Here to Stay

Starred review from July 6, 2020
Dancing between hot, heartwarming, and hilarious, this socially conscious enemies-to-lovers romance from Herrera (the Dreamers series) celebrates Latinx family and friendship, with a dash of N.Y.C. pride thrown in. The relationship that motivated Puerto Rican-Dominican Julia del Mar Ortiz to move from Queens, N.Y., to Dallas, Tex., went bust when her boyfriend ditched her, but being man-free leaves Julia the time to focus on her dream job of running the charitable foundation of high fashion company Sturm. But then Sturm hires a fellow displaced New Yorker, Irish-Italian consultant Rocco Quinn, to help it go public, and Julia’s department may be on the chopping block. When Julia starts the Gotham Exiles Club to build her Texas social circle, she doesn’t expect Rocco to join—and she’s even less prepared to discover he has a social conscience, a difficult family history, and his own moral conflicts with the job he’s been asked to do. Their sensual slow-burn romance takes center stage, but readers will also love how much space Herrera devotes to Julia’s satisfaction in helping immigrant families thrive, the supportive friendships that keep the couple on track, and the playful family dynamics. This is a knockout. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary.

Starred review from August 1, 2020

Queens native Julia Ortiz is left stranded in Dallas after a humiliating breakup but is now back on her feet and working a dream job as the program coordinator for a nonprofit, funded by a famous department store. Her position is threatened when the company hires a firm to help them go public, led by the infuriatingly hot Rocco Quinn. Rocco needs to follow company orders, which could mean recommending Julia's organization to be axed, but he's infatuated with Julia and drawn to her warm, Puerto Rican/Dominican family. He's also becoming attached to her new circle of friends, made up of ex-New Yorkers living in Dallas. Readers will be charmed by Rocco, who rescues abandoned kittens and doesn't need to be schooled about racism or why Julia's work is important, while Julia is a mature, down-to-earth heroine whom readers will relate to. VERDICT Herrera ("Dreamers" series) hits the mark again with a sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance that deftly charts the struggles of finding love and friendship in unexpected places.--Kathryn Howe, Saint John Free P.L., NB, Canada

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2020
After getting romantically burned by her last boyfriend, Julia del Mar Ortiz has a new life philosophy: all work and no play. This strategy makes even more sense given rumors that the parent company of the Dallas-based Sturm Foundation, where Julia is program director, may be cutting jobs as part of their plan to go public. So when Rocco Quinn, the consultant hired to assess the company and make recommendations for Sturm's IPO, shows up to do his evaluation, Julia is determined to keep things strictly professional between them. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done once Julia discovers that the theoretical bane of her professional existence comes wrapped up in such a smoking-hot package. Herrera's latest scorchingly sensual and superbly conceived contemporary romance not only beautifully showcases Latinx culture, but also offers readers a compellingly inclusive, socially aware plot that performs a deep dive into the idea of the family we are born with versus the family we create for ourselves.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)