75 stars for this contemporary romance.

What I enjoyed: The beautiful, descriptive scenery. I felt like I was there with them on the beach. I could picture the people, the sun sets, and hear the waves. It sounded like heaven. I also enjoyed the heavy influences of the author's culture in describing not only the keys, but the Navarro family.

It was a little bit hard for me to get over the meet-cute story line. I mean, a fake fiance & having a random man come stay with your family? This could also be the start of a thriller novel... BUT if you can get past that, it really does get cute. Although it has cheesy moments, there is also a very heartfelt story line about mending broken families woven throughout.

I really came to like Sara & Luis. This is the kind of book I needed right now - and I will definitely recommend this to people, especially for summer. If you like Jasmine Guillory - give this book a try!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Kensington publishing for providing me with an ARC.
DNF 20%
I am felling frustrated that i can't read more of this novel, i tried so hard to continue but i can't.