The cruise that Sara was taking with her family was supposed to be the opportunity to put their minds at ease about both her professional and personal life but when her boyfriend backs out she is dreading the questions and concerns that she knows is coming her way. While explaining her plight to Luis they come to an arrangement where he can enjoy a week of rest and relaxation and she can have the buffer she needs.

Luis is a fireman who finds himself having to take a week off and he doesn’t know what to do with himself. He is close to his family but due to the past his relationship is strained with his brother so a week away is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Spending time together they become close but between Sara’s present and Luis’s past as well as their families their journey wasn’t without its obstacles. There is some humor, some heat and the story does deal with heavy subjects.

A sizzling, slow burn fake-romance in The Keys involving a Vin Diesel look-alike firefighter, what more could you want?

Even though it took me a little bit to get into "Island Affair" by Priscilla Oliveras, I thought the book was a great romance beach read. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

This book is about Sara, a social media influencer who is fresh in her recovery from her eating disorder, that gets stood up by her long-distance, good on paper boyfriend. Her dilemma is she's meeting her entire family for a relaxing vacation for her mom, who is fresh in remission from cancer, and she doesn't want to show up by herself in fears she will be the butt of her family's jokes or worse, stress her mother out. Cue Luis Navarro, a Vin Diesel look-alike firefighter from The Keys that was burned by love six years ago, that has a week free to play the fake-boyfriend Sara needs. What could go wrong?

I recommend this book if you're looking for a feel-good romance read to help you get out of a reading slump and make you feel like your on the beach with your toes in the sand, the rays on your skin while drinking a Bahama Mama.

I received this digital galley from Kensington Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars! i enjoyed this one.

i think the fake dating aspect in this one was good, if a little unrealistic at the beginning. it's very much like a telenovela in cheesiness, but i kinda loved that. i really liked the characters, too. it took me a little while to get hooked on them and fall for their relationship, but once i did, i was hooked. their chemistry is fantastic.

the pacing was a little off for me, especially toward the first half and the middle, but once i got over the 50% mark i flew through it. the plot was kinda meh as well, focusing on family bonding and past drama, but it's a romance so i honestly wasn't expecting much at all.

i liked the mental health representation, especially with the ED, as someone who also has OSFED. i think it was done well and i appreciated luis' calm and supportive reaction to sara trusting him with her diagnosis.

a full review will be posted on my blog at https://kaylareadsx.wordpress.com/?p=149

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book was a 'judging a book by it's cover' one for me. I've sat on this review for a little bit just to digest it and decide how I felt. Originally, I wanted to rate this a 3.5, rounding down, but I decided to round it up to 4. This book was a feel good, cute read.

Sara Vance is an budding, successful social media influencer, who's landing in the Florida Keys to vacation with her family - all doctors. Already nervous for the week ahead, she gets stood up by her boyfriend upon arrival and goes into crisis mode. Enter Luis Navarro - Saint Navarro - to save the day. Minutes after meeting, with all the stars aligning, they set up a plan for a fake relationship for the week to trick her family into thinking her life is perfectly stable. Nothing is ever that easy though even in paradise, right?

While I did find a lot of the writing pretty repetitive, with the over use of descriptive words (especially slender and plump when describing women), I very much enjoyed the story. It was wildly predictable and you knew the whole book what was going to happen, but it was still a really cute, feel-good read. As I mentioned, it was overly and unnecessarily descriptive, but I definitely enjoyed the way the author described the scenery of The Keys. Both Sara and Luis were extremely likeable and relatable characters, there development and growth believable and encouraging. I enjoyed the way the author described the characters challenges and struggles, without going overboard. Looking forward to the more from this author!

