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.