3.5 stars

This was an entertaining work place/taboo slow burn romance. I really loved how the author showcased families - those made by blood and those that we find/choose. All the characters were likeable and my heart hurt for Rocco and Julia at different times in the book. I wanted to give Rocco a big hug so many times. The secondary characters were equally wonderful (Julia's family! The twins! Jose!) and added so much humor and fun to the story. There was a lot of push and pull in this one and unfortunately, it just felt too drawn out, especially when a bit of OW drama was thrown into the mix. I was rooting for Rocco and Julia to find their HEA, but their inability to speak openly and communicate their feelings to each other got old pretty quickly. There was a lot of instalust from the start, but I still consider this a slow burn since it took our characters time to sort themselves out. Once things were sorted though, there were some very, very steamy and sexy times. I am a big fan of the dirty talking boy scout hero ;) I just wish Julia and Rocco had been as open and honest with each other outside of the bedroom as they were inside. I really enjoyed the author's writing style and look forward to reading more of her books.

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

“Here to Stay” is a very nice romantic comedy with lively, diverse characters that will make you smile.

The highlight of the story are the characters. Julia is hilarious! She says the goofiest things that made me laugh out loud. Rocco is also adorable as the male lead. In fact, I thought Rocco’s story-line had more meaning than Julia’s due to his family problems. Moreover, I loved Julia and Rocco together. They complement each other so nicely. There are so many scenes which were just so cute and romantic. One of my favorite scenes was when Rocco shows up for Thanksgiving and meet’s Julia’s family.

Even the supporting characters like Jose and Alba were so sweet. I love how they lighten the mood with their advice to Julia. Similarly, Muffy and Mitzy are quirky and eccentric wanted them to be prominent like the others. On a side note, I also liked the side story of Vicki and her escapades.

Moreover, the author writes the story in such a charming way. Even though there are no villains as such, the story never appears boring. The characters feel real and face challenges like any average person. The romance is fun and sweet, and emotional too. Also, there are some very explicit scenes and boy are they hot! The author makes you laugh and cry one moment, and steams up the pages the next.

However, what I felt could be improved was if there was a better closure given on Rocco’s family problems. The ending felt a bit open ended and left me hanging. But apart from that, this was delightful. Overall, this book was very entertaining, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read a nice rom-com.

At last, I finally have read a book by Adriana Herrera and I sure enjoyed the heck out of Here to Stay. This one was a bit of a slow burn for me, which is a trope that I’ve been struggling with since the world essentially shut down. But I know soooo many that absolutely live by this trope, so I know that they’ll love this one completely.

However, I love a good office romance and these two definitely fought their instant attraction, I had to applaud them! It definitely made for some very interesting interactions between them.

One of my favorite things about the book was the supporting characters especially Julia’s family. They actually reminded of one of my good friends family when I was growing. Definitely some of my best childhood memories there!

I haven’t read a lot of romance with Latinx characters, which will definitely be changing for the foreseeable future. And I thought Adriana gave her readers who don’t know the Dominican and Puerto Rican culture that well, a great insight. And my goodness, all the talk about food! I totally get that since I come from a Hawaiian culture and food is a big part of it. Soooo yeah, I was here for alllll the food talk, now I just need to try said food.

Truly enjoyed this one and I absolutely cannot wait to read more by Adriana!

If you think that a romance novel whose main characters are a social worker and financial analyst/consultant sounds a little on the tame side, Adriana Herrera's Here To Stay is here to prove you wrong.

Julia left her Dominican mother and grandmother, Puerto Rican father, and her younger sister to move from New York City to Dallas to follow her boyfriend to his new job. After a few weeks, he left her for another woman, and she was stuck with a two year lease on an apartment.

She found a job working for a foundation, funded by Dallas' most prominent luxury clothing store. She works with immigrants and their children, helping them stay in school and adjust to their new life.

Julia loves her job, which could be in jeopardy. A member of the family who owns the store wants to take the company public, and has hired a consulting firm to analyze and make recommendations, which he hopes means getting rid of the foundation to increase stock prices and executive salaries.