This book was too cute. Even though romances are so similar, and 9/10 there is going to be a happy ending, I still always love reading them.⁣
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This was another light, refreshing read. I loved how descriptive the author was of describing Key West, the island vibes, with Cuban dancing and food just made you feel like you were there. I loved the occasional Spanish speaking throughout the book. ⁣
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Sara and Luis had such great chemistry whether their relationship was fake or not. Looking forward to book 2!⁣
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Thank you @netgalley and @kensington books for an ARC for my honest review.⁣
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#bookstagram #books #booklover #romance #islandaffair #caribbeanvibes #netgalley

Island Affair is the perfect summer beach read! Or the perfect springtime living room read in the midst of a pandemic lol! I felt like I was in Key West right along with Sara & Luis! This book was the perfect combination of fun, sweet, sexy, and serious. I really appreciated the deeper issues that both Sara & Luis were dealing with, it brought the story to another level emotionally. I immediately liked both main characters, but finding out about the difficult things they were dealing with made me like them even more. I felt for them, and was rooting for them right from the start of their totally unconventional and unique love story. There was a nice amount of heat and sexiness, although I was a little disappointed when things were getting hot and heavy and pretty detailed for it end up being fade to black for the actual sex scene. I was so ready for that scene...had been waiting for that moment, and then it jumped to the "after". I was a little bummed about that, but it's not that big of a deal to make me rate it lower than 5. We still got other scenes full of steaminess.
I can't wait to check out the rest of this series as the books release, if they are anything like Island Affair, I'm sure I'll be hooked! Thank you so much to NetGalley & Kensington Books for the advanced copy!

3.5 stars-- can I just say how lovely it was to read a book filled with people who were just so nice? This is a book filled with nice people (with some glaring exceptions that are a bit cartoony, but just roll with it) who I wanted to see be happy in life. The family conflicts were great & I was rooting for the main characters. I will give TWs for ED & substance abuse, which I think are mostly handled with care, but of course, YMMV there. My biggest drawback was related to authorial voice in the dialogue-- there was something that rang slightly off in my ear that kept me from getting fully immersed. That said, I did very much enjoy the author's narration passages, so just a personal quirk on my part

All in all, this was a really nice rom com with a heavy emphasis on family dynamics that I found really enjoyable. I would recommend & look for more from the author!

An HEA for quarantine reading! If you've been stuck in the house over a month like I have, "Island Affair" was a welcome escape from my own little apartment into the warm, breezy paradise of the Keys.

Like most strangers to lovers, Sara and Luis' romance is hard to believe, but Priscilla Oliveras made the connection between the social media influencer and hometown firefighter feel real despite the hasty circumstances.

A word of caution for anyone looking to pick this up. Sara has an eating disorder. I'm not sure on how accurate that has been portrayed, but it felt a bit of an extra toss in as "character development" to me. I'd look to others in that community to talk about how accurate they feel it has been portrayed.

I'll be honest, I really wanted this book to blow me away, but sadly it did not. There were bits and pieces of the book that I enjoyed, but I feel like it was just an OK book. I like the concept of the book, but there were definitely some missed opportunities throughout the book. I was really hoping for a bit more of a steamy read, but this did not deliver that.

I think what caught my attention the most, was the beautiful cover art design. Sometimes I pick books based on the cover, unfortunately this one was not as enjoyable on the inside as it is on the outside.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced digital copy of this book.

Island Affair is the start of a promising and unapologetically Latinx romance series set in Key West and revolving around a group of siblings and their love stories. This first book not only has a sweet romance between two characters with lots of chemistry, it also deals with important subjects like eating disorders, mental health and life threating illness.

From the very beginning of Island Affair, the main characters have so much chemistry, the physical attraction is evident and that works really well with the fake dating trope. Also, this book includes the ‘there’s only one bed’ scenario, which is one of my favorite parts when it comes to the fake dating trope and I really enjoyed seeing it be a part of this story. Moreover, I had so much fun watching Luis charm Sara’s family and get along with them so well even if he did have to survive their interrogation. While it took me some time to actually buy into Luis and Sara’s romantic relationship beyond the physical aspect, they won me over by the end and I was rooting for them to be together.

