I fell for the gorgeous cover and stayed for the romance. This romance was super sweet and definitely steamy. It does require more suspension of disbelief than the typical romance, in my opinion, but it was an enjoyable read. This gave me a break from day-to-day stress and I loved the Key West setting. The characters felt real and well-rounded, and I liked how part of their relationship involved a desire to better each other/improve their own personal lives. If you're looking for a light beach read with some chemistry, this is perfect.

I was lucky enough to win an early look at ISLAND AFFAIR through a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thank you for the distraction, and please stay safe!

This was a really sweet, easy read. I’m not normally into insta-love so I was a bit skeptical going in (the story takes place over a week) but the development of Luis and Sara’s relationship was done so well! They had many real conversations early on, so their connection felt deep and believable. This story also had a great depiction of complex family dynamics in both leads’ families. I grew especially attached to Luis’s family which is great, since it seems like they’ll be showing up more in later books. Looking forward to whatever’s next from Oliveras!

I've been looking forward to this book. I needed a fake tropical escape from quarantine. Imagine a week in Key West or even just an opportunity to meet a random, hot stranger outside an airport-- inconceivable! Plus, this book has a Cuban fireman, Spanish, and there's a pretend boyfriend plot... What's not to love?

In all seriousness, though, I have never read a romance novel that was so mental health positive or that shined a light on a serious mental health issue while keeping things fun and light. Sara suffers from an eating disorder, and her therapist is mentioned casually early on, normalizing something that is still often stigmatized in this day and age.

This book has it all: a slow burn, delightfully awful romcom mishaps, and a story that encompasses both romantic and family love. In short, this was a romance both sweet and hot, the kind of juxtaposition I've only encountered in Mexican candies. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

This is definitely for people who like Jasmine Guillory or Christina Lauren. It is a fun, light read and meant to entertain. It was such an old concept but with a different twist. It was definitely good and could see this doing really well.

Key West was the perfect escape in my quarantine reading !
The Vance family heads to Key West for a family getaway to celebrate their mother's cancer treatments being finished. Upon arrival, Sara's boyfriend bales on her and tells her he isn't coming. She asks a local firefighter, who has just found himself with a week of unplanned time off, to fill the role. As they spend time together, it turns into more than an act.
I enjoyed the first book in this "Keys to Love" series by Priscilla Oliveras.
I received an advanced reader copy via NetGalley.

This is a fake dating romance between a local firefighter in Key West and a social media influencer that is a tourist. I love fake dating and small town romance, especially in beautiful locations, so I was hopeful for this.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF at 15%. This book was not gripping me. I felt the writing style was very repetitive. It was a lot of tell instead of show. The author kept repeating "the importance of familia" to Luis, and dropping almost continuous hints about his rift with his brother without giving additional information. Also, I could not suspend my disbelief with the fake dating set up. They decide on this plan immediately after meeting in a parking lot where Luis hears Sara fighting with her boyfriend over the phone. They immediately start driving around together and making statements about each others personalities, except for they don't know each other at all! This would have made more sense if they ran into each other a few times before hatching the plan.

This ultimately wasn't a story for me. I will not be reviewing this story publicly until after release, so as not to negatively impact release. I will discuss this later on in the year.

Hi there,

I’m so thankful to be granted permission to read this title, thank you so much!

I want to be honest though, rather than leave a negative review on a book that’s just starting out....

I just couldn’t get into this book. I gave it my best shot, but neither character felt relatable to me and their story wasn’t flowing IMO. Again, my sincere apologies.

A social media influencer meets her match in a hunky firefighter in this smexy and sweet vacation romance.
I adored Sara and Luis as they meet in the cutest way possible, then romp their way across the Key West, pretending to be engaged, meeting each other's large and well-meaning familias, and helping each other overcome their past issues. A lovely setting, wonderful characters and the fake fiance trope, Island Affair is a must read, people.

A sweet and steamy romp, this book was an absolute delight to read. Oliveras renders the keys so vividly that you're transported there and I could almost taste the salt and feel the ocean breeze. While Luis and Sara are wonderfully rendered characters whose relationship sweetly grows, the highlight for me was how the other relationships in the book played such a prominent role. The two families and their dynamics were exquisitely drawn and their warmth and complexity jumped off the page.
TW: eating disorders/recovery

Island Affair just broke me out of a major reading slump -- fake relationship, firefighters, Florida Keys, yes, please.
This ownvoices, Latinx romance is an absolutely delightful celebration of family and community...plus it's got a sexy cinnamon roll hero with a bit of a savior complex.

Sara is just landing in the Keys for a week-long vacation with her parents and siblings, when her boyfriend backs out on the trip. Just when she needed to prove to her parents she's on the right track. She meets Luis Navarro, just as he's leaving the fire station at the airport. They've definitely got chemistry, can they convincingly come off as a couple?

