Tour Review - - Here to Stay

 

Here to Stay

by Adriana Herrera  

Publisher: Carina Press 

Release Date: August 25, 2020

Reviewed by PJ

Starting over is more about who you’re with than where you live…

Julia del Mar Ortiz is not having the best year.

She moved to Dallas with her boyfriend, who ended up ditching her and running back to New York after only a few weeks. Left with a massive—by NYC standards, anyway—apartment and a car lease in the scorching Texas heat, Julia is struggling…except that’s not completely true. Running the charitable foundation of one of the most iconic high fashion department stores in the world is serious #lifegoals.

It’s more than enough to make her want to stick it out down South.

The only monkey wrench in Julia’s plans is the blue-eyed, smart-mouthed consultant the store hired to take them public. Fellow New Yorker Rocco Quinn’s first order of business? Putting Julia’s job on the chopping block.

When Julia is tasked with making sure Rocco sees how valuable the programs she runs are, she’s caught between a rock and a very hard set of abs. Because Rocco Quinn is almost impossible to hate—and even harder to resist.

PJ's Thoughts:

I adored this book. It's one of the highlights of my summer reading. Herrera has created a cast of fresh, vibrant, fully-dimensional, authentic characters and given them a story that made me laugh, cry, sigh, and reach for my fan. I do love me some steamy times.

Julia and Rocco are great fun, exchanging snappy banter, and striking sparks off one another, first as workplace adversaries then, eventually, as tentative friends, and finally, in passion. I admired Julia's strength, her kind heart, and the unconditional love and support from her family that have helped shape her. I enjoyed exploring her rich cultural heritage through her interactions with her parents and grandmother. It's such a sharp contrast to Rocco's dysfunctional family experiences and the impact they've had on his priorities, namely, always putting everyone else's needs before his own, even when doing so results in heartbreak for him. 

I enjoyed the growth in both of these characters. Again, it's Julia's family who helps her move past the lingering effects of a past relationship and Julia herself who brings the emotional strength to her relationship with Rocco that helps him evolve. And speaking of Rocco, he brought me to tears more than once. He's so endearing, and so hot. There were many times I just wanted to hug him...then jump him. I enjoyed his relationship with his sister and niece and how protective he is of them but I also enjoyed watching his sister grow to the point where she became the advisor. I don't know if Herrera plans any more books in this world but, if she does, I sure would like to see more of Sofia and Blue.

I'd also love to spend more time with the Gotham Exiles, a group of NYC ex-pats Julia has brought together in Dallas. They're delightfully eclectic and much more than a group of friends. They're found family for both Julia and Rocco and they captured my heart. We should all be so fortunate to have friends like these in our lives.

Here to Stay was my first Adriana Herrera book. I guarantee it won't be the last. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Here to Stay

Excerpt

Julia 

I stepped into the elevator and shoved my phone into the pocket of my dress, took a moment to send a prayer to the employee discount that let me buy bomb clothes on a nonprofit worker budget, and did some mental math of what could be going on.

Was the program really in trouble? Could we actually get shut down?

Nope, I would not go there. I would not think about what it would be like to get on a plane back to New York dumped and unemployed. Not happening.

A distraction. That’s what I needed. Just as the door to the elevator was about to close, someone got in. The fact that I was eye level with the base of his throat was a good clue as to who it was, but when he opened his mouth and the now familiar knee-weakening baritone echoed off the walls of the elevator, I got my confirmation.

“Morning, Ms. Ortiz.” That voice could be used for interrogation tactics. Every muscle in my body loosened at the same time whenever I heard it.

I squeaked out a “Morning” and took my time lifting my head all the way up to look at the last person in the world I wanted overhearing my conversation with my mother.

Him.

Rocco Fucking Quinn, otherwise known as the “Team Leader” for the consulting firm looking to bag my job. The guy with the New York City-est name on the planet. I hadn’t exactly gotten personal with Mr. Quinn, but I picked up on that accent the first time we met.

“What’s good?” I really tried to sound polite, but my Queens jumped out in situations like this. I did not gulp, because I could not let this fucker see me sweat. I managed not to cut my eyes at him, but it was a close call.

I took him in, ramrod straight, every hair in its place, not a wrinkle in sight, and decided he could not be the proprietor of the laugh-choke from before. The man seemed to be completely lacking a sense of humor. I knew he must have teeth but I’d never seen them.