One of my favorite things about this book is how complicated family dynamics are at the center of the novel. Both main characters have painful histories with their families that affect them in different ways, and throughout this book they reflect about them and try to change the way they engage with their histories and families. I especially liked the development of Sara’s relationship with her family, how they learned to communicate a little better and to be more honest and understanding with each other. At the end, the way eveything was resolved was satyisfing, especially with her sister. I really liked Luis family as well: their banter, their nosiness and their unconditional support, and I’m looking forward to his siblings stories in the next books. But I felt like the resolution to his conflict with his brother was a bit rushed, I’m hoping when we get his brother’s book there’s a bit more about them rebuilding their relationship.

The setting of this book is magical and it was so fun to read about these amazing places in Key West and I hope I can visit soon. Also, the food mentioned in this book made me hungry. Great food in books is always a plus. In terms of the writing, I’ll say that for the most part it is good but at the beginning I had issues with some word choices that didn’t feel natural and kept pulling me out of the story, but that aspect gets better as the story progresses.

This was a good read but it wasn't a wow read for me, it was just ok. It was very far fetched, to say the least, yes I know it's fiction but to almost cop feeling within a day was hard to except. There was a lot going on within these pages. Major illnesses not just one but two and two deaths from bad circumstances in the backstories were hard to read. The main characters had a lot of hang-ups and issues.

Now it's not all bad. It is was very light in a lot of this book. The chemistry between Sara and Luis was off the chart. The family dynamics and their banter was what saved this book for me. As well as the writing style of this author, making it a pleasure to read.

Now I won't be telling anyone not to read this book or rant about my dislikes. Everyone is different, this could be someone else's 5-star read. As the saying goes different horses for different courses and all that. So I will recommend that you read this for yourself and make up your own mind.

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*Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for review, all opinions are me own*

Trigger warning-eating disorder

Who doesn’t love a fake relationship right?

I loved this book is a quick and cute novel to read.
The main characters are adorable and their relationship is wonderful.
I loved how the book went beyond bringing family problems, especially between siblings.
It is a light book but at the same time touches on super important and heart hitting topics such as the importance of forgiveness, loving yourself, having self-esteem, the importance of therapy, and the family.
It is a beautiful, fast, and sweet book to read.

I loved this book mostly because it was centered around Key West, a town I know very well. The characters were friendly and likeable and this was a cute story.

I could have used less of the exact streets and directions (hello Siri!) because I already believed that the author knew the town. Not a total speedbump though.

I had high hopes for this one but unfortunately it didn’t really live up to my expectations. I love the premise: girl gets stood up by boyfriend, asks a stand in to be her fake boyfriend for a family vacation. There’s only one bed. This should have been hilarious and steamy, but it fell flat. There wasn’t anything about the characters that really stood out and made them likable. Also, the hero was described as a Vin Diesel look-alike several times and that just wasn’t doing it for me. The heroine talked about how amazing the sex was but there was no steam—just fade to black. There were a few little moments I liked but for the most part, this one wasn’t great for me.

Island Affair was a cute story. Sara, a social media influencer, lands in the Florida Keys for a family vacation, and disappointingly, her boyfriend bails. Distraught, Sara finds the closest cute guy – firefighter Luis- to pretend to be her boyfriend. Luckily, Luis has been put on a week of leave, and is apparently the nicest guy in the world and agrees. Belief is suspended, and Sara gets into this man’s car a mere few minutes later and they take crash courses of each other’s lives in order to make the charade successful.

Over the course of the week, Sara and Luis inevitably fall for each other. I’m a sucker for these romance stories – two people from opposite ends of the spectrum falling in love, or former enemies falling in love, or two people pretending to be in love fall in love for real… you know what I’m talking about. It’s cute and I will almost always stan. I liked the lightheartedness and the serious tones threaded into the story – Luis and his past traumas and his devotion to his family, Sara with her own skeletons and being the “black sheep” of her family- it made for a good balance.

