Cover Image: Kiss Me, Catalina

Kiss Me, Catalina

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I LOVE a Latine love story <3

Catalina is one of several sisters of the mariachi band Las Nubes, and she has a huge passion for music and songwriting. After winning a major competition, she gets the opportunity to tour and write with Patricio Galán, el Príncipe de Mariachi. She’s been a long-time fan of his but during the competition they developed a bit of a rivalry. As they head out on tour, she intends to prove herself, resist her attraction to Patricio, write some bomb music, and make her own name in the world of Mariachi, shattering the patriarchy along the way.

Patricio has had writer’s block and the promise of writing with Cat motivates him to reveal more of himself, his struggle with his father’s fame and legacy, and his attraction to her. Both Patricio and Cat grow so much throughout the novel and find more and more of themselves.

I adored that this story was *moderately* low angst and that the 3rd Act Breakup was truly resolved so quickly. No surprise that this romcom has a HEA and sets boundaries for harmful family members. There’s some amazing found family energy because of that!

One thing that, as a fluent English and Spanish speaker, was slightly annoying was reading the Spanglish and Spanish parts and having another character repeat what had been said or having the same character who had made the statement have a thought that repeated it. Obviously we want everybody to understand the story, so I don’t begrudge that in the writing. However, I do dearly love reading stories that decline to do this (whatever language it happens to be- French and Russian have been other languages I’ve seen with this) because it feels slightly more true to real-life conversation, especially when every time it happens I could look for the repetition in English. I also enjoy learning new phrases in other languages and typically look them up anyway.

Was this review helpful?

Thoughts:
I enjoyed the 2nd book in the Queens of Mariachi series! 🥰 I absolutely loved the banter between Cat and Patricio 😅. As time goes by, they both realize how similar their situations are. It was beautiful to see how they got to know each other and how strong their passion for music is. Oliveras showcased many themes involving family and the pressure we might feel to provide for our loved ones/make them proud. I love Cat’s bad ass personality and how much she loves her sister and family! Like in the first book, I throughly enjoyed the Mariachi and music references 😍!!

Was this review helpful?

Dreams come true for an untamable rising star and a mariachi idol in a rousing romance about passion, fame, and family by USA Today bestselling author Priscilla Oliveras.

Ambitious San Antonio singer Catalina “Cat” Capuleta gets the chance of a lifetime when she joins superstar heartthrob and fellow mariachi Patricio Galán on his seven-week concert tour. Demanding and arrogant, Patricio challenges Cat on every level, as an artist and as a woman. But headstrong Cat is determined to be his match. No matter how seductive Patricio’s baritone voice, Cat’s eyes are only on the prize: success and making her familia proud.

No woman gets under Patricio’s skin like Cat. Her talent mesmerizes. Her passion is thrilling. And her drive, stemming from an old unhealed family wound, exposes a vulnerability he secretly recognizes in himself.

When the duo hits the road, the sparks don’t just fly—they detonate. Stage by stage, as each reckons with the past—and with each other’s quick-fire personalities—they bring crowds to their feet, and Cat’s long-held dreams come true. Will their road romance go up in flames? Or could making music together kindle the most rapturous love song of their lives?

------------

I somehow like this book more than I thought I would be. I like the characters, plot, and the ending. I need more!!
Thank you Netgalley and Montlake for the early copy!

Was this review helpful?

Am I going to enjoy reading about forced proximity between a sassy female character and hard-headed man singer? Yes, I am. I love reading about sassy main characters. They give romance books more character and entertainment as well.

Kiss Me, Catalina follows Catalina “Cat” who gets a big opportunity to sing with Patricio Galan seven-week concert tour. It’s a big opportunity for Cat that she is more than willing to do her part. But she does have a big personality aka attitude that she needs to check when she tours with the big star, Patricio Galan. It does not help that she have a huge attractions for him,

It’s going to be a hard seven weeks between them. They definitely have an attraction for each other. But one of them is hiding a big secret. And you know that secret is going to come to play when they start facing problems. Just keep an eye out because you know you want them together no matter what.

Was this review helpful?

Wonderful representation and so much passion! Absolutely loved to see Catalina get lost in Patricio's charm and love but still keeping her fierce personality and ambitions! The intimacy scenes of just them tow really stuck to me AND the GROVELING :) definitely will continue to go through the series as more books hopefully come out

Was this review helpful?

Another cover I loved but this one I didn't love as much. I found the drama a bit over the top. I liked the Catalina but I found the plot predictable and the love story almost eye-roll frustrating. I wish I'd liked it more.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Was this review helpful?

This is the second Queen of Mariachi book & I was really looking forward to it!
I enjoyed West Side Love Story and this book was even better! ⁣

Mariachis are a big part of the Mexican culture and it’s been so nice to read a series centered around them. High school mariachis are so big in my area! ⁣They are a staple at all important parties like weddings and birthdays 🎉

This book starts in Texas but does involve touring around the US.⁣

I loved the chemistry between Patricio & Catalina! They couldn’t fight it (even though they tried 😅)!⁣

Cat’s personality was so fun but it was also great to see her be vulnerable.

I would recommend reading this series in order!

Was this review helpful?

The Capuleta sisters are back, this time in a celebrity romance featuring Catalina Capuleta and Mariachi heartthrob Patricio Galán. Catalina has just been offered a writing contract with Patricio's record label, which will send her on tour with him performing and writing on his next album. but as they set off for tour they both draw boundaries in the sand, which seems to be harder to follow than they anticipated. Stage by stage, as each reckons with the past—and with each other’s quick-fire personalities—they bring crowds to their feet, and Cat’s long-held dreams come true. Will their road romance go up in flames? Or could making music together kindle the most rapturous love song of their lives?

