Ok let's start with the positives: hello Cuban culture! romance round 2? Well formed characters. However, we must also acknowledge the bad, the writing was not at all as good as the 1st book, it was almost as if this sequel was rushed, I think the story could have been better and more developed, I wasn't a fan of the ending at all and I expected the whole book to be "spicier. "

This is so far my favorite book in this series, which may be slightly because I am a sucker for a well executed second chance romance. Both of the characters showed that they had grown in their time apart, and were able to be in a place that made it make more sense for them than it had when they were teens. The connection in this kind of romance is much deeper than the insta-love that happens in a lot of other books (and sometimes real life!) and the author perfectly showed how the characters recognized the past that they had together and used that to form the basis of a relationship that they could build upon with the people they are now. Second chance romances should be about acknowledging the change and growth that comes from time apart and embracing it, which is exactly what happened here. We love self aware characters! We love diverse romances that feel authentic in their cultural portrayals! We love multi-dimensional characters! This book was clearly a hit for me!!

A fun reunion story

I was excited to get my hands on this book as I loved Island Affair, the first book in this series. This story is about Anamaria Navarro, a firefighter/personal trainer, who let her first love, Alejandro Miranda, leave to live his dream of being a photographer. He traveled the world and became famous for his work. An injury has brought Alejandro back home and Anamaria has been asked to help him with his recovery. Being together again leads them to rekindle their relationship. But, Anamaria knows Alejandro will leave the island when he is better, so she makes the best of their time together. Will it be enough for Alejandro to change his mind and decide to remain close to home this time?

I really enjoyed this book. I liked seeing how Anamaria and Alejandro rekindled their relationship after all the years that passed. I also like catching up with the characters from the first book. I learned a lot about Cuban culture, as the characters are both from big Cuban families. The author’s descriptions about Key West made me feel like I was right there. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves family drama, romance and a great tropical setting.

I enjoyed the tropical theme of this book and the romance aspect. I also really liked how the Cuban culture of the families came through. However, I found some parts difficult to follow, particularly with the switching between viewpoints. If you’re looking for a tropical escape then this book is definitely for you! I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Such a sweet book. I really enjoyed the first book by this author so I was excited to get this one. It was exactly the kind of book I needed in this moment. I can’t wait to share about this to family and friends

I read and L♥️ved Island Affair! I was so excited to find out there would be a sequel. So needless to say when I received the NetGalley email approving my request I couldn’t wait to dive in!

I am a sucker for the second chance romance trope! Anchored Hearts was just what I was looking for to escape winter in MN. It was fun, flirty, and entertaining. I again enjoyed the tight-knit overbearing Navarro and Miranda families. I liked how Anamaría and Alejandro were both strong, independent well developed characters. They had history and good chemistry. I just felt like they could have had a little more🔥.
I love the way Oliveras sprinkles in words & sentences in Spanish. She does an amazing job of making you feel like you’re actually there in the beautiful tropical surroundings, soaking up the Cuban culture and devouring the delicious foods!

3.5 lovable ⭐️’s. If you’re looking for a cute, slow-burn beach read, you will enjoy this one! Pre-order your copy today. Anchored Hearts is avaialble 4/27/2021.

Thank you @netgalley @prisoliveras and @kensingtonbooks for the #gifted ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#AnchoredHearts #PriscillaOliveras #NetGalley #beachread #escaperead #romcom #bookish #booknerd #booklover

I did not love the first book in the series, but had seen some strong reviews for this one so I decided to give it a shot. Unfortunately this series just isn't for me.

I LOVE 💕 💕 Priscilla Olivera’s writing. I love how her writing is light and fun, and interspersed with words and sentences in Spanish that add to the stories she tells us.

I’ve said this before, but it still holds true in this books and series: Priscilla Oliveras is awesome depicting Latino families and how complicated they can be, still showing us how love a sense of community are a central part of these relationships.