Rocco is the head of the consulting firm, the one who will make the recommendation. He is also from New York and Julia is attracted to him, but after her last romantic fiasco, she is skittish. Rocco is attracted to Julia and would like to get to know her better, even though that will make both of their jobs more difficult.

When Julia forms a Gotham Exiles Club, made up of young people from New York, Rocco ends up with an invitation and sparks fly between the two of them. How long will it be before they give into temptation? (The answer is not long.)

There is so much to enjoy about this book. I loved getting to know Julia's family when they come to surprise her at Thanksgiving. Reading about the delicious-sounding Dominican dishes that are served had me searching recipe boards to try them out, and the sprinkling of Spanish words and phrases gave me the opportunity to recall my high school Spanish.

The Gotham Exiles Club members are interesting, and their text chain is humorous. The twin sisters whose family owns the store, fifty-somethings Muffy and Mitzy, are delightful. Maybe we will see a sequel (or prequel) with these interesting characters in the future?

This is not your grandmother's romance novel; the sex scenes are graphic and the language is as well. If that is not your thing, this book is not for you. But if you like a novel that gets you gets you hot and bothered, with characters you care about, you should put Here To Stay on your To-Be-Read list.

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on Adriana Herrera's tour.

TL;DR - purchase this book now. It is amazing. You will fall in love with Julia and Rocco, the Gotham Exiles, and Adriana Herrera.

Alone in Texas after moving with her shady ex-boyfriend, Julia del Mar Ortiz is trying to find her chosen family as her bio family is all back in New York City. While working at a family foundation and provides education and socio-emotional support, Julia begins to find herself in her new home. Until Rocco Quinn, the consultant brought into Julia's job to make cuts, threatens her job, her wellbeing, and her underpants (lol). As Julia and Rocco start working together more, they realize that they have a lot more in common than just a sizzling lust. But trauma, betrayal, and big emotions threaten to tear the couple apart as they face multiple roadblocks together.

First let's get to Rocco. Cinnamon roll hero Rocco who is so sweet, so loving, so conflicted I literally wanted to scream. Alpha heroes in romance are all good and fine but give me a sensitive, dirty-talking, emotions-are-ok hero ANY DAY. Adriana created a hero with a ton of baggage who is just trying to survive for the people he takes care of. I loved his backstory but it was actually heartbreaking, which made you understand his motives so much. But really Julia was my gurl. I resonated so much with Julia's experiences as a WOC in an education nonprofit that is surrounded by well-meaning white people. This quote especially stuck with me:

It's also an issue in social services agencies and nonprofits. The people doing all the programming and making the decisions don't look like the kids and adults they're planning for, and no matter how good their intentions, we need to have a seat at the table too. We have an understanding that only comes from living similar things."

This is my life. And this is just one example of how I felt like Julia was me in a book. So I need to thank Adriana from the bottom of my heart for writing a character that so many other passionate, loud, emotional, dedicated WOC will relate to.

Overall, I loved this one. The plot moved quickly, the secondary characters were awesome (seriously I need a Salome and José!), the tension was high and the STEAM was exactly what I needed. I can't wait to dive into Adriana's backlist and become her new biggest fan.

Sassy. Steamy. Muy Caliente. Adriana Herrera wow what a fun and spicy story. Julia moved from NYC to Dallas TX for her boyfriend’s job. Now shortly there after said boyfriend moves back to NYC with a new girl, leaving Julia with a big apartment and a broken heart. But Julia has a great job running charitable programs for a big company, so she decides to make the best of it. Enter Rocco also from NYC his company has been hired to give the greenlight to Julia’s company to go public. And of course this means getting rid of the charitable programs that Julia is in charge of. So as you can see it’s complicated, but there is definitely some heat between these two. When Julia starts a meet up group for relocated New Yorkers, Rocco and she are drawn even closer to one another.

