***ARC Provided by the Publisher***

DNF at 33%

I liked the characters in this, and there were a lot of them which ultimately ended up being the issue I had and is the reason I have chosen to DNF this title.

There were too many other people that I felt the central relationship between Julia and Rocco ended up getting a little lost in the crowd and I never felt like I was getting to know either of them.

I really enjoyed this book! It grabbed my attention from the very beginning! This one was quite a slow burn for me, but there were other things going on the book that held my attention. This was my first Adriana Herrera book and it won’t be my last! I would definitely recommend this book!

I’ve gotta be honest – despite being an Adriana Herrera fangirl – I was wary of this one because it was described as a romance taking place in the high fashion industry and…that’s not anything I care about. I envisioned lots of brand name speak and I was going to take a pass. I’m so glad I didn’t because this is low on fashion and high on community, second chances, found family and two wonderful people that deserve love.
Julia del Mar Ortiz followed her boyfriend from NYC to Dallas, TX then he dumped her and went back to NYC leaving her with a pricey apartment. It hurt and she’s struggling but she does love her new job running a charitable foundation for high fashion Sturm’s department store, helping the children and families suffering from abuse and the immigration system.

When one of the Sturm brothers, Duke, decides to take the store public, the family and board members bring in a consultant, Rocco Quinn, to find where to cut costs, including Julia’s program.

You would think this would be an enemies to more romance but it’s not. Rocco is there to do a job and he’s thoughtful and professional about it. Duke tries to pressure him to cut the charitable arm but he’s equally attentive to the elderly twin Sturm sisters – Muffy & Mitzy (hilarious spitfires) who believe the charitable aspect is what makes the store attractive and profitable. Julia understands that it’s his job and just sets out to prove the program is worth saving. No petty squabbles or hijinks. But there are plenty of sparks, of course.

My favorite part of Here to Stay is how welcoming everyone was to Rocco. The staff could all hate him but they sensed that he was alone and lonely and pulled him in to their Gotham Exiles Club (a group of expat NYC’er co workers) and Julia’s family welcomed him immediately into the fold and never wavered in their belief in Julia. Herrera does a great job writing big, nosy, supportive families – both by blood and found.

The romance wasn’t easy. Julia doesn’t trust her instincts with men and Rocco has self confidence, verbal abuse issues from his parents (& sees a therapist!) so there’s a lot of back and forth before they give in. Even though I understood Julia’s hesitance, I thought she was a little too hot then cold to Rocco – knowing, with her background, how much that affected him - but thankfully she pulled her head out of her ass and was 110% there for him – as he was for her, knowing she needed support for her dreams.

And oh! Pulgo the cat that Rocco rescued! Too cute

Minor…minor…minor…quibbles but I thought this could have been a tad shorter and I got sick of hearing Julia say "Rocco fucking Quinn" but I still really enjoyed this one and wish it was a series. Lots of great supporting characters that could have been spun off into their own stories.

Julia left her family and the life she knew behind to move to Dallas with her boyfriend only to find out that her feelings for him were much deeper than his for her. She is determined to make a success of her new life and found her job of running a program to help immigrants fulfilling.

Due to a change in the structure of the company that employed her Rocco has been sent to decide if the cost of the program that Julia runs is worth the cost. As he and Julia find themselves on opposite sides their relationship started out filled with friction but as they get to know each other and their pasts the sparks fly.

This story includes some very important social issues that shouldn’t be overlooked, has a great group of secondary characters and both their families are captivating in very different ways. All in all I enjoyed this story and look forward to more stories set in this locale.

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I haven’t read anything by this author before, but I’ve heard a lot about her books on a couple of the podcasts I listen to and I’ve been wanting lately to read one. I liked the description on this book a lot and was excited to read it. I liked it a good amount. The hero and heroine were so passionate and lively and it really made for an interesting read. I can see why her books are so popular because even beyond the normal romance plot line there were some important issues that this book dealt with: immigration and emotional abuse being the major ones. I loved hearing about the after-school programs Julia had organized and all the information about her background and her education. She was fiercely successful and it was so great to see such a strong female character in a romance novel. Julia and Rocco also had just the most adorable nicknames and it made me melt. Some of the plot was a tad off-putting for me because the main conflict was somewhat the result of communication issues – which isn’t my favorite. Other than that though it was a really enjoyable read and I’d recommend it!

DNF 37%

This has great chemistry between Rocco and Julie but at least for time being this romance wasn’t holding my attention. I think Herrera does a great job showing main characters working for social justice, and I liked Julie’s work with immigrant families. I was curious how things would be resolved regarding her job, especially because the men who hired Rocco’s firm seemed nefarious. Plus, as always with Herrera’s work, the family and chosen family dynamics were wonderful. But despite the elements I was enjoying, right now this story wasn’t holding my attention like this author usually does.