(Mild spoiler here, feel free to skip this paragraph.) There was one scene I could not come to terms with – the beach scene. It was more graphic than the rest of the love scenes and it occurs in the middle of the day with people (including children!) around. Not OK. Plus, it seemed incongruous to the two characters, who always seemed to play by the rules.

The other downer was how strongly attracted these two lovebirds were to each other. Instantly, it was about how hot each of them was, and nearly every page had some sort of observation about the physical attributes of the other person. There are only so many times you can talk about how hot a character is until the reader is over it, and I felt over it very early on in the book. I get it. This was paired with characters that didn’t seem to have the most depth. Yes, they had their issues, but they still had moral, perfect airs about them –honest- to- a fault, smart and successful in their careers – perfect.

If the aim was a modern-day fairy tale in the Florida Keys, that was achieved. All in all, a cute romance story that did provide some cheer, but it was a little too saccharine for my taste.

I found this book to be very enjoyable and a promising start to a new series following the different love stories of different siblings. I thought the characters were well-crafted and worked great together and as individuals. Luis had a next-level white-knight complex and while it could get over-bearing at times it was also very sweet. I related a lot to Sarah and her struggles as the youngest sibling chasing the high expectations her older siblings set up and wanting to make her family proud. This book deals with so much, from eating disorders to mental issues and family feuds. I thought that they were all well researched, but I would have liked to linger a bit more on the resolutions between family members. It was all quick and easy towards the end which is my biggest issue with the novel. Oliveras set up some great moments for drama and action to really hit the readers in the feels but the every moment of resolution was far too abrupt and easy. That's not to say that every problem needed to take three chapters to get fixed, but again I would have liked to linger in the deep end a bit more before catching a life preserver. Another minor issue I had was the integration of Spanish in the text. I am all for integrating different languages into text, but it needs to feel natural. All I really got from this book was the *heavily* repeated use of familia, coño, and the nanny's old saying. Not to mention the Spanish was italicized so it stuck out even more making the blend of the languages more choppy than fluid.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the reading experience. The characters were fun and the setting was fabulous! I wish I could get out to a little beach town like Key West! I'm looking forward to reading whatever sibling we get next especially since the minor teasers in this book looked really promising!

REVIEW | ISLAND AFFAIR 🌺🌴🐚🏝🕶⁣
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When Sara’s boyfriend is a no show for her family Florida Keys family vacation, she recruits Luis Navarro, a firefighter paramedic wiling to play her besotted fiancé... ⁣
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Fake dating is one of my favourite romance tropes - it’s so much fun watching the main characters navigate a pretend relationship and having to lie to their friends and family while at the same time catching real feelings for each other. ⁣
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ISLAND AFFAIR was a bit too heavy on the family drama for me and I found it lacked some of the hilarity that usually surrounds romance built around this trope. I had trouble believing Sara would ask Luis to be her fake fiancé after only spending (give or take) three minutes together and at times I had trouble feeling Sara and Luis’ emotional connection.⁣
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Having said that, ISLAND AFFAIR does an amazing job at capturing the Florida Keys through charming descriptions of oceans and sandy beaches as well as through the use of language and references to Latinx culture, food and music. Both Sara and Luis are well-developed characters who help each other overcome substantial personal obstacles and I liked the way in which the author writes about family, heritage and community.⁣
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I would recommend it to anyone who fancies a romance escape read with nuanced characters and a Latinx flavour 💃🏼💃🏻⁣
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Thank you @kensingtonbooks @netgalley for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

(this review also appears on my blog instagram.com/twistsandtropes)