Loved both Julia and Rocco and was so wanting them to get together. Also adored the Gotham Exiles the meet up group that Julia formed. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they will all get their own stories. Julia’s family might have been loud and crazy, but they were so loving and caring. And the food, I was seriously craving Dominican food this entire book. Rocco‘s family situation was much more heartbreaking, but I did like his bond with his sister and niece. A Spicy steamy sassy story sure to make you smile. The audiobook was narrated by Carmen Vine and Sean Crisden. I love when a story told from multiple perspectives has dual narrators. They both did such a great job and added so much to an already great story. Especially appreciated the Spanish annunciation and the New York accent.

This book in emojis 👠 🐱 🌶 🍲 🍹 🔥 🗽👢

*** Big thank you to Corina Press and Harper Audio for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

I came for the romance and I stayed for..so many things, y'all.

First let me say that I am new to Adriana Herrera and thanks to Kennedy Ryan's Instagram live author interview series, I knew I had to read a Adriana Herrera novel. I'm so glad I did.

In Here to Stay, Julia and Rocco gave me all the feels. I loved their work place romance. I loved the passion that both of them felt for all things NYC. I loved Julia's family and how well that worked with Rocco's story. I loved the wacky sisters and the observations of NYC exiles trying to make new lives in Texas. (As a Louisiana resident, I found their observations entertaining and spot on). Also, before I go much further I should say that the slow burn between these two was *chef's kiss* sooo good and when they finally banged: OMG. So hot. SO HOT.

So obviously, I'm now a huge fan (as you can see from my abundant use of "love" in the previous paragraph) and I'm here for these characters (and truly hope some of the secondary characters have a novel of their own). I not only enjoyed the humor, love, and exasperation that Julia had with her family, I also really enjoyed learning more about a culture that I feel like I really didn't know as much as I feel like I should. Having scenes with holidays, food, and celebrations and how some things are universal and some things are really unique and special to Julia's family and heritage really gave great reference points and context for new learning (for me). I also really really loved the various things that came up with Julia's job and the perspective she offered.

All in all, Here to Stay was a great read and has me excited to read whatever else Adriana Herrera has for me to buy.

Julia del Mar Ortiz moved to Dallas, with her boyfriend. He ended up ditching her for someone else and moved back to NY city.
Julia is running the charitable foundation of one of the most iconic high fashion department stores in the world. She loves her job and feels she is making a difference.
Rocco Quinn is also from NY and his job is to take away Julia's job.
They both are very attracted to each other and have a lot of sexual fantasies about each other.
She is out to prove to him that her job and the program is very important.
I really liked Julia. She was determined to stay in Dallas and not run back home to her family. Rocco needs to prove that the foundation is a big loss so he can keep his job and take care of his sister and niece.
Julia's family is a hoot. It consists of her parents, grandmother and sister.
Rocco has been taking care of his sister and niece as she is a single parent. His parents aren't reliable and his dad is a total jerk. He seems to think since he raised his son that his son owes him. Rocco makes 6 figures and his dad sees him as a hotshot and to good for his family. Even though Rocco pays for things for his parents. I wanted to reach through the book and really shake his father up.
Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC to review.

4.5/5

Adriana Herrera is one of the best modern romance writers. As romance readers, we're incredibly blessed to experience her stunning stories that feature some of the most diverse casts. Here to Stay is easily one of my favorite contemporary romance novels the year. It was a treat to read and I hope you have the book on your radar.

Adriana Herrera is a pro at penning characters that possess layers and layers of depth. Julia as a protagonist is endearing and easy to fall for. I loved her voice and being inside her head brought me nothing but joy. Julia followed her ex all the way to Dallas, leaving behind her Dominican family in NYC, only to have the relationship end on a sour note. Thankfully for Julia, she has a great opportunity in the form of her dream job running a charitable foundation of a department store. Except, to Julia's dismay, a consultant who could very much end her career has been hired by the CEO. I love that Adriana Herrera writes these heroines who are dedicated to the work they do. Every scene of Julia talking about her social work permeated with her dedication and passion. She cared deeply about the people-in-need she was trying her best to help. Her commitment to her job came across really well throughout the book. I honestly think that Julia is the sort of character that everyone would love to have as a friend in real life. She is humorous and has the most inviting personality. Her quick wit, fiery personality, no-nonsense attitude also meant that Julia wasn't afraid to mince her words, a quality that serves her well when dealing with Rocco.