Julia is a transplant from New York to the deep South. Outside of the crazy temperature difference, and the sudden lack of love in her life, she's settling in with a fab new job, and a great apartment....but she misses her friends! She's not unfriendly; she's just missing those she knows and loves...so, taking the bull by the horns like any NYC gal, she sets up a gathering for other New Yorkers looking for that familiar connection brought about by dodging traffic, living in over priced small spaces, and treating driving like it's something you'd rather not do. Does it work? Sure...but there's a catch. Her new job is being reevaluated as the business makes some changes (significant ones!) and that puts her role on the line...oh and hello monkey wrench! The guy doing the eval's? Yeah...he's one of the displaced (who's also trying to take care of not only his life, but family!)...and he's not a hardship for the eyes (though neither is she!)...and he may feel the same way (major sparkage!)...and she can not seriously afford for anything to happen right now (ditto for him!)...but you know, heart's and wanting what they want and....yeah, things are about to get WAY MORE complicated than either of them need.

The story grows from there and the connections forged, problems faced, and obstacles overcome are great, fantastic, couldn't have felt more realistic! The issue of the people not being representative of the people they are there for was truly felt. The fact that change comes from some taking small steps in the name of a bigger cause was noteworthy. The fact that the main characters were both of backgrounds and family histories that included multiple nationalities and heritages that they were proud of was definitely made known. My only issue was the language during parts of the book and the fact that the excessive use of such language was supposed to be indicative of the fact that a person was a "true New Yorker". Umm...maybe in some parts, but I wouldn't use it as a general classification and honestly, during those parts of the book, I was pulled away from what was happening to the point of distraction.

Overall, a good story that certainly adds to the diverse literature culture needed in the publishing industry...just be prepared for the language factor going in and take care to focus around it to take everything in. (or not, if it doesn't faze you!).

I really enjoy Adriana Herrera's books and I was excited to pick this one up. It stars Julia, a non-profit director, and Rocco, the consultant hired to get rid of her programs.

Julia recently moved from New York to Houston to follow her fiance. She finds out that he was cheating on her and decides to stay in Houston and make the most of the situation. She is a social worker who has worked hard to become a non-profit director for Latinx families. She misses her family but craves the freedom of branching out on her own.

Rocco is a consultant hired to determine if the fashion company that supports the non-profit foundation is ready to go public with its stocks. He is torn between the twin CEO's who support the non-profit and the CFO and other members of the family who want to go public to earn more executive bonuses for the board. Rocco is attracted to Julia but tries to keep distance because he needs to succeed at this job so he can get a promotion and better support his sister and niece.

I enjoyed the "found family" aspect of the book. Julia is lonely and decides to create an ex-pat New York friend group. Rocco joins the group, even though he is in Houston short term, and their friendship grows. Eventually, Julia decides to lower her guard and give in to her attraction. Of course, this leads to drama as Rocco is literally there to get rid of her job. There was a lot of drama here. Rocco acted like a martyr and Julia was wishy washy with her feelings for most of the book.

In the end, this book was okay. It wasn't my favorite of her books and honestly I think I like her gay romances better than her straight romances. I struggled with the connection between Julia and Rocco and it kind of fell flat.

Complementary copy given for honest review and opinion.
Great book about romance and culture. It did drag on some but it was a good read. I enjoyed it.

I absolutely loved "Here to Stay" by Adriana Herrera, a sweet, funny, emotional, and well-written story featuring incredibly well-developed, relatable main characters and a fantastic slow burn romance. Both Rocco's and Julia's misgivings about starting a relationship were completely understandable, but eventually neither of them could resist the pull of their attraction. It was easy for me to root for them, both individually and as a couple, as they worked to overcome the obstacles that stood in the way of their HEA.

Rocco was a man with many layers, and it was interesting to see each of them revealed over the course of the story. He came across as very cool and confident when he first met Julia at work, but beneath that he was so sweet and almost shy. He was also fiercely protective of the ones he loved, especially his younger sister and toddler niece. Rocco fit in very well with Julia's family, who I adored. They may have been a little overwhelming at times, but it was obvious how much they loved and supported each other. I especially appreciated how warm and welcoming they were as soon as they met Rocco. It was like he was already a part of the family from the first time they met him. Julia herself was smart, funny, compassionate, and hard-working, and more than a match for Rocco in every way.

In addition to Rocco and Julia's romance and getting to know Julia's family, I loved the "found family" aspect of this book. The Gotham Exiles group that Julia created was so much fun, and the way they so quickly came together and supported each other was amazing. There were a lot of big personalities in that group, but I loved every one of them and the way that they seemed to complement each other. Julia's best friend in New York, Alba, was awesome too. She seemed like the very definition of a ride or die!

Overall, I highly recommend "Here to Stay" for all fans of contemporary romance. This was the first book I've ever read by Adriana Herrera, but it definitely will not be the last.