Yeah, definitely not him. That fact rallied my spirits a little bit as I stood close enough to pick up on how he smelled. Like the ocean and something woodsy. That was not helpful information.

Without saying another word, I ran my eyes over him. It struck me that he was not wearing something bespoke like pretty much everyone here. Don’t get me wrong, he still looked good enough to eat, but he was clearly on a budget. And at a place where everyone looked like they were heading to a New York Fashion Week photo shoot, it was sort of jarring. Still, the suit fit him well. And there was no question, this guy could wear the fuck out of a suit. I held back a whimper when I envisioned him in a Brioni or a Zegna. They’d have to put out a heat advisory for the building if that ever happened.

“I thought I could detect a familiar accent when I was coming down the hall.” His perfectly blue eyes twinkled at what I was certain was an expression of utter mortification on my face. He sounded pleasant enough, but he was also alluding to the fact that I was yapping on my phone. This wasn’t the first time he tried to be cute. Rocco Quinn seemed to like fucking with me. And it was only a matter of time before he stepped on my last nerve and I reamed him out.

Thankfully, just as I was scrambling to respond to his comment, the elevator got to my floor. I was planning to just leave him hanging and run off, but he was hot on my heels.

Dammit.

“Sounds like your mom misses you.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Why did he have to act all fake nice?

I nodded without looking at him. “She does. Listen, Mr. Quinn—”

“You can call me Rocco.”

Nope, that was not happening. I was not letting this sexy bastard talk me into getting all chummy with him. I was already on thin ice as it was. He could keep his pheromones and his slick-as-fuck expressions to his damn self. I came to a dead stop a few feet away from the conference room door where my boss—and whatever shitty news she was about to give me—was waiting.

When I turned around, Rocco was looking down at me with an expectant smile. God he was handsome, that jet-black hair so dark it almost had a tinge of blue and those eyes, piercing. And I guess he had teeth after all, and of course they were perfect. Asshole. I shook my head hard when my traitorous brain started wondering what Pantone color his eyes would be.

Get your head in the game, Julia del Mar.

I straightened my back, determined to fight off the debilitating effects of those gleaming teeth and perfectly pink lips. I had to remember this niceness was probably his way of getting us to let our guard down. He was here to find ways to cut jobs. I was not about to mouth off and get myself fired, but I needed to get some things clear.

“Look.” I was proud of myself for not rolling my neck or pointing at his face. “I know you’re trying to be nice, but you make me nervous.” I pulled on the hem of my blue polka-dot dress and smoothed my yellow cardigan, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

“Why do I make you nervous?”

Uh, maybe because you’re here to close down as much of the foundation as you can.

I refrained from actually saying that because I had not been raised by a Puerto Rican man and Dominican woman just so I could act like I had no home training with the guy who could get me fired. But it was a close call.

“I’m sorry for saying that. You don’t make me nervous.”

Lies.

Rocco Quinn didn’t just make me nervous. He made me want to run my hands all over that big-ass body and moon over his almost but not quite curly hair and blue eyes, in spite of the fact that I knew he was out here gunning for my entire program. And yet, I still wanted to kiss the hell out of him while I climbed him like a sequoia. 

Copyright © 2020 by Adriana Herrera

 

Buy Here to Stay by Adriana Herrera

Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9780369700926_here-to-stay.html

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Here-Stay-Adriana-Herrera-ebook/dp/B086R2QY77

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/here-to-stay-adriana-herrera/1136795733

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/here-to-stay/id1506190677

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Adriana_Herrera_Here_to_Stay?id=_-zaDwAAQBAJ

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/here-to-stay-20

 

About Adriana Herrera

Adriana was born and raised in the Caribbean, but for the last fifteen years has let her job (and her spouse) take her all over the world. She loves writing stories about people who look and sound like her people, getting unapologetic happy endings. 

When she’s not dreaming up love stories, planning logistically complex vacations with her family or hunting for discount Broadway tickets, she’s a trauma therapist in New York City, working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence. 