Rocco is the consultant brought in to potentially cut Julia's social program. Oh man, is Rocco a dreamy hero! Some of my favorite romance heroes are the ones who are soft and vulnerable but can also make you want to drop your undies with their dirty talk. Rocco is exactly that sort of hero. Did I also mention that he is tattoed? *swoon* He is a total swoony-worthy dreamboat and he made me immensely happy. There's a particular scene in Here To Stay during which he shows up at Julia's doorstep with a teeny tiny kitten he's trying to save and asdfghjkl! I WAS A PILE OF GOO. I don't know how Julia did not climb him like a tree right at that moment. Rocco's painful relationship with his parents played a big influence on his personality and despite not being treated like the way a son should be treated, his love for his younger sister remains steadfast and pure. All of it made for a lovable hero who is book-husband material worthy.

You probably guessed already that Julia and Rocco do not get along at first. They are both intensely attracted to each other, but their respective professions act as mammoth-sized obstacles. They somehow find themselves in each other's circles, forcing them to interact, get to know each other, and eventually connect emotionally. These two stubborn dodos are obviously perfect for one another. Watching them do their mating dance is pure fun and I personally couldn't wait for them to take their chemistry to the bedroom. My patience paid off. The sex scenes in this book deserve their own paragraph, but I'm going to leave all that good stuff for you readers to discover on your own. I do have five words that will probably convince you guys to pick up Here to Stay: dirty talking hero AND heroine!

Adriana Herrera also portrays some of the best family dynamics. Julia's family are scene-stealers that also happen to steal my heart in the process. I adored her parents, grandmother, and sister. They are the most cheerful and optimistic fictional family I've ever come across and I loved how close they were to each other. Their connection to their Dominican culture is particularly touching and beautifully written in true Adriana Herrera style. Julia and Rocco also find a new family in the form of their new coworkers/friends in Dallas. I love a good found-family in fiction and each and every person in this friend group was so interesting.

I sincerely urge you to pick up Here to Stay when it releases. Otherwise, we're going to need to have some strong words. It's sexy, fun, and all sorts of entertaining! So, trust me, you need this book in your lives!

It makes a refreshing change to read a romance book where the hero isn't an overbearing alpha type. Not that Rocco, our hero, in this case, isn't a strong, complex and interesting character, he is. It's just that he's also sometimes unsure of himself, very sweet and caring and carrying around quite a bit of baggage. Julia, his heroine has issues of her own, but these have far more to do with her past relationship. She's unwilling to commit to someone who might whip the rug out from under her and leave her high and dry.
In many ways, Julia and Rocco are well suited. It takes them both a while to accept this and this isn't a fast-moving action-packed story, but I think that it's all the stronger for that. Although Julia isn't sure about getting involved with Rocco, the more that she learns about him and sees who he really is, the more that she cannot resist him. I really did enjoy the development of their relationship.
The only thing that confused me was the age of Rocco's niece Blue. I'm sure that we're told at the beginning that his sister was 15 when she got pregnant and that she was now 21. That would make Blue 6 or 5 at the very youngest. Towards the end of the book, she seems to be a toddler and they refer to her as the baby. I don't know if that was my mistake or an error in the book? It is a minor point in what was a great read.
This was hugely enjoyable and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys romances that go that little bit further than just a simple love story.

Listen, there's a lot to love about this book. And I think maybe I was not in the best mood when reading it OR this pandemic has truly robbed me of my slow burn love (the two leads don't engage in any sexy times until like 60% into the book and have PinV sex at well past 70%). I liked the characters and everything but maybe this was just a case of right book, wrong time for me. I can't even explain what about it bothered me but I will say if you have a verbally abusive father or triggers related to that, then be mindful when picking up this book.

I am a big fan of Adriana Herrera’s Dreamer series and this book has all the things I loved best from that series.