Looking for a little tropical romance to spice up your bookshelf? Priscilla Oliveras’s new novel will do just the trick! Coming out April 28th, Island Affair kicks off Oliveras’s new Key of Love Series with a fake-dating plot and undeniable chemistry set in Key West, Florida.
Sought-after social media influencer Sara Vance, in recovery from an eating disorder, is coming into her own, with a potential career expansion on the horizon. Despite the good news, her successful siblings (and their perfect spouses) have a way of making her feel like the odd one out. So, when her unreliable boyfriend is a no-show for a Florida family vacation, Sara recruits Luis Navarro—a firefighter paramedic and dive captain willing to play the part of her smitten fiancée. Luis’s big Cuban familia has been in Key West for generations, and his quiet strength feeds off the island’s laidback style. Though guarded after a deep betrayal, he’ll always help someone in need—especially a spunky beauty with a surprising knowledge of Spanish curse words. Soon, he and Sara have memorized their “how we met” story and are immersed in family dinners, bike tours, private snorkeling trips . . . sharing secrets, and slow, melting kisses. But when it’s time for Sara to return home, will their island romance last or fade with the stunning sunset?
Luis and Sara’s plot to fool their families is equal parts funny and endearing. Their love story is hot, steamy, and overall everything you could want in an island romance! But Luis and Sara both have secrets they’re hiding. Luis’s past has caused a rift to form between him and his brother and, instead of healing himself, focuses on helping other people. Sara had always felt like the black sheep of the family and longs for a different kind of relationship with them along with their approval. Through their fake-dating scheme, both Luis and Sara help each other bridge the gaps in their family relationships and find forgiveness for both their families and themselves.
In addition to the plot, all of the descriptions of the locations throughout the novel will make any reader swoon. It made me feel like I was vacationing in Key West along with the Vances. The food, the sights, and the tourists attractions made me want to hop on a plane to Florida immediately!
This novel shows the true power of family and love. As someone who is very close to her family, I found the spotlight and emphasis of family vacations, big family dinners, and not being able to hide much from your nosy relatives very relatable!
If you’re looking for a book that will help you escape from reality, feel like you’re part of a dysfunctional family, or if you’re just looking for a steamy, summery beach read, then you have to grab a copy of this book! I cannot wait to see what the Navarro Family gets up to next and explore more of Key West in the future!

When Sara’s flakey boyfriend ditches her last minute, hunky firefighter Luis agrees to pose as her fake boyfriend throughout a family vacation. Sparks fly, internal traumas and family issues emerge and there is lots of drama. Yes, you need to suspend reality a bit to buy the fake dating a complete stranger troupe a bit, but it makes for a fun story! ⁣⁣
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Island Affair sucked me in with its bright cover and promise of transporting me far away from home to the stunning Key West. The setting may have been my favorite thing about the entire book. I felt like the Keys was almost a third main character and found myself browsing vacation rental sites look for a place to stay in the near future! ⁣⁣
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One of my major complaints with this book is that the writing seemed a little clunky and overdone. While I completely support one voice authors and diversity in books, I really struggled with the Spanish littered throughout this book. It felt almost like a Spanish lesson and pulled me out of the story and into reality every time I had to try to figure out what they were saying. ⁣⁣
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At the same time, there were lots of times when I really enjoyed this book. Sara and Lois were both fantastic characters with real personal issues. There commitment to fixing their family problem’s was admirable. Plus, they had lots of chemistry! ⁣⁣
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Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Once upon a time I was fortunate enough to live in the Florida Keys. The slow pace, afternoons spent in blue water, staring up at bluer skies and taste of fresh key lime pie will never leave me. Alas, I did not have a sexy Cuban-American firefighter as part of my time spent there. Which is a good thing, because I was in 4th grade at the time. However this book has me wanting to throw caution to the wind, pack my bags and book a ticket in hopes of finding my new favorite book boyfriend, Luis. In him the author has written the perfect male lead. Alpha yet sensitive, responsible and thoughtful, yet a little tortured. A family man through and through with a body worthy of being Mr. July in the charity firefighter calendars that are apparently a thing but no one ever tries to sell me.

Oh and there is a really good storyline with some excellent chemistry without needing to cheapen it with overly graphic sex details.

There is literally nothing I would change about this book. Five hundred stars.