This was such a fun read. We've got a celebrity, slow burn, enemies to lovers romance. What's not to enjoy?! I mean who hasn't had a fantasy about celebrity romance. We also got a ton of family drama between the Capuleta sisters and between Patricio and his father, who is also a famous Mariachi musician. I love when a romance has more of a substantial plot besides just the romance.

What stopped me from rating this higher was that it was a little predictable. I found myself skimming in some places. I hated that one of the big plot twists was based off a miscommunication that could have been easily avoided. It was so frustrating.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an. honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Loved it! Exactly the type of latinx romance I was looking for. Can't wait to buy a paperback copy of this gem and share it with my family

Was this review helpful?

Kiss Me Catalina is the follow up to Priscilla’s previous novel West Side Love Story. If you’ve read that one then you’ll recognise our main character Catalina. If you’ve not read it what are you waiting for!

I loved the close proximity element to this story. The tension between song writers (apt as I’m currently re-watching Nashville) felt so angsty and off the scale chemistry. The culture is strong and proudly represented again in this story and I loved the family importance.

This one had the KU option with audiobook so I opted to listen to the audiobook and I’m glad I did. I listened to one of Priscilla’s other novels on audio - Anchored Hearts - and similar to that I felt that the narrator really brought the story to life.

If you’re looking for more from this author then I’d definitely recommend the Keys to Love duo. It’s set in the Florida Keys and it has such a vicarious holiday thrill vibe going on!

Was this review helpful?

Did I enjoy this book? Yes. Did I love it? Not so much. The characters in this story were well written and I enjoyed them immensely, but the plot felt worn out and done before. Perhaps I've been reading to many romances, but the plot felt predictable. If you love the HEA equation that many books follow, I would recommend this book.

Was this review helpful?

I just adore Priscilla and all of her stories, and Kiss Me, Catalina didn't disappoint. She's a fantastic author of sweeny and steamy characters that pull you in from the beginning and make you want more. Excited for more from this author.

Was this review helpful?

Kiss Me, Catalina is the second book in the Queens of Mariachi series. Cat and her sisters are all adopted and have an all female mariachi band. Cat is really talented and gets a contract with a label to work with a mariachi idol, Patricio. This is a loose retelling of The Taming of the Shrew.

I believe this can be read as a stand-alone, and I really enjoyed the first one (West Side Love Story), so I recommend you start there. You'll get glimpses of Cat and Patricio, building up the anticipation for their story.

I loved this slow burn forbidden romance. It's only forbidden because neither wants a relationship with someone on tour. Their chemistry is steamy and I loved getting to know each of their back stories. I loved the character development, how they supported each other and faced their own issues. This was along with lots of passion and excitement.

I'm looking forward tot he next book in the series.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Was this review helpful?

Kiss Me, Catalina was a really cute story about Catalina and Patricio who go on tour together and despite not getting along they fall in love. I’m a fan of enemies to lovers and really liked this one. I thought it was a slow burn which I’m usually not a fan of, but it worked for this book and the author is fantastic. She builds great characters and I really liked this one and will continue to read Priscilla Oliveras.

Was this review helpful?

I struggled with the first book in this series and unfortunately this book wasn't much better for me. I liked the enemies to loves aspect of Catalina and Patricio and at times really liked the pair, both individually and as a couple, but the story just dragged for me. It was one where I would read a chapter then read a few other books then return for another chapter and then go back to other things. It just didn't capture me the way I wanted it to. I'm not sure why. I know Spanish. I am interested in the mariachi. aspect of the story. I have really enjoyed other stories by Pricilla. I think that this is a sign that this series isn't for me and that's okay.

Was this review helpful?

This book follows Catalina, a mariachi determined to prove her worth on tour with Patricio. They greatly dislike each other but of course end up falling in love. I loved the slow burn and enemies to lovers and of course Catalina’s relationship with her family.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely loved this one! And I may have even liked it more than West Side Love Story. This story was spicy! You could feel the sexual tension between Catalina and Patricio on every page. I definitely need more books from the Capuleta sisters because this has become a new favorite series.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely adored this book and can’t wait for it to hit the shelves! I felt like I was watching a telenovela, in the best way possible. Catalina is on tour with Mariachi heartthrob Patricio Galán… and let me tell you, he certainly IS a galán.

Was this review helpful?

This book just didn’t get all the way there for me. I think the Spanish was integrated in a way that felt clunky and unnatural to me - one of my pet peeves is someone saying something in the non-English language and then repeating themselves in English, which never feels like something people actually do, and this book falls prey to that. And while I really liked Cat and Patricio as separate characters, I didn’t always buy their chemistry. It’s meant to be kind of a forbidden romance, but I think Cat’s reasons are flimsy, and Patricio is all in on her from day one (which I do love). This would have been 4 stars for me, but the ending is a ridiculous miscommunication, and that knocked it down to three stars for me.

Was this review helpful?

This was the first ever book I read by this author and I have to say I enjoyed it immensely! The sense of family, the love of food and the love of music was so well brought to life. The romance had me from the moment it got going, which is always important! The story didn’t fall into any cliches that would have bothered me, it was just a sweet sort of enemies-to-lovers story which put a big smile on my face!

Was this review helpful?