I loved the way that both Julia and Rocco’s characters were developed. It was easy to see why the two were interested in each other and how their relationship developed over time. Herrera does a fantastic job of making me root for the relationship because I love how her characters bring out the beat in each other. Julia’s family were all also well developed for the small amount of page time they had. I adore the way Herrera shows the love and connection between family members and how they support the developing relationship.

Julia del Mar Ortiz left New York City to begin a new life with her boyfriend Matt. But Matt had different ideas. Just a few weeks later, he fled back to NYC and left Julia with an apartment lease and a broken heart. But Julia isn’t going to let that keep her down. She has a successful and fulfilling job with a well-known nonprofit foundation providing families with social programs. When she sends out an invite to her fellow ex-New Yorker coworkers for a night out, she discovers a group of friends who will become just as dear as family. But it’s one “Gotham Exile,” with his blue eyes and smart intellect that catches Julia’s attention. Rocco Quinn was sent to Dallas to determine if the company Julia works for is ready to go public, possibly at the expense of the foundation that Julia loves so much. It’s when Julia is faced with proving her program’s worth to Rocco that the two realize the explosive chemistry between them may be more than either can handle.

The friendships that are created by Julia’s call to her fellow ex-New Yorkers was such a beautiful thing to read. There was an instant chemistry between them all and their fierce loyalty and unflinching honesty was so refreshing. There was no jealousy or ego, just pure love and acceptance of each other’s lifestyles and feelings. I absolutely loved the tension between Julia and Rocco. The stress of wanting to begin what they both know is going to be an amazing relationship but knowing that Rocco has the power to destroy the programs that Julia has poured her heart into, it was all so well done. Rocco has a complicated and abusive family and Julia, a social worker, has to balance wanting to help him heal and guarding her own heart and emotions. Here to Stay is a beautiful and hilarious story of love, friendship, and healing.

Thank you to Netgalley and Carina Press for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

What could have been a run-of-the-mill, enemies to lovers/workplace romance story was made much more enjoyable by the author’s perfect capturing of a unique lifestyle and attitude that belongs to one group of people.

Every major city has its quirks, and life-long residents grow up incorporating them (often unknowingly) into their own characters. There is no place where this is truer than New York City. People from there have a style and persona that is identifiable as “strictly NYC.” That even carries into the Boroughs, and further into neighborhoods. I lived in the city, so I’m very familiar with most of them.

I think that’s why I enjoyed this book so much. The author did a fantastic job of capturing that certain something New Yorkers have. From the lexicon to the clothing styles, it all felt familiar and a little bit comforting.

I especially liked Julia. She reminded me of a Dominican I once worked with in midtown. Big and bold, but at times unsure in new situations. I also enjoyed Julia’s mom’s attitudes toward her daughter living in Texas. That’s another NYC thing…nothing is as good as what you can get in the city (even down to hand lotion).

I thought Rocco was an interesting character. He was working class Queens (also familiar) but painted as the bad guy in Julia’s eyes. I enjoyed watching the two of them slowly grow to understand each other and realize how much they actually had in common. It showed the importance of looking beyond the surface of people.

I got the feeling that this was written for a younger set of readers. Due to my teenage son, I’m pretty up on slang and current phrases, but don’t use them myself. The characters in this book used them consistently, especially when the NYC transplants were together. It made the book very contemporary.

I would highly recommend this well-written and “current” book. I think a lot of people will be able to identify with the characters and their situations.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is the story of two transplanted New Yorkers who find themselves working together at a company in Texas. Their jobs make them natural opponents, but they quickly find they have more in common than they ever expected.

I’m a huge Adriana Herrera fangirl and this story definitely doesn't disappoint. Julia is a likeable and relatable heroine. Her work is inspirational, and I love her relationship with her family – and with her chosen family. Julia is a woman who doesn’t need rescuing – but she’s up for finding a partner to share her life with. In fact, it is probably Rocco who needs a little rescuing and I love how Julia is supportive of his struggles while refusing to play mummy or therapist for him. Rocco might be tall, dark, and successful on the surface, but his relationship with his family is difficult and his job leaves him morally conflicted.

