Anchored Hearts follows Anamaria, the sister of Carlos from Island Affair. I read Island Affair last year when it came out and thought it was cute, but slow, so I figured I'd give this one a chance too. The covers are fun, the synopsis' are engaging and we all need a little trip we can experience through books right now.

This book was so so slow and so so repetitive. Like unbelievably. I feel like I was reading the same thing over and over again about their smells, their emotions, their past experiences, and their history. I'm pretty sure I read all of those things 10+ times each throughout the book. The characters Anamaria and Alejandro were mildly annoying but I still found myself rooting for them, even though it was fairly obvious very early on how this book would play out. I did enjoy the Cuban culture and family values throughout this book, but those were one of few highlights. I think I'm in the minority here, but it was too long for what it was, but it was still a little cute. Read it if you're bored, but don't rush to it, in my opinion.

Anchored Hearts is a sweet second chance romance set in Key West that I couldn't resist getting lost in, dreaming of tropical locals, palm trees, and warm sand between my toes.

When I read an excerpt on Bookish First, I was hooked and immediately requested it on Netgalley without realizing it was the second book in the Keys to Love collection. But it wasn't a problem because each book can be read as a stand alone, focusing on different siblings within the Navarro familia.  I already had the first book, Island Affair, on my TBR but now I'm even more excited to pick it up.

Anchored Hearts is Anamaría Navarro's story, a character who's easy to like. She has joined the family trade as a firefighter and paramedic but she's also a part-time personal trainer, devoting her time to helping those in her community to make healthier lifestyle choices. She'd had dreams of traveling the world with her life-long friend turned boyfriend, Alejandro Miranda--a budding photographer--after high school graduation, but when her father had a heart attack she couldn't leave the family she loved so much, assuring Alejandro she would join him later.  Alejandro couldn't wait to leave Key West, eager to escape the strained relationship with his own father who expected his son to work at the family restaurant, Mirandas.  But when the weeks turned into months without Anamaría joining him, the miscommunication and hurt between the couple led to a permanent separation.

Twelve years  have past since Alejandro, now an award-winning photographer, has been home to Key West for an extended visit, but a fall as he was trying to catch the perfect shot has forced him home to recuperate. Thanks to their close families and some meddling by Alejandro's mother, these two find themselves back in each other's orbits, unable to fight their unresolved feelings and frustratingly strong attraction.

I enjoyed this dual point of view story, which helped me to empathize with each character. Sometimes it can be frustrating knowing what both romantic leads are thinking but not saying to each other. Oliveras does a convincing job of making me understand the reasons these two have stayed apart, despite their very strong feelings for each other after so many years. She had me rooting for them and trusting they would evolve and learn from their mistakes.

While I enjoyed so much of Anchored Hearts, it wasn't perfect---but nothing so big it pulled me out of the story.  The author often includes street names and directions within the story---which would be great for someone who lived in Key West or travelled there often, but didn't serve much purpose for me.

I was impressed with how well Oliveras developed her side characters. I could tell which brother of Anamaría's the first book had been about--Luis--without reading a synopsis. I'm sure those who have read the first book will enjoy seeing Luis and Sara again. And I'm pretty sure by how this one ended who and what a subsequent novel would be about, which was a fun tease.

I'm happy I picked this one up, and I look forward to reading more by the author!

This was a cute, fun, light beach read. A slow-burn, but in the best way possible. Such a great addition as the second novel. Looking forward to reading more by Oliveras!

4.5 stars
Alejandro has been banished from Key West due to his stubborn father who didn't believe in him. His main regret is losing his other half AnnaMaria, who stayed in Key West. Back in Key West the Cuban Mamas are in full effect to bring this couple back together. Our First loves are sometimes the love we need to come back to. I loved the tightness of families and how their culture was ingrained in the book and their lives. Oliveras does a great job in bring the image, sights, and details of Key West to life in her writing.

This is such a perfect book for a day outside. Ideally, a day at the beach - but I read it on a porch swing overlooking cornfields and it still hit just right. I loved getting to know Anamaría in this book. After just enough tidbits about her in Priscilla Oliveras' first book, Island Affair, to be intrigued, this book took it all the way home. She kicks butt and I loved reading a female entrepreneur who struggles the same way I do - learning to balance family with your own personal aspirations.

I was so very looking forward to this story and it did not disappoint!

Anamaria and Alejandro were great characters to get to know and within the first chapters I was invested in their story. I love second chance romances, especially if done right. I enjoyed watching Anamaria and Alejandro struggling to deny that their connection still held strong. It amused me to no end that they thought they could get some closure by entering a friends with benefits arrangement. Ha, as if!

Anamaria and Alejandro knew each other very well, which made the candid moments between them that much more enjoyable. I also loved seeing them getting to know each other again. I found myself wanting to shake some sense into them from time to time, just as I found myself grinning and laughing out loud at some of the bickering and banter.