I also loved Anamaría and Alejandro. I have to admit that I don’t generally like/enjoy second-chance-at-love tropes. I just find that generally these books have either veeery unhealthy relationships or senseless breakups and fights; BUT this was not the case with this book. Having said this, I truly enjoyed reading about Anamaría and Alejandro growing and figuring out who they were, both professionally and to one another, and how we need to get to know ourselves in order to love and relate to others.

I would definitely recommend this book, and the Keys to Love Series (here’s hoping we get more books in this series. Something tells me Enrique’s story is on its way 🤞🏽 ).

I gave this book 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5️⃣ (closer to 4.5 stars)

Pair with a margarita (please use organic limes in honor of Anamaría 🍋)

**NOTE: I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher via @Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books/Zebra for the eARC of Anchored Hearts in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVED Island Affair, and when I saw the sequel was coming out, I was beyond excited. I was even more excited when I was approved to read it early. While Island Affair followed Luis Navarro, Anchored Hearts focuses on his younger sister Anamaria, which I was thrilled about because when she appeared in Island Affair, I liked the strong character that she was.

I found this one started a bit slower than Island Affair, but the story quickly ramped up and I found myself transported to the Keys and becoming a part of the Navarro family. Another great escape read and the ending was perfect - I caught myself smiling and sighing when it was all done! If you're looking for a perfect escape, read this book (and series!)

I certainly love the Keys to Love series, and I hope more will be coming!

This story has an interesting start. Alejandro is a wanderlust photographer who is on bad terms with his father and is temporarily sidelined in the town he hasn’t stopped running from due to a bad leg injury. Anamaria is the burgeoning fitness guru determined to not to veer too far from her home town and family despite the prospects that exist for her growing independent business beyond Key West. We are given a solid foundation for a romantic showdown, one head strong former couple with two different understanding for why they separated, two families with no understanding for boundaries plotting to get them back together, and two careers that seem to be the perfect diversions for the reverse parent trap scheme in play. I wish I could say I enjoyed how this story unraveled, but I was left with the feeling that the resolution came too quick and elements that once seemed important were left abandoned.

2 STARS

I was confused most of the time with this book and didn’t enjoy most of it, sadly. The romance between Alejandro and Anamaria didn’t seem real and I felt like I was rolling my eyes a lot. It was boring and I kept wondering when it was going to get better, but it didn’t.

I did, however, enjoy learning about the Cuban culture and characters who really added to the story. Both the main characters were flat, but their families made it seem more relatable.

I also read this during the winter time, so reading this book with beach vibes definitely made me wish I was at the beach!!


Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, as well as Priscilla Oliveras. This book will be released April 27, 2021.

A second chance romance with meddling Latina moms... this is always promising premise! The dialogue in Spanglish is very well done, it felt authentic and wasn't distracting. The set up—he's injured and is stuck needing her help—is the prefect situation to will force the two main characters past their grudges and to each other. Fun and charming!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Anamaría is an amazing and strong woman. Rooted deeply in the Keys and her strong ties to her familia, she works as a paramedic and run a fitness business encouraging healthy nutrition and loving oneself.

Alejandro has no relationship with his father after leaving his father's restaurant behind to pursue his interest in photography. Now he is a world renowned photographer stuck in his parents' after a serious injury.

And Anamaría and Alejandro's two matchmaking mamis scheme to throw them back together. Their second chance romance comes with a tangled web that makes it tough to envision how they could ever be together.

This story centers on family, where we come from, and how we are shaped by our roots. I greatly enjoyed the nod to the environment with mention of efforts to save endangered species and of the damage that the islands have sustained from hurricanes. And learning more about the Cuban-Latinx culture in Key West and Operation Peter Pan was fantastic.

This was such a tough book to put down. I deeply enjoyed it.