I love the balance Herrera find between Julia’s personal and professional challenges and the romance that sparks between Julia and Rocco. I love the way Julia creates her own chosen family in this story and I love the way her Latinx family is such a source of strength for her. The connection between Rocco and Julia is crazy hot but Julia’s caution is incredibly relatable. I love that the drama between these two is minimal and more about logistics than the usual romance novel miscommunication and theatrics.

I found this book slower than some of the author’s previous stories. It isn't my favourite of her books, but it is still a great read. I love Herrera’s writing style and I love that her writing is reinterpreting an often problematic genre in a fresh, sex positive way for a new generation of readers. I found Herrera through her m/m writing, which I absolutely love, but I’ve been really impressed with the female protagonists in her most recent books. If all m/f romance was like Herrera’s – featuring confident, independent women who actually represent the women I know and care about in real life – I’d be more keen to read m/f romance. Sadly, Herrera is one of only a few writers currently challenging genre norms and writing romance that centres Latinx women.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars rounded up

I really enjoyed this story, although I did feel that it somehow read slow. I can't explain it very well, but usually I read a book a day, maybe two, but this was a three-day read, because it just was a slow read. I am definitely a fan of Adriana Herrera and this was a good story, it just maybe could have been a little tighter.

Julia is making the best of a move that did not turn out as it should – from New York City to Dallas with a then cheating boyfriend. She is in an amazing job though and now is creating a friendship group based on New York exiles. This way we get to meet a great gang of people – some from the consultancy firm which could end up losing Julia her job. That one of them, Rocco, also pushes all her buttons, and it would seem she does his, there are conflicts of interest, and lots of lustful thoughts thrown in the mix from the beginning.

However, they both fight it, again and again and again. It takes a lot of courage and self-belief for them to even think about at least testing the water for a short term affair – and although everyone else sees the truth, we have to be amazingly patient. It is worth the wait, but I would have been happier if it had been a little less drawn out!

I would be very happy if this turns out to be the first in a series, and the Gotham City Exiles definitely deserve more romances.


Mary – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars

First, I have to say that I loved Julia, Rocco, and her family. The story was great but there was something that made it hard for me to want to keep reading. It didn't grab me as it did in the beginning, some parts just seem to drag along.

Julia is in Dallas after following her ex-boyfriend, who in turn left her and went back to New York. She is working at her dream job but now she has to be nice to the consultant who is there to help the company go public.

Rocco is in Dallas to do his job and get the promotion he needs to help his sister and niece. But when he meets Julia, all his plans just might go out the window. He is distracted by Julia in a way that neither of them needs, at least not at work.

As I said, I loved the storyline and some of the characters. I would like to see others in the Gotham City Exile group get their shot at love in other books. This is a first for me from this author and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

I adored this book. It's one of the highlights of my summer reading. Herrera has created a cast of fresh, vibrant, fully-dimensional, authentic characters and given them a story that made me laugh, cry, sigh, and reach for my fan. I do love me some steamy times.

Julia and Rocco are great fun, exchanging snappy banter, and striking sparks off one another, first as workplace adversaries then, eventually, as tentative friends, and finally, in passion. I admired Julia's strength, her kind heart, and the unconditional love and support from her family that have helped shape her. I enjoyed exploring her rich cultural heritage through her interactions with her parents and grandmother. It's such a sharp contrast to Rocco's dysfunctional family experiences and the impact they've had on his priorities, namely, always putting everyone else's needs before his own, even when doing so results in heartbreak for him.

I enjoyed the growth in both of these characters. Again, it's Julia's family who helps her move past the lingering effects of a past relationship and Julia herself who brings the emotional strength to her relationship with Rocco that helps him evolve. And speaking of Rocco, he brought me to tears more than once. He's so endearing, and so hot. There were many times I just wanted to hug him...then jump him. I enjoyed his relationship with his sister and niece and how protective he is of them but I also enjoyed watching his sister grow to the point where she became the advisor. I don't know if Herrera plans any more books in this world but, if she does, I sure would like to see more of Sofia and Blue.

