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Ten years after he took off to pursue his successful photography career, leaving her behind, Anamaria Navarro’s high school sweetheart is back in Key West, convalescing after a pretty nasty spill over a waterfall. Not only does Alejandro Miranda have to face her, he has to confront his rocky relationship with his dad. For her part, Anamaria is finally is trying to make a go of her fitness/nutrition business & social media presence.
It’s tough to get second chance romance right when so many readers think, well, if a couple couldn’t get it right the first time, how’s it gonna work out now?
But in Anchored Hearts, it’s not just about an old attraction coming back to life. Priscilla Oliveras shows that both characters have gone through pretty significant growth in the intervening years, making a second chance feel totally believable. Not to mention their mamis are pretty relentless at making their paths cross. The spark between them takes time to fully re-light, adding to the organic feel. I loved that Anamaria’s career is no afterthought, and Alejandro’s support for it, plays a pretty big role in the story.
Key West and its Cuban comunidad are vibrantly represented, Spanish is used liberally throughout, and it touches on Operation Pedro Pan, which brought so many unaccompanied Cuban kids to the US in the early ’60s. Like Island Affair last year, Anchored Hearts got me out of a reading slump. All I can say is, I loved it. And I hope Enrique gets his story in book three.
Steam level: low-to-medium
4 stars
Anchored Hearts hits shelves Tuesday, April 27. There’s still time to pre-order a copy with a signed bookplate and bonus recipe cards from Love’s Sweet Arrow.
Get Anchored Hearts by Priscilla Oliveras from The Ripped Bodice | Bookshop.org | IndieBound | Amazon | Apple Books
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