I am so glad that Adrianna Herrera has made her foray into historical romance with her new series featuring Las Leonas, a group of three friends. A Caribbean Heiress in Paris is the story of Luz Alana, a Dominican rum heiress, and Evan, a Scottish earl and whiskey distiller seeking vengeance against his father.
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The summary, from Amazon:
“A Caribbean Heiress in Paris is a triumph! This rich, rollicking, deeply romantic read will delight readers and leave them desperate for the next in the series.” (Sarah MacLean, New York Times best-selling author)
“A Caribbean Heiress in Paris is a breath of fresh air featuring everything I love about historical romance.” (Martha Waters, author of To Love and to Loathe)
Paris, 1889
The Exposition Universelle is underway, drawing merchants from every corner of the globe…including Luz Alana Heith-Benzan, heiress to the Caña Brava rum empire.
Luz Alana set sail from Santo Domingo armed with three hundred casks of rum, her two best friends and one simple rule: under no circumstances is she to fall in love. In the City of Lights, she intends to expand the rum business her family built over three generations, but buyers and shippers alike can’t imagine doing business with a woman…never mind a woman of color. This, paired with being denied access to her inheritance unless she marries, leaves the heiress in a very precarious position.
Enter James Evanston Sinclair, Earl of Darnick, who has spent a decade looking for purpose outside of his father’s dirty money and dirtier dealings. Ignoring his title, he’s built a whisky brand that’s his biggest – and only – passion. That is, until he’s confronted with a Spanish-speaking force of nature who turns his life upside down.
From their first tempestuous meeting, Luz Alana is conflicted. Why is this titled—and infuriatingly charming – Scottish man so determined to help her?
For Evan, every day with Luz Alana makes him yearn for more than her ardent kisses or the marriage of convenience that might save them both. But Luz Alana sailed for Paris prepared to build her business and her future; what she wasn’t prepared for was love finding her.
Las Leonas
Book 1: A Caribbean Heiress in Paris
Buy A Caribbean Heiress in Paris here.
Luz Alana and Evan meet at an exhibition in Paris. The chemistry between them is undeniable, and though Luz had no plans to marry, it becomes apparent that a marriage of convenience between the two would sort out both of their problems. Luz Alana could get her inheritance, currently under the control of a third party unless she marries or convinces him otherwise, and Evan would inherit his distillery as per his mother’s will. The two agree to a temporary marriage of convenience with benefits, though the love between them is evident and neither looks forward to leaving the other.
The chemistry between these two was on point from their first meeting. This was a super steamy, memorable read and I cannot wait to read about Luz Alana’s friends in the rest of the books in this series! I rate it 5 stars.
After the popularity of Bridgerton, I am always excited to read actually diverse historical romance. There are a plethora of historical authors from Beverly Jenkins to Courtney Milan to Alyssa Cole to Vanessa Riley and I am so happy that Adrianna Herrera has joined their ranks by writing historical romance!
Find out more about how I rate books here.
A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was lovely! The chemistry between Luz Alana and Evan was on point from their first meeting, and I loved her friends – can’t wait to read their books. I love the marriage of convenience trope, I love strong heroines, and I am *so* here for “actually diverse” historical romance after the popularity of Bridgerton.
Book Club Questions
- Explain the relationship dynamic between Luz Alana and Evan.
- What do Luz Alana and Evan have in common? How are they different?
- Who do you predict will be featured in the rest of this series as romantic leads?
Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer
I love the setting. Glad to see the chemistry was good.