I'd also love to spend more time with the Gotham Exiles, a group of NYC ex-pats Julia has brought together in Dallas. They're delightfully eclectic and much more than a group of friends. They're found family for both Julia and Rocco and they captured my heart. We should all be so fortunate to have friends like these in our lives.

Here to Stay was my first Adriana Herrera book. I guarantee it won't be the last.

*ARC received for fair and unbiased review

Julia feels a bit like a fish out of water in Texas but she's taken steps to fix that. For one thing, she's got a great job at a foundation sponsored by a department store- she helps families and children. For another, she's found her people in a group of ex-New Yorkers. Then Rocco shows up. He's been hired to help take the company public and to do so he's identifying places to cut- and Julia is one of them. Rocco's got an incentive to make money; he needs to help his family. These two start out as corporate opposites but you know, don't you, that they are going to move to lovers. I liked that Julia's Dominican heritage was smoothly incorporated into the story. This has good characters and dialogue (I liked the parrying between Julia and Rocco). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fun read.

Here to Stay is a a variant of the enemies to lovers romance trope – people who meet because of work, but have conflicting professional needs, but fall in love anyway (see also Kate Clayborn’s Beginners Luck).

Julia Ortiz feels threatened by Rocco Quinn when she first meets him – he is the consultant hired to make recommendations that are likely to lead to Julia losing her job, and he hits all of Julia’s lust triggers. Rocco has vowed to be a hard-ass on this job because if he gets a promised promotion, he will be able to move his younger sister and niece further away from their parents, but not away from New York City. Unfortunately, he can’t keep his mind off Julia and he wishes he could just love her without their jobs getting in the way.

What happened next was when I knew that Rocco was going to be a very big monkey wrench in my short-, medium-, and long-term plans of staying off the D and focusing on me.

He blushed.

Of course they are unable to resist each other and their romance is edged with the knowledge that they have a time limit and contradictory professional objectives. There’s some really great pining before they get together, and some pining for permanence once they start a relationship. Rocco commits the cardinal sin of thinking he knows best and making a decision that impacts them both without discussing it with Julia. It’s the kind of boneheaded move that good guys in romance make before they realize how dumb they are. What I loved was Julia’s response, which I would like to see more of in romance – she is/was his girlfriend, not his therapist and it wasn’t her job to fix him. I loved the whole book, but that scene is the reason I will be shoving this book in people’s faces.

Adriana Herrera brings her strengths from the Dreamers series to Here to Stay. Family and found family provide a strong community support. Social justice and social welfare are central to Julia’s life and Rocco understands and respects that. Julia and Rocco are both very good at their jobs, though Rocco is made to understand that the quality of his work is less important than the outcome he delivers. Capitalism, corporate greed, and white supremacy are the real enemies in Here to Stay. For Julia and Rocco as a couple, and individually in their work, the barriers they have to overcome are mostly related to trying to exist in capitalist economy where executive salaries and shareholder dividends are more important than the dignity of people.

Herrera also gives us a white woman scarier than Misty from American Dreamer. Just like with Misty, Vicky was instantly familiar to me. The liberal white woman who thinks she is a benevolent savior, but is actually as destructive as the grasping corporate men.

CW: Verbally abusive alcoholic father, child endangerment, deportation threat

I received this as an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Here to Stay by Adriana Herrera is currently scheduled for release on August 25 2020. Julia del Mar Ortiz is not having the best year. She moved to Dallas with her boyfriend, who ended up ditching her and running back to New York after only a few weeks. Left with a massive, by NYC standards, anyway, apartment and a car lease in the scorching Texas heat, Julia is struggling, except that’s not completely true. Running the charitable foundation of one of the most iconic high fashion department stores in the world is serious #lifegoals. It’s more than enough to make her want to stick it out down South. The only monkey wrench in Julia’s plans is the blue-eyed, smart-mouthed consultant the store hired to take them public. Fellow New Yorker Rocco Quinn’s first order of business? Putting Julia’s job on the chopping block. When Julia is tasked with making sure Rocco sees how valuable the programs she runs are, she’s caught between a rock and a very hard set of abs. Because Rocco Quinn is almost impossible to hate—and even harder to resist.