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Julia hasn’t been living in Dallas very long, but she’s getting used to it. She loves her job, and she has a whole crew of NYC-to-Dallas exiles to hang out with.

And then Rocco shows up. He’s also from NYC, and he’s been hired as a consultant to advise on Julia’s job going from a privately owned corporation to publicly traded. Julia wants to hate him, since his opinion might mean her position (and the entire charitable foundation) being eliminated, but as they start hanging out, it gets harder for her to resist his charming ways.

Given that I love everything that Adriana Herrera writes, it’s no surprise that I loved this book. The banter between Julia and Rocco is top-notch, and there’s a lot of banter because it takes them a long time to finally hook up. So, attention all fans of the slow burn trope: we’ve got a winner here. But yeah, the banter is hilarious, and I was grinning throughout the entire book.

I loved the emphasis on family; even though Julia is living 1500 miles away from her family, they’re still a big part of her life. Julia’s amicable situation is a stark contrast from Rocco’s dysfunctional family, which makes his achievements more significant when the odds were against him.

Of course, it wouldn’t be an Adriana Herrera book is there weren’t over the top descriptions of food. Once again, reading about all that food made me hungry, and Herrera really needs to start putting recipes at the end of the books.

I mentioned the slow burn, but I didn’t get a chance to share that Julia and Rocco’s chemistry is H-O-T. Like off the charts scorching. Wow, do those two work well together. It was definitely work the wait.

I would absolutely recommend Here To Stay. This is a standalone romance, so there’s no backstory or previous books that need to be read in order to understand this one. It’s super charming and cute as hell, and you’re going to love it.

I received a copy of this book from Carina Press/NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I adored Here to Stay by Adriana Herrera!

Single and with her dream job on the chopping block, it's safe to say things in Texas aren't going according to plan for New Yorker Julia del Mar Ortiz. First her boyfriend dumps her and runs back to New York City for his side chick. Now a consultancy firm is looking for ways to make the high-end department store she works for more profitable before taking the company public and their first order of business is examining the charitable foundation Julia runs. If Julia has any hope of saving her job and the foundation that helps so many immigrant families, Julia will have to make consultant and fellow New Yorker Rocco Quinn see the foundation's true value. As Julia and Rocco spend more time together, the two enemies realize they have more in common than not and that fighting the growing attraction between them is going to be a losing battle.

The chemistry between Julia and Rocco jumps off the page from their first elevator ride together. The push and pull of the enemies-to-lovers trope at work in HERE TO STAY kept me turning the pages and I loved the banter between them. I couldn't help but root for their HEA!

I also loved the found family element in HERE TO STAY. You can tell Adriana Herrera to incredible care in writing each character of the Gotham Exiles Club to showcase their genuine affection for each other and deliver a wonderful take on the fish out of water trope. I'm keeping my fingers crossed we get love stories for the other members in the near future.

In addition to a wonderful found family, Julia also comes from a fantastic family. I thoroughly enjoyed all the hilarious scenes with her family and how they welcomed Rocco with open arms. Rocco's family situation was heartbreaking and that made his HEA with Julia even more impactful because he was finally getting the family life he deserved.

Thank you NetGalley, Carina Press and Adriana Herrera for the chance to read this digital ARC.

A talented author; I've read 80% of their books. I think this was too SJW for me. It takes away from the romance and at times it feels like the white heroes in her books are made to be too cool or go out of the way to be the beacon of allyship/honorary non-white.

I think Here to Stay just may be my favorite from @ladriana_herrera so far! If you’ve read any of her other books, you know that they are full of vibrant, hilarious, and endlessly supportive friend groups, a focus on family (found or otherwise), and deliciously detailed descriptions of food that will leave you feeling hungry for days. Herrera’s books will make you smile like an idiot and belly laugh and swoon and burn and cry—they are truly wonderful. Julia and Rocco are tied for my favorite couple with Nesto and Jude. Julia is selfless and driven in her personal and professional life, but keeps her heart fiercely guarded. Rocco is equally selfless and a self conscious sweetheart who is also an unexpected master of dirty talk and I am here. For. It. These two are strangers who feel an instant mutual attraction, but are unable to pursue one another due to a serious professional conflict of interest. The chemistry between them is 🔥 🔥🔥from the beginning and the tension MY GOD THE TENSION. I loved this one so much and I highly recommend it to all of you. It’s out next week so do yourself a favor and order it! Thank you so much to @ladriana_herrera and @harlequinbooks for the advanced review copy!

I've never picked up any of Adriana Herrera's other books, but I have heard tons of good things about her writing so I was excited to get a chance to pick up this one!

I immediately fell in love with Julia, her relationships with both friends and family and her internal dialogue. I loved the way Herrera wrote her characters and really gave them dimension. Throughout the book I was really invested in the relationships, as well as the company that Julia worked for, which says a lot about the story Herrera was telling.