Her Dreamers series has received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist and has been featured in The TODAY Show on NBC, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Library Journal and The Washington Post. Her debut, American Dreamer, was selected as one of Booklist’s ‘Best Romance Debuts of 2019’, and one of the ‘Top 10 Romances of 2019’ by Entertainment Weekly. Her third novel, American Love Story, was one of the winners in the first annual Ripped Bodice Award for Excellence in Romantic Fiction. Adriana is an outspoken advocate for diversity in romance and has written for Remezcla and Bustle about Own Voices in the genre. She’s one of the co-creators of the Queer Romance PoC Collective. Represented by Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary.

 

Connect with Adriana Herrera

Website: https://adrianaherreraromance.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ladrianaherrera

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laura.adriana.94801

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladriana_herrera/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18639202.Adriana_Herrera

Review - - What it Takes: A Kowalski Family Reunion

What It Takes: A Kowalski Family Reunion

By Shannon Stacey

Publisher: Carina Press

Release Date: February 28, 2017

Reviewed by: Janga

    

 

Laney Caswell is newly divorced after ten years of a marriage in which she gradually lost more and more of the person she was and turned into an eager-to-please wifey. She left her Rhode Island home to take a job for the summer at the Northern Star Lodge & Campground in Whitford, Maine, as an assistant to Rosie Miller, the matriarch who manages the place and the Maine Kowalskis. Laney’s plan is to enjoy her new job and spend her private time watching movies her ex disliked, reading books she never had time to read, and rediscovering the spirited, independent woman she used to be. Laney hasn’t given up on the idea of a forever love and marriage and children, but she needs time to become her own person again before she thinks about inviting a man into her life.

Ben Rivers grew up in Whitford, best friends with Sean Kowalski (Yours to Keep, Book 3, 2011). Approaching burnout after years as an urban paramedic, he eagerly accepts when Josh Kowalski (All He Ever Dreamed, Book 6, 2013) and Josh’s brother-in-law and Whitford chief of police Drew Miller (Love a Little Sideways, Book 7, 2013) offer him the newly created position of the small town’s paramedic. At thirty-eight, Ben is not only ready to return home; he is also ready to settle down with a wife and start a family so that he can find the kind of happiness he sees in the lives of all his Kowalski buds.

The attraction between Laney and Ben is immediate and it is deeper that just physical attraction. Laney is certainly not immune to Ben’s obvious appeal, but she is even more impressed with his willingness to accept her need for independence. Still, Laney is wary. When the extended Kowalski family decides to hold the annual Kowalski family camping trip at the Northern Star during two weeks in July, Lacey and Ben are thrown even more into one another’s company as the gregarious Kowalskis insist they both join in all their activities. But what kind of relationship is possible between a man looking for serious commitment and a woman afraid that loving a man means losing herself?

What It Takes is the tenth entry in Stacey’s popular Kowalski series. It has the strengths of the earlier books in the series in its likeable characters, credible contemporary situations, and appealing family dynamics. Laney is a sympathetic character and many readers will be able to relate to her determination not to fall into the trap of making her life all about pleasing other people a second time. Ben is an appealing, sexy hero with a tender beta heart. He not only falls for Laney; he also likes her and understands her.

For fans of the Kowalskis, a big part of the appeal of this book is the promise of a Kowalski reunion. I’m sure that I won’t be the only reader whose wish to see more of favorite couples (in my case, Keri and Joe from Exclusively Yours, Book 1; Kevin and Beth from Undeniably Yours, Book 2; and Max and Tori from Fighting for Max) will be frustrated. Nevertheless, Stacey skillfully pulls the reunion off. All the couples from the previous nine novels—even those who are not Kowalskis--make appearances, along with assorted children and secondary characters. Moreover, their cameos generally seem natural and unforced. It is logical that the characters whose daily lives are part of Northern Star—Josh and Katie and Rosie and Andy—have a larger presence. It also makes sense that Sean as Ben’s best friend would have a more prominent role. Ben and Sean have a reunion within the reunion, and a little bump in Sean and Emma’s HEA serves as a secondary thread.

If you are a fan of the Kowalskis, you will not want to miss this book. It is a delightful read for those who know and love these characters. If you have never read Shannon Stacey but like small-town contemporary romance with rich contexts and lots of family interaction, I think you too will enjoy this book. But be warned, reading it may just leave you adding the other nine books to your TBR list. I’m planning a reread of the full series.