I really enjoyed that both Sara and Luis have family issues they're working through, but it never overshadows the budding romance. Sara's past disordered eating issues are handled forthrightly, though others would have to comment on the accuracy.

CW: Past disordered eating issues, parent with cancer

Island Affair by Priscilla Oliveras is a hug of a book — it fills the heart to the brim with its tenderness, warm-heartedness and kindness. With some books, you know from the very beginning how wonderful the characters and their story are going to be and that feeling only grows with every page you turn.

Sara and Luis are so good to each other and to themselves — that is their appeal to each other and to the reader. You want to spend time uncovering their story. You want them to succeed in finding their HEA.

I really enjoyed Sara’s mantra, “I deserve better,” and they both do. They deserve to not have people treat them badly and they deserve to have the best life has to offer them. With the latter, they are both willing to put in the work to make it happen for themselves, and that takes courage, especially when you operate from a stance of lower power, like Sara, or from a stance of higher power, like Luis. Laying yourself bare to more pain in situations that have caused you pain before is an act of bravery that comes from the soul.

My review: http://frolic.media/book-of-the-week-island-affair-by-priscilla-oliveras/

So happy I tried this new author. Such a great story between Sara and Luis. They meet unexpectedly at an airport in Key West. I live in Florida so a lot mentioned and places I know. Families are important to both of them so an arraignment to act like they are a couple suits them both. They never expected the heat between them to really het HOT just like the firefighter Luis is in this fab well written story. Can’t wait for more.

This book was a page turner for me from start to finish! I found myself routing for Sara and Luis and laughing along with the story. It is the perfect Romcom that everyone needs this summer as they are relaxing on the beach. I have never read a book from this author before but now she is definitely on my radar. I thoroughly enjoyed this plot line and found myself devouring this book in a day. I highly recommend to everyone who needs a good feel good story. I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars. Thank you to Net galley and publishers for the advanced copy of this book! I will definitely be recommending this book to friends.

Sara is working to turn her life around and make something of herself. She is devastated when her boyfriend backs out of her family trip leaving her to face her "perfect" siblings and their spouses alone. They make her feel worthless, and without any future.

Luis is always willing to help anyone in distress and although he has sworn off relationships he is still willing to help out. Can Luis and Sara really deny what has bloomed between them?

A beautiful book of finding love in the most unlikely places and making changes for the best.

I did not enjoy this book. I’m not a huge fan of chick lit or rom-coms, but I’ve enjoyed some good ones in the past. This was too unrealistic and a bit cheesy.

I was not sure what to expect with this book, but what an excellent story that allowed me to armchair travel to a delightful Key West setting during the quarantine of the cornovirus. I am not often a reader of chick-lit, I love when they are well done and not too cliched. This one was a fun page-turner. The sensual tension between social media influencer Sara Vance and hunky firefighter Luis Navarro added a bit of steamy spice, but there is much more to this story than that. Both characters have faced adversity in their lives, so they both come with their baggage. The Vance family and the Navarro family are the perfect backdrop to this couple's tale. I am so glad this is the first in a series. I want to see what happens next. As I was reading, I could really imagine this translating well to the screen. Thank you to Kensington Publishing for the ARC.

This book could not have fallen in my lap at a better time. It's the perfect escape for those who want to take a trip without leaving the house. With its charming setting in the Keys and its lovable characters, I got hooked and couldn't put it down until I got to the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm giving Island Affair 4/5 stars - it was exactly what I wanted to read whilst bemoaning the cancellation of my own vacation to a beach resort. Sara is stood up at the airport by her sleazy boyfriend on her way to family vacation - tired of feeling like she's always letting her down, when local Key West firefighter Luis stops to see if she's okay, she hatches a plan - he can pretend to be the boyfriend she was supposed to bring. This works out well for Luis, since he was just mandated a week off of work after responding to a call out that brought up personal issues he hasn't been able to put behind him.

Both Sara & Luis are multifaceted characters, with complex relationships, fully formed interests, and realistic, humorous conversations. This book was funny, real, at times raw and really delved into the family dynamics. I liked that we learned about Luis' Cuban culture through his interactions with his familia. Of course, the effect of dramatic irony is never lost on me, I ALWAYS think it's hilarious, so with a couple of those moments in this book as well, it really wrapped everything up into a page turning package.

My only complaint is the lack of epilogue - I wish that we got to see how Sara's future panned out beyond the family vacation.

I normally like books like this. Lots of escapism, beautiful people in beautiful places, etc. But there was no chemistry or tension between the two main characters. They like each other right away and hijinks ensue. But there's a lot of telling the reader that they like each other rather than showing the reader they do. Also, the characters themselves didn't seem very interesting or fun. The influencer character just seemed spoiled, and the firefighter seemed to have the personality trait of "hot".