Once again, I enjoyed spending time with Alejandro and Anamaria's family. It reminded me so much of my own family--the Spanglish, the expectations, the guilt-trips, family dinners and gatherings. I admit I enjoyed it all too much.

All in all, a funny yet steamy second chance romance.

When Anamaria is facing being in town with her high school secret heart and the only man she’s ever loved for the first time in over ten years after he left to travel the world she doesn’t know what to do. On the other hand, when Alejandro faces returning home to a father who banished him and an ex he felt abandon him he doesn’t know what to do either. Their medleing and protective mothers do though, pushing them together whenever they can. Eventually it may work out for the best.

This book was just as good as the first in the series. I’m typically a little hesitant about second chance romances because of the amount of hurt and negative emotions they deal with but this book was NOT that. The author really does know how to express emotions well, particularly those mixed feelings we get about family.

Priscilla really knows how to manage introducing Spanish in the book. Also as someone who has a relatively okay working understanding of Spanish the in text translations were so perfectly executed as to not feel too repetavjte while also ensuring I actually understood what was said. This is also true for the first book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a charming book, set in Key West. I got a great sense of place from the descriptions. It’s a classic old lovers/enemies to lovers romance. I recommend this book!

Anchored Hearts
By Priscilla Oliveras
Pub Date April 27 2021
This book is amazing read you love and enjoy this is book 2 in the key to love series. It’s a second chance romance with a few twist thrown in. The chemistry between characters were amazing full of fun and humour. And the writing style is amazing.

I loved Island Affair so I knew I had to read this! I love the family aspect of this book. The slow burn is exactly what I wanted to see here! If you are looking for a light, fun read, you should read this one!

Oliveras has a real talent for writing realistic and relatable Latinx RomComs. Not only are her romance and comedy parts fantastic, but her side characters in the form of two sets Latinx familias are perfect. I love the close knit familia bonds especially with the siblings.

The romance in this part "second chance" and at least in my opinion part "enemies to lovers" is full of angst, chemistry, and heat. I love how she writes intimate scenes that push the bounds of closed door just a little but don't get overly explicit (though some conservative readers might think so). The passion between Ale and AM is evident and keeps you turning the pages to see if it will work out or crash and burn.

The setting of Key West in this book makes you wish you were there. You can practically smell the ocean and see the flowers. Not to mention all the food described makes you wish you were eating at Miranda's.

I loved the character growth in this book. Truly it was special to watch both Ale and AM learn some important lessons. There were some really special moments that touched my heart.

I've loved every book Oliveras has written and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

I really loved The Island Affair, and I was looking forward to reading Anchored Hearts. But it fell flat for me. I couldn't get invested in the characters. I thought it was too slow. It finally picked up around 70%. I wanted more romance. I wanted more from Anamaria and Alejandro. I felt like all I read was he didn't want to be back home because of his dad and she was still bitter towards him for leaving all those years ago. I just expected more out of this because I loved Island Affair so much.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

I was so excited to get the chance to read Anchored Hearts. I read the author's other book, Island Affair, which was simply beautiful and the perfect romance.

Sadly, I couldn't finish Anchored Hearts. It was lacking in charm like the author's precious book. There was too much reliance on the back story and the constant reference to the character's pasts took me out of the story too much.

This Own Voices flavorful novel is complete with a lush and vibrant story that perfectly reflects the Cuban culture with an even sweet romance that will just melt your heart.

An interesting second chance romance. Seeing Key West and the Cuban culture intertwined in the book is a plus. The Spanglish was enjoyable and made me wish I would learn Spanish. Easy to understand without knowing the language though. The book contains foul language and intimate details. I was hoping to pass the book along to my niece, but will not do so due to those inclusions. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. I also won a hard copy via Goodreads. I did shed a tear or two at the end and know others that aren't as prudish as I would enjoy reading the story.

Anchored Hearts was a cute return to the Keys of Love series. It was a slow burn second chance between Alejandro and Anamaria, and one whose focus frequently stranded to the relationships surrounding the couple (Similar to Island Affair, now that I think about it.)

I liked it a lot and it made me desperately want to visit Key West when this pandemic is over! I’m looking forward to reading more from this series.

I absolutely adored this second chance romance! I loved how the meddling mothers got involved in Alejandro and Anamaría’s relationship. This was funny and sweet and I couldn’t put it down. It also didn’t hurt that this story took place in Key West. It was exactly what I needed right now.

i loved this story! the cuban culture, the family ties, and the character development were all so lovely to see being followed through. this was a wonderful, happy, and de-stressing read for me. very much enjoyed it.

I wanted to love this book. Based on the synopsis I was immediately interested. Unfortunately the character development fell a little flat for me.

This is so much fun! A great second-chance romance that I'll happily be recommending to all I know! I need to go back and read Priscilla Oliveras's other novels after enjoying this one!