Here to Stay has it all. Julia is newly single and Rocco is not staying in Dallas long term. They are also in conflicting positions at work, and members of a new group of friends built of new Dallas residents from NYC. The chemistry is high, and the tension is too. I loved getting to see them build a friendship with each other, and build up a found family of friends. Some of their interactions were funny, but most were sweet. I really enjoyed how well I got to know each of them, and their circle. I also like that even when they messed things up it was not because of being silly or making a bad decision, but out of protecting each other and themselves at the same time. The work conflicts, the family dynamics, and the efforts of both to do the right thing for the greater good really made me like them each even more. The only thing that ever took me out of the story was my own hopelessness with Spanish. Thankfully with context and my limited understanding of romance languages I was able to translate the occasional conversational usage and dive right back in. My lacking, not an issue with the book, since it was exactly what these characters would say in the situation, and there were not stymied by my limitations. I really enjoyed how open and honest they were in the sex scenes too, something I have come to expect from the author. They communicate and make consent and talking about what they like and want important and key to the moment.

Here to Stay is another great romance from Herrera. Fans will need to read it, but I think most contemporary romance fans should give it a read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this book. I am providing a voluntary review. All thoughts and views are my own.

I was excited to get my hands on Here to Stay by Adriana Herrera because I’ve seen her Dreamers series all over the place and haven’t had a chance to read it yet. (Reviewing for a book blog can make finding time purely for pleasure reads a bit of a challenge! 😅)

Ms. Herrera has a very fluid and easy writing style. You can really feel her culture and personality come out in her words, which made reading Julia’s POV so delightful. I adored her saucy, spunky, self-assured, independent self so much. And then there’s Rocco. Man oh man, he was such an amazingly sweet, shy cinnamon roll. Except when things got sexy… His personality did a complete 180. Dang near gave me whiplash. I do kind of wish there was a bit of build up to that dirty-mouthed, sex-monster side of him so it didn’t feel so out of the blue and ill-fitting with the rest of his personality, but hey… Who am I to judge? Maybe the guy is just a gentleman sweetie pie on the streets and one heck of a filthy freak in the sheets. 😅😏🔥 But seriously… I adored Rocco. He was everything and a bag of chips. And I adored how much he loved his sister and niece. It was beyond precious.

The story itself was a bit heavy—for my taste—on the side-plot revolving around their work and the conflict it portrayed. I think it was a great plot device and obviously very well researched, but because so much time and energy was spent developing that side of things, we didn’t really get to see as much of Julia and Rocco’s relationship. So much of the romance was off page. In fact, after the first time they have sex, the book flashes forward almost a month and we’re told how much their feelings and relationship had developed. Prior to that, the first 70% of the book was them keeping a very safe distance and talking themselves into reasons they shouldn’t be together. I found it didn’t feel like a developing romance until well past the 50% mark, which was a bit of a bummer considering how much I adored the characters and really did want them to start falling for one another—beyond just the eye-banging, of course. 😉

Overall, I’d say this is less of a classic romance and more of a women’s fiction with a romance side plot. Only with dual POV. That being said, I didn’t even realize that fact until after I hit about 73% in and the whole establishment of their romantic relationship zipped by off page. I started thinking about how the first 2/3 of the book had played out and realized how very different this book was from your stereotypical romance. Sure, there was lust between Julia and Rocco, but no real feelings development beyond a burgeoning friendship until much later in the book than I’m used to in contemporary romance.

While it might sound like I’m being negative, I’m not! I’m seriously impressed with Ms. Herrera’s ability to weave a unique and intriguing story with engaging and lovable characters. I’m not someone who usually enjoys chick lit, so the fact I didn’t even realize that’s what I was reading until I was dang near finished with the book proves how effective she is at storytelling. Plus, it definitely had the HEA, so it’s safe to say the last quarter or so fit nicely into the romance genre. A black moment, a resolution, then all the happies.