I was rooting for Julia and Rocco from the beginning, especially the more we got to find out about him. I also really appreciated the representation of diversity and all the different personalities we got to meet throughout the story. I will definitely be picking up more from Adriana Herrera in the future!

¡Me encantó! I adored this funny, sexy, feel-good romance about the joys and trials of "real" families and found families. I couldn't stop smiling as these two compassionate, stubborn souls fall in love and find a home.

This was a fun, sexy read! I loveedddd Rocco and the Gotham Exiles. It was awesome how Julia came up with that idea and how well it worked for them! Let talk about the sexual tension between these two! Despite being on opposite sides of a work thing. They made it work and it was amazing. I loved the friends and her family hahahaa so so funny!

So usually Adriana’s books make me hungry. This one was no different. But this one also had the added bonus of making me horny because holy moly, this book is hot y’all. And amidst all the hotness is one super sweet hero and an ending that made me cry.

Julia is a native New Yorker who relocated to Dallas for her boyfriend, only to find out he’d been cheating on her and was leaving her stuck with the lease on their new apartment. Julia decides to make the best of it, helped along by her kickass job working for a non-profit funded by a luxury department store. But when the department store decides to go public, all of their charitable programs are in danger of being cut. And the person who is going to make the recommendation about whether or not to make said cuts just happens to also be a New Yorker, and a super sexy one at that. Rocco is only in Dallas temporarily, to nail this job and earn a promotion so he can help his sister and niece escape a very toxic situation with their parents. Julia and Rocco have an immediate attraction to one another, that only grows as they form a tight bond with the other former New Yorkers living and working in Dallas. But the conflict of interest is intense. Rocco needs to find a way to make these cuts in order to secure his promotion, but making those cuts will cost Julia her much loved job. Along with some *steamy* sex scenes, we also see Julia and Rocco face some tough family drama, but in the end they (of course) are able to find a way to work it all out and live happily ever after.

So have I mentioned how hot this book is yet? Seriously, I was fanning myself during some of these scenes because yowza do Julia and Rocco have some tangible sexual tension. For a minute, I was so wrapped up in the sexy times, I almost didn’t notice just how much my heart was squeezing at the real emotional connection between the two characters. Rocco has that whole I’ll never be good enough for you thing going on, which I am a total sucker for, and he won me over with his devotion to his sister, Julia, and the cat he rescues from a parking lot (for reals). In addition to all of that magic, there is a strong found family in this book which is another one of my favorite things ever. Basically, reading this made me happy, and these days, what else is there?

Overall Rating: 4.5 stars

Another new-to-me author that makes me want to read more of her books. While this story was a bit of a slow starter for me, once it gained momentum, I didn’t want to put it down. And that was by the 25% mark, so it didn’t take all that long.

Julia and Rocco are both amazing characters. Tough, kind, funny, compassionate, smart. They tick all the boxes. They are desperately attracted to one another in a physical sense well before they even get past knowing each other’s names. And each thought the other wouldn’t be interested for a variety of reasons, plus neither was looking for a relationship.

After years of on again/off again with the same guy, Julia suffered the ultimate betrayal when he left her for another woman…after she had totally rearranged her life for him. So, it’s no wonder that she’s gun shy. There are a few times I think she’s a bit too resistant to giving love another try, but it’s understandable so I tried not to hold it against her.

Rocco wouldn’t mind some love in his life, but he doesn’t understand what that really means. He’s always been one to give love and care and security, never one to get the same in return. And he has a sister and niece back in New York relying on him to get out of a bad situation. Rocco is such a generous and kind person, it doesn’t even occur to him that his sister can or will adjust to his wants so he doesn’t have to give up the things he wants in order to help her. It’s so black and white for him.

Once Rocco and Julia start being thrown together, the train starts picking up speed. So much so that you know it’s going to barrel out of control sooner or later. Their ragtag group of friends Julia is responsible for getting together becomes a beautiful family. I love them all and really enjoyed their interactions. They were like interfering siblings, teasing and pushing the couple together while also being extremely supportive.

There is so much to love about this story. It’s beautifully sweet one moment, and on fire the next. The chemistry is obvious from the first moment we see Julia and Rocco interact. Not only were the friends given a ton of depth, so were both families. The author did an amazing job of writing the love of Julia’s family and the unpleasantness of Rocco’s. I could feel both in my gut.

I’m really looking forward to reading some of this author’s earlier stories. She definitely has a way with words.

I loved this book, I am here for this romance. I have grown a fond appreciation for enemies to lovers trope. I think Adriana Herrera did a great job writing this. It is a very overly saturated trope, but she found a way to make it seem fresh and new. Thank you to Harlequin Books for gifting me a copy. I've never read Herrera's books before, but I am now a forever fan!