Book Review | Island Affair

Hunky firefighter Luis Navarro is stuck in a rut. A recent call out to a job brings up unresolved issues from his past, forcing his boss to put him on mandated leave from his beloved job. Not used to time off, he wonders how he’ll spend the next week…

Enter stage right, social media influencer Sara. Newly arrived in hot, tropical Key West, Sara is on a week long vacation with her type A family and boyfriend to celebrate her mum coming off chemo. Upon landing she is left high and dry when she finds out her on again/ off again boyfriend has stood her up. Unwilling to face her family alone, she has to come up with a solution, quickly. A hunky, firefighter sized solution perhaps?

Overall, this was a wholesome, cute read which had me dreaming of an island holiday of my own. You can tell the author is very familiar with the setting, as it was almost a character in itself. I loved the rich descriptions of Key West which had me almost (!) smelling the sea breeze and hearing the palm trees gently whispering above the turquoise waters. The descriptions of the food also had my mouth watering. 

I loved how the author incorporated Spanish throughout the dialogue, it felt natural and expertly handled. At times the book did however feel a little long/slow to me, and I found myself getting a little bored, but this could have been due to the fact that I found it quite predictable. The Insta- love was also a bit too quick to be convincing and I feel the end was quite rushed and could have used an epilogue.

Although a light read, this book still deals with some heavier matters like mental health, an eating disorder, grief and loss which added more dimension and depth. If you’re after a sweet, wholesome romance with some sizzle, give this one a go. Thanks so much to @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for providing this copy for review.