I did enjoy the culture included in this book, the bits of Spanish used in dialogue and the big families the character's had. The concept of the one that got away was intriguing but I didn't feel a huge spark between the characters when they finally did pursue eachother romantically again about 75% of the way into the book. It didn't seem believable enough for me. Overall I liked the book, but I did feel that book 1 in the series was written with more depth and more enjoyable.

If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would. I was completely in love with Priscilla Oliveras' first book, and I think I love this book twice as much! I seriously couldn't put it down. I read this entirely in one sitting, it was so intriguing. I loved Ale and AM. I loved seeing Luis and Sarah from the first book. I loved the sense of family and history and the Spanish phrases thrown in there. I will be buying this book as soon as it comes out, I can't wait to put this on my bookshelf!

Anchored Hearts is a follow-up to the first book in this series by Priscilla Oliveras, Island Affair.

Anchored Hearts follows the story of Anamaria, first introduced in Island Affair, and Alejandro. It takes place in Key West after Alejandro breaks his leg and returns to his parent's house. It just so happens that they knew each other as kids and were in love. I enjoyed watching this progression from friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers. Both Anamaria and Alejandro have had time to grow and mature after their relationship ended after high school and it was enjoyable watching the two of them re-connect and re-learn each other.

If you're looking for a slow-burn second-chance romance set in somewhere warm, definitely check out Anchored Hearts.

I did not realize this book was part of a series, but I thought it was a great standalone story! I loved the culture that was beautifully displayed through the relationship between both families and the community. I enjoyed the history between Anamaria and Alejandro. It felt like they had a great foundation for a relationship. I would’ve liked to have seen more development, romantically. Overall, I enjoyed the story but it left me wanting more.

I didn't realize going into this book, Anchored Hearts by Priscilla Oliveras, that it was a 2nd in a series of books. But even not having read the first book, I felt that this was a very good standalone story. Throughout the book, the theme of family (or familia) is most important. To the Cuban families in the story, familia is not just your actual family - but those friends that you love and support just like family. I really enjoyed the story of Anamaria and Alejandro - their backstories intermingling with the present day, made the story very interesting and their love story was very intense and real. Having studied Spanish throughout school and college, I also liked the Spanish dialogue sprinkled throughout the book. I would definitely recommend this book and would love to read other books written by Priscilla Oliveras.

A huge thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Anchored Hearts follows the second chance romance story between Alejandro and Anamaria, the second book in the Keys to Love series. Alejandro returns to Key West 13 years later, after being in an accident. He and Anamaria haven’t seen each other in all those years.

One of my favourite parts of the story was the fact that Cuban culture and family was such a big part of the story. Both of our main characters have such big families and I found that very relatable and so much fun. Another one of my favourite parts of the book was the setting. I just wish I could be by the beach reading this, and feeling the heat like I was in Key West!

I enjoyed Anamaria and Alejandro as separate characters, but together, there wasn’t really much chemistry. When we finally did reach the romance of the story (~75% in), there really was no sparks flying. I think they could have been really good friends and romance wasn’t the way to go for them.

Another major issue that I had with the writing this time, is that it was hard to differ between Alejandro and Anamaria’s point of view in the story. I feel like it needed to be more clearly defined, particularly since the book doesn’t use a first-person POV. I was so confused half the time and it wasn’t an enjoyable experience.

The ending was nice, but I wasn’t a huge fan of using miscommunication as a reason to break up, and the fact that there is still so much tension after 10+ years, doesn’t make sense to me.

If you’re looking for a tropical escape, check out Anchored Hearts, out on April 27th, 2021!

Meddling Latnix families ✔️
Long Lost Lovers ✔️
Years of built up resentment ✔️
Steamy Florida Weather ✔️

Alejandro is back for the first time in years due to a hiking accident that has left him severely injured. Much to his dismay his mother has roped his ex into being his nursemaid... which is the last thing she wants to do between her shifts as a firefighter and opening her own fitness business.

You’ll be wishing for your own meddling familia to stage a rekindling romance as you visit Key West with Annmaria.