Anchored Hearts: An Entertaining Latinx Second Chance Romance

Written by Priscilla Oliveras

Narrated by Raquel Beattie

Award-winning photographer Alejandro Miranda hasn't been home to Key West in years—not since he left to explore broader horizons with his papi's warning "never to come back" echoing in his ears. He wouldn't be heading there now if it wasn't for an injury requiring months of recuperation. The drama of a prodigal son returning to his familia and their beloved Cuban restaurant is bad enough, but coming home to the island paradise also means coming face to face with the girl he left behind—the one who was supposed to be by his side all along . . .



Anamaría Navarro was shattered when Alejandro took off without her. Traveling the world was their plan, not just his. But after her father's heart attack, there was no way she could leave—not even for the man she loved. Now ensconced in the family trade as a firefighter and paramedic, with a side hustle as a personal trainer, Anamaría is dismayed that just the sight of Alejandro is enough to rekindle the flame she's worked years to put out. And as famillia meddling pushes them together, the heat of their attraction only climbs higher. Can they learn to trust again, before the Key West sun sets on their chance at happiness?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jan 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781666173161

Priscilla Oliveras

Priscilla Oliveras is a USA Today bestselling author and 2018 RWA® RITA® double finalist who writes contemporary romance with a Latinx flavor. Proud of her Puerto Rican-Mexican heritage, she strives to bring authenticity to her novels by sharing her Latinx culture with readers. Her work has garnered praise from O, The Oprah Magazine, Washington Post, New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist, among others. Priscilla earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University and now serves as adjunct faculty in the program while also teaching the online class “Romance Writing” for ed2go.  Find out more at https://prisoliveras.com or catch up with her on  www.facebook.com/prisoliveras and Twitter and IG via @prisoliveras.   

Reviews for Anchored Hearts

[jynell-71874 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm not sure what I loved more - the scene or the characters. I loved the latinx flair, the romance, and the heat. Priscilla Olivares has a way of writing a story that begs to be read. From meddling mommas to independent daughters, this one isn't to be missed!

[bookanonjeff · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Solid Slow Burn Second Chance Finding Yourself Prodigal Son Story. Think I got enough tropes in that title? ;) But seriously, this was the second book in Oliveras' hyper-sensual stories of established adults finding love in the Florida Keys (Key West, specifically) while being bound by their Cuban immigrant parents and siblings. Here, we get the sister of our male lead from Book 1 (Island Affair) and the boy we already know she let go a decade ago from that story. Now, we get a lot more details of what happened according to each of them - and they don't exactly remember things the same way. Oliveras executes this dynamic well, with having the meddling mothers (seemingly a commonality among *many* cultures, let's face it ;) ) conniving to get the two together when the now-man finds himself stranded at home with a shattered leg. As they help each other with their respective issues in their current lives, old wounds get reexamined, sparks begin to fly, etc etc etc... this *is* a romance novel, y'all. That alone tells you where this thing is going. :)

But Oliveras also executes the Prodigal Son angle particularly well, at least from the son's side. Which I know at least a bit about, having lived my adult life hundreds of miles away from my own parents. (Somewhat interestingly as it relates to this book, while Alejandro grew up in Key West and fled to Atlanta as an adult, this reviewer grew up outside of Atlanta and currently finds himself in Florida - Jacksonville - in what will this year become the longest single place he's stayed since leaving Atlanta. :D) To be clear, I don't have *exactly* the same issues Ale does - my dad (and entire immediate family) and I actually get along great. But I know the general feelings and disappointments pretty damn well, well enough to truly sing Oliveras' praises on this particular storyline.

Finally, to address one criticism that seems common in the lower starred reviews: saying something in Spanish and then explaining it in English: I'm a native American that grew up in land still literally scarred by the American Civil War. While I took a few Spanish classes in high school, I was never even truly conversant, much less fluent. But I've studied a lot about a lot, and it is my understanding that such mixtures of languages are common in second generation Americans, as both Annamaria and Alejandro are here. Further, from a "real world" perspective of trying to sell as many copies of a book as possible, English is the most commonly spoken language in the world, for better or for worse. While Spanish is frequent and indeed dominant in certain regions, even many in those regions *also* speak English to some degree or another. And in most of the globe, more people are more familiar with English than Spanish. These are also simple, stone cold, undeniable *facts* - whether or not you like them or the reason they came to be. Thus, from a *business* side, explaining the Spanish in English - and in particular the way Oliveras does it in this series, more as a natural storytelling technique than a "Habla Espanol?" "Do you speak Spanish?" style common in at least some books I've read over the years, it makes complete sense. And for this reader that barely knows Spanish at all - the above sentence was a decent part of what I can easily recall, though there is likely a fair amount beyond that that I could comprehend in a situation where I'm surrounded by the language - it is helpful, appreciated, and *necessary*, as there would be large segments of the tale that would be completely unintelligible without the translation. Indeed, from a business side Oliveras' only other real options would be to 1) limit herself to only Spanish speakers and thus lose overall sales or 2) eliminate the Spanish completely and lose at least a fair degree of the authenticity she really excels in bringing out here.

And as others have noted, this reader too is hoping that the one female character introduced late in the book is truly the fit for the one remaining single Navarro sibling - and that we get to read that tale as well. Given the year spacing between Island Affair and this book, perhaps this time 2022? Until then...

Very much recommended.

[dilowrosas · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3 out of 5 stars!

This second-chance romance features a hero who returns to his hometown due to a personal injury and the heroine he left behind. From the vibrant community and the personal connections each have with each other and their families, the couple must face their own personal issues individually and together to move forward with their lives.

Though I hadn't read the first book in this series, it wasn't a deterrent for the enjoyment of this book. I really liked the book covers of this series. The characters and the community were colorful and varied. Yet due to the visceral emotions that certain characters invoked within me, my enjoyment of this book wasn't as high as I expected it to be. But it's still a good addition to this Priscilla Oliveras series.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own.**

[sdbookhound · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Anchored Hearts is the second book in the Keys to Love series by Priscilla Oliveras. These stories take place in Key West, Florida among the Cuban American community. I love the community and family connections portrayed in these books and how family and friends stick together and want the best for their children while still maintaining their cultural roots. In this book, prodigal son, Alejandro, has returned to his family after being injured. He has not been home in 10 years and is estranged especially from his father who believes that family means nothing to Alejandro because he did not want to go into the family restaurant business. Tension is thick and his mother is doing her best to bring the family back together again. Not only does his mother want to bring the immediate family back together, but she also wants to reignite the flame between Alejandro and his childhood friend and high school sweetheart Anamaria. Both were heartbroken when their relationship ended and really have no desire to revisit that heartbreak. But loyalty to family and family friends won't allow them to be kept apart for long and the story works toward their happily every after.

I read the first book in this series, Island Affair, and really loved it. I thought that Anchored Hearts was a wonderful follow up to the first book and a nice second-chance romance. I didn't connect to this couple quite as much as I did to Luis and Sara, but I did enjoy the romance. My favorite part of the story was about how Alejandro was able to mend fences with his father and realize how important his family and community truly was to him. Once he was able to do that, all the pieces of his life fell together again. I recommend this book and series and look forward to the next installment. This book is a stand alone and can be read and enjoyed without reading Island Affair.

My sincere thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my unbiased opinion of it.