Today's Special - - Christi Barth

Today, we welcome contemporary romance author Christi Barth to The Romance Dish!  Christi's newest book, Planning for Love was released August 1st by Carina Press and is available in digital format.  Before her writing career, Christi earned a Masters degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career on the stage. A love of romance then drew her to wedding planning. Ultimately she succumbed to her lifelong love of books and now writes contemporary romance. Christi lives in Maryland with her husband. Please vist her on: Twitter or Pinterest or her Website


Authors dread the question where do you come up with your ideas?  There is no magic idea vault.  If we knew how to manufacture ideas, we’d all be millionaires, churning out bestsellers every month. (But if there is a secret idea vault that people are hiding from me, I’d really like to bribe my way in – spread the word!).

My Aisle Bound trilogy—centered around a wedding company--is an exception.  After I’d been a wedding planner in Chicago for, oh, all of a month, people started telling me that I should write a book.  They wanted the dish on tempermental bridezillas, overbearing mothers, and drunken bridesmaid/groomsmen hook-ups.  Well, if I did that I’d have about fifty lawsuits pending against me.  My guilty pleasure was watching Whose Wedding Is It Anyway, which follows harried wedding planners all around the country.  And one night, those two things clicked for me.  The idea for Planning for Love popped right into my head.

I’m a sucker for romance.  That’s why I love weddings so much.  And yes, just like my heroine Ivy, I would well up every single time one of my brides walked down the aisle.  Weddings are full of passion and love and, yes, occasionally hysterically funny drama (well, funny if it isn’t your wedding).  Here’s a quote from my hero, Ben talking about his assistant cameraman:  

“Sorry. The kid’s young, and is sure every gig we do has the potential for major drama. Instead of paying his dues, he plans to catapult to stardom on a clip of the bride falling off a chair during the Hora.”  Did I ever have that happen at one of my weddings?  No.  Did some other things go haywire?  You bet.  Three real events even made it into the book (although all the names were changed to protect the happily married).  Once you read Planning for Love, I’d love to hear your guesses about what wacky antics I made up, and what really happened.

So weddings mixed with the harsh spotlight of reality television sparked a plot for me.  How would a perfectly organized, detail oriented planner deal with being shadowed by cameras?  Why would she even agree to it in the first place?  No spoilers, but after she’s accidentally railroaded into being on one show, the network manages to talk her into starring in another one.  They think she’s a star.  Ivy disagrees.

“I can’t take all the credit,” Ivy said. “Aside from the excitement before the ceremony, everything ran according to plan.” Yes, aside from rolling around naked with the videographer after the wedding ended. Because really, no matter how ruthlessly a wedding coordinator organized the day’s itinerary, it never included three orgasms before dawn.

Of course, the story of where I got the idea for Planning for Love is exactly that – one story.  Somehow I convinced myself the wedding world provided enough inspiration for three books.  I started sorting through vendors in my mind.  Could I make anything funny and romantic about a DJ?  A caterer?  Nope.  But I do have a sexy baker/chocolatier doing unmentionably naughty things with melted chocolate in book two, and a florist hooking up with a hotel manager in a bed of rose petals in book three.  Oh, and of course another reality show to stir the pot by putting my characters under a different live spotlight.

Here’s what I want to know from all of you (because I’m still in the middle of writing book #3 in the trilogy – call it research):  What went hopelessly, and hysterically, wrong at a wedding you attended?

One randomly selected person leaving a comment on today's blog will receive a digital copy of Planning for Love!

Blurb: 

Hopeless romantic Ivy Rhodes

and

anti-Cupid Bennett Westcott

request the pleasure of your company for

their disaster of a courtship

Wedding planner Ivy Rhodes is the best in the business, and she’s not about to let a personal problem stop her from getting ahead. So when she gets an offer to star in the reality TV show Planning for Love, it doesn’t matter that the show’s videographer happens to be a recent—and heartbreaking—one-night stand.

Bennett Westcott can admit that he didn’t handle his encounter with Ivy very well. But looking at her beautiful smile—and, okay, great body—through the lens of a camera every day? He can’t be faulted for suggesting they have a little no-strings fun.

The more time Bennett and Ivy spend together, the more he realizes that Ivy isn’t the wedding-crazed bridezilla he’d imagined. But if he doesn’t trust himself to make a relationship last, how can he convince Ivy to give him another chance?

Purchase at Carina Press