Review – Island Affair by Priscilla Oliveras

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Title Island Affair

Author Priscilla Oliveras

Description from Amazon

Sought-after social media influencer Sara Vance, in recovery from an eating disorder, is coming into her own, with a potential career expansion on the horizon. Despite the good news, her successful siblings (and their perfect spouses) have a way of making her feel like the odd one out. So, when her unreliable boyfriend is a no-show for a Florida family vacation, Sara recruits Luis Navarro—a firefighter paramedic and dive captain willing to play the part of her smitten fiancé . . .
 
Luis’s big Cuban familia has been in Key West for generations, and his quiet strength feeds off the island’s laidback style. Though guarded after a deep betrayal, he’ll always help someone in need—especially a spunky beauty with a surprising knowledge of Spanish curse words. Soon, he and Sara have memorized their “how we met” story and are immersed in family dinners, bike tours, private snorkeling trips . . . sharing secrets, and slow, melting kisses. But when it’s time for Sara to return home, will their fake relationship fade like the stunning sunset . . . or blossom into something beautiful?

Release Date April 28, 2020

Initial Thoughts

I was excited to read this one on NetGalley. The fake dating trope is always fun and I liked the beachy setting. Social distancing is making me really miss the beach and really just being outside in general.

Some Things I Liked

• Banter. I loved the banter between Sara and Luis. I thought their characters were fun and I enjoyed their dialogue.
• Luis’s family. I thought they had a ton of sequel potential. I loved his extended family and I hope to see more of them.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

• The timeline. Everything felt a little rushed. This wasn’t exactly insta-love, but it was pretty close and I just thought it felt like everything happened too fast. I think I would have liked it better if the vacation was longer or maybe they had some time apart. I’m not totally sure what I would have done differently, but, this version felt like it went by too quickly for the outcome we ended up with.

Series Value

I could easily see this developing into more stories with Luis’s family. His brother and sister both seem like they would be interesting characters and I can see Sara and Luis being involved as side characters. I would keep reading if this becomes a series.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this book. It was a fast, fun, beachy read and I would continue to read if it developed into a series. I had some small issues with the pace of the timeline but in general, this was a cute romance story with a nice ending.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

• Fake It Till You Make It by Anne Harper – if you like the fake dating trope, try this April release out.
• Not That Kind of Guy by Andie J. Christopher – again, if you like fake dating mixed with family vacactions and family drama, try this April release.
• Ghosting by Tash Skilton – this one isn’t quite fake dating, but it’s definitely got a lot of the same feelings.