Staying for La Lluvia

by Shelly Cruz

She’s healing from a broken heart. He’s healing from a broken past.

Rocío Fontana has spent her career winning in court, but her personal life just hit rock bottom. Newly divorced and jaded, the brilliant divorce lawyer watched her marriage go down in flames, and now she’s ready to use that heat to reawaken her dormant desires. Determined to revive the vibrant, sexual woman buried under years of betrayal, she seeks out a spark to remind her what it feels like to be wanted. What was supposed to be a single, no-strings-attached night in Miami becomes a sensory awakening she never saw coming.

Reggaeton superstar Xavier Delgado is a man on the mend. After a downward spiral of addiction nearly cost him his throne, he’s finally clean, back in the studio, and planning his comeback tour. But he hasn't been able to find his rhythm since the night he met a woman who walked out of his bed and vanished into the Miami night. He thought he was done with the cravings, but finds himself addicted to the memory of the one woman who didn't want his fame, just his fire.

When their worlds collide, Rocío realizes her “rebound” is a global icon ten years her junior. At forty-one, she’s learning to trust herself again, but can she trust a man who lives in a world of screaming fans and constant temptation? One night changed everything. Will their connection be a fleeting rhythm or a song that’s meant to last forever?

Staying for La Lluvia is a contemporary failed one-night stand LatinX romance part of the sexy, pulsating Ritmo y Pasíon series, set in the Ficha Mundial universe. Lose yourself in this irresistible journey of love, music, unfiltered sensuality, and soul-deep connection.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 24, 2026

About the author

Shelly Cruz is a native Bostonian who lives in Miami, FL with her Husband and their rescued dog. She’s a Latina Lawyer who survives on cafecito and yerba mate, is obsessed with wearing lipstick, and speaks fluent Spanglish. When she’s not researching and writing legal documents, she enjoys expressing her creativity by writing fiction. She’s a lover of love, romance, and relationships, which is why she writes wicked sexy romance. In her free time, Shelly loves reading, traveling, and riding on the back of her husband’s Harley Davidson motorcycle while enjoying the open road.

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Web: www.shellycruz.com
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Reviews

[Carolina Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t have the words to express how much it means to feel seen from a book. Shelly does an amazing job at making you feel like you’re engulfed in our beautiful Latin culture! It all feels true and authentic

I love that both MCs are from different countries and how we get to experience both of them. Rocio is a badass and Xavier, well I absolutely love everything about him!

I laughed, I cried, and I GASPED! What an amazing story!!!

**This book does cover past drug addiction so please read those trigger warnings. I think this topic was represented very well with its depiction of the struggles people go through even when they’ve been able to stay clean.**

[lissette rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was phenomenal and had me feeling all the emotions. I loved the Latine representation and how Shelly highlighted both Puerto Rican and Argentinian culture. Her writing made me feel like I was right there in Miami and low-key had me wanting to move there, lol.

The side characters added depth to the story and helped move things along. I saw a lot of myself in Rocío, the badass FMC, which had me rooting for her, and I loved everything about Xavier.

[AL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leave it to Cruz to envelope you in culture and passion and finding the rhythm in starting anew.

I can’t get over her exceptional writing. I always feel like I’m walking into her characters’ worlds. You can feel the vibrations of the city life and music of Miami surrounding Rocío and Xavier.

There is so much anticipation throughout this novel and I was constantly excited for what was to come, devastated by trials, hopeful for understanding between characters.

I was absolutely energized by all the supporting characters providing laughs and support to the MCs.

Follow the sexy and relatable Rocío and enjoy her powerhouse way of managing her work and personal life. She is so inspiring and I felt empowered just reading her story and how she tackles things many of us face!